About a month ago I attended a PMI OVOC luncheon on Web 2.0 and Project Management. The seminar was quite enlightening. The speaker talked about the use of blogs and wikis for project/teams communications. He also mentioned web based project management tools to facilitate communication and status reporting about the schedule. I came away from the lunch feeling energized about the future of project management and how web 2.0 would help alleviate a number of the communication challenges that I have experienced in the past.
Then, I began to think about the organizations that I have worked with an realized that corporate culture plays a significant role in if, when, and how collaborative tools like those that have become popular with web 2.0 are utilized within an organization. Fundamentally, culture influences how organizations communicate and how information is shared within teams. If the culture is dynamic and forward thinking, they will embrace these new technologies. Conversely, if the culture is conservative and regulated, they will be less inclined to embrace these new technologies.
I’m reminded of Geoffrey Moore’s book Crossing the Chasm wherein he speaks about the technology adoption life cycle. Organizations that have an innovative and early adopter style culture have been using web 2.0 applications to improve their productivity and collaboration for years. Early majority organizations are beginning to look at the new applications with curiosity. They are trying to figure out how to apply them effectively. As for the late adopters and laggards, it will be several years before web 2.0 applications will be adopted by these organizations.
So before you consider bringing web 2.0 applications into your organization, please take a moment to consider the culture of your organization and whether there will be a good fit between the technology, the communication style, and the culture.