significant changes in the field of

productivity and communication.

Thirty years ago, business was all
about the importance of
relationships, if someone was out
of the office, they were effectively
out of contact.
The fax machine and email were
two of the big technology
breakthroughs
Now we have mobile phones,
tablets, web-conferencing and social
networks.
We can transmit documents, videos
and images anywhere in the world,
instantly and at no cost.
Another technology thats starting to
revolutioni!e business is actually
not very new
technology is infiltrating and
changing business significantly in a
few ways
"icrochips that store information
can be attached to product
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The changing world of business
These are technologies that are in
development now and over the next
)* years will become commercial
products and part of accepted human
behaviour. "any of the developments
will unambiguously improve our lives
but others may be uncomfortable and
hard to deal with in some of their
aspects. Take robotics, for example.
There is no doubt that, )* years from
now, machines will be performing
many mundane tasks that are
currently the responsibility of human
beings. That may free us from
drudgery, but it may also pose difficult
+uestions, not ,ust for business, but
for society as a whole.
-usiness doesn.t happen face to face as often
as some would like. /nstead, today.s
communication depends on conference calls
and emails chains that make it challenging to
get to know your partners. /t.s been a common
lament among business people dissatisfied
with the technology that has become the norm
in their daily lives. -ut with so many workers
worldwide now working in virtual teams, many
business relationships do depend on
technology. And that.s not a bad thing 0 as
long they.re using the right technologies in the
right ways. As it turns out, the answer to all of
the complaints about the evolving workplace
wasn.t to abandon technology for a more
human way of working, but to evolve
technology to make the new way of working
more human.
1ommunication /s (aster
Whether you need to speak with an
employee who is traveling in another state
or country or you need to communicate with
your supplier half way around the world,
technology allows you to do so
instantaneously. /n fact, thanks to email and
text messages, you can now send
messages to people in other time !ones
before you forget without worrying that you
will wake them up. /n fact, according to
Walden 2niversity, the /nternet has allowed
business people to communicate easily
regardless of time !one and language
issues.
3xpanded 1ommunication 4pportunities
Technology allows individuals to
communicate and carry on a business
relationship without ever meeting face to
face, so people in all parts of the world now
have the chance to interact with a company
in a rural part of the 2nited %tates. (or
example, technology allowed for the
emergence of the virtual assistant, a worker
who completes tasks for her client online
without having ever met him, in the 5*th
century.
1ommunication "ust -e "ore 6eliberate
Although technology has made
communication instantaneous, so you dont
have to spend hours planning and
composing before you communicate and
wait for a long period for the reply, it has
also made planning deliberate
communication periods more important.
(irst, companies that do take advantage of
telecommuting and virtual offices need to
deliberately plan to communicate with
individuals in teams to avoid employees
losing touch and to make sure all are
working toward the same goals. %econd,
even if you work in a physical office,
instantaneous communication regarding
+uick decisions and memos cannot replace
specific communication times where big
decisions are discussed and progress
reports given. 7owever, when employees
are communicating in multiple ways every
day, it can be easy to forget to schedule
these types of meetings.
1ommunication /s "ore 6istracting
(rom constantly overhearing cell phone
conversations, to the worker who is
constantly emailing or texting you to the
incessant 8ding8 of your offices instant
messenger, communication tools that were
designed to make you more productive can
actually do the opposite. /nstant
communication can make it harder for
workers to deal with one task at a time
when their work is constantly being
interrupted by comments and +uestions that
relate to other pro,ects or even personal
issues. /n fact, some employees must make
an effort to turn off communication devices
while they work to meet deadlines.
%peed and 1osts
The most significant impact of technology
on communication is the spread of the
/nternet and the possibility of sending
emails and chatting. /n the pre-information
technology days, a document often re+uired
re-typing on the typewriter before the final
version. %ending the letter across a
distance to someone else re+uired a visit to
the post office and a postage stamp. (aster
methods such as telegrams had severe
limitations in text, and remained costly.
9uality
The huge amount of knowledge accessible
by a click of the mouse has helped improve
the +uality of communication.Translating a
text from an unfamiliar language to a
familiar language, seeking out the meaning
of an unknown word, and getting follow up
information on an unfamiliar concept are all
possible thanks to the internet.
Technology allows easy storage and
retrieval of communication when needed,
especially verbal communication, the
storage of which was very difficult before. /t
now becomes easier to rewind and clear
misconceptions rather than make
assumptions, or contacting the person again
to clear doubt.
.