Svein Bergum: research findings and introduction to the topics of digital natives, and ICT for sustainable development
Rich Ling: Telenor R&D. Social cohesion and the use of mobile communication.
Sociology and the electronic revolution
The interaction of technology, society and social cohesion is one of the major projects of sociology. 50 years into ICT (transistor developed in 1947). Cities are still the same as 50 years ago, workplace same, education still the same. Not as big of a change as during the industrialism.
Putnam and the loss of social capital. There are fewer people (in the US) where people feel they can confide in. Social cohesion: people you can talk to, have dinner with etc… is becoming more fraid at the edge. That which holds people together. According Durkheim it is ritual. According to Freud ritual is obsessive behaviour. Durkheim looked at Aboriginals and saw that it is a mutual recognition that holds the societe together. A common mood. Often there are barriers of those who are not part of the group. Ritual is a catalyst for social cohesion. Most successful rituals are copresent. (For example dating and the use of messaging. Use email before and after the date. Mobile technology allows to extend the face to face presence.
Third parties bringing other people together like priests, rock musicians or politicians. Goffman these rituals are happening all the time, ritual is a continual part of daily life.
Face to face interaction is important. Mobile communications means that we call to people, not to places. We are able to have more continual and nuanced interactions with one another. Mobile communication allows us to play out rituals via mediation. Gossip is a ritual interaction, there has to be a common mood, it marks the boundaries between who is inside and outside of the group, it marks minor transgression of social norms, it is used in the way we work out power relations and it can fail.
Mobile communication can enhance the in-group solidarity, interaction is more frequent. Togetherness and outside “threads” help to develop local ideologies and enhances groupness. Increased mobile communications helps to create stronger social bonds. If there is too strong of a social coherence it becomes a mafia type of group and will miss out on what is happening outside of the group.
Mobile telephony and bounded intimacy.
Mobile communication is encouraging social cohesion. We are living is a quasi gemeinschaft society. Mobile communication is facilitating solidarity and cohesion within groups. Implications for business groups: team building cohesion on for example on a project basis, but up to a point when the project has been done.
The digital native and the future workforce: Marianne Levinson, Futurist and Chief of research
The digital natives: born in 1990-2001, large generation because of the revival of family values. Project, trophy and curling children (wanted children), parents assist them in any kind of matter. Not selfish, but individualistic: everyone has the right to fulfill their dreams. Be famous, it does not matter what (like Paris Hilton).
Huge circle of acquaintances: 4-8 close friends, 30-50 text friends, 100-200 msn friends. Each digital native has a huge personal network with people in different parts of their own city, country and some of them world wide. Have the possibility to send messages on regarding for example issues at the workplace to hundreds of people. Google everything, almost born to live online: news, information, shopping, chatting, download music and create their own music and videos, do all of this at the same time. Excellent digital skills, fast and adaptive.
Expectations to future employers: what’s in it for me? Want to meet different people, leaders, job functions and workplaces. Comprehension and willingness to understand the things that they care for, leaders that can motivate them and be their star. Companies are held hostage by talent. (Karaoke Business).
Give me a direction and show me that I do a meaningful job. I can always find a grown-up to help me. In a world full of information about companies and people, they trust their family and friends. Their trust will come from what their family and friends know about companies.
Digital immigrants:
Baby boomers (1946-1964)
Generation Jones (mid 1950-1965)
Generation X (1966-1979)
Generation y (1976-1982)
Leaders and challenges: Huge challenge to be able to motivate these different generations as their values are so different. Leadership will be more complex than before.
Generation of 2002: surveillance from birth, no distinction between real and virtual. Famous before they are born.
Google chosen as the best workplace to work. It is fun to work at Google, work and fun need to go together.
Peter Arnfalk: ICT and telework for sustainable development, Swdish National Policy. Telework for transport savings in the Swedish National Strategy for ICT and Sustainable development.
Sustainable development. Can telework support sustainable development? Potential: less need for passenger transport & office space. Reduced environmental impact. Hard to say that telework reduces transportation. Crucial variables differ: the definition of telework, the impact on transport. Environmental indicators: life-cycle impact or ecological rucksack: transport, infrastructure, housing, office space, life-style (food, clothes, leisure travel etc…).
Conclusion promote more sustainable telework arrangements, state should act as a forerunner, establish a telework policy 2007 for all state agencies, support a spill-over effect to the private sphere.
1998 ministry of employment in Sweden create a handbook (395 pages) on the implementation of telework, including the change of 2 laws. After this the environmental ministry during 2002-2004 including a workshop in 2003 with about 100 conclusions such as assessment of current economic policy framework, assessing initiatives already in place, more research on telework. After this the government’s IT policy looking into the problem as well.
Outcome: major labour policies have been removed, no support for transport, energy and/or Co2 saving effects.
Suggested measures for eco-efficient design of telework:
1. Make employers responsible for traveling and commuting,
2. promote policies for efficient telework
National status for e-Work in the Netherlands. Philip P. Todd, e-Work
The Netherlands still a front runner, over 25% of the working population involved in eWork. Stimulators for ework in the Netherlands:
1. Traffic jams
2. sustainability, CO2 reduction
3. HRM factors (labour shortage, eLife, recruitment, retainment, absenteism) When is a eworker really ill?
4. Main reasons for employees to eWork: work quietly, overtime…
Promote eWork: organize conferences, research projects, lobbying, eWork award.
Wendy Spinks: main findings from the workshop
Are we at a cross-road? Mature markets and new countries, not all at the same level.
The work boundary has been used a lot, work-life boundary. Is becoming an increasingly important issue. Teleworkers are like the pendulum of a clock. Multiple locations, multiple job functions, the degree of flexibility. Spacial and cognitive space need more research to become tools to use.
Teamwork versus traditional telework (individuals working at home) whereas teamwork can be a dispersion of teams working together virtual and in real locations.
Stop to promote telework as a rational management solution but from now on use it as an ideology.
Svein in his goodbye note said that he is having the same feeling as after the Winter Olympics of 1994.
