Page 429 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

428 Part 4 • Leading
::::::: Technology and the Manager’s Job :::::::
OffICE Of TOMOrrOW

The office of tomorrow is still likely to resemble in some ways the via voice commands. It’s also likely not to be handheld but rather
office of today. There probably won’t be mail delivery by robots something akin to combining reading glasses and an earpiece. You’ll
on hovercraft nor any teleportation devices. Most of the changes, read documents through the lenses of what look like normal read-
27
however, will likely be in the way we communicate. Employees ing glasses and the earpiece/microphone will make it hands-free.
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will rely on multiple channels of communication with heavy reli- Google Glass is an example of this wearable technology. As this
ance on social networks, text messaging, type of technology becomes more com-
instant messaging, mobile technology, Over 83 percent of managers mon, organizations will have to address
and dashboard apps that allow employ- are using mobile technology usage issues regarding information secu-
ees to message each other directly. to improve communication rity and possible legal dilemmas.
Smartphones will be as powerful as with employees. 28 Another outcome made possible by
today’s mainframes, meaning employees technology will be a significant decrease
will be able to do heavy computing on in business travel. Improvements in
the go. Software will be able to track where employees are and computer-mediated groupware will allow individuals to conduct
blend that data with information about current projects and sug- meetings in environments that closely simulate face-to-face inter-
gest potential collaborators. E-mail is likely to decline in popular- actions. In these settings, real-time translations will be transcribed
ity, largely because other channels are faster, more fluid, and and displayed on screen and teleconferencers will be able to hear
more immediate. and see the words.
Accurately forecasting tomorrow’s technology is impossible. But If your professor has assigned this, go to the Assignments section of
several patterns seem to be evolving. For instance, the combining mymanagementlab.com to complete these discussion questions.
of functions in a single device is likely to result in employees having talk aBout It 3: Do you view communicating using technol-
a single product that will combine phone, text messaging, Internet ogy as more of a help or a hindrance? Explain.
access, video camera, teleconferencing, and language translator. It talk aBout It 4: What issues does wearable technology
will allow people to read proposals, legal papers, news, or almost present in the workplace? What do you think managers will need to
any document digitally. It won’t need a keyboard and will operate do to deal with these issues?

try It!
If your professor has assigned this, go to the Assignments section of mymanagementlab.com
to complete the Simulation: Communication.

What Communication Issues Do Managers Face Today?

“Pulse lunches.” That’s what managers at Citibank’s offices throughout Malaysia used to
13-3 Discuss address pressing problems of declining customer loyalty and staff morale and increased em-
contemporary ployee turnover. By connecting with employees and listening to their concerns—that is, tak-
issues in ing their “pulse”—during informal lunch settings, managers were able to make changes that
boosted both customer loyalty and employee morale by more than 50 percent and reduced
communication. employee turnover to nearly zero. 30
Being an effective communicator in today’s organizations means being connected—
most importantly to employees and customers, but in reality, to any of the organization’s
stakeholders. In this section, we examine five communication issues of particular significance
to today’s managers: managing communication in an Internet world, managing the organiza-
tion’s knowledge resources, communicating with customers, getting employee input, and
communicating ethically.