Technological Advancement and the Implications for Leaders

A few weeks ago my daughter was in the hospital. She had to be admitted for a number of days and of course taking a 5 year old and placing her in an unfamiliar environment for more than two hours can be quite a task, much less having to remain in the hospital for nearly a week. Naturally my daughter began to feel homesick and missed her brothers and sister (who were not allowed to visit the hospital due to a recent outbreak of the RSV virus in Central California the hospital prohibits anyone under age 13 to entire into certain areas of the hospital). My daughter often began to complain rather frequently that she wanted to go home and she missed her family. My Mother-In-Law had the dual task of watching not only my children (when my wife and I both needed and wanted to be in the hospital with our youngest child) but she also had the responsibility of caring for her aging father who is 96 years old and not nearly as mobile as he was even a year earlier. He asked daily how my daughter was in the hospital and we thought it would be a great idea for him to Face Time with her and see for himself. After communicating with her for several minutes with the whole family either in the hospital or at his side absorbing the monumental moment of the family’s eldest member conversing with the youngest member using an IPad tablet was indeed quite the sight to behold.

            As I reflect on technological advancements and how they have transformed our personal lives I would be remiss if I did not also consider the ramifications and benefits of devices, web platforms, social media and techniques that have been designed to simplify our lives. Technology is evolving at a rapid pace. In fact, some may argue too fast. In a business trip last week to Silicon Valley I had an in depth  conversation with two programmers from a new company called Fireeye which is a security protection company that detects and shuts down next level cyber-attacks. Intrigued, I started asking numerous questions and among them I asked what separates Fireeye from, McAfee and Symantec. Of course they were happy to explain but to be frank I was sorry I asked about 30 seconds into their response because programmers speak another language entirely and although they were very enthusiastic about their organizations growth, hiring former McAfee CEO to take their company through their impending IPO and beyond, I had no idea what they were talking about. Likely sensing the glazed look over my eyes, they simplified the technical jargon just enough for me to understand. They did say something that resonated with me, “we have developed technology to stay two steps ahead of phishing attacks, malware or other viruses that can immobilize corporations and the U.S. government.” I immediately thought ‘whoa, I’m impressed.’ Fireeye doesn’t typically work with the average consumer. To the average consumer a company like McAfee, a virtual private network or Norton may suffice but banking institutions, universities, fortune five hundred companies, airlines, and government entities require much more protection from cyber-attacks. That’s where companies like Fireeye come in.

            As leaders of companies like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, or the local credit union they must be vigilant in preventing cyber threats. If a hacker can disarm advanced encrypted code and steal millions of dollars or implant a virus that can cost a company billions in lost revenue then a leader must be cognizant of those threats. Staying ahead of cyber threats means staying ahead of the bad guys.  Which is easier said than done. During my conversation with Fireeye programmers they said, cyber-attacks globally is the new wild west and unfortunately many of the bad guys out there are more knowledgeable than most large corporations. One of the programmers continued stating many of the threats are not some foreign entity seeking to disarm Americas digital infrastructure (although that is possible) most threats are from pimple faced teenagers sitting in their bedroom or garage cracking codes, implanting viruses and rewriting programs to cause a company to virtually collapse. Most leaders are either not cognizant or those threats or are reactive rather than proactive and would much rather fix a threat then spend millions of dollars in revenue to protect themselves against an invisible threat. Most programmers who are skilled at writing code to develop the infrastructure that help to make their company successful are not experienced in creating security protection to prevent a cyber-attack.  Obviously, companies like Fireeye are on the rise as reports of cyber threats become much more prevalent on the news and social blogs.

            I think the future of technology will have an obvious emphasis on protective rights, laws that address privacy concerns and intellectual property will take center stage as threats to an organizations ability to operate effectively without theft will continue to be an issue.  As leaders it is critical to understand that the do become complacent towards cyber threats that will be the beginning of the end of that organization.

            Google is a perfect example of a company that remains constantly aware of global threats and how such threats can cripple a multibillion dollar organization. In a recent article on CNET a winner of the Google Glasses, tried to post them on EBay and the seller was not only attack by Google Glass enthusiasts but also learned that Google my very well put a restriction on the device should you try to let someone else buy or even borrow them. The reason, privacy concerns or issues regarding theft or misuse may force black market sales of the item to soar and could ultimately cripple Google’s stock.  Google Glass if successful will revolutionize the way we think about communicating and obtaining information.  Although we the average consumer may not have a need for a company like Fireeye just yet (after all were are still amazed at the capabilities of an IPad), it is still important to be aware of threats that seek to cause damage to the infrastructure of the companies we work for.

Reference: Matsyczck,C. (2013). Google activist try to sabotage Google Glass auction. CNET, 12:04 p.m. April 20, 2013.  http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57580581-71/google-activists-try-to-sabotage-google-glass-auction/

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CYBER BULLYING CAN BE HARMING OUR CHILDREN FOR LIFE

Technological advancements of the 21^st century have added convenience in our world in a multitude of ways. With the use of the internet, friends, family and customers on the other side of the country and the other side of the world are able to communicate or transfer information with relative ease. With the invention of social media, millions of people communicate and share everything from helpful tips on cooking and auto repairs to personal matters such as infection of venereal diseases, extramarital affairs and employee dissatisfaction. Many people communicate about very private matters openly and with little forethought. In many cases the actions of others (thought to private or for public consumption) whether innocent or otherwise comes with great consequences.

 Prior to the 21^st century and the invention of social media, bullies were once thought to be dull brained fear mongers whose sole reason for existing was to strike fear into individuals they viewed as easy targets. The harmful effects of bullying cannot be overstated. Reports of bullying in the 1990s showed that, in extreme cases, victims may face shooting or severe beatings and may even turn to suicide (Rigby and Slee, 1999). The National Association of African American Studies reports that An American Justice Department study shows 1 in 4 youths are bullied. Thirty percent (30%) of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both (2004).   

            In the 21^st century bullies has taken to the internet as cyber bullies. The National Crime Prevention Center suggests more than half of students report being bullied online and as many have bullied others. Cyber bullying is especially alarming since the bully is in most cases able to makes threats or derogatory comments to their victims with anonymity. The effects of cyber bullying as with any other kind of bullying has long term implications on the development of children and their psyche. In the short term however, many bully victims (25%) indicate they have been threatened or harassed over their cell phones or the internet repeatedly. Some 160,000 students report feeling anxious about attending school following an incident of cyber bullying and fail to report to school. Incidents of cyber bullying have no boundaries. People of all races, backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses are susceptible to being victims of bullying.

The alarming rate of incidents of cyber bullying has caused parents to ask for stricter laws protecting children. A concern however, only 1 out of every five cases of cyber bullying is actually reported to authorities and in some cases parents are unaware that their child has been victimized. Evidence has shown that many victims of cyber bullying are hyper-networking teens, those are individuals that spend 3 hours or more per day on social media. Hyper-networkers are 110% more likely to be victimized than children that are not online nearly as much.

The best measure a parent can take to prevent or minimize incidents of cyber bullying is to be active in the lives of their children. Work to be someone a child can feel comfortable turning to when incidents occur. Limit access to the internet and in particular, social media. Invite friends over, understanding them, their behaviors and attitudes. Stay informed about aspects of a child’s life outside of school. Keep an open dialogue with school officials, teachers and other parents. Nothing can prevent bullying, but the more a parent knows the better equipped they’ll be at addressing it when it occurs.

 

References:

2006 Harris Interactive Cyberbullying Research Report, commissioned by the National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieved: www.ncpc.org.

www.stopcyberbullying.org

www.cyberbullying.us

Rigby, K and Slee, P. (1999). Vol. 29 Iss. 2. Suicidal Ideation among Adolescent School Children, Involvement in Bullying-Victim Problems and Perceived Social Support.  The American Association of Suicidology.

 

We're Not In Kansas Anymore: The Networked Employee is Taking Over the 21st Century Workplace

The workplace has become exceedingly virtual for both the public and private sector in recent years. Many companies as well as government agencies utilize the internet to conveniently interact with counterparts both domestically and abroad. Being able to communicate with customers, superiors, peers and subordinates utilizing email, text messages and instant messages allows the organizations to be more efficient and operate at or above the level of competitors to keep to pace.

“Moving at the speed of business” is the slogan of the United Parcel Service and works well for organizations where speed, efficiency and well organized delivery of products and services are essential for the sustainability of their organization. Most companies large and small rely heavily on convergent companies like UPS to keep their businesses afloat. Although there are many benefits to being a Networked employee, there are many disadvantages as well. Translating information into foreign languages for a global organization has been an ongoing problem for companies that have an established global presence as well as well as companies that are interested in taking their business global. Document translation companies like Divergent Language Solutions have made such barriers conquerable however their services and companies like them do come at a substantial cost to the organization not to mention information being lost in translation.   Other problems that persist with organizations that conduct a great deal of their business on line are addressing hackers, power outages, blown servers and viruses. Heavily encrypted online server, VPN’s and top notice security platforms minimizes threats to companies however sophisticated hackers are still able to cripple these companies costing them millions in business losses and lack of consumer faith.

                Although the use of the internet by companies and government agencies has become an essential part of maintaining business operations, colleges have reaped the largest benefit by implementing non-traditional correspondence courses or distance learning formats as a means of generating revenue and operations beyond the campus. In a 2011 study by Babson Survey Research Group. More than 6 million students -- nearly a third of total enrollment at degree-granting postsecondary institutions --were taking at least one online course in 2010. The popularity of non-traditional courses has also sparked interest in the development of satellite campuses throughout the world. The college I work for, Bard College and the Master of Arts in Teaching Program in particular has expanded substantially in the last 8 years. With a home campus in Red Hook New York, satellite campuses in Los Angeles, Bronx New York and Jerusalem have offered enrollment in the program to students who likely would never attend the home campus. Bard College has in turn increased its revenue, sustainability and visibility.  Other colleges such as Penn State offer online Masters programs and University of Penn’s elite Wharton School of Business has a satellite campus offered in San Francisco.

                The convenience of selecting an online program for a student has become a preferred method by many adult learners many of whom have already been to a traditional institution of higher learner and have little time to participate with a traditional course delivery. The benefits while numerous also adds an additional dynamic to professors who are forced to address issues such as plagiarism. The internet provides an abundance of information relevant to a multitude of topics that are easily accessible to students. I’m reminded by a line in the film Spiderman where Uncle Ben (Played by Cliff Robertson) tell his nephew Peter Parker (Toby McGuire), “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Unfortunately, many students fail to adhere to university policy and a common moral code and falsify documents and claim the work of others as their own. This fact has made the work of universities extremely difficult as it diminishes the academic integrity of the institution and mocks the rigor of the college.  The Pew and The Chronicle of Higher Education conducted telephone interviews with 1,055 college presidents from both public and private of two-and four-year institutions determined that according to college presidents  (55% ) believe plagiarism by college students has increased in the last decade and 89% believe the internet and the computer played a major role. The vast number of students believed to have cheated at some point during their college career has caused institutions reconsider whether their effects to penalize students has deterred further offenses.

References:

2011 Babson Survey Research Group.  Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States. Babson College. Retrieved: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/growing-number-of-college-students-choose-online-courses-85483/

2011 Parker,K., Lenhart, A., Moore,K. The Digital Revolution and Higher Education. Pew Internet. Retrieved: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/College-presidents/Summary.aspx

 

The Changing Nature of Work

I was waiting for the ‘Aha’ moment in this course and reading the text assigned for this week of the evolution of the global landscape of the work force and how it will change in the next ten years was what I eager to learn more of. The rapidly changing work force was something tangible that certainly resonated with my current profession. I work in recruitment for the Masters of Arts in Teaching program for Bard College. For those of you unfamiliar with Bard, it is a small liberal arts university in upstate New York. I oversee the recruitment efforts for the program on the Western United States and work remotely largely from home and in the field attending colleges and fairs throughout the western U.S. The work once done in a small cubicle by admissions and recruitment personnel at institutions throughout the United States can be largely achieved from the comfort of home with the use of a laptop, IPad and a smartphone.

Previously, employees had to hold weekly meetings in the board room as a means of allowing management to connect and keeping a watchful eye over subordinates. Now, employees are able to connect by email, text message and Skype or Google hangout for face to face contact. As a result I am able to hold weekly meetings with my east coast counterparts in virtually the same manner I would if we were engaging physically with one another together.

The internets impact on my work as well as my ability to connect with perspective students and universities across the U.S. is immeasurable. I am able to sign up for numerous fairs, hold dialogue with department chairs, hold meetings with perspective students using Adobe Connect and applicants are able to apply to the program using an online platform called Slideroom. Applicants are able to apply globally without the use of a single document being sent via the postal service saving time and money (with the exception of official transcripts). According to Friedman, In his communication with entrepreneurs and innovators from all different types of businesses, large and small said they have been able to do things they’d had never dreamed possible before (Friedman, 2007).

 Naturally, working remotely has its benefits however along with many benefits still comes that disconnect one feels from not being able to regularly interact with fellow coworkers physically. The pros obviously outweigh the cons as the alternative would have been to relocate to New York from California in order to work for Bard College. The university has glocalized, offering a top tier education internationally including Jerusalem.  That has worked well for the institution by expanding its brand oversees by enrolling students that he would have in all likelihood never attended the Bard. Indeed the world is changing how we think about education and how we apply what we have learned to advance our communities.

Friedman, T. (2007). The World is Flat (3rd ed.) New York: Picador.

Friedman's Triple Convergence-Shared knowledge is king

Friedman’s explanation of Triple Convergence suggests citizens of our global community have directly or indirectly created a group dynamic allowing each industry’s technology to work more efficiently within convergent  systems. ‘ HP, Cisco and Nokia collaborated on the development of a camera/cell phone which beams its digitized pictures to an HP printer, which quickly prints them out. Each company has developed a very sophisticated  technological specialty, but it could only add value when its specialty was horizontally combined with the specialties of the other two companies/ (Friedman, 2005, p. 178).  Utilizing the vastness and abundance of the internet, knowledge leaders created platforms that enhance globalization by implementing the ten flatteners that have leveled the playing field by creating a horizontal fast moving, ever evolving realm where analysts, programmers, engineers and production designers worldwide are constantly introducing new methods of ensuring consumers are having their needs meet by implementing, newer, faster and smarter machines.

 Foreign countries were able to interconnect, share information, trade, meet, create, innovate, research and develop new technologies, systems, platforms, social media, medical and computer devices to aid life, weapons to destroy it and others were created simply to make our lives easier. In recent years cloud computing and storage has taken center stage allowing large and small companies to store and backup large amounts of data without spending a considerable amount of money for servers or hard drives. Websites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized how people communicate with friends across town or across the globe. Saving consumers billions in phone charges and miscellaneous fees for making long distance phone calls. In a free market where capitalism drives the American entrepreneurial spirit, with every technological advancement comes the desire to earn money from it. Example, Wi-Fi. When Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity first became widely known at the turn of the century every major carrier (AT&T, Sprint, T Mobile and Verizon) were trying to develop methods to make as much money from the new communication tool as they could. However, their path to even more riches was short lived once it became clear that unlike bottled water selling something that should be free and available to anyone was going to be difficult to capitalize on. Initially, restaurants, coffee shops, laundry mats and train stations were charging for Wi-Fi. However, once cell phones and  home routers with WiFi capability became widely available with their own wireless frequency hotspots, it has made it nearly impossible to seek financial reward from the use of organizations Wi-Fi. There is however one exception. On a recent trip to New York, I learned (the hard way) that airlines charge for wireless internet signals while in flight. The fees were outrages, $10.00 per hour was the cost to log on to one Wi Fi company. I was fuming (much like Friedman when he received his B labeled ticket from Southwest Airlines) when I learned that since I was a captive audience on a flight across the country I could not use my own wireless hotspot from my cell phone, I had to purchase the airlines Wireless Internet or else not have access. Obviously, there was no way I was going to pay $80 dollars to fly from New York to California simply to check out the latest basketball scores on ESPN (even if it was to see how my Creighton Blue jays were doing). I sat quietly and tried my best to sleep for the rest of my flight.  Hopefully, airlines could learn a lesson from small coffee shops and use  free Wi-Fi as an amenity for paying for flights. Such web based tools could certainly be used to benefit companies and their bottom line not only in terms leadership but increasing their edge over the competition.

References

The World Is Flat (A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century); Thomas L. Friedman, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005

Researching Twitter as an imperfect but useful tool

Is the World Flat or Spiky?

 Thomas Friedman professes in Chapter 1 of his text (2007) that the world is flat, cultural acclimation and emulation are the byproduct of global innovation. Through these technological advancements have created in essence a free for all and a level playing field by which unbridled wealth is now available to the masses in an unprecedented fashion. Friedman concludes that since countries like India have emulated America by sharing a similar cultural identity (i.e. name, vanity, fashionable interests, cars, technological hardware and resort type amenities) that somehow this became possible because innovation and insurmountable wealth attainment was now available to anyone with an idea and determination. I believe this misconception can only be made by looking through global capitalization through a very narrow lens. After reading both, the Florida article and Chapter 1 of the Friedman text, the Florida holds more true and considers various societal constraints.

             In my original post written over a year ago I write, ‘A substandard education will always result in a substandard nation’. If our global economy is viewed through a broader lens it becomes evident that our world is indeed ‘spiky’ and not flat. Therefore, I do not believe Friedman’s contention about global opportunities is relevant in 2013, nor do I believe his view had much viability in 2007.  In 2007 when global behemoths like Facebook, Twitter and Zinga, were in their infancy it was easy to make the assumption that their existence was the result of young people who believed in an idea, vacated all inhibitions and pursued their dreams with reckless abandonment. What should be noted is Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg for example created a venue by which people could openly share their thoughts and ideas with colleagues and friends utilizing a simple looking interface. However, what should be known is Zuckerberg was attending Harvard University, the top ranked university in the country and through only privilege, narcissism and arrogance elected to drop out and pursue a dream that by any stretch of the imagination would have been thought to be asinine. Dropping out of Harvard is a luxury most people do not have or would even consider. Also, dropping out of college and moving to Palo Alto would be a recipe for disaster if one was to use conventional wisdom. Zuckerberg’s success is one example of opportunity meeting good fortune and 99% of the population including Mark Zuckerburg would not recommend taking such a risk. Further, moving to Silicon Valley and any other technologically advanced region is a luxury most people don’t have and millions of people with a dream and no financial backing and also living in rural areas across the globe continue to live in poverty as a result.

 In 2007, if I were to travel to India, New York, then to Beijing, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Singapore, Hong Kong or Sydney I would also make assumptions of the world economy, its abundant wealth, and its vast opportunities with low hanging fruitful rewards. But millions of people do not have running or clean water, a bed to sleep on, immunizations that provide protection from diseases that are nonexistent in civilized countries, much less a gigantic flat screen television. Millions only dream of sitting in a classroom and reading a book and obtaining a decent education, possessing an IPad, holding a teleconference with a distant colleague, utilizing GPS, to find another town, a car, clean clothes or shoes. Therefore, I must agree with Florida that the world is spiky, where opportunities do exist but not for everyone. I agree that fortune, is possible but not for everyone. For most, the ability to provide the necessities of life to one’s family does exist in some places but unfortunately not for everyone.  The earth is not flat and opportunities are not only a phone call, a short drive, a smartphone and a laptop away. Especially, for the millions of people who have never held or seen such a device.

               

Sources:

Florida, R. (2005). The World by the Numbers: The World is Spiky. Globalization has Changed the Economic Playing Field. But Hasn’t Leveled it. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/images/issues/200510/world-is-spiky.pdf

Friedman, T. (2007). The World is Flat 3.0. A Brief History of the Twenty First Century. New York. Picador.