From Within ...

In the global world of digital diversity and remote access to work, the role of leadership has changed (or is changing).  Change, however, is not necessarily the right word, perhaps a digital evolution is more appropriate way to explain the current state of te world's workforce.  As workers evolve and expand so does the need for the leaders to develop as well.   Many communities have the need to transition from a type manager supervisor to someone who is grounded with a leadership style.  This moves the thought process from our leader as the hero to the leader as host (Martin, 2015).  In society people are looking for someone to lead them to a better place, to create a utopia or to put blame on when things head south, this is typically the leader.  In this respect, the leader is then weighted with the obligation to make the organization succeed. However, this causes too much responsibility on a single person or a small group of individuals, ultimately setting them up for failure. 

Leading from the middle moves the sole liability of the organization from one person or a small group of individuals towards the entire community as a whole.  The idea of leading from within or the middle sets the named leader to become a host or guide rather than the hero (Martin, 2015). Maxwell (2010) discusses leading from where you are as being a way to share the responsibility and allow others to find their inner leadership strength and lead as well as the named leader.  Everyone needs to take part and be accountable within any organization; this is the investment workers need to make in their communities. By doing this everyone is a leader (Martin, 2015). 

In our open, social and participatory world, leaders and workers need to work together in order accomplish the objectives that are directed at them.  As a leader, there are several aspects that are leading in a digital world has.  First, diversity, leading in the 21st Central requires for its leaders to be diverse and involved from within to understand what is transpiring around them.   Next, the work environment itself is changing.  As a leader, we, need to be more mindful of this as well as respect those who are involved in our organization.  Time and space need to be addressed as elements of the work environment that are not constant for everyone.  As a leader, we need to understand that areas no long include cubicles and time is not a 9 to 5 job.  Again the respect of both these elements from leaders will help to engage a more meaningful environment for both workers and the leadership itself. Next is that distance is a large factor in current organizations.   Global and distributed team working means that seeing the individuals we work with is now often a luxury, and we need to engineer other ways of connecting with each other.  The key to all of these is that leaders today need to have good communication skills; not only orally but also in writing and be able to address sensitive topics within the electronic environment.  Flexibility is a luxury that many leaders seem to feel they do not have, however in a digital leadership world flexibility which is an essential tool to possess. 

Leadership has always been a slippery slope for people to manage.  We need to remember that there is a distinct difference between managers and leaders. Managers have subordinates and leaders have followers. Leaders that are well adapted to with the changing and evolving world of technology are not leaders who lead from the top - down. Rather they are leaders that embrace the diversity of the environment they are in and lead from within creating a culture of an innovative workforce that move and grow together. 

Resources

Maxwell, J. (2010). John Maxwell: Lead from where you are.  Success. Retireved from http://www.success.com/article/john-maxwell-lead-from-where-you-are

Martin, M (2015, Dec 4). A deep dive into thinking about 21st century leadership.  The Bamboo Project. Retrieved from http://www.michelemmartin.com/thebambooprojectblog/2015/12/work-in-progress-the-leadership-lab.html

From Earth to Cyborg And Back ....

This is the second time I have written this post.  The first time I was about a quarter of the way through and realized I am missing the point.  Or at least I am missing the point in which I want to make.  I know I am not making any sense.  Let me then allow you to delete mentally the paragraph you just read and start over, just as I have just done.  

Emerging Technology can be looked at like the word tomato; there are always two ways to see it.  What one person thinks is emerging tech another may view it as a waste.  Nowhere else is more evident than at NASA.  (Yes, here I go again talking about NASA).  The Space Program has invested billions of dollars into emerging technology that ultimately has failed, nothing has come of that particular item, however, because one thing failed another could emerge from its ruin, yes like a phoenix rising from the ashes.  Emerging technology from NASA created the Technology Transfer Program, ultimately NASA’s  Program that brings "Space down to Earth"(NASA, 2016). It is a way to see some of the birth places our modern day marvels: cell phones, 3D printers, robotic prosthetic limbs and countless other items.

With the concept of sharing is caring that it seems NASA has embraced (when it can) we can look at NASA's Technology Transfer Program as part of the knowledge networks Weinberger (2011) discusses.  NASA historically has helped the private and earth sector with technology, however in 1964; the Technology Transfer Program was officially put into place by a congressional mandate (NASA, 2016).  This program or mission was to open officially up access to private technology sectors could utilize (Weinberger, 2011; NASA, 2016).  Other aspects of NASA's longest running mission is to help teach others about technology, link everything and provide intelligence and connectivity, all of the aspects of Weinberger's' knowledge networks.  Even though many people look at NASA as being a top secret government entity, the developments and emerging technologies that evolve from this program not only assist in moving society forward but also allowing other elements in society to gain more connectivity. 

AUTHORS NOTE:  The above was part of my original post.  This week I suffered some impressive technological setbacks.  It is exciting about technology its development and wonder.  For the last half of my career, I have bet my livelihood on the development, advancement and the growth of emerging technology.  My entire career at Apple was launched on the elaboration of the iPad, and I happen to be on the team that was chosen to develop it to become a usable tool for classrooms.  I use technology probably more than most people.  However, this past week my life was severely slowed by technology and the hiccups of relying on such technology.  I wanted to talk about Google Glass in my original post. However, there was not an easy way to connect it to what my point was, so I will make my point here.  Google Glass, however, new and neat it is, was just that, new and neat.  My pair of Google Glass were fantastic; I probably wore them everywhere for the first week.  Not because they were useful or made things easier, but because I had them and others didn't.  Did they live up to the hype, sort of?  The search mechanism was fantastic, however the features were ultimately limited.   I rarely use anymore.  However, no fear they do not just sit in my drawer and collect dust.  I went to a costume party a year ago and wore them as part of my cyborg costume. 

Reference

NASA. (2016). Spinoff.  Retrieved from https://spinoff.nasa.gov/about.html

Weinberger, D. (2011). Too big to know. New York: Basic Books.

Cyberbullying

Bullying has always been an issue in societies; either analyzing history can see this or looking at the current state of affairs.  Bullying, heavy persuading or strong-arming has been a part of society in some form of another.  The legendary story of William "Boss" Tweed scandalized New York in the late nineteenth century through strong-arming and bribery.   Although this example would not typically allow someone to envision a picture of a bully, Boss Tweed was everything a bully stands for.  The characterizations of a bully are the repetition of the behavior, the duration of the situations, the fact that the events escalate, the means that there is power disparity between the individuals involved and finally there is the attributed intent to consider (Adams, 1992).   The first time the concept of bullying in the workplace appeared within Adams book, Bully at Work, written in 1992.   Before this bullies were found on the schoolyard playground.  However, those bullies are now grown up and living adult lives, but the negative patterns of behavior that caused them to be bullies on the playground has filtered into their workplace.  

Bullying in the workplace has no formal definition (Adams, 1992; Namie, & Namie, 2016).  However, according to the 2014 National Survey on Workplace Bullying conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), the event or events can be defined by as "threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or work interference — sabotage — which prevents work from getting done, or verbal abuse," (Namie, & Namie, 2016).   

In more recent times, the last decade, an emerging buzz word has permeated our conversations, cyber bullying.  Cyber bullying can be summed up by stating it is the use of electronic communications to bully a person, usually with a message intending on intimidating or threatening in nature (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2016). Cyber bullying has become a buzz word in media throughout the United States as it pertains to adolescents and social media (Megan Meier Foundation, 2016).  Over the last several years news agencies have publicized the stories of teens and their struggles with cyberbullying (Megan Meier Foundation, 2016).  With many experts concluding that in this digital world cyberbullying has become an epidemic.   

Cyberbullying is just the next step in the evolution of bullying and using psychological violence on individuals to create fear and ensure that people conform to standards (Opperman, 2008).   The old school yard saying of "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me," is more detrimental to a person's psychological well-being.  Words hurt, and words blasted out into the public where they can be read and reread numerous times makes cyberbullying more dangerous than schoolyard bullying ever was.  But what happens when these misfit teens that bully on social media grow up and enter the global workforce?  

Just as history has proven before as these misfit adolescents mature and enter the workforce so does their malicious and determinantal behaviors, they continue to bully.  Cyberbullying has sustained in the workplace.  The interesting development is that employers may be held liable for cyberbullying incidents. First, it is important to make note that there is no federal law prohibiting cyberbullying (Smith, 2016).  Second, stand-alone policies that prohibit cyberbullying may not be enough or robust enough to protect a person (or the company) in a legal battle.   But Smith does state that  "harassment policies and use-of-technology policies should clearly prohibit cyberbullying," along with "anti-discrimination policies."  These types of systems are then backed by federal law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  This law simply prohibits a hostile work environment based on a person race, color, gender, national origin or religion; this law embeds itself into the digital world as well as the face to face world (Smith, 2016).  Insurance and risk management companies like LanierUpshaw have included cyberbullying as part of their baseline for enterprises and their risk assessments (Wocorek, 2014).  

Cyber Bullying in the workplace needs to be addressed with a strong, firm understanding that bullying not only affects the victim but the entire organization. The negative impact bullying has on an organization can cause lack of efficiency and effectiveness.  Many times as leaders we must address small problems so that they do not become larger ones in the end.  Bullying is one of those problems. With the advancement of technology, bullying has now invaded the digital world in which we now need to learn how to patrol, police and regulate and ever expanding universe without end. The key for companies is the complete valid risk assessments, create strategic plans and to amend HR policies that are currently in place to protect their employees and themselves from this ever festering sores of cyberbullying. 


AUTHORS FOOTNOTE:  I am fascinated by research with workplace bullying.  There have been so many studies done, and laws have been attempted to be written and passed to help victims.  I currently sit on a non-profit board of directors for an anti-bullying program in the state's schools.  However, very little focus goes into workplace bullying.  I have begun my background research and have devoted my DIP to workplace bullying however now after reading some of the articles about cyberbullying in the workplace I feel that I will be adjusting my DIP focus slightly. 

References

Adams,  A. (1992).  Bully at Work.  Virago.

Brio, M. (2014). The real-world implications of workplace and cyber bullying.  Forbes. July 27, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2014/07/27/the-real-world-implications-of-workplace-and-cyberbullying/#e58b1c934cfb

Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC). (2016).  Cyberbullying.  Retrieved from http://cyberbullying.org/facts/

Megan Meier Foundation (2016). Cyberbullying and social media. Retrieved from  http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/cyberbullying-social-media.html

Namie, R. &  Namie, G. (2016). WBI: Workplace Bullying Institute. Retrieved from http://www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/problem/definition/

Opperman, S. (2008). Workplace bullying: Psychological violence. Retrieved from http://www.workplacebullying.org/tag/oppermann/

Smith, A. (2016). Employers may be held liable for employees’ cyberbullying. Society for Human Management Resouce. Retrieved from  https://www.shrm.org/legalissues/federalresources/pages/employers-cyberbullying.aspx

Wicorek, S. (2014). Cyber-bullying: A silent epidemic in the workplace. LanierUpshaw. Retrieved from http://www.lanierupshaw.com/cyber-bullying-a-silent-epidemic-in-the-workplace/

Productivity

A networked worker is an individual who uses the internet or email while at their workplace (Madden, 2008).   According to Madden (2008) email is part of what defines a networked worker, however, she states that 62% of employees fall into this category.  In a recent article posted on huffingtonpost.com (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/check-work-email-hours-survey_us_55ddd168e4b0a40aa3ace672) a survey of 400 white-collar adult workers given in August in 2015.  The survey revealed that 90% of those who took the survey check their personal email at work, and 87% check their work email at home.  Also, interestingly enough they spend over 6.3 hours checking emails, 3.1 hours on personal messages and 3.2 hours on work related items.   

One of the issues I have with the definition of a networked worker is that including email as part of the criteria this involves the majority of white collared workers as networked workers.   However, more importantly, a networked worker should be defined by the amount of time they are connected.  More importantly, the time a worker uses the internet for things in addition to email should be highly valued.  

Much of what I have been reading various articles is that it can be concluded that the networked worker created an increase in productivity.  In an article from Mother Jones (http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts), in the United States over the last 30 years, productivity has grown.  Logically this can be attributed to the growth of technology both in and out of the workplace.  It is interesting to read about how workers waste time checking emails and instant message throughout the day both personal and professional based.  However, just as I used to tell teachers about technology in the classroom being not the issues to student distraction, so is the case with technology in the workplace.  Before technology distraction was still present, just like in schools students wrote notes, slept or daydreamed before random internet searches, instant messaging, and checking emails. 

From WorkPlace to WorkSpace

The nature of work has changed over the last twenty years (Gartner, 2010).   Creating a workforce that is creatively driven by passion and innovation and not through need and what was once called the rat race.  Work for some is no longer considered a four-letter word; rather it is something that calls to their inner strengths, and these individuals can develop careers around their goals.   The nature of work has been decentralized; it focuses on activity, collectiveness and productivity whenever and wherever it can take place (Gartner, 2010).

As the nature of work shifts so changes the nature of leadership.  In my current position, the leadership is considered remote leadership which is a way of effectively using wirechary (Husband, 2016).  I have a Director that I currently "report to", however, both of us report to the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Operations (there is more to her title, but we can stop at this).  The SVP travels about 80% of the month, but her home-base is Marathon, FL. My Director is based out of Dublin, Ireland, and I am here in Boca Raton, Florida.  Two more Project Mangers "report" to me, one is located in Chicago, and one is located in Houston.  I use the word report very loosely.  In reality, the way our team works is very much the ideal of wirechary because each one of us has tasks to do, however sometimes it is in partnership with others (Husband, 2016).  We each work on our share of work and does what needs to be done to accomplish the task regardless of whose responsibility it is, ultimately the success or failure of each project is ours a team if it fails we all fail if it succeeds we all succeed (Husband, 2016).  Sometimes I am doing things that I know would not be asked of me at my "level" of leadership. However, I do them just as in other times I have had to do “grunt” work because the tasks need to accomplish team work is team work.  Remote leadership is the way in which the future workforce is heading.  With various locations and more and more people decentralized people are going to be task oriented, and this is based on quality (Gartner, 2010; Husband, 2016).  During the industrial age, the value of one’s work was on the quantity you produced.  Quantity is no longer the focus of individuals; machines have taken that load. In my organization; the theory is if you are producing quality work, the volume will follow.  The focus of working collectively and collaboratively together to constructively complete vast quantities of work in varying amounts of time over hundreds and even thousands of miles are the useful model of what the nature of work has evolved into along with a prime example of wireachry (Gartner, 2010; Husband, 2016). 

One of the most important things that Weinberger (2014) mentioned in his talk about understanding the future was filtering.  In filtering, we no longer need not filter things out, or through them away as we had in the past. We as leaders need to find the place to put these things (Weinberger, 2014).  He talked about how the old way to look at the future was anticipation, and this isn’t how we should look at the future (Weinberger, 2014).  But I think I disagree.  I believe that we can blend both the of these characteristics he pointed out (Weinberger, 2014).  If we blend the anticipation of what can happen or what we need in the future with what we have by using a filter to place the items in the appropriate locations, then we can be more productive than we would be otherwise. 

This past week, I had to travel, while we were gone, we decided to stop and visit the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) with my nine-year-old daughter, as she had never been there.  Walking onto the campus brought back years and years of memories watching the space shuttle launch, reaching every science magazine I could and even attending space camp once at KSC.   I watched my daughter as she interacted with varies equipment and machines.  There was even an Astronaut (a guy that was dressed up in a robot suit that rode around on a hover-board), kind of cool effects.  However, I digress from my point and my story.  We decided to do a Behind the Scenes type of tour; there we learned about different experiments, new rockets and all kinds of things they are working on at the center.  One gentleman asked about artificial intelligence (AI). The engineer that was answering our questions just laughed and asked him about what he thought about them.  The man said something about it would be nice to have someone to drive on long trips other than he or his wife, and then chuckled.  The engineer gave the best explanation I have ever heard from a particular expert (so to say).  He stated that as with any technology it is only as good as its usefulness.  However the second humans can no longer understand it or figure out how to control the AI that is when humans have lost, he further said that AI is a touchy subject, it sounds great, but once it gets out of control there is no going back from it, just like going to Mars.  Once that rocket is launched, there is no turning back.   I realized what he was saying that AI is great in theory. However, we cannot understand the software or control of AI entirely, and the point is to allow the machines to think and act on its own, with that there is no control. With no power, humans are creating a new species.  With that, I fully agree with Elon Musk and Bill Gates (Holly, 2015).   However, we can use the concept of AI and the processes in which computers process data to help to create better technology (Holly, 2015).  Such technologies are currently being tested at the International Space Station to improve life here on Earth better.

As a side note:  I grew up as a shuttle kid.  Meaning I was a child of the 70’s and 80’s that raced to the TV or even outside to watch the shuttle take off.  When I was 8 I begged my mom to sign me up for a program through my school district that focused on science and technology (I am sure today it would be a STEM program). In January of 1986, I was chosen to go to space camp.  On January 26, 1986, I got to ride a launch simulator; it was the coolest thing in my young life.  Two days later I was finally going to see the shuttle launch, in person.  I did.  I watched the Space Shuttle Challenger take off, and 72 seconds into flight explode.  It has been one of those moments in my life that will forever be engrained in my life. I can’t remember everything that happened that day; it happened so fast.  But I know this, yes the shuttle program cost way more money than anyone ever imagined, yes, it was a risky yet amazing adventure, yes, it did serve its purpose by building an International Space Station, and yes it did not live up to the several hundreds of expectations initially set forth by Congress and NASA.   However, what it did accomplish was so much more that NASA and Congress never realized it would, the number of spinoff technology that was created because of the shuttle program – cell phones, micro-computers, Hubble-lens (eye glasses), artificial limbs, joints, and so much more.  All this technology was created jointly and collaboratively over throughout geography and space (Gartner, 2010; Husband, 2016).  Another thing that the space shuttle program did was the help to foster the love of science and technology in me and now in my daughter, I know others have had the same experience too.  For more information about what technologist NASA has created that are a spinoff of space technology and such go here https://spinoff.nasa.gov 


Reference

Gartner (2010, August 4).  Gartner says the world of work will witness 10 changes during the next 10 years.   Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/1416513

Holly, P. (2015, January 29). Bill Gates on dangers of artificial intelligence: ‘I don’t understand why some people are not concerned.’ The Switch. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/01/28/bill-gates-on-dangers-of-artificial-intelligence-dont-understand-why-some-people-are-not-concerned/

Husband, J. (2016). What is wirearchy? Retrieved from http://wirearchy.com/what-is-wirearchy/

Weinberger, D. (2011). Too big to know. New York, NY: Basic Books. 

Weinberger, D. [speakers.com]. (2014,  October 22).  David Weinberger on the power of the internet. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPXmEh24KXA&feature=youtu.be

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Knowledge is power, or so we have been told.  However, as Uncle Ben once said in the comic series Spiderman, "with great power comes great responsibility."  Thus raising the question, how are we in society managing the responsibility of knowledge, this can be answered by saying that knowledge is no longer rooted in a single managed foundation (Weinberger, 2011).   Knowledge today is a networked web of entanglements.

Knowledge management (KM) has undergone a paradigm shift. It has gone from being a static clearing house approach towards a dynamic communication based or network style approach.  KM can be looked at as being an influential people-centric approach to sharing knowledge.  For instance, when it comes to cultural or ethnic knowledge, people simply Google the issue at hand.  Even with items such as medical information or more scientific understanding of knowledge, Google has opened doors that only students in particular fields have had access. However, again with great power comes great responsibility.  Weinberger (2011) criticizes the internet and specifically Google in the fact that it is essentially dumbing down society.  I agree with this, people and students alike are not having to memorize or fully learn concepts; they simply Google what they need.  Google has continued peoples need for instant gratification.

In training I did recently as a live webinar, an employ was asked about specific specs of a new product.  The student seemingly looked at the screen (apparently his webcam was embedded in the top of his laptop) after a few seconds he then rattled off the entire spec list.  He read from the site where he apparently found the specs.  In many respects, being resourceful is a keen skill to have, however in specific fields if you do not acquire the knowledge to do your job and leave it to Google to be your assistance, precious time slips away.  In a customer service aspect, this could aggravate the client however in more life threatening situations this could be fatal.  The interesting thing about the situation above is that the instructor, congratulated him and moved on, I being an observer was shocked, but then again what was anyone to say.  His use of other sources of knowledge seemed like a regular occurrence and thus was not commented on because he did not do anything outside the normal. Even in a traditional (and the virtual), classroom setting, the cultural norm is to use other sources of knowledge to either confirm that your answers are correct or to find the answers because you do not know.  

Knowledge and the process to acquire knowledge, learning has evolved over the past few decades.  Dixon (2009) examines the evolution of KM.  The primary aspect is that learning has developed from a private affair to a more public affair (Dixon, 2009).   The process which people are more communicative and collaborative assists that knowledge is, in fact, a network.

Knowledge is a collective process that allows people to exchange and interexchange information throughout the world, making it a global information consortium.  Because of the physical location of people being spread out over the Earth's surface.  If we take into account that only 29% of the Earth's surface is land, then the total area of the surface is 148,326,000 km2 (57,268,900 square miles) (Sharp, 2014).  That's a lot of lands to cover; there is no possible way anyone person can travel and cover that much ground to gain knowledge.  Therefore, the Internet has helped us to cover that distance in a click of our mouse.   The Internet is not designed to process knowledge it is simply the filing cabinet we keep our files. People utilize software and applications to process and display knowledge; such as Wikis, blogs, collaborative tools such as Prezi and countless others.  These types of software or we can look at it as a file sleeve or folder helps to organize and exchange the knowledge that if inside the sleeve once it is placed in the filing cabinet called the internet.

As a leader, the responsibility of knowledge management is no longer solely yours. At any point before the dawning of the Internet, knowledge in most organizations was a trickle-down communication chain. The internet and digital communication have changed the way leaders and organization process knowledge.  Weinberger (2011) explains that in many organizations leadership is no longer just at the top but in this new age of knowledge management that leadership can be found throughout the organization.  As a leader, the responsibility is no longer to disseminate knowledge but rather guide it in the direction that the organization needs and desires to be.  Once again the words uttered by Uncle Ben and the words that drive Spiderman, echo through our organizations, knowledge give us great power, however with this power we have a great responsibility to others.


Reference

Dixon, N. (2009). Conversation Matters: Where Knowledge Management has been and Where It’s Going-Part Two. Retrieved from http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2009/05/knowledge-management-where-weve-been-and-where-were-going—part-two.html

Sharp, T. (2014, Septemeber 17). How big is the Earth? Space.com Retrieved from http://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth.html

Weinberger, D. (2011). Too big to know: Rethinking knowledge not that the facts aren’t the facts, experts ae everywhere, and the smartest person in the room is the room. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Prezi

One of the interesting things about the topics of tools was trying to find one that I haven't had an interaction.  This tends to be a problem when you work and live in the tech industry.  I decided to make for my first choice Prezi, which in my opinion is highly engaging yet underused in many spaces.  

Prezi is a Flash-based, cloud-based presentation tool which allows for engaging presentations, mobile, embedded or right from the computer (Prezi 2016).  To give a slight history of Prezi, Prezi was created in 2009 in Budapest and opened the headquarters that same year in San Francisco (Prezi).  Prezi has several abilities such as mobile and web based creations.  The idea of Prezi is that it takes the basic concept of a power point presentation and utilizes multi-media elements to create a unique product that will captivate audiences.  It uses a technology called zooming user interface (ZUI) (Prezi, 2016).  The user based environment is parallax 3D (Prezi, 2016).  Parallax is the concept of an object being displaced on the continuum of two different lines of sight.  In other words, as the viewpoint moves, other objects in the distance appear to move more slowly than the objects close to the camera.  All of which is presented on the Z-axis, which allows the user to convey depth and to mean (Prezi, 2016).  

Prezi has a variety of uses.  It can be used in business, at conferences, in education and in any need that can display information visually.   The human brain has shown to retain more information viewing elements that are presented in a spatial presentation rather than being told or read to; this concept is the spatial memory which is found in the Hippocampus (Burgess, Maguire, & O'Keefe, 2002).   By providing a stimulating, engaging presentation, a leader can interact with their stakeholders through active discussions.  Meaning that when seeming less boring items need to be explained, research shows that presentation and retention go hand in hand (Burgess, Maguire, & O'Keefe, 2002).  If a leader needs to ensure exchange of information, creating a presentation that stimulates a stakeholders neurons would be most efficient in creating a progressive environment. One of the most utilized venues for Prezi is the ever growing TED Conferences.  Other industry leading companies use the power of Prezi when delivering yearly reports, keynote speeches at conferences, and learning tools for students.  In a sense everyone in any industry can use and benefit from the powerful presence Prezi has. 

However, the strongest criticism against Prezi is the same element that makes Prezi unique and dynamic, the ZUI.  The company acknowledged that the ZUI has the potential to cause motion sickness and or nausea (Prezi, 2016).   This is due to excessive visual stimulation that the software creates.  Prezi has created tutorials and assistance to help users develop presentations that would be more appealing to a wider audience.  Over the last several years, users have had issues with Prezi, who have disabilities (Prezi, 2016). The Prezi environment has the difficulties for screen readers or speed control (if set on autoplay), for individuals with various learning differences.  The company is continuing to develop better software and work with other software developers to create adequate plug-ins. 

On a personal note, I have been using Prezi since its inception.  When I was training for Apple, it was one of the highlighted software that we would train clients in precisely the dynamic effects that could be developed using the Prezi presentations and embedded with Apple technology.  I currently use Prezi's in my online training and development courses that I create to stimulate the online learner. When I still taught in a brick and mortar class environment, not only did I create my presentations on Prezi. But I encouraged my students to step out of the PowerPoint box and allow creativity to flow. 

I have included for you a example of a Prezi about Prezi, its development, creation and exploration of engaging presentations.   

(I was going to upload one of my own, however, I realized all of Prezis I currently have on my account are confidential.)

Reference

Burgess, N., Maguire, E. & O'Keefe, J. (2002, August). The human hippocampus and spatial and episodic memory. Neuron, 4(35), 625-641. doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00830-9

Prezi (2016). Prezi. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/support/