Communication is a Changin’

While Email may be the poster child of communication in the modern organization, that world is changing. Just look at how the next generation is using technology: my teenager uses IM far more than email. If she had a cell phone, I’m sure she’d be deeply engaged in text messaging. Her personal interactions mirror in many ways the way I work at the office, with multiple IMs going at any time, a dozen or more windows open in various apps — some online, some offline — simultaneously blogging, searching content, and working inside of some LOB (line of business) app.

In his blog today, author Seth Godin discusses the advantages of going small — of personal, one-to-one communication over anonymous, mass communications tools such as email. The next wave of collaboration technologies attempt to do this same thing, offering personalization in how you view your data, as well as in how you communicate/collaborate with your team.

The main thing that interested me in joining Microsoft was the opportunity to be a part of the next generation of collaboration tools (specifically, SharePoint) and help people transition into solutions that better match their personal workflows — not having to adjust their workflows to match the limitations of their tools.