E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez

Spark – CBC Radio – Full Interview: Luis Suarez Explains How to Quit Email

After a couple of rather long blog posts I think it is now a good time to probably go for a short one, don’t you think? A little bit of a breather; actually, I thought I would go and share with you folks a follow up blog post from one I did earlier on this week and which I would think you would find quite interesting, specially if you have been following my little project of living "A World Without Email".

Earlier on this week, you would remember how for the weekly progress report for week #29 I mentioned that later in the week, yesterday, to be more precise, I would actually be spending a few minutes doing a Skype interview with the wonderful Nora Young from CBC radio show Spark, where I would be talking much more in detail about how to give up on corporate email for good and how I have been doing it for the last 18 months and counting…

And it looks like the interview is now available at the CBC Spark blog under the following title: "Full Interview: Luis Suarez explains how to quit email". You will be able to listen to the podcasting episode directly from that blog post or you could download the MP3 from here.

It lasts for a little less than 28 minutes and in it we had a great conversation throughout where I started giving some background on why I begun with this initiative over 18 months ago; the consequences and key learnings over time; the kind of responses I have been receiving all along; where I would go further from here, and, perhaps the much more interesting part, which is the one where I share a few tips that would help out everyone out there, who may be interested, how to perhaps not give up on email altogether in favour of social software tools, but certainly how to reduce quite a bit of that email clutter we have probably gotten too used to and, instead, make good use of social software tools to share our knowledge and collaborate with other knowledge workers.

I must say that being interviewed by Nora was actually plenty of good fun, because we eventually managed to talk about a good number of things I didn’t touch base in the various blog posts I have done so far, or the numerous conference events I attended last year or the ones I have been involved in this year so far. I was surprised about that, because I thought I had said most of the stuff around this topic of giving up on corporate email already, but it looks like Nora just asked the perfect set of questions to help me share a different set of insights on what it has been like living without email at work for over a year and a half now and still going strong…

So, I am going to keep this post on the shorter side of things, and leave it over here for now. And if you would be interested in listening to the interview I did with the delightful Nora (We surely had plenty of good laughs, too, on common misuses of corporate email! Hilarious some of them!), you can head over to the original blog post Dan Misener put together, or, alternatively, you could download the .MP3 file from here.

Hope you enjoy listening to it, just as much as I did participating in it. It surely was a blast and I would want to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Tony Burns, who made the introduction with Dan possible in the first place and to Nora & Dan himself for having me in their show! Thanks ever so much, guys! It was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Tags: Tony Burns, Alumni, Dan Misener, CBC Spark, Spark, CBC Radio, Radio, Nora Young, Interviews, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, email, Productivity, Re-purposing Email, No-Email, Challenge Your Inbox, Progress Reports, Thinking Outside the Inbox, Information Overload, A World Without Email, Diversifying, Fragmentation, Email Clutter, Reducing Email Clutter, Radio, Podcasts

Executing Enterprise 2.0: Dachis Group Acquires Headshift

I am sure that by now, if you are in the Enterprise 2.0 field, or are involved in some shape or form with social computing within the enterprise, you may have read about the tsunami of conversations that have been going on as a result of a rather thought-provoking and controversial article that Dennis Howlett has put together over at Irregular Enterprise under the now well known title "Enterprise 2.0: What a Crock" and which comes to question the validity of efforts behind such concept as that one of Enterprise 2.0.

I would think as well you have been reading further up on the huge number of reactions that Dennis’ article has generated in the last few days, so much so that you may think that almost everything may have been covered back and forth already with very little space to add some more into the conversations. Not to worry, from the very first moment I finished up reading Dennis’ article I decided there will not be another blog post on that subject where I will be trying to add my two cents. In fact, there is a good reason why I am not going to. And it’s not what you expect …

After having read through all of those links I have mentioned above, including Dennis’, I cannot help but recall how "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". Most of you folks know that I come from a traditional Knowledge Management and Collaboration background going as far back as 2000. If you were involved with KM around that time, and three or four years before, you would probably realise how this recent discussion is just exactly the same one we had back then! Except with a different label. Enterprise 2.0.

Well, if back then we got hold of the wrong end of the stick by focusing on everything, but what we really needed to focus on (Processes and technology, mainly, over the people, i.e. the knowledge workers themselves), it looks like we are back at it again. Making that very same mistake! Again!

Fast forward to 2002 … where you will find a very interesting paper (On the nonsense of Knowledge Management) that James Dellow quoted along in the current discussion as one of the very few folks who connected the dots across time between both discussions. So we are not having this discussion as something new. It’s been there over a decade, like I said, with a different label, but the same end-result, or, so it seems …

That’s why I decided, from the very beginning, not to get involved, and stay away, from a conversation that seems to be heading in that very same direction (The wrong one, by the way!) we eventually ended up over a decade ago! Instead, I would want to point what I feel (And that’s just my two cents, so take them with a pinch of salt please…) is a much more interesting direction…

And that’s the huge (And shocking!) great news we all got exposed to earlier on today that surely have been making the rounds on a delightful set of follow up conversations: Dachis Group expands internationally acquiring Headshift, LTD. Massive!

Indeed, earlier on today there has been a exciting uproar on what promises to be the news of the year in the field of Enterprise 2.0. ReadWriteEnterprise, eventually, put it very nicely under this headline: "Dachis Group Acquires Headshift: Say Hello to a Social Business Consulting Powerhouse".

Why is this acquisition so exciting, you may be wondering, right? Well, to be honest, for a good number of reasons, but basically because of each and everyone of the folks who are, combined, part of the new Dachis Group. If the group before the acquisition was already amazingly talented and gifted, the Headshift’s merger brings up that talent into new heights, consolidating that powerhouse I can tell you right now would be worth while watching for in the near future. And that’s an statement falling short big time!

If you don’t believe me, apart from reading further on through some of the links I have mentioned above already, have a look into the announcement article that Lee Bryant shared a few hours back and be prepared to be wowed with wonderful, and very revealing, quotes like this:

"We are ready to move beyond the experimental phase to create real business transformation. Leaving behind the niche world of enterprise 2.0, we are ready to work with businesses at a senior level to run change programmes aimed at bringing their processes, internal IT and communications into the Twenty-First Century. It has never been cheaper or easier to collaborate online. It has never been easier to harness people power to drive business performance. It has never been easier to engage with customers and business partners. Yet, as we know, most companies have come to accept an overly bureaucratic, process-heavy high-cost model of doing business as the norm. They need credible partners who can operate across technology, organisational design and business analysis to help meet this challenge, not just evangelists or technology vendors. That’s our role." (Emphasis mine)

To then wrap it up with my favourite precious gem, which clearly establishes the unprecedented (And exciting!) challenges and goals laying ahead for the group (And for all of us for that matter!):

"We see great potential for addressing simple but important use cases at each of these levels of operation, but the main challenge in the short-term is how we can help second wave adopters make sense of the new world of social tools and networks, and this is something that keeps our feet firmly on the ground."

I always knew that both the Dachis Group and Headshift would be doing just fine on their own. And for a good number of years. After today’s announcement, I am 100% sure (And time will prove me wrong… or not) that the new Dachis Group is embarking itself onto one of the greatest missions from the 21st century: change the way we work in the corporate world and, for once, make things right … from the start!

Congratulations everyone involved and keep leading the way before we all lose our own tracks talking about labels and use cases in our echo chambers … Hello Executing Enterprise 2.0!

Tags: Dennis Howlett, Irregular Enterprise, Stewart Mader, Oscar Berg, Shel Holtz, Niall Cook, Oliver Marks, Andy McAfee, Thomas van der Wal, Gil Yehuda, Larry Hawes, Sameer Patel, Paula Thornton, Mike Lafleur, Euan Semple, Nevill Hobson, Dachis Group, Headshift, Lee Bryant, Livio Hughes, David Armano, Peter Kim, Jevon McDonald, James Dellow, ChiefTech, ReadWriteEnterprise, Consulting, Social Business Design, Business Design, Mergers, Acquisitions, Mergers and Acquisitions, Use Cases, Labels, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity, Knowledge Workers, Knowledge Economy, In The News, News, Announcements, Participation, Optimisation, Execution, Business Transformation, Change Management, Organisational Transformation

IBM’s Smart Work Global Jam – Towards the Smarter Enterprise

We are only just starting to savour the really good flavours left behind after the amazing IBM’s Lotus Knows IdeaJam (Which I talked about over here not long ago and which my fellow colleague, and good friend, Ed Brill, wrapped up quite nicely under "Thank you for participating in the Lotus Knows IdeaJam") that here we are again with IBM making its way into putting together the next massive online collaborative Jam event: Smart Work Global Jam.

Goodness! Indeed! No time for some breathing space and here we are again about to embark on what promises to be quite an event for 2009! There are already a number of conversations going on with regards to this subject and we are still a couple of weeks away from when it would kick off: 16th to 18th September 2009. You will find all of the various details over at the Smart Work Worldwide Videocast and Global Jam Web site and, as you may have noticed, the Jam itself will not be the only event taking place.

To kick things off, on September 16th, James Surowiecki (author of "The Wisdom of Crowds") and Jon Iwata (Chief Marketing Offer at IBM) will be doing a live videocast where they will be introducing the Jam itself with three thought-provoking statements that I am sure are going to create quite a stir. To name:

• "A typical organization loses 5.3 hours per employee per week due to inefficient processes impacting how they work
• The time we spend just looking for the right expertise and information to do our jobs adds up to two hours in a typical day
• Two-thirds of people believe there are colleagues who can help them do their jobs better…but they don’t know how to find them"

Wrapping up the overall theme of that live videocast with this rather inspiring quote:

"Smart Work is about creating a collaborative and connected business environment that empowers people, embraces change and ultimately increases productivity"

Not sure what you would think folks, but that quote and the three statements mentioned above are clearly various pain points within the corporate world that more and more Enterprise 2.0 and social software are helping out address and fix quite nicely and certainly provoke that knowledge workers continue to work smarter and not necessarily harder.

As you may have seen already, I am pretty excited about the Smart Work Global Jam, not only because it will be another priceless opportunity to collaborate and share knowledge, i.e. bouncing ideas back and forth, with other knowledge workers on issues that surely affect the way we do business on a daily basis, but also because this time around that excitement is ever increasing from yours truly by reading further on what would be some of the various topics that will be explored in detail and which will include the following ones (I have highlighted in bold the ones I am surely looking forward to participate in accordingly and you will see what I mean, if you have been reading this blog long enough … ):

• "Government – How can technology help government encourage broader participation and facilitate business growth?
• Healthcare – What new possibilities to make health services more affordable, accessible, and personalized are taking shape as people, data, and processes become more connected?
• How can collaboration help business process management evolve to drive optimization for all parties involved?
• How do we maximize the talents of the @generation while transferring knowledge and optimizing our ways of working across generations?
• What does the future of teamwork look like as teams become more global, virtual, dynamic, and comfortable with technology than ever before?
• What will work look like in 2020? What ideas can we apply in surprising ways?
• What opportunities will emerge as we harness newly possible input and output from mobile people beyond the traditional boundaries of our organizations?"

Not bad, eh? Like I mentioned above, if you come to think about some of the challenges, pain points, growing pains, issues that Enterprise 2.0 is currently facing within the corporate world, you would have to agree with me that some of those are very well represented on those themes that the Jam will be covering. And that’s why I just can’t wait for it to get started! There is just so much to share, discuss and learn from one another!

September 16th to 18th 2009 cannot come up soon enough in my opinion! If you are interested in participating, like I am sure I will be able to do myself, although perhaps not at the level I would hope for since that timeframe will collide with another business trip to mainland Spain, as well as a few days off on vacation (But I am sure I will find plenty of spare moments to chime in accordingly … hehe), you can do so by going ahead and registering for the event here. Further details on the Jam can be found, again, over at this link and I am surely looking forward to perhaps share some further details on the event as time goes by…

But, for now, how about if I go and throw this questions … Are you ready to jam? I surely am!

Tags: IBM, Lotus Knows, LotusKnows, Lotus Knows IdeaJam, IdeaJam, Jams, Jamming, Smart Work Global Jam, Smart Work, SmartWork, James Surowiecki, Wisdom of Crowds, Jon Iwata, CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, Kickoff, Launch, Work Smarter, Knowledge Workers, Government, Healthcare, Future of the Workplace, Mobility, Flexibility, Social Networks, Communities, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity, Future of the Enterprise