The Effects of Cell Phones in the Business Workplace - Research Paper Example

David Sheppard 12 May The Effects of Cell Phones in the Business Workplace Purpose and Introduction: The cell phone is recognized as a breakthrough in telecommunications both personally and professionally, but its effect in the business workplace can be harmful as well as beneficial. Discussion: The contents of this document should serve to supply ample material for discussion of a technological phenomenon that became part of the fabric of business life in a remarkably short time. Methodology; The submitted material is not intended to be part of an ongoing research paper, neither is it the result of long-term research by the author into the subject “The Effects of Cell Phones in the Business Workplace”. It is based on observation and anecdotal evidence, with some recourse to published material as cited. Chapter 1: The Effects of Cell Phones in the Business Workplace Early adopters of the cellular phone, as it was originally and briefly known, pioneered a new era of business communication, even if at some considerable expense. Not unusually for breakthrough technology, the cost of a Motorola DynaTac in 1983 was $3,995.00, which, in today’s terms and taking inflation into account, would be in the region of $8,500. (1) The cost of acquisition, however, was overall perceived to be outweighed by the benefits of the new technology and the status conferred on those who used it. The race to produce more affordable, smaller and more versatile handsets for a market that could only grow is till showing little sign of slowing. Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 17 Per Cent in First Quarter 2010. (2) Figures released in 2002 by the International Telecommunication Union (3) reveal that, in terms of units per person, Taiwan topped the list at 106.45 per 100, with Burma at the bottom. Weighted average was 59.3 per 100, with the United States at 48.81. The cost of initial models confined sales almost exclusively to the business sector, and indeed the benefits were immediate and enormous. On another level, the magical new device lent an aura of power to its owner; if you were in a position to purchase one of these vastly expensive, exotic devices, you clearly needed to communicate with other powerful, decision-making corporate warriors. Either that, or you were a very savvy criminal (3), which, to some sideline observers not yet equipped to enter the game, was also an exotic and enviable career. So we can safely say that the cell phone changed business for the better as soon as it became clear that to not have one was a disadvantage. Let us call this ‘Effect One’, the addition of a vital tool to the company toolbox, sometimes one you had to earn by distinction until the price enabled the purchase of a handset for personal use. It needed little to no effort to sell this new, potent symbol of progress and dynamism. It also introduced a set of changes in etiquette and behavior, both in and beyond the workplace, which can be referred to as ‘Effect Two’. Effect Two, like most changes to social norms, started with a minority who took on the role of being at the forefront of change, leading the charge, brushing past the fuddy-duddies on the way to wherever it was they were going. And, for a while at least, the alpha males in the workplace were the ones who got the cell phones, and who changed them as soon as the next model with better features came along. The rest waited their turn and resigned themselves to being followers. Here, like a well-cut suit, an expensive wristwatch and hand finished shoes, was an accessory that set the owner apart, allowed them to adopt a different attitude. Indeed, the new power prop had a far more immediate effect than good tailoring or discrete and tasteful jewelry, as its appeal to many lay in its ability to be the opposite of discrete and sophisticated. Chapter 2: Now, whereas in conventional ordered, civilized workplaces it would once have been considered rude or inappropriate to ignore, interrupt loudly or suddenly terminate a conversation with a colleague, the old conventions were overturned. Whereas the landline telephone could be left unanswered simply by going to another room, the cell phone’s ring was not to be ignored or silenced. The world of office politics was changed forever; now it was possible to assert superiority by taking those calls in the middle of conversations, meetings or crowded places. The implication was clear: this is not an ordinary call, this a cell phone call. I am going to answer it while you are in the middle of a sentence, as it is more important than you. Overnight, this new technology created a world where a simple ring tone could bring on a change of behavior. And we should discuss the ring tone, or the millions thereof. Inevitably, as the device itself has become ubiquitous, the individuality implied by the ownership of a desirable device has been diminished. Today, the two ways to display individuality are the purchase of the most expensive, innovative or feature-laden handset available (short-lived) or a personal ring tone. In reality, it’s hardly likely to be personal at all, as it will have been downloaded from the same source that millions of other users have access to, but we will, for the purposes of this discussion, assume a certain level of individuality is implied. That, of course, is the purpose of the exercise. In a bland, soulless and uninspiring office environment, the small pleasure afforded by bringing a smile to a fellow worker’s face in reaction to an amusing, quirky or uplifting ring tone is a bonus more valuable perhaps than praise from a superior. That ring tone marks you out as an individual, someone who seeks out the unusual or different. If it’s a musical ring tone, it tells people something about you that could take forever to come up in conversation; it may be a piece of music so popular that half the world has it, but that in itself says that you want to get on with that half of the world, and that you’re no threat to them. In fact, you like them for liking that music, and you want them to like you. By the same token, the outwardly ordinary and conservative worker who chooses a quirky, ironic or obscure alert is letting you know that they’re not quite as ordinary as they look. They have hidden depths, and this is how they can signal it while wearing a white shirt and sensible shoes. It’s a social short cut, and it’s brilliantly effective. Effect Two also carries a downside. For every one of those ring tones that brings a smile to a stranger’s face, there’s another that makes the same person want to rip the phone out of the owner’s hand and throw it into the traffic. This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Jakarta Post in November 2010: The attack was triggered by an offensive ringtone circulating among the Yoka tribe that allegedly contained insulting lyrics directed at the Wamena tribe, playing to a reggae beat. Residents of Wamena decided that they would not tolerate the insults, and therefore made plans to attack the Yoka tribe at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. (4) An extreme example admittedly, but who hasn’t felt a disproportionate level of fury at least once when hearing an irritating ring tone, and from that formed an opinion of the person who chose it? It has the same effect as if that person was humming or whistling the same tune (one you don’t like) every time you were near them, or tapping their pen annoyingly and constantly. You may of course get to know that person and discover that they’re extremely likeable and have many qualities you admire and respect, but their ring tone has sent out a signal. Bringing text messaging into the equation has introduced another phenomenon – people who would rather type a truncated, and often poorly spelt, message than talk. Leaving aside the discussion on what effect text messaging is having on grammar, punctuation and syntax, it is prompting the question of how much productive time is being lost to one-digit typing. I do not refer here to high-end cell phones capable of internet connectivity, file transfer and high resolution video playback, but the capability of even the most basic handset to transmit and receive short messages at a low cost. It is not unusual to see someone performing one task with one hand while composing or reading a text message with the other. The argument must be presented that, if the equivalent in pre-cell phone days was reading a comic under the desk, surely it would not have been responsible for such a sustained and compelling diversion from the task at hand? Another effect of this technology is that it is not unusual to discover that two people who could walk a short distance to talk to one another will now communicate by text. The high-end units referred to in the previous paragraph have obviously taken business communications to another level again. The ability to carry what is, in effect, a television, computer keyboard and monitor, video processor, document storage and telephone capable of connecting with any country on the planet is a staggering feat of technology. It enables businesses to reduce their physical footprint, create material that formerly required at least a desk and some bulky material, and put a movie on the likes of YouTube, edited and with sound, in hours rather than days. On that basis alone, it would have to be said that what started as a step up from the cordless phone has had an effect on the workplace that rivals the computer, since the processing power of a latter day computer can now be incorporated into some cell phones. Chapter 3: Perhaps the next logical progression will be a gradual abandonment of the cell phone as more emphasis is placed on quality time and being free of the electronic leash (5). Perhaps. The man who is credited with inventing the device, Martin Cooper, designed the first portable police radios for the Chicago Police Department for Motorola in 1967 (6). If he were told then what his innovative mind had given the world, it’s doubtful he would have thought it possible. The world of business has been changed irrevocably; most would say for the better. Possibly the most substantial proof is that, if the average worker tried to imagine a life without a cell phone (leaving aside those who, for their own reasons, wish the thing had never been put on the earth) the typical response would more than likely be “Why?” Sources: (1) answers.ask.com. “How much did the first cell phone cost?” www.answers.com. Amy K. Web. 12 May 2011. (2) International Telecommunications Union. Gartner Newsroom. “Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 17 Per Cent in First Quarter 2010”. www.gartner.com. Web. May 2010. (3) Artima Developer. Java Buzz Forum. “Cyber criminals may have created first ‘zombie’ cellphone network”. Angsuman Chakaborty. July 8 2009. www.artima.com Web. 12 may 2011. (4) Jakarta Globe. “Reggae ringtone sparks tribal violence in Papua”. Banjir Ambarita. November 17 2010. www.thejakartaglobe.com Web. 12 May 2011 (5) McKay’s Photography. “Rejecting the cell phone lifestyle”. Heather McKay. www.mckaysphotography.com. Jan 21 2011. Web. 12 May 2011 (6) CellularOnline. “Martin Cooper – Inventor of the cellphone”. n.a. 04 March 2005. www,cellular,co,za/cellphone_inventor,htm. Web. 12 may 2011 Read More