In Fast Company’s article Free Agent, Free Spirit, Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea says he uses voice mail as his favorite knowledge sharing tool.
If Orfalea is at a Kinko’s outlet and he hears about a good idea, he immediately dials into the company’s voice-mail system, introduces the coworker who described the idea to him, and lets that person record a message — which then flows back across the
system.
I wonder how effective this is. How many employees at each Kinko’s hear a particular message? Do they share voice mails? Does each employee have their own voice mail (I can’t imagine that’s the case)? Does recording a voice mail that will be sent to the entire company act as an incentive or does it scare employees? What happens if they don’t want to record it? What about new employees, how are they supposed to benefit?
It was interesting idea. I wish FC had asked more about it.
