This Fortune article on Esther Dyson was cited on a private mailing list. It's interesting to see where she is placing bets:
A big challenge for managers will be encouraging employees to share information instead of hoarding it. Dyson has made investments in several companies that help employees communicate with one another continuously and effectively, especially by e-mail. One, called Tacit Knowledge Systems, has software that (with user permission) reads and categorizes e-mail sent within an organization. Anyone needing information about a topic can turn to Tacit to find an expert and forward a request to get in touch. Another company, Parity?, has a so-called "commitment-management tool" that lets the sender specify the action an e-mail requires. The software helps the recipient meet deadlines--like responding to a customer by tomorrow afternoon.
I think I can see the handwriting on the wall. Groupware has failed forever because people by and large don't want to communicate continuously and effectively. Opting out of that flow may cease to be an option. If so, jumping on the weblog bandwagon for internal corporate communication looks like the offense that is the best defense. If your flow is a corporate asset that's going to be managed anyway, wouldn't you rather control it yourself? [Jon's Radio]
Muchos props to Jon for the pointer to the article. Note to self: once the Crazy Season is over, send this quote around to co-workers who might care:
Asked what her technology priorities would be if she were managing a large company, Dyson doesn't hesitate: "I'd be rolling out solutions for better communications with customers. I'd want our Website to be very interactive, so it would be easy to ask questions and get real-time responses. Customers could easily find the names of people to whom to send e-mails. And then I'd make it an internal religion to respond to those e-mails. When you put up a Website, you're not erecting a billboard, you're opening a door, and people come crowding in. You have to have the staff there ready to greet them."
6:53:33 PM 
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