Human Interaction at work and how technology plays a big role

Communication in the business world has changed forever thanks to technology…but in what ways? Are these changes bad or good for business network and office communication? The good news is that technology has had more positive effects on business than negative – as long as you can keep up. Here are the primary ways that human interaction at work has shifted thanks to the latest digital tech.

Details, DetailsWant to find out more about someone? Look them up online! Send them a friend request! Check their tweets and photos. We have a dozen research options available immediately to find out more about the people we meet. Of course this has an effect on our personal relationships, but it's also affecting how business and networking operate. In-person impressions and elevator speeches are becoming less important – but what your profile and online history say about your brand is becoming more important. These days, important leads make their decisions by looking up a business and seeing what their Facebook page says, seeing how their website is designed, and what other reviews or forums say about their service.

With so many details available online, brand management and careful profile maintenance is vital when it comes to successfully growing your business. Sleek website design, easy calls to action, and mobile optimization will also make a big difference here. You can also help make this process easier and more guided by using business cards with clear links to online profiles or QR codes to save clients a step.

The Power of Conversation (In Any Format)There is a common fear that our digital dependency is slowly choking our in-face conversations and traditional socializing. While this worry does have a few valid points, most serious research into online communication shows that it actually aids socialization, especially among people who struggled to find social circles before going online. This is, of course, due to the ease of online conversations through multiple channels, from web conferencing and comment sections to social media circles and old-fashioned emails.

In the working setting, this is seen most often in professional social networks and cloud tech. When faced with questions, people are no longer limited to static resources and nearby people – they can reach out and chat with experts around the world. Clients no longer need to live in the same city – or the same country. Joint ventures between companies on opposite coasts are now easier than ever before. We can choose where, when and how to how our conversations thanks to online options (think how mobile devices alone have changed this field).

Instant CommunicationLet's switch focus a little and talk about the power of instant communication options. As we just mentioned, this helps use forge conversations that would not have otherwise been possible, but in more everyday situations, this tech is also changing the way that the office operates. Most social networks – even those used on business intranets – have IM tools that allow employees to instantly chat with each other.

This affects the business environment in several ways. Notably, it changes the way that gossip happens: Conversations are both more private and – considering that messages can be easily read or saved based on IT decisions – more public than before. Businesses today must develop strict online guidelines for conversations, rumors, gossip, badmouthing, and other practices: Everyone knows the old joke about accidentally emailing a nasty message to your boss. However, instant communication is also, well, instant: It has banished the need to walk across the office, and made it much easier to work on the go or from home. Consider also the enormous implications for traveling sales agents on the road or at trade shows: Now they can confer with their bosses at a moment's notice when faced with questions or contract changes.

Like Minds and CollaborationWhen we talk about collaboration in the tech world, we're usually talking about the power of cloud technology and collaboration platforms that allow teams to work together seamlessly on projects and work flow. It's difficult to overestimate just how important this is in the workplace. We no longer need to gather around a table in the same room to compare notes, discuss topic changes, and create content. Now several people can work on the same document, at the same time, no matter where they are, thanks to ever-present tools like Google Docs. As a result, among competent users less time is wasted and schedules are more flexible.

This also affects brainstorming, new ventures, and the beginnings of projects. Here, people are looking for interested partners, backers, specialists, consultants, and more. The online world has made finding such connections much more efficient, so ideas can get off the ground and running at top speed: Just look at Kickstarter and Indiegogo!