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Seven tenets of the information workspace

Forrester outlines new concepts in the information workplace, influenced by Web 2.0 technologies.
Written by Dan Farber, Inactive

Forrester outlines new concepts in the information workplace, influenced by Web 2.0 technologies. In the report, "The Seven Tenets of the Information Workspace," ($279) the authors break down the information workplace drivers into seven tenets--contextual, seamless, visual, multimodal, individualized, social, and quick.

The information workspace is defined as a "next-generation digital work environment that leverages portal, collaboration, content management, office productivity, unified communications, business intelligence, learning, and other technologies to deliver a seamless work experience — and, ultimately, higher levels of information worker productivity and creativity."

The seven tenets could also fit into Enterprise 2.0, which Andrew McAfee defined as “the use of emergent social software platforms within companies, or between companies and their partners and customers,” and includes technologies such as wikis, blogs, social networks and prediction markets, as well as RSS, links, search and tags.

The new generation of workers will expect to use the the Web 2.0 technologies in an enterprise context, and enterprise software providers are adding those capabilities to their offerings. Forrester recommends that enterprises establish Web 2.0 governance models and practices, acquire expertise in usability and design information workspaces with input from the "millennials," those born between 1980 and 2000.

At the other end of the organization chart, top management needs to allow for more decentralized business processes and teamwork, which will be a cultural struggle for many companies.

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