Then and now:
Then:
We used to have two phone numbers: a business line and a home line.
Now:
Now we may have up to a dozen telecommunication connections (main home phone, second home line, direct business phone, main business phone, home fax, business fax, pager number, Skype address, cell phone, spouses’ cell number, child’s cell, etc. etc.)
Then:
We used to have two addresses: home and business (both of which were tracked on paper).
Now:
Now, in addition these physical addresses, we have multiple email addresses, dozens of passwords to online accounts, web addresses, instant message addresses, user names, and more. We also have spam, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, Phishing (identity theft) attacks, ad-ware, and a variety of other mal-ware to worry about when using them.
Then:
Some of us used to have only three TV channels and the channel changing required getting up, walking to the set and turning the dial.
Now:
Now we have hundreds of channels (most of which we will never watch) and the increasingly complicated array of remote controls for the TV, DVD, DVD recorder, CD/MP3 player, VCR, TiVo, DirectView, and home theatre are proliferating like rabbits at the couch.
Then:
We used to have a hand full of meetings technology software to handle badges, contacts, and room diagramming.
Now:
Now there are more than 1,200 meetings technology products in 29 major categories to choose from.
Then:
In 1993 there were only 130 web sites.
Now:
Today there are more than 9 billion indexed web pages, with the number growing by millions each day.
The frustration of change
A major frustration about technology is that it has made things much more complicated. We have more choices; we have more features; we have more to learn just to keep up. More…more…more is becoming too much for many. A common reaction for some people is to shut down, a key stumbling block to the adoption of technology in the workplace.
Charlotte Kamermaans from the Netherlands Congress Centre, an attendee at a recent session I facilitated in South Africa sums up the frustration felt by many: “I don’t want to have to learn every new technology option out there -- I just want the bloody thing to work!”
Why have things become so complicated?
We are going through a unique time in history. The changes in our society will be as profound as the industrial revolution, only in a fraction of the timeframe. The rate of change is accelerating – half of all of the scientists that have ever lived are alive today and they are much better connected than ever thanks to the internet. We are living through a renaissance of discovery in science, medicine and technology that is unprecedented. The next ten years will hold see revolutionary changes in business and society in general.
The downside is that this time can justly be called “technology adolescence”– these changes are not mature, and just as a teenager may be awkward and pimply, it is much the same in the state of current technology adoption. Things simply have not fully developed yet.
Where are things going?
Progress is being made. Computers today are much easier to use and more reliable than they were ten to fifteen years ago. One rarely sees the "blue screen of death" (indicating a hard computer crash) anymore. However, we are a long way from “just having the bloody thing to work.” As computers and the software that runs them advance, I believe that they will work into the background.
When cars were first produced, the intrepid driver/mechanic would have to tinker with the engine every few miles just to get them to run. Now, nearly anyone can hop in, turn the key and drive away without giving thought to the mechanics of the internal combustion engine. I believe that computer and software will develop in a similar manner. “Intelligent software agents” will learn and anticipate your preference. Things will continue to get easier.
The trends of convergence (the merging of the telephone, computer, and television/radio) into a common internet-based information stream will simplify things greatly. Each of us, in a few years, may all have only one “communication” address – a single “phone” number that we can selectively filter or turn on or off, that will follow us for life. This single source will provide voice, email, web access, TV, radio, mapping/geo-positioning, a digital wallet, and more. This single device could also be our universal remote control for all the electrical equipment in our home.
The semantic web will allow computers to “understand” web content and categorize based on individuals preferences making it much easier to use.
The bane of spam and viruses will be greatly reduced with new user authentication protocols that are being developed.
In short, the gangly, pimply, immature systems we are working with now will mature and get increasing easy to use. Think of the automobile, or the electric power grid, or water/sewer system. These “utilities” usually don’t have many problems – the bloody things work most of the time.
What can we do about it in the meantime?
There are no easy answers – it can be difficult to accelerate the maturation process as many parents with teenagers know all too well. Here are a few tips that may help cope with the challenges in the meantime:
- Take a deep breath and realize that it impossible to learn or have it all. Find tools that work for you and be open to change.
- Learn from your colleagues and friends. Find out what works well for them and learn from each other.
- Find a technology mentor – one that embraces technology that is willing to help you (perhaps in exchange for strengths or insights you can help them with).
- Attend meeting industry association meetings. Technology is always a hot topic and many cutting-edge or trend ideas can be found from participating in these sessions.
- Subscribe to industry publications and newsletters (such as Corbin’s free TechTalk Newsletter). This is one of the best ways to be alerted to significant technology advances.
- Embrace and support voluntary standards initiatives such as APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) from the Convention Industry Council, an umbrella organization representing 31 major meeting industry related associations. The development and implementation of voluntary standards is probably the most important initiative to help the meetings industry mature technologically. It will only be through voluntary standards that our industry can grow up; that we can be on the same page electronically; that we can move from an analogue (paper-based) means of data processing to a digital one.
- Adopt a mindset that embraces technology change. Those that do so simply will be more competitive and productive in the marketplace. "Digital Darwinism" is alive and well in the workplace
As our society matures through this time, my encouragement is to enjoy the ride. It is human nature to resist change, but the benefits to those that embrace it can be significant.
