Further to what I learned last week at the Brookings event where I presented "Virtual Teams in the Age of the Network," a popular topic that we've discussed with groups in a variety of sectors over the years. As some readers here know, our writing books on this topic has led to organizations implementing the methods we've developed (Non-profits! Ahoy! We offer complimentary versions to you.) So I talked about our methodology (students, repeat: People, Purpose, Links, and Time) and about the gotcha's that other organizations, both commercial and non-profit, are experiencing.
Thus I was struck by the repeated questions raised by this group of government officials. Time and again, people asked about security. How can confidential, indeed, sometimes classified, information really be protected? How can people work from home when they're logging in via unsecured (insecure?) lines?
As we looked at this issue from various perspectives, I remembered something a three-star general in the US Army said not long ago in a conference call where we presented: he's able to do 90% of his work from home. But those far down the chain are much more restricted. One attorney went so far as to say that he wondered whether it was better to revert to paper, forsaking electronic communication altogether.
Is this where we are?
