What is the impact of Enterprise 2.0?   Is it really going to be important that knowledge workers start to use web based productivity tools?   How important are the exact specifications of those tools going to be?

If you look at web based spreadsheets today, or web based wordprocessors, they don’t look all that great.   So, some have been lead to believe that Enterprise 2.0 will not be a big deal

They have reached this conclusiong based upon a narrow view of the problem at hand.   The issue isn’t how does a web based application compare to a desk-top application.   Instead, the issue is:

How does the modus operandi of business today compare with the modus operandi of an Enterprise 2.0 powered company?

To understand the big picture, you need to look at the way an entire organization functions.   The analysis needs to factor in what technology is used, what process people follow, and what people are needed to get the job done.   Change the technology and you inevitably change the process.   Building financial reports looked very different in the days before the spreadsheet.   Change the technology and the process and you need to think about what people skills are needed and how to motivate your people to do the right thing.   In other words, you need a new management approach.

So, what’s the difference?

Here’s my first kick at the can: