Today’s workplace becomes truly digital
How IT-enabled environment can transform enterprises
Today's always connected, instant access environment has blurred the lines between the physical office and the place where work actually happens.
As the distinction between professional and personal life dissolves, and the workplace becomes truly digital, employees are communicating and collaborating in unprecedented ways.
To enable knowledge-sharing across the organization, they want the ability to forge productive business relationships beyond natural work groups. As a result, it is increasingly clear that the traditional “create and push” information approach no longer meets employees’ evolving needs.
To accurately reflect the staff’s changing work experience, leading organizations have begun to implement an entirely new working environment ― the digital workplace.
By integrating the technologies that employees use (from e-mail, instant messaging and enterprise social media tools to HR applications and virtual meeting tools), the digital workplace breaks down communication barriers, positioning you to transform the employee experience by fostering efficiency, innovation and growth.
The key to success, however, lies in the effective implementation of a digital workplace strategy capable of driving true cultural change.
Embrace the evolution
While the workplace began transforming as far back as the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the widespread proliferation of information technology forever changed the ways in which employees connect, collaborate and communicate.
As workplace demographics continue to shift, employers struggle to meet the varying needs of a multi-generational workforce. As the use of the Internet and mobile devices grows, the pace of change continues to accelerate.
These changes are further exacerbated by ongoing demands to increase productivity and cut costs, making it harder for employees to meet market expectations. Together, these trends are reshaping the work environment.
Define the digital workplace
The digital workplace can best be considered the natural evolution of the workplace, comprised of your employees’ technology working environment.
The digital workplace encompasses all the technologies people use to get work done in today’s workplace _ both the ones in operation and the ones yet to be implemented.
It ranges from your HR applications and core business applications to e-mail, instant messaging and enterprise social media tools and virtual meeting tools.
Because most organizations already use many of these components, you generally do not have to build the digital workplace from the ground up. In fact, if your staff respond to e-mails from smartphones, check their pay stubs online or digitally enter a sales opportunity, you may be closer to operating a digital workplace than you think.
Yet even in cases where new technologies are required, the benefits increasingly outweigh the costs. As the workplace continues to evolve, and employee expectations shift, organizations that do not embrace the digital workplace risk falling behind.
Digital workplace framework
While there are no hard and fast rules governing the design of a digital workplace, leading practices do exist. The following digital workplace framework, for instance, provides organizations with a tool to understand their current digital workplace and identify areas of opportunity to support a better way of doing business by helping you think holistically about the tools you use in your workplace.
It is no secret that your organization’s culture guides the way your employees behave and work. People and culture lie at the heart of organizational performance and typically drive both success and failure. This means your culture ultimately determines how and to what extent your employees leverage the digital workplace to connect, communicate and collaborate.
The key is to understand how your employees prefer to work. You can then develop a change management plan and digital workplace strategy that aligns to your organizations working culture.
Online, seamless, integrated and intuitive collaboration tools play a dominant role in your workplace
Technology
Your digital toolbox is comprised of the tools and technologies your employees need to do their jobs. All organizations have a digital toolbox but their tools vary depending on their industry and job functions. Ideally, your business strategy and the goals of your digital workplace initiative should determine which tools belong in your digital toolbox.
Build your digital workplace toolbox
In most organizations, the digital workplace toolbox can be broadly defined in eight categories to support the ways in which you communicate, collaborate, connect and deliver day-to-day services. Too often, organizations implement these tools in silos without the benefit of a holistic digital workplace strategy.
To remedy this issue, you should take the time to create a digital workplace strategy that clearly articulates your business focus and can guide the development of your digital toolbox. By assessing your capabilities in each category, you can then identify your focus areas and refer to your organization’s culture and business requirements to identify the tools you most need.
Governance, risk and compliance
Beyond setting a strategy and building your digital workplace toolbox, you need to resolve any challenges your organization may face in the areas of governance, risk and compliance. When creating a digital workplace, organizations must also develop a governance model that supports organizations must also develop a governance model that supports connectivity and collaboration while mitigating risks and enabling compliance.
Develop a governance model that maximizes connectivity and collaboration while mitigating risks
What does it mean to your organization?
To realize these benefits, your digital workplace must address existing challenges and provide business value.
Your employees need to know what is in it for them.
Tangible results
• Time savings: one company found that a manager saved 43 minutes a month with improved workplace tools.
With over 30,000 managers, the company estimated an annual productivity increase of $12 million.
• Customer efficiency: sellers reduced the time they spent on management activities by one to three hours due to system integration and increased collaboration tools.
The time is now!
The digital workplace gives employees the tools they need to improve their communication, collaboration and connections with each other. Implemented effectively, it also allows organizations to mitigate common risks, adhere to their regulatory compliance mandates and ultimately realize enhanced business value.
To transform your employees’ working experience, you must begin by understanding how the digital workspace works and what it means to you. The following steps can help you gain that understanding:
Assess your current state
Leverage a maturity model to understand where your organization is and how your employees work. This assessment will help you identify the appropriate tools for your digital workplace toolkit.
Develop a digital workplace strategy
Align your digital workplace strategy with clearly-defined business objectives and technology priorities. Seek to understand what you want to accomplish with your digital workplace initiative and how it will deliver business value.
Select your tools and technologies
Choose the right technologies to deliver a cohesive digital workplace that meets your specific business needs. Pick the tools that drive collaboration and employee engagement. Implement technologies with low barriers to contribution and participation.
Execute change in management
Strive for a pervasive and ubiquitous digital workplace. Provide the necessary training and communication to your employees.
Measure success for continuous improvement
Establish performance metrics aligned with business and technology strategies. Regularly review your status and continuously improve your digital workplace ― it doesn’t stop.
The business case for a digital workplace is clearer than ever ― and you already have the ingredients in place to make it happen. Now is the time to take action. Study the facts, then think, share and do.
This article was provided by Deloitte Korea.