One might think yes when reading this report in TechWeb (“Younger Workers Demanding Web 2.0 Tech On The Job”).
I am not sure what to think of this line of reasoning, because I’ve seen both enough “old” people who get Web 2.0 and vice versa. Physical age is a dumb metric, especially when it is applied to knowledge workers etc. So judging employee’s ability to get Enterprise 2.0 by their age, is just like, well, judging books by their cover …
Moreover I am not sure whether I like this article for the analysis and the actions it recommends. While I am all for respecting IT governance, social software in the enterprise must be approached differently (as it’s not so much a technological than a social shift). So asking for …
IT managers better start preparing to deal with Web 2.0 technologies, like wikis, blogs, mashups, and social networking sites, because sooner or later — and it’ll probably be sooner — they’re going to have to deal with it.
And that means adopting technologies, managing them, and securing the network from the people who use them.
… is leading the wrong way.
For one, it’s not sooner or later, it’s now.
And it’s not about technology.
And “securing the network from the people who use them” sounds weird, they’re your employees not your enemies.