I have blogged in the past about corporations that have blocked access to Web 2,0 technology from within the firewall under the belief that all that "twittering" and "socializing" was a distraction and drain on productivity. Well, a study done by the University of Melbourne found that using Web 2.0 software during the workday, both for "entertainment/distraction" and research can actually boost productivity.
I have to admit I do not necessarily find the study's results overwhelming ( those that use the internet experience a 9% increase of productivity.)
What I find interesting about the study is that it "re-proves" what those in the KM practitioner world have known for some time. These social tools serve as a stress relieving distraction in addition to sometimes providing potentially serious business networking and research. Web 2.0 is the 21st century's office water cooler. The water cooler effect within organizations has always been recognized by KM practitioners as a potentially, often very valuable asset to an organization. The office water cooler (or bowling team, smoking area ...) allow users to network in an informal manner, to share "off the cuff", and in the process potentially provide insights, spur creative thoughts in others, and build tighter social ties (read - trust and an increased inclination to collaborate). Many of the Web 2.0 tools (and Enterprise 2.0 - within the firewall) provide basically the same type of fertile environment. True to the strength of web-based systems, they do so with greatly increased reach. I know I for one find Twitter at times distracting - but more often a great way to link up with others with similar interest and insights - dynamically throughout the day - and literally from around the world.
Sometimes studies such as this one uncover what we already know - but offer "proof" for the rest of you who need further convincing and/or further proof to convince your management. So, I hope this helps.
