One of the hallmarks of the PC era was how innovations in workplace technology tended to be driven by the middle ranks of organisations.
The PC itself is an example, it’s adoption in the early 1990s was driven by company accountants, secretaries and salespeople who introduced the machines into their workplaces, usually in the face of management opposition.
Many of the arguments against introducing PCs at the time are eerily similar to that against the Internet or social media over the next twenty years.
Sometime in over the last few years that pattern changed and the adoption of new technologies started being driven by boards and executives.
The turning point was the release of the Apple iPad which was enthusiastically adopted by executives and directors, suddenly, Bring Your Own Device policies were in fashion and the pattern of the c-suite driving change had been established.
Now a similar problem is at work with social media, the story of David Thodey driving the use of Yammer in Telstra is one example where executives are leading the adoption of services in large companies.
The lesson for those selling into the business market is to grab the imagination of senior executives and the board, with competitive pressures increasing on companies they may well be a receptive audience.