Global teams are like oceans: depending on how they are navigated, they can link the world together or split it apart. When global (or any national or remote) teams work, they tap into a company's top talent, exploit local expertise, unite far-flung groups and ramp up worldwide production. When they don't, they are divisive, spark massive miscommunication and drive projects into the ground ...
A Butterfly Flapping Its Wings, or How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference: For many global citizens the only way to spend the weekend is cold, wet and practically naked.
"We are the Bondi Icebergs,
the toughest men they breed.
Happy and contented,
cold water's all we need.
We're not soaks or crooners,
we just sing as we drink our beer.
So bring out all your schooners 'cause the 'Bergs are here."
- The Icebergs Anthem, written by Joe Wallace, 1940
The impact of the Internet on democracy is still in its infancy, and while we have seen some remarkable developments, some more difficult challenges have also come into view Cooking The Internet and democracy ;
Digital Streams Books will survive, but not on paper
When I read recently that sales of the new Kindle e-reader in the US have not been as huge as anticipated, I must confess that my first feeling was one of relief. In the course of the past week I have acquired a new phone that does everything but feed the cat and an equally complicated camera. Both have necessitated lengthy tutorials from my son and I'm going through a fit of technology overload.
When US digital guru Bob Stein and I sat down at the Melbourne Writers Festival last month to discuss the future of the book, we were searching for common ground. Bob is one of those guys who calls books user-driven media. I'm one of those women of a certain age who belongs to a book club and can't get on a plane without at least one novel in my hand luggage.
• sanctity of an author's work ; [It was once believed a national ID card would be a threat to privacy. Nowadays we need one to protect us from big government Protection from Big Brother; Biologically speaking, humans are a remarkable, and quirky, species. The New Scientist magazine has published a list of the odd things we do everyday that don’t make a lot of sense. With all the scientific advancement, you’d think we know why we do the funny things we do ... But why do we create art, or dream, or pick our noses? The Funny Things Humans Do ]
• · Or does it sometimes take moral courage to stand up against authority? How important a quality is a strong ethical framework in a good leader? From Janusz Korczak to Bernard Madoff, what makes a person act ethically or unethically as the case may be? Laws may be introduced which actually exacerbate (if they don't actually create!) the very problems they were supposedly set up to solve... Is what is legal always ethical? ; One of the primary tasks assigned to the Government 2.0 Taskforce is to find ways for Government to use Web 2.0 tools to consult and collaborate with the public.However, while Web 2.0 has lowered technical barriers to communication, there are still a series of just as significant social barriers that remain.Government needs to learn new skills to be able to effectively listen to the public via Web 2.0. In particular, it needs to learn that the key to listening in the Web 2.0 world is to focus to the community Government 2.0 - it's the community, stupid
• · The high number of users on social-networking sites means malware can be distributed on a mass scale. Web sites such as Twitter are becoming increasingly favoured by hackers as places to plant malicious software in order to infect computers, according to a new study covering Web application security vulnerabilities. The study is part of the recently released latest Web Hacking Incidents Database (WHID) report. Hackers put social networks ; such as Twitter in crosshairs
• · · ; Themed issue of Canada's public service e-magazine includes profiles of a wide cross section of Canadian public servants working in innovative ways.
People behind public service innovations
• · · · According to a report by Reuters (Zurich) bankers and industry experts say the US tax probe against Swiss bank UBS has killed traditional offshore banking, and wealth managers will have to improve their offers to survive ; Do we trust too much? As individuals and working in organisations, trust has to be developed and tempered. Learning to read the cues and clues better while developing receptive behaviours will improve the environment for all. Rethinking trust and brand
• · · · · The number of Internet users is forecast to grow 45% globally over the next four years, reaching 2.2 billion by 2013. More people online, more data to hack -- it's a cybercriminal's paradise. Many people don't yet fully understand the enormity of the threat - to individuals, their families and the companies that they work for. Information security: why cyberciminals are smiling ; The dangers of posting sensitive personal information on social networking sites are well known, but a researcher has now revealed how data mining these sites can dig up undisclosed personal - or corporate – information Mining social networks for clues ; Government policies change with the times, but the importance of government being accountable for its performance and the use of public funds remains constant The Business of Government: why public sector management must evolve
• · · · · · A legislative framework is required to govern the establishment and operation of official inquiries at the federal level, to ensure that such inquiries have adequate investigatory powers while at the same time ensuring the protection of the rights of individuals concerned ALRC calls for greater flexibility, more options for Royal Commissions and other official inquiries, ; Strengthening evidence-based policy: an introduction to the Roundtable ; Disclosure of information: rights and obligations of Australian Public Service employees