Our paper

Group One:
Dell and Second Life



By:
Anne Oppeneer
Hayley McCune
Emily Franz
Monica Sixtos
Tiffany Roberts

The media characteristics of Second Life are far different from those seen in the real world. In accordance with the Media Richness Theory, different mediums of communication produce different social responses. For instance, a phone call will not produce the same physical or social response if you were having the same conversation in person. This is due to the variety of gestures and non-verbal cues given throughout a face-to-face conversation. Media characteristics of Second Life would be social interaction, artistic development and expression of personality. While you may interact with other avatars, you do not have to meet them face-to-face or speak to them, allowing avatars to look, act and say whatever they wish. This can be a good and bad thing. Even in our groups’ conversation with Professor Joosten, she stated an 8-year old was on Second Life. He would not have to have stated his age, making it virtually impossible for anyone to truly know if the person they are interacting with is expressing their true self in any way. It is advantageous in the sense that one can express their “true self”, or be someone completely different. It is a good outlet for those who are shy in the real world and need that outlet of communication. While the world is completely virtual, you are still communicating with real people with real thoughts and responses. It is also in a sense a creative outlet. You are exposed to a variety of people and landscapes, and may interact with whomever you wish. You can change your avatar’s hair, face shape, body shape, clothing, skin color, height…etc. It offers quite a large variety, allowing one’s avatar to be completely unique.
The Media Richness Theory comes in to play when analyzing the interaction between avatars. When communicating with someone either in person or over the phone, you are in some sense able to “read” them. You can interpret physical gestures and verbal and non-verbal cues, and can sense things like sarcasm or tension. When interacting with an avatar, especially one you may not know, there are no verbal or non-verbal cues and gestures are completely out of the question.
While Second Life has its few downfalls of media characteristics, it, as a whole, is beneficial to one’s social interaction, artistic development, and expression of personality.
Our group has chosen the company Dell to obtain an area in Second Life. Dell focuses in on and sells laptops, desktop computers, monitors, printers, and other PC accessories one may use for their computers. A little background about Dell is that it was started by Michael Dell in 1984. Dell created his own company that would sell computers and up until the present time has become a successful organization that has provided services for America as well as other countries. Many people already know about the company Dell. Some may use Dell’s computers at work, home, or school. Due to the fact that Dell is actually technology based, we believe that Second Life will be a great area to gain advertising rights for the company as well as branching out the media areas of communication for Dell.
The internet is basically how the United States is run. Most corporations use the internet to run their company and therefore use the internet for information, advertisements, a tool for finding locations, and multiple other resources that a computer can provide involving the internet. Without having a computer from Dell, or another company, most businesses would be lost. Second Life would be a great opportunity for Dell to obtain a greater name for themselves than it already is known for. Teenagers or young adults cruise the World Wide Web and just might run into Second Life. If they were to look through Second Life and find Dell, they could be able to search Dell’s history to find out about the company and even be able to perhaps visit the Dell website and end up purchasing a Dell item. Also, if Dell would have a space on Second Life then their company would be able to compete with other companies who are not in Second Life because their name would be known to the audience of Second Life as well as in the real world through newspapers, commercials, and other advertising models. This idea of competition will greatly help Dell get a greater viewing area to help sell more computers as well as computer accessories.
When implementing a new program, structure, or a new technique into an

organization or company it’s important to do it in steps to prevent the many challenges

that organizations will face, and to maintain a smooth transition from old to new

changes. For Dell company it is important that they are up to date with the newest

technology since they are a business that is centered on providing technology products

to its clients. "No organization that remains static-stuck in its ways of doing things will

survive long". (Miller, 2006) This will be a great way to get Dell to consider advancing to

the use of second life technology. Through the usage of second life and providing this to

their consumers both parties will be satisfied, the company maintains its cliental by

keeping up with consumer needs, and consumers will receive the latest technology

available.

When introducing a new plan to your company you must take into account many

factors. These factors are who will be affected, how, and when, and what. By

addressing these issues first hand you can overcome several stressful episodes. Covin

and Kilmanns typical problems are a great model to follow so that the factors I listed can

be addressed. In this models it list typical problems that many organizations or

companies can encounter. For Dell the management team may want to consider looking

at a few of the steps and use them as guides from getting the information of a new

change out to all employees and follow through with the guide all the way to the end of

the goal has been reached.

Typical problems Dell may run into when introducing second life is that employees

may not be open to new technology, ignorance of why the change is needed

(uncertainty), or not trained for the new technology. This can affect everyone from
management team to employees beneath the management. For example if Dell just
puts out a memo saying " effective as of today we will be using second life technology

and all communication will be conducted through the use of second life" this is a very

bad approach it does not inform the team of what they should expect or what is coming

out of this new change. To avoid these types of stressful situations Dell can look at

Connor & Lakes model and use it as a guide to get through the many steps that are

needed when introducing changes to their employees.

For Dell the challenge is getting all employees on the same page, to understand

why Second life is needed and beneficial to the company. The other challenge is getting

everyone adjusted to the way there job is performed. For example if all communication

was done through e-mail they have to adjust to communication being done through

second life, the new program. Some techniques that Dell can use from Connor and

Lake are establishing with the whole team the individual task, strategic direction of the

company, and the organizational process. Informing everyone of the new change and

how and when it will take place allows the team to prepare and become educated for

the new changes. This allows everyone the chance to prepare for success as the

company together moves forward.

Once Dell recognizes both the challenges faced by implementing second life into the company as well as the many benefits that come along with the new technology Dell
can follow the two guides by Connor and Lakes, and Covin and Killmanns to overcome
the challenges that the company may experience. Overcoming the challenges will take
time but through planning and informing all members of the changes that will take place
it can be a smooth transition from old technology products to the new technology,
Second life.
Dell, Inc. is a multinational technology company that develops, manufactures, sells, and supports personal computers and other computer-related products. The company started in 1984, as PC’s Limited, with $1,000.00 and the dreams of a college student named Michael Dell, into one of the most admirable and profitable companies in the US by 2006. Currently, Dell boasts 61.133 billion dollars in revenue and an estimated 82,700 employees. All from its main headquarters located in Round Rock, Texas. These successes are attributed to managements total understanding of the fact that change is inevitable and those organizations that remain static-or stuck in their particular ways of doing things with their own particular modes of thinking don’t survive long (miller, p.180). Change is an enduring feature of organizational life, and the successful organizations are those that initiate, respond to, plan and implement change as an ongoing way of life (Miller, p.180). However, it is very important to recognize the fact that before change can be implemented it must be effectively communicated in a way that is easy to understand and accept. The degree and impact of changes within an organization can vary substantially, which is why it is critical to establish a communication plan which will effectively facilitate a successful implementation of Second Life into Dell’s organizational culture.
Reacting to Change
Various reactions to planned changes, otherwise identified as the purposeful processes of changes over time, such as this, highlight the critical importance of an effective communication plan. Along with mixed reactions, will come problems that can certainly have a negative impact, if not mitigated with distribution of high-quality information. One of the most important aspects of change is management support, because if employees don’t think management supports or “owns” this project, neither will they, and it will be an unsuccessful venture for the employees and management. Therefore, we have chose to employ two managerial strategies to address: (a) how Dell’s organizational needs can best be met through Second Life; and (b) how to successfully implement Second Life as the most cost-effective tool which will allow expansion into global markets, resulting in increased market share and profits.
Communicating Change
Ownership tension, resistance behaviors, and uncertainty are all issues that cause heightened anxiety and reduced productivity. One of the most straightforward ways to deal with this anxiety and uncertainty is through high-quality communication and the provision of relevant and appropriate information (Miller, p.184), by way of a well-planned communication plan. There are many decisions that need to be made, and in doing so, it is very important to remember that Dell is an organization with cultural and political systems inhabited by thinking and feeling human beings. As Harter and Krone (2001) pointed out, “any attempt to work with change needs to take into consideration those individual and organizational defense mechanisms against anxiety, that structure and form managerial and organizational responses to change. In a sincere effort to accomplish these goals, it is our recommendation to use a blended communication plan that includes elements of the “Spray and Pray” method and the “Tell and Sell”. In “Spray and Pray”, management is advised to inform employees with updated information and a website link to Second Life so they can review the information they need to feel comfortable with the concept. It is also very important to instruct them to only focus on the technology that specifically applies to the goals and mission of Dell, as well as remind them of the fact that Second Life, will help Dell expand into untapped global markets, and how that equates to potential increases in profit margins and job security. It will be very important for management to inform and educate employees in a way which will reduce uncertainty and stress, but not so much that it may be overwhelming and counterproductive. In this way, employees will be well informed about the Second Life technology in a way that is appropriate to their jobs and in a way that will highlight the opportunities it will bring in a constructive and engaging manner which will make this transition a smooth one. The “Tell and Sell” strategy is also very important because, along with the information provided to the employees, it also provides a forum to present certain selected messages of compelling evidence that supports the reason for the million dollar investment in this technology and how it supports the values and missions of this organization. This will help instill confidence, while at the same time “telling” the employees what the issues surrounding this impending change are and then “selling” them about why management agreed that this million dollar investment was warranted. It will also help gain confidence and trust while at the same time engaging the employees in the change process in appropriate areas with relevant information.
This technology is the gateway to the future global success of Dell, and even if management doesn’t understand or know all the technicalities surrounding it, it is still critical for them to convey trust and confidence in the fact that this investment is the right one which represents not only increased profits for Dell but also job security for themselves. Just the same as it has provided for Michael Dell since 1984.

References

“History”. Retrieved December 4, 2008. www.dell.com

“History of Dell”. Retrieved: December 4, 2008. www.wikepidia.com

Miller, K., (2006) . Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes (5th ed.). Boston: Wadswoth Cebgage Learning.

Neville Hobson. Dell Means Business in Second Life. http://www.nevillehobson.com/2006/11/14/dell-means-business-in-second-life/ . November 14, 2006.

“The Media Richness Theory”. Retrieved: December 1 2008. www.wikepidia.com.