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Little Things Mean A Lot
People are drawn to the next big thing, whatever it may be, even though "big" things don't come along all that
often. No one wants to miss the forest for the trees, of course, but the bigger picture isn’t always the better one. That's the point of two interesting pieces we've come across recently.
In a blog post at harvardbusiness.org, Tom Davenport suggests that micro decisions -- the small choices made by individual workers every day -- can have a macro impact. If an organization can find ways to make those micro-decisions more effectively, it can mean the difference between profit and loss. Big, strategic decisions made by senior executives may still determine the direction of a company, but it's the little decisions that determine how well it functions.
And in a Change This manifesto, Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval call for a "small revolution," suggesting
that the catalysts for real change are in the tiny details. They recommend a shift in perspective from the grandiose to the do-able, as well as the celebration of the small victories that people
experience every day. Rather than strive to be the best of all multi-taskers, focus on doing one thing at a time, and doing it very well.
The Age of Twitter
We first wrote about Twitter in late 2007, and frankly, its appeal continues to elude us. It's been all over the news in the last few weeks, though, so perhaps the time is right for some reconsideration. If you're not familiar with the basics, Computerworld has a new "Twitter Bible" that will tell you
just about everything you might want to know.
It's obviously delivering value for those who've learned to use it well. In the past few days, there have been articles about Twitter at NASA, about its value in job hunting, and about its adoption for publishing election results. There are gazillions of articles out
there, though and a Google News search returns over 40,000 for 2009 alone. It seems to be everywhere, and it's changing the way we communicate and consume information. In fact, it just passed The New
York Times and The Wall Street Journal in the number of unique Web visitors per month.
According to Neilsen Online, Twitter grew by 1,689% in the 12 months ending in February 2009. What is going on here?
Could it represent some form of primal activity? All primates rely on grooming
to promote social cohesion, and Robert Paterson thinks that's what's happening with Twitter. It lets us demonstrate
care for others, and lets them do the same for us. And it lets this grooming take place across time and space, with relatively little effort. In that way, he thinks it might be a revolutionary
development which could dramatically reduce the need for face time to establish interpersonal connections.
So is that a good thing, or a bad thing?
Breaking Out of the Box
We've noted in the past that some organizations have opted to build private networks inside
Facebook, rather than establishing their own company directories. Employes publish their contact information, bios and areas of expertise, and use Facebook's Notes and its Twitter-like "News
Feed" to keep in touch and share information. Everyone has access to Facebook's tools for file sharing, photo publishing and networking, and there are no start up expenses or support costs.
Some employees at the Latin America region of the World Bank have taken a similar approach with Wikipedia. Frustrated with the limitations of the Bank's internal search engine, they began developing comprehensive Wikipedia articles on topics such as water and energy. It's an ideal solution, combining the interactive exchange of collaborative publishing, the multiple sources and structured content of a good library with the currency and visibility of a well-known destination site. It lets them share information broadly and integrate the thoughts of outside experts, while still maintaining editorial control.
And once again, it's free.
KStreet News
We're always scouting around for news items that might be interesting from a Knowledge Management or
Communications perspective. Some of them are turned into articles for this monthly newsletter, and some we generally share less formally. We might email them as links, or just talk about them with our
customers and contacts. Earlier this year, we implemented another option, adding a feed from Blogger to the Knowledge Street home page.
It's not updated every
day, but there's something new at least twice a week. So if you're in the mood for a "Directions" sort of fix, and can't wait for the next issue, just drop in and see what's cooking.
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