Workforce management is one of the most vexing challenges an organization faces. But it also presents one of the greatest opportunities. After all, people are our greatest assets.
In fact, 64% of private sector digital value at stake is tied to people and connections. So, why are so many neglecting this rich arena of opportunity? Many digital transformation efforts focus on IT and business processes, while neglecting people.
Cost and efficiency improvements can achieve only so much. The collective knowledge and skill of employees working together to innovate and take bold chances has the potential to drive the next multi-billion dollar market.
Humans are collaborative beings: sharing, meeting, talking, plotting, conspiring, joking, playing, partying…
Charles Darwin, almost 150 years ago, said “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed…” So, why wouldn’t we—as Mr. Darwin suggests—enable people to prevail?
Collaboration is central to our survival, and it’s central to our work. The way we collaborate at work has evolved. From the days of the traditional cubicle workspace with one phone line to networked computers. And now to agile, mobile workforces connected in digital workspaces anywhere, anytime.
Agile teams encourage experimentation, drive innovation, and respond rapidly. They depend on open flow of information through a network of employees, customers, and partners motivated by a shared purpose.
How are you creating a more collaborative work environment for your organization? Join me in this conversation: Share how you are reimagining how your employees work together to drive agility and innovation.
Check out the following papers for more great detail on digital transformation for your workforce:
- Where to Begin Your Journey to Digital Value in the Private Sector
- Workforce Transformation in the Digital Vortex: Reimagining Work for Digital Business Agility
To take it a step further down from the purchases/decision makers to the people/end users you yourself can benefit. It’s proven. As John Stepper also points out in his book “Working Out Loud”those who use digital tools and work out loud have higher performance reviews and work success.
I think your phrase that resonated most with me was the need for an “open flow of information”. This is key because it’s more than just getting answers to your questions from your colleagues. It’s more than just working together on a document or presentation. There’s that intangible that existed in the traditional cubicle workspace that’s incredibly vital to keep especially with agile, mobile work forces. There was so much serendipitous discovery related to work while colleagues and I went for a walk to get coffee, when out together for lunch, or were just informally conversing. That’s the power of the people! And if that flow of collaboration is “open” and being fed by the people, there’s no reason why it can’t be replicated in the remote sense with the right collaboration tools. But it’s a very different way of thinking and collaborating, and to pay another homage to Mr. Darwin, requires an evolution in its own right.