The Myth of Computer Productivity

Many studies have been done on the effect computers have had on productivity in the office, with mixed results.   Is the idea of computers improving office productivity a myth?  Or are businesses overlooking an important factor in getting the most out of their investment in technology?

When I entered a new job in a Microsoft Exchange shop – after 15 years working with Lotus Notes – the first thing I did was familiarize myself with the features in Outlook.  I have to admit that most of the features I was used to in Notes were available in Outlook.  By pouring through the help files, trying options on the menus and a few Google searches I had a pretty robust knowledge of the functions in Outlook.  I set up categories and color coded calendar items and tasks, I figured out how to set follow up flags, merge multiple calendars.  I set up folders in Email and organized data to keep my inbox down to just the top items I needed to act on.  Looking around the office at my fellow employees I noticed some of the same problems I’d seen with the bulk of the my Notes users at the gas company.

• Users ,  especially top managers who never delete anything from their inbox

• Managers who print out emails, hand write instructions on them and put them in subordinates physical inboxes or on their desktop or chair instead of forwarding or assigning as a  task

• Administrative assistants who don’t know how to create a meeting request and instead email memos around to set up regular staff meetings.

• Users  who don’t know how to add email addresses to their personal address book and instead use the addresses cached in the email client.

• Users who have no idea how to use their contact or calendar information on their blackberry or iphone.

• Departments using  a paper calendar to schedule the use of resources like conference rooms instead of adding the resource to the system.

• Users emailing the same document to the whole department  rather than storing it in a common place and using a link.

The problem is a lack of training. While companies may spend time and money training employees on ERP applications they fail to provide training in using collaboration tools. Managers seem to think “hey, it’s just email how hard can it be to use”.    

• Users trained on all the calendaring, scheduling and contact management features included in their email application can better manage their time and locate the people they need to work with.  

• Managers who keep their schedules in their online calendar and expect their subordinates to do the same – and who use the calendar application to book meetings, schedule rooms, projectors, and laptops – will soon find their department functions more smoothly.

• Managers who understand how to use categories in their calendaring and scheduling with have a more visible cues  to their schedule for the day.

• Managers who understand the task management functionality of their system can more easily delegate and items and follow up with subordinates. 

• Users who manage their inbox filing items in folders or deleting if no longer needed will get a faster performing system and will stop losing important emails in all the clutter.

• Users who have a grasp of the calendaring and scheduling functions in their email will be better able to make use of mobile computing to keep up with tasks and contacts away from the office.

Email was the killer application for the 1990s. Within the enterprise it’s still extremely important, but even more important is a collaborative infrastructure that combines email with contact and time management.   The good news is ALL the major players in the market have the functionality in their product – they just have never been fully embraced and used by the enterprise.  A few techie experts won’t be enough, the collaborative tools of the enterprise need to be embraced at all levels.