Electronic Methods of Communication - Essay Example

Electronic Methods of Communication: A Critical Review Electronic Methods of Communication: A Critical Review The factor of electronic communication continues to lessen the face-to-face contact in the office setting at the risk of degrading social skills. In an ever-increasing technologically advanced world, the issue of computer versus human continues to be of more heightened discussion. The means through which people communicate is of question; whether the advancing technology is a positive or negative thing is to be decided. In order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding of the matter of electronic methods of communication and how this affects the workplace and life in general, the following questions must be addressed: 1. What has been the rise of the virtual office 2. Is personal contact even necessary at this point 3. Is job performance affected by the rise of the virtual office 4. What is the overall value of employees to an organization By thoroughly discussing these four questions, we can come to a more critical and intellectual viewpoint on this subject matter. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly discuss all of this, as well as any key elements which are in relation to this issue. This is what will be dissertated in the following. What has Been the Rise of the Virtual Office A virtual office is a location which allows many people doing business to share an office address and business machines, and is a facility which often includes such things as receptionists, mail support, telephone banks, fax machines, copiers, computers, and sometimes even call answering services. With the technology currently available, business can be conducted easily from basically anywhere. The virtual office is considered as being easily one of the most important applications of the Internet, although its recognition is surely lacking. The Internet is easily the most popular communication tool which is completely changing the entire concept of what it means to be an agency. "The key to making an office virtual is enabling everyone in the agency to be able to work together as smoothly as they would if they were all physically in the same place. The Internet is beginning to make this type of integration possible because it allows rapid, low-cost communication between individual users and businesses." (Anderson, 2000). The virtual office is certainly a thing of popularity and efficiency; however, not everyone is a candidate for working in a virtual environment. This type of setting requires a special type of person in order to function properly; the person has to be able to work from home, and a special kind of manager is also required to effectively manage virtual employees. Largely as a result of the falling price of telecommunications and the increased sophistication of such things as relevant technology, all businesses, regardless of size, are suddenly able to take advantage of global efficiencies that were once available only to large corporations and multi-nationals. "There are a number of implications of decentralization. The integrity of corporate data can be compromised in the absence of strong data management and storage policies. The inevitable proliferation of duplicated data sent over public networks to individuals or offices in remote locations also presents significant security risks. The management of outsourced services (with well defined service level agreements) requires a different approach to those supplied from in-house, and is likely to be even more challenging when services are undertaken in a different country. Differences in culture, time zone, standards, legislation and language are the obvious ones. Deficiencies in any of these areas can lead to reputation risks as well as increasing the costs of compliance." (Evans, 2006). Is Personal Contact Even Necessary at This Point In regards to technologically speaking, it appears rather obvious that personal contact is in fact unnecessarily in most cases. However, a matter of a related issue is that of is personal contact necessary in means of human beings and physical contact - rather, do we need it not for communication, but for physically interacting as human beings. Certainly personal contact should be made available at least in the case there was an emergency, or simply for the fact of maintaining the option. The Internet, as it stands today, allows for global interpersonal exchange on a scale unprecedented in human history. "People separated by vast distances, or even large amounts of time, can use the Web to exchange - or even mutually develop - their most intimate and extensive thoughts, or alternately their most casual attitudes and spirits. Emotional experiences, political ideas, cultural customs, musical idioms, business advice, artwork, photographs, literature, can all be shared and disseminated digitally with less individual investment than ever before in human history." (Wikipedia, 2006). However, on a more intimate level, the issue of personal contact is considered on a more lower level, and it seems only obvious that human or personal contact is incredibly necessary to maintain as a civilization. Is job Performance Affected by the Rise of the Virtual Office When it comes to whether or not job performance is affected by the rise of the virtual office, there are many factors which must be taken into consideration. Such as the factor of speed; as things stand now, the 56Kbps or slower dial up Internet is simply too slow for many workers, and in a national public opinion survey conducted in fall 2001, 58 percent of respondents said faster Internet access at home would make telecommuting a better option; only 21 percent disagreed. (ITAA, 2001). This means that while the virtual office issue may provide the option of working away from an actual office, the speed and reliance which is necessary for many tasks may be depleted through this forum. There are certainly specific disadvantages to the virtual office, with this being one of the leaders. What is the Overall Value of Employees to an Organization Although in the present day technology has expanded so much that in many areas there is seemingly no need for human interaction or assistance at all, there are still numerous - and certainly more - areas in which actual employees are essential. The value of employees to an organization is of the utmost importance, and the average business could simply not function properly or even close to minimally efficiently without use of its employees. Individuals are crucial to the success of organizations, although many companies are unable to measure or manage their employees' contribution to corporate value. "We believe that businesses need a far better understanding of the strategic values of employees; it is critical to success in the global marketplace. A company's future growth and competitiveness depend more than ever on attracting qualified workers - an increasingly scarce resource - and helping them work efficiently together within the organization." (Joerres & Turcq, 2006). Due to the incredulous value of employees, a strategic approach to managing the employees first requires a firm definition of the roles which must be performed on the corporate 'stage'. "A bank teller, for example, must be able to handle simple transactions and be courteous; a chef should be a good cook, act as a team leader, and have a reliable reputation; an airline pilot is expected to fly a plane well and facilitate the aircraft's rapid turnaround; and a production worker must perform a set of technical tasks and meet ISO quality standards in doing so." (Joerres & Turcq, 2006). Dealing with employees can be a complex balancing act for management, and in many cases, the very rules and procedures of an organization can in fact be an obstacle to segmentation and a force for 'averaging' the treatment of individuals' roles. This specific tendency is an incredibly dangerous handicap which makes it basically impossible to aptly measure the value of employees and, ultimately, to compete successfully in the global marketplace. From this review, we can see that there are many significant effects due to the rise of the virtual office. Communications today are drastically different than they were even 15 years ago, and such things as e-mail and computer programs and accessories have literally become a way of life and are the only communication method some have available with certain people. "If you think about how you communicated in business in 1985 as opposed to how you communicate in business now, there's no comparison." (Stuff, 2006). There was a time when a person's career choices and options were limited to the original job path chosen or company they chose when entering the workforce; whereas these days, there is an unprecedented wealth of opportunities for advancement, mobility and flexibility within their careers. However, "While this diversity of career options builds morale and helps extend an employee's potential and time within an organization, it also creates logistical challenges for HR departments responsible for tracking and managing each employee's training, development, performance and compensation, among other necessary functions." (Miller, 2006). Regardless of how far and popular the virtual office scenario has become, however, the value of employees to an organization remains crucial and critical. Whether in an regular business or virtual business environment, the additive brought on by employees can only be considered as invaluable. Through this review we can see that it is also crucial - and largely overlooked - that proper management and respect towards these employees is of significance and the utmost importance. While electronic communication continues to increase, lessening the face-to-face contact in the office setting, the issue of degrading social skills becomes a more serious problem; rather than socializing in a 'regular' business environment, work actions are more consistently taking place via electronic communications means - namely the Internet. And although this is a reasonable backing for lacking social skills in an already technologically advanced society, one must not dismiss the idealness and efficiency of such electronic tools. More solutions must be found, however, towards the issue of degrading social skills; rather than assuming the answer to this dilemma must only be one way or the other, we should find a means somewhere in the middle. This way, we can maintain the efficiency and speed of electronic communications, while maintaining a necessary balance of proper social contact. References Anderson, S. (2000). The Rise of the Virtual Office. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2000/Anderson04.aspx Evans, E. (2006). Rise of the Virtual Office. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.thisisjersey.com/code/showfinarticle04.plArticleID=000023 ITAA National Broadband Survey, August 2001. Joerres, J., & Turcq, D. (2006). Rethinking the Value of Talent. Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://www.strategy-business.com/enewsarticle/enews042706 Miller, A. (2006). Workforce Flexibility: Managing Employees on the Move. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.wpsmag.com/content/templates/wps_article.asparticleid=416&zoneid=13 Stuff. (2006). Virtual Office. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://money.howstuffworks.com/virtual-office.htm Wikipedia. (2006). World Wide Web. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web#Sociological_implications Read More