To what extent should corporate standards stifle what employees can do with technology?
We’re deep into our next round of research, which means we get the opportunity to talk to hundreds of IT leaders, one-on-one, to discuss their latest challenges, plans, and opportunities, among many other things.
In recent conversations with IT leaders from large, multi-national organizations, one issue that has emerged and is quite inconsistent is this: To what extent, if at all, should corporate standards stifle what employees can do with technology?
On one end of the spectrum, executive leaders mandate openness. They want employees to access any applications, use social-networking sites, and foster their creativity by having freedom to do just about anything from any location and any device (within limits, of course. Porn or gambling sites, for example, wouldn’t be allowed). As long as security software prevents any worms or viruses from entering the corporate network, let employees do what they want.
On the other end of the spectrum, executives mandate strict corporate policies and standards as to what employees can and can’t do during work hours, and they enforce those rules by blocking access to sites and applications that are deemed irrelevant to one’s position or inappropriate in general.
So which is the right approach? As companies open the boundaries of their networks and applications, explore quickly into the world of social networking, and find themselves in trouble because of employee naivety when they download applications or post content that gives copyright to a third party, what’s the balanced response?
The answer: There is no one-size-fits-all. Moving forward, I expect companies to move more toward openness, whether they want to or not. Employees are becoming more and more tech-savvy, and if they can’t get access to what they want one way, they’ll figure out another.
To mandate strict network controls and to completely ignore the benefits of social networking will stifle employee creativity and could put the company at a competitive disadvantage. If a competitor, for example, has an active Facebook site and uses Twitter and YouTube to market to customers, the strict company may lose business.
What’s more, we have already talked to numerous companies who have trouble attracting the younger generation because of those strict mandates on the use of the Internet, wireless devices, collaboration applications, and social-networking tools. All things equal, an in-demand college grad with equal offers will select the one that gives her an iPhone, access to the latest collaborative tools (from instant messaging to telepresence) and freedom to explore the Internet as she’s trying to come up with creative new ways, say, to market a product.
Still, companies can’t ignore security, compliance, and e-discovery requirements. It’s important to:
-Determine the type of company you are and want to be moving forward. As open as possible? Some restrictions? Very restricted?
-Build policies around that description so employees know what’s allowed, what’s not, and the consequences for breaking the rules.
-Work with both business units and IT to know what’s required, how it will affect business, and how to enforce it.
-Classify employees into groups. For example, sales and marketing would require a different profile than contact-center. What can each group access? At what times of the day?
-Buy the IT tools to enforce those rules. Optimization tools, for example, can block Web sites or even certain applications. The key is to strike a balance between keeping the company safe and away from damaging liability, while giving employees the freedom to create.
The key is to strike a balance between keeping the company safe and away from damaging liability, while giving employees the freedom to create.
