We see a growing consensus that the lines between traditional departments or team responsible for communication activities blurs a little more each year. For technical communication practitioners this represents either huge opportunity or imminent threat. And it’s this perspective that we want to explore during February as we discuss “When worlds collide.” This week’s technical communication poll question allows us to lay a foundation for that discussion.
We’d like to get a snapshot of the current state of communication management. Are your departments still separated and living in silos? Is your team struggling with change impacts from taking on new responsibilities that a few years ago would have been unheard of? Does your team operate in a matrixed environment with input to and from the full gamut of audiences and stakeholders? Or perhaps you’re a “lone tech writer” who has acquired a full set of new duties?
We hear buzzwords like “integration,” “convergence,” and “collaboration” constantly in the business world today. And most organizations want to run lean and mean to keep costs low and maximize revenue. Part of our discussion will likely look at how these trends are being realized on a practical level, as well as ways to handle the change and conflict, and to take advantage of the opportunity it brings. Which new-to-you communication functions are the easiest to take on? Which represent the biggest challenge to how your normally work?
So let’s start by getting a sense of the multiple roles and responsibilities we have, and whether your employer is small, medium, or ginormous. Chances are the size of your overall organization plays a large role in how easily your team adapts to the changes this convergence brings. Take a few moments to vote in the poll, and add a comment about where you see this trend going for the profession or in your own organization. And as always, we encourage you to hop over to the email discussion list and start or contribute to a thread there.
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