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December 6, 2017
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This article was written by Randy Pennington, and published in Huffington Post, which you can read here.
Distance might make the heart grow fonder in matters of personal relationships. In workplaces, distance – actual or perceived – can create silos and subcultures that undermine productivity, efficiency, and collaboration.
That’s why leading companies such as Walmart, Starbucks, Lyft, Verizon, and Groupon have adopted digital workspace solutions to increase collaboration, improve communication, and enhance employee engagement. For businesses operating in multiple environments, digital workspace tools shorten the distance between locations and teams.
Dan Latendre, CEO industry leader Igloo Software, believes that today’s business environment requires a higher level of collaboration than ever before. The current generation of tools is a valuable addition for improving communication, breaking down silos, sharing knowledge, and helping sustain the organization’s culture.
According to Latendre, engaging your team to work together in new ways is always a goal. Meeting that challenge is even more complex in distributed workplaces, however.
Where to Begin
If you think that a digital workspace tool might be right for you, start by defining your goals and the parameters for success. What information do you want to share? Are you open to receiving information and input from employees? What is the organization’s tolerance for open discussion and questioning? How will you ensure that knowledge is shared? Is there alignment between the culture you want and the one you want to portray?
Igloo’s Latendre suggests installing a new digital platform without answering these and other difficult questions creates more harm than good.
Then again, perhaps you have already adopted a digital workspace solution that isn’t yielding the results you expected. A 2015 study published by Avanade reported that 85 percent of companies that are self-described as more profitable than their competitors have adopted at least one technology solution associated with a digital workplace.
Conversely, the Avanade survey reported that only 28 percent of respondents could seamlessly access software and applications outside of their physical office. Digital work spaces should allow you to engage mobile and remote workers if they are to create a competitive advantage for talent and service.
Making Your Digital Workplace Work
Latendre offers four suggestions to ensure that your digital workplace creates connections and promotes collaboration.
Your company needs increased collaboration and innovation to flourish in a competitive future. Your employees deserve the chance to do great work and know that they matter. There has never been a better time bring your workplace into the 21st century by adopting digital solutions that help you deliver results.