Across the world, teams really thrive when information is shared in an open and transparent way, and when people with diverse workstyles can seamlessly access information. But all teams are different—there is no one size fits all, so digital tools must be flexible, customizable, and personalized based on team members’ diversity, location, and work methods.
So what happens, then, when multi-ethnic, intergenerational teams are given counterintuitive and rigid tools to work with? Short answer is, they don’t use them. Instead, unsatisfied end users will simply download the consumer-grade tools they need to accomplish the task at hand. Of course, this creates friction across the entire workforce as team members struggle to manage multiple logins and move between different experiences. It also undoubtedly creates security, data, and compliance risks for the organization as a whole. The way in which organizations work has evolved. Both work styles and the workforce are becoming more and more diverse
Below are several trends—and challenges
1. Mobile-Oriented
of workers use social technologies in their day-to-day work.
In the past five years, the number of devices employed per user has increased by
The mobile phone has completely changed how we communicate and work. Many users live and work on their phones. In addition, people use different apps and services, forcing them to jump between different experiences during the day.
2. DIVERSE AND GLOBAL
of employees will be working remotely by 2025
There are more than
generations working together in the workplace
The workforce itself is more diverse. There are more generations, cultures, and mindsets together in the workplace than ever before, all with different backgrounds in technology and different expectations about communication and collaboration tools. For example, some people are comfortable chatting on a phone, others prefer e-mail or face-to-face discussions. Teams are also increasingly geo-distributed. Employees are no longer necessarily in the same time zone, let alone the same office. This makes it more challenging to have face-to-face conversations, creating a greater need to enable communication and collaboration—regardless of geography.
3. TEAM-BASED AND COLLABORATIVE
People are on
as many teams as they were 5 years ago
Employees spend
of their time at work collaborating
With people now collaborating with more co-workers than ever before, there is an undeniable movement toward transparency and inclusivity in how decisions are made. Organization structures are becoming flatter, which has allowed teams to evolve into dynamic, flexible units. It’s rare that people don’t change on a multi-month project. And when someone leaves, the first step is for everyone to go through their e-mail to find the information necessary to get the new team member up to speed. Being on more teams has also led to a dramatic increase in the amount of collaboration. The new way of work is team-based, collaborative, and digital.
Ready to move your applications to a modern cloud?
You’ll learn about the three main characteristics that define our modern workplace and gain insight into what drives productivity and efficiency in today’s organizations. After reading it, you’ll have a better understanding of current trends and can keep these in mind when creating or modifying your organization’s work environment.
