As much as technology has improved how people work, it has also created substantial challenges—for both business users and organizational leaders. In a previous post, we examined how business users can overcome those challenges with integrated, holistic technology and strategies. For this post, we explore the issue from the business leader’s perspective.
Today’s organizational leaders are tasked with creating solid digital transformation strategies, despite not having a clear roadmap to follow. They must also figure out how to apply those strategies to a fractured technology landscape—to break down silos and create an integrated approach that replaces the current hodgepodge of legacy systems, cloud services, personal and unsecured mobile devices, and more.
At the same time, they must maintain focus on other significant changes that are taking place:
- Brand loyalty and customer experience have become key to retention and attraction of customers, both external and internal.
- The workforce is more diverse, increasingly mobile and more widely distributed. Today’s workers represent five generations and use more than three devices daily for work activities. Additionally, it is estimated that by 2020, 72 percent of employees will work remotely.
- The workplace has two times as many teams as in the past, and surveys show that 80 percent of employee time is spent collaborating.
These factors have not been lost on tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and others—they are responding to demands for holistic systems that make collaboration and innovation easier. For example, late last year Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365, an integrated system driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that consolidates productivity and collaboration tools (Office 365 and Windows 10), security, and mobile device management tools.
Holistic solutions can help business leaders propel their organizations toward innovation, growth and digital maturity. With a consolidated technology landscape, management is easier, security is stronger, and collaboration is smarter. The technology works as it was intended—and then gets out of everyone’s way.
This shift toward holistic tech solutions will not be radical. It will be subtler. It will enable employees to work efficiently and seamlessly, no matter where they are or which device they use. For business leaders, it will enable them to give employees the tools and resources they need to work smarter, without sacrificing security and innovation.
It’s important to understand that no technology solution is a panacea. It will require ongoing effort across the organization, from every level. Leaders need to value feedback, and be committed to providing employees with continual, relevant training and support. Most importantly, they need to embrace change—it’s the fastest, simplest way toward innovation and growth.
Jen is an award-winning journalist who writes about workplace productivity and technology for Vitalyst. She believes in the power of using plain language, especially when writing about technology, and lists “achieving and enabling clarity” among her life goals.
