People First, Technology Second

In an ambitious worldwide 2004-05 research initiative called "The World at Work," Patricia Shafer and her colleague Dr. Barbara Trautlein discovered more similarity than difference across geography, industry and gender based on interviews with multinational managers on five continents and spanning the organisational Value Chain. This finding was contrary to the popular perception that the world is chaotic and separated by nationality and culture. They also conclude in the study that it's time to rethink technology's role, boldly asking: "Does technology have a new role to play in a critical 21st century challenge - building connections, collaboration and consensus in ways that it hasn't before?" Moreover, should women managers take the lead, spurring dialogues that would make this possible? For organisations, the challenge is to make room for dialogues on more meaningful uses of technology in an era when people development and people connections must be tantamount. Conversation is the grease in the organisational wheels of change. And, as indicated by their mindsets in "The World at Work" research, women managers' mindsets make them natural leaders to take up the charge. Read the full article here.

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