Soci@lByte

Do you hate your company-issued computer? Of course you do. Your IT department is in charge of what computer you get, and its goal is to reduce cost, not increase your efficiency. That’s why you probably have a 2004 Dell laptop that couldn’t process its way out of a paper bag. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were in charge of your computer? If you could select whether you got a PC or Apple? And if you could load whatever applications helped you do your job the best way possible?

While that may seem like a pipe dream, it could be closer than you think. Stodgy old Kraft Foods has seen the light and made a number of changes recently to empower employees to be more productive. For example, the company gives employees a stipend so they can pick the smartphone they want, and it also has started a pilot program that allows employees to pick their own laptops. As if that weren’t impressive enough, Kraft also recently ordered its IT department to stop blocking consumer and social media Web sites. It figured that employees who couldn’t access those sites might fall behind important industry trends.

I don’t know if Kraft’s strategy is the future or simply the exception that proves the rule, but let’s hope it is the start of something new.