I’m really delighted that the “human element” advertising and PR campaign for Dow Chemical is off to such a great start. I believe it is resonating with the public, as well as Dow’s internal audience because, in this time of so much technology surrounding all of us we crave the human element as a stabilizer. (Disclosure: Dow Chemical is a GH client)

I’ve often quoted author John Naisbitt, who was way ahead of his time when he wrote his book, “Megatrends” some years ago. He coined the terms “high touch” and “high tech.” This illustrated the need to balance all the technology he saw coming with the humanizing factor. Many organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on impersonal communication. We all know people who are much more willing to use e-mail or voicemail than to set up face-to-face meetings or even talk on the phone. This is part and parcel of the trend towards emotionless interactions that are starting to define business relationships.

Unless an organization makes a commitment to HUMANIZING relationships, the online culture will take over. Sophisticated technology is enticing, and it’s easy to forget what’s being sacrificed when a culture is overly dependent on this form of communication.