Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants

PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT
Technological Impact
on Workplace Culture
by Charlsye J. Smith, CLAS
In 1992 I got my first job as a legal assistant because I
knew a few things about computers. At that time, employees
who could finagle successfully through a database were in
demand. Few attorneys had computers on their desktops, and
electronic mail accounts were almost non-existent.
Now, virtually everyone knows how to use a computer,
and as computers have become commonplace on every law
firm desk, technology has changed the practice of law. What
used to be an impressive section on a resumé is now the norm.
The expectation is that law firm employees know how to
use technology, including database-driven software, cell
phones, digital cameras, and the highly annoying keypad that
grants permission to make even a single copy. This expectation
has changed the practice of law and the culture that influences
the law firm environment. Two influences technology has over
our day-to-day work lives include the way technology affects
our interpersonal relationships and our own methods of communicating
at work.
Interpersonal Relationships
Most of us learned to navigate workplace relationships
through interpersonal communication techniques. We learned
to observe body language and to try to pick up on conversational
styles and speeds. We learned to build relationships at
work by complementing or by adjusting our behavior to the
work styles of others. Most of our efforts focus on communicating
and getting along; we rarely think about how technology
influences these interpersonal relationships.
Next time you have a workplace conflict, examine the situation
through a technical lens. Workplace conflicts could be
rooted in a person’s need to stand still rather than to move forward
with technology. As well, a conflict may result when one
person wants to forge ahead and use cutting edge—and often
untested—technology and another person wants to use the
most reliable technology available.
The nature of the legal profession dictates that no one
has time for the accidental wrecking of a database or the
breaking of a digital camera, and therefore, being uncomfortable
with the technology can cause a lot of stress. No one
wants to be the cause of a technological glitch—or worse—
a technological failure.
If the project from which tension abounds involves technology
that may be frustrating or uncomfortable for the person
who seems to be causing the conflict, try to remove the technological
source of frustration from the person’s work life by
offering additional training or encouragement. If you find
yourself tensing up when faced with a technology-driven task,
ask yourself how you can relieve your own frustration and seek
out the solution. Improving your own comfort level or someone
else’s may vastly improve the workplace environment.
Communication and the Art of Argument
A second way that technology has changed the way we
work is that it affects the way we communicate, including
the way that we construct arguments. For example, if we
need to ask for something—new equipment, a raise, a day
off, a quieter office, etc.—we consider whether we should
ask in person or in writing and whether we should ask first
thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Sometime in
the last decade, we also started considering whether we should
ask casually by e-mail or elaborately through a memorandum
and a four-color graphic.
How has technology changed the way you communicate?
At the annual convention this year, NALA stressed the importance
of “getting wired.” One goal NALA has is to communicate
with its members through e-mail. The purpose of electronic
communication is to strengthen the organization
through communication.
This enormous undertaking of NALA to add electronic
communication to its current strategies for talking with
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FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003