The digital future of the workplace is present today in consumer devices that give users fast access to information, often with self-service tools. When similar kinds of digital technology capabilities are applied to the workplace, employees can engage in new and higher levels of collaboration. Empowered to handle information from a wide range of sources, employees can use next-generation tools to add context, work with others and deliver high value to the business.
Organizations have focused on controlling costs rather than on improving the productivity of their employees, customers and partners. Their CIOs and other senior IT executives have adopted an “inside-out” perspective. That is, they focus mainly on internally providing basic IT services — email, Web, spreadsheets, etc. — at a low cost. They fail to provide functions that would make employees more productive and give them better access to information through more integrated collaboration. To build a digital workplace, organizations need an “outside-in” perspective — one that acknowledges that innovation is no longer limited to an organization’s four walls, and can come from almost anywhere — suppliers, partners, customers, even competitors. Connections to those outside sources bring value, and they are a key part of the digital workplace.
To be sure, some organizations are already building an information-sharing digital workplace. But far too many still lag in the past. Their data resides in inaccessible silos. Their workers can’t easily get the information they need for crucial decisions and actions. And they risk losing their competitive edge. Pillars of the digital workplace Here are four elements that we believe will be vital to creating an effective digital workplace: Simplify access to information: In a digital workplace, employees must be able to access applications and information, as well as collaborate with colleagues, from various physical and virtual devices located both inside and outside of the corporate firewall.
While this requirement can present a serious challenge to IT, one solution involves enabling identity and resource access controls though enterprise security systems. This can provide gateways to both private- and public-hosted applications and information at the level of employee control. That, in turn, will help organizations meet the regulatory and audit needs that typically constrain more traditional workplace systems. In addition, organizations need to let employees gain access to information that’s now locked inside proprietary systems and databases. The most powerful way to do this is by developing APIs and business analytics applications. Create a collaborative experience with centralized controls: A digital workplace must enable controlled collaboration among employees, partners, customers and, in some cases, the general public. This kind of controlled collaboration improves productivity by letting the workforce not only share information, but also handle change control and versioning. This, in turn, breaks down the traditional boundaries of location, data, systems compatibility and access control. Enable end users: Self-service is the primary driver of digital applications. End users should be able to request, install, configure and use applications whenever needed —not only when the IT support team is working through a prioritized queue of help desk calls. For example, controlled access to company app stores lets employees install corporate or public software on their devices with automatic configuration and approved access controls. This is a hallmark of the digital workplace. In addition, traditional service management frameworks and processes will need to change. In the past, when a laptop failed to start, or an application didn’t work properly, employees were expected to promptly report the problem to IT. Instead, information can be stored centrally and accessed over Web-based services. In this way, the workforce can move among devices without losing their data or access.
Personalize the experience for each role: It is easy to forget that one aspect of the workplace we hold in high regard is the end user’s experience. In this area, the personalized aspect is critical. This should focus on both the persona of the individual and his or her job requirements. Both will dictate the need for access to certain tools and information beyond the commonly defined apps and repositories.
The first steps an organization should take to build a digital workplace depend on the organization’s current state. No two organizations will start from the same point. Some already offer mobile apps for all employees, Web-based self-service for all partners and social media for all customers. Others still run core applications on 30-year-old mainframe “green screens.” Most organizations are somewhere in between. But before making wholesale changes, consider targeting greenfield projects. These can form the basis for a succession of continuous improvements. Highly customized solutions can cause issues over time, and they can also weaken staff confidence. How, then, should an organization determine its best possible starting point for moving to the modern digital workplace?