Growing Up In Transition

{ July 27, 2009 @ 1:36 am } · { Reflections }
{ Tags: barriers, change, OrCom, Organizational Communication, UP Manila, Wikinomics }

As a child, I have imagined myself entering different professions. I imagined myself as a scientist (an astronomer, to be exact), among other things. Growing up, I was so into studying and playing that I stopped thinking about the profession I wanted to enter. Come high school, I ended up confused and unsure about what I want to be, that at one point in time I told my mother in frustration and despair that I’d just be a librarian (not that I look down on the profession). However, during the latter part of those happy yet confusing years, there was a vision solidifying in my mind. I was already leaning towards  communication, although I still had the performing arts on the side. The vision was of me in an office, in front of a computer, on a managerial level or something cooler. That was actually one of the things that led me to my present college course. I know it’s a boring vision, since it’s practically a desk job I wanted, but that was me.

Apparently, though, that vision is about to be shaken up. My vision of a workplace, a room full of cubicles, with desks full of computers, is changing in reality. The workplace, apparently, is turning into a wiki workplace. In this wiki workplace, one can actually work outside the office. This also entails mass collaboration, bottom-up communications, and listening. A lot of listening, especially by those in higher positions. Still, I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. At least not in the immediate future, especially here in the Philippines.

Why do I think so? I take a look at myself, and already I am an example. Even though I am a part of the so-called Net Gen, who grew up with the rise of chatting, blogging and what not, I also grew up with the traditional forms of organization. So much so that I actually envisioned myself in one, no matter how much of a loser that makes me. I was drawn to the idea that it seemed so stable, unchanging. And now it IS changing. That’s a bit scary for me, because I don’t know if I can keep up with such a change, and I don’t know if I’m really that ready for a drastically different work environment. And that’s saying something, because as I have already mentioned, I AM part of the Net Gen, and a UP Manila OrCom student at that. If I have these, concerns, how much more those who are already in these traditional organizations? Especially here in the Philippines, where new social media is just beginning to dig deeper roots, and where poverty is still limiting access to these new social media applications?

Nevertheless, the wiki workplace is an exciting thing to look forward to. It promises a job that is not boring, maybe even fun, and more flexible working hours. As I am writing this, I suddenly think about how my  (and others of the Net Gen’s) attention span can be quite short (I am doing A LOT of things besides just working on this post. Facebook, Plurk, Twitter, and a whole lot more.) In a wiki workplace, this can actually be accepted. And not that I’m encouraging slacking in the workplace, it’s just that sometimes you have to drift a little before you find that one spark that will actually boost your output. That’s what I’m doing. And that’s what Google is ALREADY doing, and is actually succeeding in. They let their employees have 20 percent of their working hours to themselves, and it actually helps their employees innovate. In a traditional workplace, this will never happen. The employee might  probably even get fired for “slacking off,” when in fact, there might just be some great ideas percolating in that employee’s brain, just biding its time before getting its act together, ready for exposure.

Therefore, at the end of the day, though I may have concerns for these drastic changes that are happening regarding the nature of the workplace, I think I’m quite ready to explore the possibilities. How about you?