Frontline Workers Leading Web 2.0

Younger employees are leading the drive in the private sector to adopt new technologies to network, communicate and collaborate will colleagues.

eWeek.com reports on a new study by Nielsen Norman Group that found that despite the hype over wikis, blogs and social networks, adoption of such tools is still a grassroots effort led by the frontline, younger workers rather than by the organization as a whole. These younger, 20-something workers also expect blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and other outlets in the workplace.

But senior managers still consider such tools something their teenagers use, Nielsen found, highlighting a disconnect between management and their subordinates. But while managers risk losing workers who expect Web 2.0 tools in the workplace, they also are faced with possible consequences, such as information leaks, of implementing Web 2.0 tools too quickly, Nielsen found.

Where does your agency stand? Is adoption of new, tech-savvy ways of communicating still a grassroots effort led by younger workers? Or is it an agency-wide effort that's slowly starting to become part of your organization's culture?

Wired Workplace is a daily look at issues facing the federal information technology workforce. It is written by former Government Executive reporter Brittany Ballenstedt and published on Nextgov.com. Click here to read the latest entries.