"NO" is my answer. I am sure the majority of you, especially if you are a IT solutions provider, will disagree with my answer and make enough cases to prove it otherwise. But it is almost pointless to debate on this issue as the answer will all depend on how you define Communication.
The word "communication" means, based on its original context in Latin, the process of sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings with each other in commonly understandable manner to form a trusting relationship or a community with a strong bond. In another words, communication is the process of bonding among people.
Now, with this in mind, let me ask you this, If you are a IT solution provider, how strongly can your IT solutions bond organization and its members, partners and stake holders ? You will probably say, our IT solutions will improve operational efficiency and save tons of costs related to processing information as well as providing useful information to the management in a timely fashion. Well, I have no doubt about that. As a matter of fact, IT does improve the processes and the methods of gathering, processing and storing information as well as managing ever increasing volume of data, thanks to the advancement of Information Technologies in all areas of businesses. And the corporations keep investing millions of dollar to their IT infrastructure to keep up with the rapidly changing market demands and environment. So, IT has significantly improved our communication channels and methods with the various IT products and services such as, smart phone , PC, and most of all, Internet services. As all the IT experts proclaim, we live in a connected world.
But, all that technology driven communications take place between devices, not between people. We, the people on the other hand, have been reduced to a mere attachment to all those communication devices. As a result, our own communication competence has been grossly degraded in spite of the fact that we are supposed to be connected 24/7 no matter where we are through those devises. Connected in a sense that we are reachable and available to communicate using those devices, not in a sense that we are emotionally and intellectually connected. It is up to us, human, to make the connection. Ironically, being connected ever so closely and readily via those wonderful and convenient devices have made our connection weaker than ever before. People get worried, confused and even angry if your device is disconnected more than 10 minutes. We get disconnected when devices are disconnected. What does that make us ? A Robot ?
As for the organization, they can no longer function without relying on the Information Technologies since all the dominating systems of the world, from the social systems to the business systems, have been rewired and re-programed digitally, connecting billions of devices of all kinds around the world. When the flow of information stop, not only the business but the whole world comes to a grinding halt, and that will kill more people than any weapons of mass destruction man has ever invented. Connected world sounds like a death trap for Humanity.
OK, let's be positive and assume that will not happen,( with all my fingers crossed).
Any organization's dream is to be an optimum organization where all its assets, capital, resources and competences are optimized. IT infrastructure is a part of the organization's assets as well as the competences, and in order for the IT infrastructure to be optimized, communication competence of the organization and its members must be optimized before optimizing anything else. IT is as good as the the level of competence, particularly in communication, of people using it. I hereby conclude that IT dose improve the handling of information, but not the communication itself as it depends on the communication competence of the people using it.
The word "communication" means, based on its original context in Latin, the process of sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings with each other in commonly understandable manner to form a trusting relationship or a community with a strong bond. In another words, communication is the process of bonding among people.
Now, with this in mind, let me ask you this, If you are a IT solution provider, how strongly can your IT solutions bond organization and its members, partners and stake holders ? You will probably say, our IT solutions will improve operational efficiency and save tons of costs related to processing information as well as providing useful information to the management in a timely fashion. Well, I have no doubt about that. As a matter of fact, IT does improve the processes and the methods of gathering, processing and storing information as well as managing ever increasing volume of data, thanks to the advancement of Information Technologies in all areas of businesses. And the corporations keep investing millions of dollar to their IT infrastructure to keep up with the rapidly changing market demands and environment. So, IT has significantly improved our communication channels and methods with the various IT products and services such as, smart phone , PC, and most of all, Internet services. As all the IT experts proclaim, we live in a connected world.
But, all that technology driven communications take place between devices, not between people. We, the people on the other hand, have been reduced to a mere attachment to all those communication devices. As a result, our own communication competence has been grossly degraded in spite of the fact that we are supposed to be connected 24/7 no matter where we are through those devises. Connected in a sense that we are reachable and available to communicate using those devices, not in a sense that we are emotionally and intellectually connected. It is up to us, human, to make the connection. Ironically, being connected ever so closely and readily via those wonderful and convenient devices have made our connection weaker than ever before. People get worried, confused and even angry if your device is disconnected more than 10 minutes. We get disconnected when devices are disconnected. What does that make us ? A Robot ?
As for the organization, they can no longer function without relying on the Information Technologies since all the dominating systems of the world, from the social systems to the business systems, have been rewired and re-programed digitally, connecting billions of devices of all kinds around the world. When the flow of information stop, not only the business but the whole world comes to a grinding halt, and that will kill more people than any weapons of mass destruction man has ever invented. Connected world sounds like a death trap for Humanity.
OK, let's be positive and assume that will not happen,( with all my fingers crossed).
Any organization's dream is to be an optimum organization where all its assets, capital, resources and competences are optimized. IT infrastructure is a part of the organization's assets as well as the competences, and in order for the IT infrastructure to be optimized, communication competence of the organization and its members must be optimized before optimizing anything else. IT is as good as the the level of competence, particularly in communication, of people using it. I hereby conclude that IT dose improve the handling of information, but not the communication itself as it depends on the communication competence of the people using it.
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