Are You Embracing the“New Workstyle?”: Online Collaboration«

I had the opportunity to speak withGistfounder T.A. McCann atSouth by Southwestin Austin, Tx. this past week. Gist was recently acquired byRIM, and McCann is keenly aware of the potential effects the acquisition may have on both companies. However, with a positive outlook, he referenced what he calls the“New Workstyle.” It reflects the culture he has tried to create at Gist; a culture that encourages an entrepreneurial spirit in the individuals who work there, and one that recognizes the need“not to do things as they’ve been done before.”

On his blog, McCanndefines the New Workstylein this way:

The New Workstyle blends the latest technologies and tools with our daily activities allowing us to accomplish more in both personal and professional endeavors, accelerate ideas of our own, and lead more productive lives.

The New Workstyle is as much about theprocessof building what you build, as much as it is about the stuff you actually build. As McCann explains it,“Howwe do is important as much aswhatwe do.”

Some of the things that McCann lists as inherent to the New Workstyle include: mobile connectivity; virtual presence; online social circles that blur the lines between personal and professional; and even off-line connections with others that are facilitated by online tools.

McCann says the value of“social” in the workplace includes the contextualizing of information and the building of relationships in a scalable manner. We are now managing thousands of relationships, and we’re always moving amongst many different circles. A company’s work culture must acknowledge this new way of communicating, networking, and exchanging information between and amongst employees, clients, vendors and the public at large. The interconnections of relationships a can bring about new efficiencies with a positive impact on productivity, but perhaps even more importantly, can bring about a positive impact on people.

Are you fostering the New Workstyle at your company?

Photocourtesystick.xchng user alicja_sto

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