Blackberry/Facebook/YouTube Junkies - The Hyperconnected...

There's a new study out by Nortel on how people work and play.  They're adding a new term to the mix - the hyperconnected.  The premise?  Companies are facing an onslaught of "connectivity devices" in use by their employees.  While some companies choose to restrict the use of connectivity/community-based devices/technology, the pressure is on to allow employees to connect when and where they want to, and will only increase as the total % of the hyperconnected employees goes up.

Definition of hyperconnected by Nortel - more connectivity devices per capita and more intense use of communications applications than the normal clone.  Check out the white paper for the extreme specs, skippy...

What did the study find? The Hyperconnected make up 16% of the global workforce today, and another 36% will be joining them soon.

Who are the hyperconnected? According to a May 2008 study by Nortel/IDC the hyperconnected are:

·      Found in all industries, but above average in banking and high tech industries.

·      From all job functions, but are above average in IT and research and development functions.

·      From all levels, but are above average in management positions.

Furthermore,

·      60% are under 35, 7% over 55 years old.

·      60% are male.

Here's what it means to companies who will have to continue to deal with the hyperconnected:

·      The hyperconnected depend on devices and applications that make them hyperconnected – 47% said a network outage would have an extreme impact on them.

·      The boundary between work and personal connectivity is nonexistent for the hyperconnected. Two-thirds use text or instant messaging for both work and personal use. More than one third use social networking for both.

·      As the baby boomers retire, businesses will find themselves competing for this hyperconnected base of talent.

·      Businesses will need to focus on obtaining the benefits of hyperconnectivity and avoid the risks, such as the leakage of sensitive information.

Interesting stuff.  Obviously, we are going to get to a point where even the most conservative companies are going to have to allow you to use Twitter and check in on Facebook, if they want to acquire the talent they need.

And that's the way it should be....

Comments

[Jessica Lee]

hmmm. i walk around carrying two blackberries. both have applications installed for google chat and facebook, and that's just beyond the regular email, blackberry IM and text messaging functions the phones carry. do i qualify as hyperconnected?

[RecruiterGuy]

Okay, I'm with Jessica... do we need a recovery group? LOL

[Michael Wolfe]

Recovery Group...maybe...how about we create a recovery group on facebook and twitter...would this defeat the purpose?

Jessica - why the 2 blackberries - 1 work & 1 personal but they both have the same apps?

[KD]

JLee and RecruiterGuy -

You both have two BB's? Tell the corporate death star to loosen up their standards a bit...!

[Jessica Lee]

okay, okay. two bb's because somehow for my personal cell, i ended up getting a bb. i refuse to give up the phone number so i walk around with both. pitiful. but i won't blame it on anyone but me.