Generation-C Teams make natural bioteams
Stumble It!In the ground-breaking book Communities Dominate Brands, Tomi Ahonen and Alan Moore introduce a new generation of technology users: Generation C (C stands for Community). If you have some Gen-Cs on your team you are ideally placed to take advantage of bioteaming principles and here is how you can spot them.
Mobile phones come first for Gen-C
“The only current tool that allows continuous connectedness at all hours and regardless of location, is the mobile phone. Thus one of the primary connection methods for Gen-C is the mobile phone. It is not necessarily the only digital network or means to connect with communities, as Gen-C tend to be very active on many communication networks. They easily use IM Instant Messaging, play networked videogames, actively surf the fixed Internet, use e-mail, and may well be involved in blogging. But these are ancilliary connection methods. The personal and primary connection tool for Gen-C is the mobile phone. “
Gen-C are continuously in their communities
“Members of Generation-C will regularly, on a daily basis, consult with friends and colleagues from their various communities. To do so, they have to have continous access to their network. They must be "always-on" and only the mobile phone allows this”
Six Tests for a Gen-C
According to the authors there are certain key traits which identify a Generation-C:
- Addiction to mobile phone
- The personal and primary connection tool for Gen-C is the mobile phone - Responsiveness to phone calls
– A Gen-C will not answer a ringing phone unless it suits them - Voice mail is so not cool
- If you leave voice mail messages, you not Gen-C - Consumers of mobile content or services
– A Gen-C knows how to download content - Extreme texting competence
- A Gen-C can type out messages blind, literally – without predictive text - Concurrent multi-channel communications
- Gen-C can carry out voice conversation and send an SMS text message at the same time
So if your team has Gen-C characteristics then you are very well placed to benefit from bioteaming principles. For more on bioteams see The Bioteaming Manifesto.
Tags: bioteams, engagement, Gen-C, messaging, mobile phones
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Bioteams Books Reviews
The coming shape of organizations and teams
Belbin sees Bioteams as the next step. Dr R Meredith Belbin, regarded as the father of "team-role" theory and one of the worlds foremost experts on teams predicts that we will evolve into bioteam forms. In his book "The Coming Shape of Organisation" Belbin picks out five observations human teams need to learn from "a diminutive masterclass" of social insects such as bees, ants and termites.
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