Technology is building 'a generation of leaders'

Although many university graduates may see blogging or chatting on Facebook and mobile phones as purely recreational activities, they could be building the next generation of business leaders, it has been claimed.

Student placement organisation AIESEC carried out research which found that nine out of ten young people have a mobile phone that is permanently switched on, while a quarter publish their own material on the internet.

Lucy Symons, AIESEC Chief Communications and Networks Officer, told Management Issues that this is part of a revolution which will see user-generated content become dominant.

'A global digital generation of young leaders is emerging, who will enter the workplace expecting to communicate using social media,' she commented.

Jonathan Winter, founder of Career Innovation, added that companies which use these new technologies most effectively will ultimately become the most successful.

It was reported in September 2007 that thousands of employees have been banned from accessing social networking sites at work after research by Peninsula found 233 million hours were being lost per month.