100 bloggers world wide, inter-locking cross-border corporate resultation, a deal between google and bbc to share platforms and content, apple cutting across nokia with its new phone...Is this the essence of the 'networked world'.
What has changed in the last 10 years, five global leaders are asked: instantaneous communications, an ability to communicate with all of my employees to 'make sure we are all on the same page, to keep us together', increases in personal stress, senior managers are 'inundated with communciations and are deeply stressed, and so are people at lower levels in organisations'...'if my job is to articulate a clear vision and strategy, how can we do our job with hundreds of emails a day pouring into our minds'...'integration of regions into the world economy, of people and communities...hundreds of millions are now participating who could not before...everyone can be part of this...that means ceo has a totally different role, distributed intelligence is the key...our job is to set the stage, we are no longer the stars who are on the front line...no more macho ceos'...humans have not kept up with what technology allows us to do...it is technology that will drive the future of the business.
I softly suggest that the conversation is 'leading from behind' in placing technology center stage. Surely, i argue, the most dramatic change is the complex array fo values, interests and concerns that business leaders have to understand and mediate between in a networked world...gentle nods from around the room, a solemn pause for a 'civil society contemplation'...then back to the discussion about whether CEOs answer their own emails...oh dear!
