When is the last time you went to an inefficient meeting? One that made you feel like you were wasting your time?
Meetings used to be about the exchange of information, then about the making of decisions. Except that now—with all of the communication tools available—you have the opportunity to exchange information ahead of time, then efficiently focus the meeting time on discussion and decisions.
Yet few of us do that. Why?
One of the challenges of rapidly changing technology is that it takes time for the behaviors of the people using the technology to catch up. There are many things we do simply because we've always done it that way.
I work in the design/construction industry. There is a lot of discussion about BIM (building information modeling) and the promise to revolutionize the way buildings get built. (If you are interested, there is a fantastic book by Rex Miller
on the current revolution.) on the current revolution.)
The challenge is not with the technology. The power exists right now to build a building virtually testing out every piece of the design—the ultimate in ‘measure twice, cut once.' But the challenge is that the process of designing and building facilities is a complex one, so there is a lot of the process that has yet to be changed. There is still waste in the system.
Not only that, but BIM is also designed to facilitate collaboration. Yet the process developed during a time when people—through the necessity of dealing with hand-drawn blueprints—worked in silos. As it turns out, silos crumble slowly.
Have you looked at your world lately for the gaps in what is possible and what is actually happening? Are there places technology could facilitate ‘better, faster, smarter' but old behavior patterns are acting as a governor? It might be time to work on the people side of technology. Because there are likely ways you and your team could improve to catch up with the tools.
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