Web 2.0 Seduces the Enterprise (continued)
they should contribute, or what they should be saying in what format or what structure. Instead, the smart managers and the smart technologists are presenting something that's pretty close to a blank slate, then trying to get out of the way of users and watch what emerges."
McAfee believes that "Enterprise 2.0" -- by which he simply means the use of "social software" or Web 2.0 tools inside of companies or between companies working together -- has great potential to increase worker productivity. The adoption of this collaborative software is not inevitable, however. Senior executives are excited by the possibilities, McAfee notes. "Their job is to make the organization run better. They want all information that will help them do that." But there's active resistance at other levels.
Some of the hostility comes from a simple, but revelatory, difference between social software and traditional business software. The latter is about imposing order and structure throughout an organization, which is, of course, a necessity in many areas. The former imposes little or no structure and by definition lends itself, says McAfee, "to the appearance of unanticipated patterns and structure and content." Unpredictability, understandably enough, makes lots of people nervous, especially if they have turf to protect.
Easier Than You Think
The fact is, says Forrester analyst Oliver Young, Web 2.0 tools make it easier for people to get things done. Interactions via e-mail and phone are relatively ad hoc and decentralized, he argues, while social software enables, "efficient interaction between people, content and data." (article continues)
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