We all know this now. But for those that tested and tried it, there was a huge learning curve whose end result found all employees invested in learning, adapting, and using emerging technologies. So all those people back in 1997 who moaned that they were afraid of computers and could never use them to do their jobs are excelling in the use of professional e-mail and using it in their personal lives to connect daily with family, friends, and special interests. Managers need to not only practice but to excel at this ability to share and expand intellectual capital. This requires religious acceptance and encouragement of innovation, and the freedom to work without fear-driven directives.
Questions pop up, answers rebound, and there is an open, expansive sense of verbal engagement.
Employees, mindful of competitive and regulatory boundaries, have access to all educational, training, and developmental material necessary to their jobs. Communication flows across all channels regardless of the emotions raised. People don't want to base their professional lives on rumors that live for weeks or months. They want, and expect, the facts, no matter how ugly. After all, those gray brain cells are really tiny.