Evolution of Internal Communication

new technology + communication + management

Why?- Relevant to anyone who works

within a formal organization- Tools we use are taken for granted- Interesting trends and shifts

An area generally neglected in both academic and practitioner literature

Expert Sources

“Talking vs. Shouting”

- Josh Bernoff

PAST

• Top Down• Need-to-know Basis

Telegraph connected officesAllowed communication between London & NYC

Telephone added voice communication, direct extensions, voicemail, and

conference calls

Hand-written memos, hand delivery to in-box, typewriters, carbon copied mass messages,

faxes, word processors, mainframes, desktop PC, laptop, handheld devices

Christensen: Disruptive Technology

COMPUTERS & THE

INTERNET

Over TimeEmployee attitudesare a key factor in

efficiency

Employees as Assets

Information Age + Power

The Importance of Being Attune

IT’S PRESENT TIME!

• Intranet, Wikis, E-newsletters, Virtual Meetings

• Staff Focus = It’s Your Company!

office equipment / personal tools

rarr

Future• Even More “Talking”!• Increased Use of Microblogs,

Video Texting

What do you think?

Image sources:http://www.jobvent.com/companyBrowse http://www.fotosearch.com/bthumb/ARP/ARP112/1Thttp://christyluther.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/project-proposal-e-nternal-communications/on.jpghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/bbaunach/495086792/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/celticblade/2768709083/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/scobleizer/2267868051/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeir/243094744/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollie-d/318157820/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakelite_phones/471663581/http://www.flickr.com/photos/43071680@N00/515075620/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jorr81/2652993950/http://www.flickr.com/photos/14569294@N06/2419907107/http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/130601225/in/set-72057594110134978/http://www.triggertouch.com/assets/images/fax_me_heart.gifhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/willshoot/1933471669/http://www.flickr.com/photos/goulao/2365778343/http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_virginia/2899334278/in/set-72157607704129043/http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_virginia/2898490491/ Additional Images from MS Office Online Text sources:Bernoff, Josh and Li, Charlene. (2008). Groundswell. Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press.

Bower, Joseph L. and Christensen, Clayton. (1995). Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave. Harvard Business Review, 173:1. Retrieved from University of Washington Electronic Reserve: https://eres.lib.washington.edu/eres/documentview.aspx?cid=4174&associd=131207

Christensen, Clayton M., Anthony, Scott D. and Roth, Erik A. (2004). Seeing What’s Next. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.

Standage, Tom. (1998). The Victorian Internet. New York: Walker and Company.

Christy LutherMarch 2009

MCDM COM 546University of Washington