Change at a personal level- How IT can help

The macro changes taking place around us certainly impact and cause changes at a personal level. We are driven to work harder, for longer periods, at higher stress levels, to become more productive etc. Family and social pressure us to change, to earn more, have a different lifestyle etc.Summing up all these complex factors drive us to change. IT can help make your change efforts to become effective. There are personal IT tools available like:

• To-Do lists to help you to remember and list tasks
• Calendars to schedule time and appointments, these can even be shared, over the Internet with others.
• Audio and Video based conference calls and meetings, to save traveling to a common meeting place, and quickly arrange a conference.
• email's, Instant Messaging, VOIP, Skype for keeping in touch across the oceans even
  
• Group-ware, so you have a common space, accessible via the Internet to share information, web links, bookmarks, documents, spreadsheets, project plans, etc.
• eLearning, online universities/schools
  
• Online banking
• e governance for interacting with the government bodies
• Telecommuting
  
• And a host of other tools.

Many of these tools can be used independently by an individual, like email, to-do lists, while others need an infrastructure, like banking or government. An Internet infrastructure has been presumed, as with today's technology a Net connection is possible via a land line (a dial-up or a DSL broadband), or a cellphone, or via an LAN, a WiFi or WiMAx, a broadband wireless technology which is gradually catching on. Satellite based communications allows access even when you are flying or in remote Antarctica ! Affordable technology exists, demand will drive the widespread availability.

For example look at the rapid spread of cellphones in India, where practically 5 million phones are added every MONTH ! as against 10 million phones which were added in 60 years after India became independent. As the Internet has content and utility by an Indian User, the Internet usage base will also grow from the existing dismal penetration of 8 million users, just like the growth of cellphones. The OLPC (One Laptop per Child), an MIT initiative by Dr Negropointe to spear head the spirit of inquiry and curiosity in children the availability of laptops costing less than US$150, which can work in the network and electricity infrastructure of developing countries and and old used Pentium II and III available at less than $100 lower the cost barrier to own/share a PC. What is missing is the locally relevant content, the network and IT penetration will take-off, like the cellphones !

However change at the organization level is much more complex. It will take much more time and will be painful, impacting most people in society.

The only constant - CHANGE !

I have been influenced by Alvin Toffler trilogy, The Future Shock, Third Wave and Power Shift. They were written in the 1970's and late 80's. You can see his forecasts becoming facts. We are in a hyper-change environment.

Change affects each one of us, whether you are an ascetic meditating in the Himalayas , a busy IT professional in Bangalore or a Wall Street Analyst.

The underlying paradigms/foundations are changing as we move from the First (agricultural) wave, to the Second (Industrial) and then the Third Wave (Post Industrial/Information). Each wave has major differences and the change of waves is disruptive. Often a country is in different waves at the same time. For example India, the tribals/Adivasis are in the First wave, the industrial in the Second while IT and knowledge based service sector is in the Third wave. The First and Third wave have many common features structures and processes hence the transition from the First to the Third wave is less traumatic then from the Second to the Third, or First to the second. That is some consolation for Third World countries trying to transition from First to Second waves. They probably would be better of to skip the Second wave all together !

IT and the Internet are powerful tools which allow us to develop new and powerful processes and can be used to develop systems to help us cross the "Wave barrier" with less pain.

Summing up, change is here to stay, let us understand the process and swim with the flow rather than resist it.