Virtual Work

"The Third Wave of Virtual Work" is a fairly interesing article in the January-February 2013 Harvard Business Review by Tammy Johns and Lynda Gratton about how knowledge workers' work has changed vis-a-vis physical presence: 1) email and remote access let employees work from home, 2) mobile technology let all employees work wherever and when they wanted to, and 3) new spaces and practices are emerging to reduce the physical isolation of virtual workers. 

Here is the executive summary (full piece at the link above) -- 

In three major waves of change over the past 30 years, employers and workers have converged on new arrangements for getting knowledge work done. First, home computers and e-mail spawned an army of freelancers, offering both workers and employers new flexibility. Next, mobile technology and global teamwork gave the same kind of work-anywhere, work-anytime flexibility to full-time employees, without asking them to forsake career progress and development within their companies. Now, in a third wave, new ways of providing community and shared space are curing a side effect of virtualization—worker isolation—and driving increased collaboration.

(From HBR: Jules de Balincourt, Big Globe Painting, 2012, oil and acrylic on panel, 90" x 96"

The authors write that to make the most of this third wave of change, employers should rethink the compact they forge with workers. Five fundamental aspects of knowledge work require fresh thinking: the value of the relationship with a larger enterprise; the settings in which work is done; the organization of workflows and how individual contributors add value; the technologies used to support higher achievement; and the degree to which employment arrangements are tailored to individuals.

The three waves of transformation surge forward at differing velocities across sectors and geographies and mix together in societies. Understanding how your business participates in each wave will help you make wise decisions about technology, work models, talent sources, and people practices.

Gen Y Mobility Addiction

Here are some decent and relatively unsuspect hard data from Cisco via Baseline about something we all know: Gen Yers -- a.k.a., Millenials; people born between the early 1980s and early 2000s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_y) -- are addicted to their smartphones. (Thirteen slides.)

"Smartphone Addiction Is Rampant in Gen Y" 

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2013-01-03 

For Generation Y, the smartphone might as well be considered a physical appendage. That's because—other than when these individuals are asleep—there seems to be little or no time when they're not connecting to these devices, according to a recent survey from Cisco. The resulting report, the "2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report," reveals that Gen Yers throughout the world are tapping on their smartphones from the first thing in the morning to the end of the evening. No physical space is considered off-limits either, not even the bathroom. On the positive side, this level of connectivity makes them more accountable at work. On the negative, a majority of survey respondents admit that they wish they didn't feel so tethered to technology. "There are 206 bones in the human body," according to the report, "and the smartphone should be considered the 207th bone for Generation Y." A total of 1,800 Gen Y students and professionals in 18 countries took part in the research. 

(See http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns1120/index.html for other Cisco technology reports on technology, internet security, online friendships.) 

Batteries

The full extent of mobility -- powerful, capable devices; location-aware social media; ubiquitous networks (WiFi and cellular); etc. -- is held back by battery limitations. Very few smartphones, for instance, will last even the canonical eight-hour workday under heavy use on just one charge. 

This great piece by Jessica Dolcourt in CNET summarizes the challenges and potential solutions. 

"Smartphone battery life: 2 problems, 4 fixes (Smartphones Unlocked)"

Battery life on smartphones is generally terrible, and everyone knows it. Here's why, and who is trying to fix it.

• Imagine a smartphone that charges completely in 5 minutes and lasts a full 10 hours before running on empty. Crazy, right? Toting along the charging cord is just another part of life with 4G streaming and a power-hungry screen.
• Back in January, Motorola's Droid Razr Maxx offered the first real glimmer of hope for long-life batteries with the 3,300mAh ticker that dwarfed the battery in any other available handset -- it ran for 19 hours in CNET's tests, a longevity that hasn't been reproduced since.
• That leaves the question I get asked over and over again: why is it taking so long for batteries to catch up to all the other advances in smartphone technology?
• There's good news and bad news. The good news is, help is on the way. The bad news is, much of the cutting-edge development is still a year or two out. Here's a look at some of the exciting evolutions, and even revolutions, coming to the stuff that fuels our smartphones.

Update on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 07:51PM by williamgarrity

Here's a wire story (AP) about the problem: http://careers.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_BATTERY_BREAKDOWN

7 Things About Collaborative Learning Spaces

EDUCAUSE is the association for higher education computing. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is ". . .  a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to the advancement of learning through the innovative application of technology."

ELI's "7 Things About. . ." series ". . . provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues." 

The latest "7 Things About. . ." is 

"7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES"

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Contributions by: Robert J. Beichner (North Carolina State University), Joseph Cevetello (University of Southern California)

Alternative classroom designs have emerged that support collaborative learning and shift the focus away from lecture-based formats. Collaborative learning spaces generally involve new construction or the wholesale renovation of existing rooms, and they typically feature the ability to reconfigure seating to accommodate a variety of teaching methods. Such spaces enable alternative pedagogies that allow for more inquiry and investigative work, and they empower students to explore course content and ideas in an environment that has multiple points from which learning may emerge.

Marketing in 2013

Fast Company's Co.Create -- the title's site covering ". . . the converging worlds of branding, entertainment, and tech" -- captures marketers' visions for how marketing will change in 2013. 

"CREATIVE FORECAST: HOW MARKETING WILL CHANGE IN 2013" 

In part one of a two-part series, creative professionals forecast how tech and social changes will impact marketing and how they are going to up their creative game in 2013.

Anyone working in or observing the marketing world (and reading Co.Create) can predict a few of the bigger themes and issues that will be of increased relevance in the coming year. The continued growth of mobile, the explosion of data, the evolution of content marketing--all factors that will shape the marketing landscape in 2013 and beyond.

But how will these issues actually play out in the industry and what impact will they have on brand creativity? And what are the other big trends that will define marketing this year?

We asked several advertising players from different disciplines and creative companies to weigh in on what they thought would have the biggest impact on their job in the coming year. Part one, below, we include responses from ad "creatives" and marketers. 

Continued at link. 

It's all about mobile, multiple platforms, more screens, BYOD, social, big data. . .