Web 2.0 is Changing the Way We Work: Report from McKinsey
by Patti Anklam
McKinsey has just released the results of a global survey on adoption of Enterprise 2.0. Its results are not dissimilar from the AIIM survey earlier this year (see my earlier blog post), for example, they state that the principle reasons for slow adoption are: management’s inability to grasp their potential financial returns, unresponsive corporate cultures less-than-enthusiastic leadership
More interesting for the future of work, they asked, “How, if at all, has your company’s use of Web 2.0 technologies and tools changed the way the company is managed and organized?” The responses include:
- It has changed the way we communicate with customers and suppliers (38%)
- It has changed the way we hire and retain talent (16%)
- It has created new roles or functions in our organization (16%)
- It has changed the way our organizations is structured — e.g., a flatter hierarchy (14%)
The survey also broke down the results into the categories of companies who reported satisfaction with Web 2.0 tools and those who did not. Of those who are satisfied, 33% report both that the technologies have created new roles or functions in the organization and changed the way the organizations are structured.
Other interesting notes from this great study:
- Companies in which it is the business units, rather than IT, leading the initiative have more success
- Satisfaction is greatest in Asia/Pacific (40%), with Europe and North America trailing at 20%
- Satisfied companies are using Web 2.0 technologies more extensively for interaction with customers (the “Community 2.0″ phenomenon)
Much more food for thought is in this study (breakdown of the use of tools internally, with customers, etc.) and I do hope that more detail is forthcoming on, specifically, the new roles and functions in the organizations and the ways in which companies are restructuring. This data will point us toward the future of work.
