Today, the knowledge worker uses the following tools in his office environment:

·         Real time communication (Audio & net conferencing, instant messaging, emailing)

·         The Enterprise Asynchronous information space (Shared information spaces, intranet information media, forums and bulletin board…)

·         The public, internet based, information space

·         Personal productivity tools (Word processors, Spreadsheet, Presentations…) with document spreading into the storage unit of his personal computer

The main issue faced by the knowledge worker is the spread spectrum of human interfaces and the variability of behavior they have, which is totally independent from the importance for him.

At the same moment, a very important document, which may have a drastic impact on his activities, may be stored on a shared space but its awareness is going to be distracted by an email which is going to be just another spam consuming its precious time. And he may discover the important document one week latter or even never…

May be worth, this knowledge worker mail box is so over fill that he is not able to manage this tool anymore and he loose usage of this communication media.

Another way to think about your mailbox decease is to see it as your mobile or fixed handset: imagine you receive as many phone calls than you have emails!

Not only today knowledge worker is overwhelmed by information and he barely can do anything there, that’s our world, but he is also overwhelmed by the communication tools the enterprise put at his disposal. He becomes distracted by the communication environment he has to cope with.

Communication tools tend to become a source of inefficiency as opposed to the original goal.

There is a gap between what drives knowledge worker attention and what he needs for being an efficient actor of the various communities of the enterprise.