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 Senior
managers in the corporate world are trying to come to grips with
blogging and instant messaging, as a result of which information,
including regular gossip, sensitive news, market information, etc,
sneak out of their organisations, writes MOHAN BABU
The hype over the Internet and dotcom mania
may be dead but the usage of the tools, including e-mail; online
chats, instant messaging, etc, have become a way of life for most
of us. E-mail has become a fast, efficient and cheap means of communication,
used by corporations and individuals alike. Even instant messaging,
until a few years ago, used by geeky folk has entered the world
of mainstream communication in the corporate world. An interesting
phenomena called blogging, which until recently was used by “nerdy
types” to maintain a public online diary chronicling their
day and activities, is catching the attention of the corporate world.
Blog is a short form of Web logging, basically
an online journal where the author (the blogger) keeps a running
account of whatever s/he is thinking about. The blogger posts a
paragraph or two on any topic every day and may even weave hyperlinks
to other websites from the text. A blog is almost like an open diary
where the author is free to talk about anything and everything,
including their problems at work, day-in-the life, pets, peeves,
etc. Just to extend the concept, perhaps a columnist like myself,
is also a moderated blogger in a sense? The editor of IT People
gives me a clean slate which I fill with a topic of interest week
after week. The only difference between a blog and this column is
that I have a boundary—something to do with technology and/or
business—and the column is reviewed by the editor before being
published. Like a blogger, I too receive feedback and mails from
readers.
A case study in September 2003 issue of
Harvard Business Review titled “A Blogger in Their Midst”
makes for interesting reading, especially since it brings blogging
to the forefront of subtle marketing, an important activity which
business leaders are keenly aware of. The article draws attention
to the subtle role blogging can play in marketing of products—a
topic of interest to most senior managers.
The article talks about the role of played
by a “glove girl” who discusses ideas about products,
strategy, marketing and other aspects of a latex glove manufacturing
company where she works. Until her presentation in a popular industry
conference, she is the typical “nondescript” employee
working for the company. The postings of the glove girl seem to
have a wide following in the industry, not just in the company,
and the story goes on to describe how a certain line of gloves went
flying out of the door even when the company wasn’t actively
marketing them, just because she talked about them in one of her
blogs. The article presents the management’s dilemma in contemplating
reigning in an employee who is essentially a free-agent, without
causing ripples.
Reading this case study made me wonder
about the unintended implications of the use of technologies and
tools like blogs. Business executives, especially senior managers
in the corporate world, used to the “old school” of thinking
where they managed to control the flow of information out of the
organisation, are trying to come to grips with blogging and instant
messaging using which information, including regular gossip, sensitive
information, changes about tactics, market information, etc, have
a way of instantly sneaking out of the organisation. Such unregulated
communication is making managers uncomfortable. Technical solutions
like blocking access to blog sites, restricting Internet access
at work, etc, are only a partial solution since most employees enjoy
seamless access to the Web even outside their official networks.
Organisations and managers are better off
sensitising their employees about the implications of the leak of
organisational information, business intelligence and tactics. Employees
need to realise how the information about certain crucial marketing
information, product specification, strategy, etc, can really lead
to the downfall of an organisation, in turn leading to layoffs and
job losses. When employees realise the dual-edged impact of the
organisational information at their disposal, they will be more
inclined to act responsibly.
Mohan Babu is a US based software consultant
trying to find the ‘sweet spot’ where IT meets business.
E-mail: mohan@garamchai.com
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