Commuting

Traffic is a significant problem in large cities (and growing surrounding areas). The inconvenience of sitting in your vehicle when there are better things to do is one issue that bothers me. Then there is the cost of fuel and the pollution that adds to the nuisance. Technology has made some great strides towards reducing the latter. Halal (2008) dedicates an entire chapter in his book on the promise of technology. There is the dream of flying cars, hybrids and fuel cells, hydrogen replacement, and other wonderful petro elimination possibilities. Heck, my new Camry gets 40mpg which beats the 12 in my old pickup which only hauls dirt and sod these days.

This reduction of the cost of driving on the pocketbook and the environment is a great thing. But what about technology fulfilling its promise of getting rid of driving to work to begin with. Well, the technology is there for remote access and even virtual offices are becoming 3-D virtual. But is it a technology problem. Halal suggest that there is a deeper rooted issue for commuting to move to telecommuting...politics and culture. Societal structure barriers may be at blame for the congested freeways. To deal with technology and the changes it requires to grow, Halal suggests that more than an organization change is required. Capitalist America requires an "institutional change" (p. 108). Can we give up our control? The hierarchical nature of business management can be restrictive. Working from home gives up a sense of control to some managers. Where some see loss of control, others see freedom for creativity. These different corporate cultures remind me of the kids from Microsoft waltzing into Big Blue IBM in there flip flops and shorts back in the day. It will be interesting to see how those brave enough to defy the traditional corporate bureaucracy will fare. Will they die from poor structure and management or will they innovate and destroy the slow lumbering giants?

Halal, W. (2008). Technology's promise : expert knowledge on the transformation of business and society. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire England New York: Palgrave Macmillan.