Messaging takes centre stage in business

NEWS A survey by Andersen Consulting and the training group, Investors in People UK, has revealed the extent of electronic messaging in the UK - 75 per cent of all messages are now passed on electronically. The report reveals that over 80 per cent of managers welcome the changes. It also calls on UK business to take changes to IT structure to the centre of business decisions. Such decisions should be taken at board level and not left to the IT department, according to Andersens. The survey says: "For the technology to be exploited to the full, the whole of the senior management team, led by the CEO, should be involved in the planning, installation and consequences of its introduction. Otherwise, it has no relationship to the core business strategy." The report also points out that only 46 per cent of companies train staff in the use an etiquette of electronic communications. Only 27 per cent get training in how to deal with information overload.