Idea Transcript
RESEARCH PAPER Adding value through a culture of collaboration How IT and business leaders are coming together in a time of rapid change
February 2017 Sponsored by
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Contents Executive summary
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Introduction
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A culture of collaboration
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Responding to change
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The changing workplace culture
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Conclusions
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About the sponsor, Fujitsu
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2 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Executive summary Digital workplace transformation is about effecting real change in the organisation, making employees’ lives and work environments more productive, and supporting the business’ strategic goals. Based on a survey of top IT executives and managers, this paper looks at the importance of collaboration in meeting these goals, in terms of cultural change and the tools that can make this happen. It reveals a broad consensus over the primary positioning of collaboration to achieve a more flexible organisation as well as to deliver more tangible results in terms of increased productivity and customer and employee satisfaction. The paper also investigates how the IT department has changed in response to the new environment and the opportunities that this can bring, along with the challenge of delivery.
Introduction The world of employment is changing rapidly, reflecting a more distributed global business environment. No longer do people expect to work for one company for life or to progress directly up the career ladder. Sideways moves are common, as are portfolio careers. By 2020 it’s estimated that 50 per cent of workers will be contractors, and the headlines are already full of stories about how some jobs will be automated out of existence. These big changes are happening now and companies need to think about how they will adapt to new ways of working, making the most of new opportunities and keeping the best people with them, striking the right balance between old and new ways of working. They must be able to innovate and adapt, but at the same time maintain a stable and sustainable base of operations. In every organisation there will be a mixture of the old and young, the tech savvy and the traditional, those who welcome change and those who are much more cautious. Yet regardless of their levels of technology confidence, no one should be left behind and everyone should be able to add value to the organisation. Helping everyone to work together is one of the goals of ‘going digital’, breaking down workplace silos to create agility at every level, so that the entire organisation can work together to capitalise on new opportunities. Information needs to be able to flow to wherever it is needed, and the organisation itself needs to review its culture to make that possible.
Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu 3
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
A culture of collaboration A Computing survey of 132 senior IT decision-makers in medium to large enterprises, found a strong focus on digital workplace transformation, with 30 per cent explicitly stating that improved collaboration is one of their top three business priorities. Among global strategic IT executives (CIOs, IT directors, and heads of IT) specifically, this focus was even stronger with 39 per cent mentioning improved collaboration as a key goal (Fig. 1). Broader ambitions such as increased productivity and improved customer service, both of which are enabled by improving collaboration between departments and individuals, ranked even more highly.
Fig. 1 : What are your business priorities? Key:
Entire sample
Involved in IT strategy and management at a global executive level
61% Reduce costs
Increase productiveness of staff
61% 48% 50% 47%
Improve customer service
50% 35%
Improve innovation
39% 30%
Improve collaboration
36% 22%
Focus on compliance
18% *Respondents could select up to three options.
4 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Clearly, then, collaboration is high on the agenda as a way of driving all sorts of business benefits. This finding was reinforced by senior executives’ descriptions of what the digital workplace means to them. One described the digital workplace as “a modern, skilled workforce with digital tools that help them to organise and manage their day to day work efficiently, as well as collaborate and innovate effectively with others.” Another added: “A workplace that is enabled by ICT and where collaboration is paramount. It is agile and engaging for employees, and engenders enthusiasm and delivery”. The position of collaborative tools at the forefront of the new ways of working shows the direction of strategic thinking. It is all about joining the departmental dots, linking previously isolated entities within the broader organisation to increase engagement and understanding, and avoiding wasteful duplication of effort and resource. Figure 2 shows some of the ways that these changes are playing out. Fifty per cent of respondents had consolidated premises and introduced hot desking as a way to free up fixed assets and save costs, for example, while 35 per cent had adopted a strategy of virtual teams: skilled individuals in different locations organising themselves using a collaboration platform.
Fig. 2 : What new ways of working has your organisation adopted over the last three years? Videoconferencing and collaboration tools
77%
Use of collaborative platforms for sharing and communications (e.g. Slack, SharePoint)
75%
Premises consolidation / hot desking/
50%
Flexible working policy and adoption
46%
Increased use of outsourcing
38%
Virtual strategy – managing teams separated by geography
35%
Increased use of temps and freelancers
22%
Use of Virtual Reality
9%
Use of Artificial Intelligence
8%
Other
6%
None
5%
*Respondents could select multiple answers. Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu 5
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Collaboration tools and the establishment of a more flexible working environment were core to the thinking of senior IT executives as a way of radically changing the company. “Teams feel more connected, better informed, and closer to the business goals,” explained one IT leader.
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Teams feel more connected, better informed, and closer to the business goals
Another answer brought out the cultural change that increased collaboration can bring. “There’s a desire to be more effective communicators”, was how another IT leader described the impetus behind the organisation’s shift towards digital workplace transformation.
Responding to change So how are IT leaders moving to support collaborative working, which as we’ve seen is a vitally important in the future success of many businesses? As Fig. 3 shows (see next page), there is a strong emphasis on bolstering security so that increased data sharing does not mean increased risk. In addition, sixty-five per cent of IT leaders were making greater use of cloud platforms and applications, while 40 per cent were looking to expand the reach of their collaboration tools across the supply chain. This latter activity was mentioned by significantly more of the most senior IT leaders (63 per cent), indicating that opening up communication channels between the enterprise and its network of partners is a key strategic goal that will be realised some time in the future. These aspirations must be supported by a robust IT infrastructure. Enabling more real-time data to flow across the networks in the shape of audio- and videoconferencing streams places increased pressure on the infrastructure. Accordingly, it is no surprise that 46 per cent of all respondents said they are upgrading their networks to meet the challenge.
6 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Fig. 3 : How are you responding to these new ways of working? Key:
Entire sample
Involved in IT strategy and management at a global executive level
Updating security policies for collaboration and data sharing
70% 70% 79% 65%
Making more use of cloud
74% 53%
User training and education
63% 46%
Upgrading our networks
Expanding collaboration platforms to encompass more participants, e.g. supply chain
Increased emphasis on authentication
58% 40% 53% 33% 47% 5%
Other
0%
*Respondents could select multiple options.
Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu 7
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
The changing workplace culture With huge changes sweeping across the world of work, organisations and individuals need to adapt if they are to survive and prosper. A new culture must emerge, defined by flexibility, agility and a willingness to change. However, this will only happen if changes are introduced with care and sensitivity and are led from the front by IT professionals, who are keen to support the business and its strategic goals. A culture of change and support must be driven from the boardroom and then permeate the organisation. Inevitably it will run into difficulties from time to time, and the organisation must be ready to step in to help, through enlightened HR, employee support and training policies. It is important that the benefits of new ways of working are enjoyed by the many, not just the few who are championing them. On a human level, digital workplace transformation is about bringing people together through technology to give a contextual and unified experience, as identified in our top priorities in Fig. 2. As such, it requires close collaboration between IT and the rest of the business to ensure that technological and the cultural issues are handled in unison. The success of digital workplace transformation, then, demands real leadership from IT professionals. The IT department needs be seen as a business enabler rather than being prescriptive in the support being given. By grasping this nettle IT professionals can themselves become less vulnerable to outsourcing and the self-service culture which may seek to bypass them. Seventy-nine per cent of IT leaders said that the new ways of working defined by collaboration and mobility present a real opportunity for IT professionals to be seen in a more positive light (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 : Do you see these changes as a way of helping IT departments become a business enabler? 13% 8% Yes No Not sure
79%
8 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
It’s all about IT becoming “more focused on connecting people and providing tools to enable, rather than being the gatekeeper to technology”, summarised one respondent. Another described it as “providing the building blocks and platforms that allow other business units’ strategies to be realised”.
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IT is moving from a role of being a resource to a trusted helper
In other words, IT is moving from being a resource to a role of trusted helper. Some of the ways in which this change manifests itself are shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5 : Has the role of the IT department changed in the last 3 years? Key:
Entire sample
Involved in IT strategy and management at a global executive level
Yes, it’s more an enabler of IT projects other parts of the business lead on
Yes, it’s more an advisor to the business
Yes, IT now has more representation in the boardroom
Yes, we now have a dedicated department for security
Yes, it has mostly or entirely been outsourced or moved to the cloud Yes, IT professionals are now spread through the business rather than being a department
52% 70% 67% 36% 61% 31% 56% 29% 28% 15% 17% 14% 11% *Respondents could select multiple options.
Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu 9
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
A focus on the user interface is one of the key aspects of digital transformation, with the goal of making using technology a pleasure rather than a chore. “Understanding the business and its drivers will ensure that IT will be able to deliver a positive user experience,” was how one respondent put the repositioning of IT, illustrating how IT and the organisation are adapting to the new ways of working. By creating this positive user experience IT will ultimately help employees to add value to their organisation. This was the overwhelming consensus among the survey respondents, with 79 per cent agreeing (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6 : Do you see these changes in the role of IT as a way of enabling employees to add value to the business? 13% 8% Yes No Not sure
79%
The culture brought about by collaboration is characterised by more sharing across boundaries and fewer rigid heirarchies. It requires an acceptance that change is the norm and that everyone needs to move with the times. So what tangible value does this collaborative culture add to the business? Consistency is one benefit. Employees need to unite behind a brand, presenting a clear picture to the customer. This is particularly important in a distributed enterprise. “Employees now have additional information available and many groups departments are able to see and share the same information,” said one IT leader. “This leads to consistency in what people across business units and geographies see, use and share sending a clear message to the customer.” Others spoke of being able to offer a better work-life balance, which in turn makes employees more productive, and of improved decision making as a result of casting the net wider to encompass more viewpoints. Employees are now more aware of how they fit in, said one senior executive. “They’re starting to understand the wider business goals, and so can tailor solutions to support the business rather than just the individual project”. 10 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
Conclusions Digital transformation is about enabling new ways of working – including virtual strategies to respond to the hyper-connected world, flexible working, and mobility. By breaking down old silos it can actually help bring the generations together by facilitating the sharing of established best practises and new methods. However, this will only happen if changes are introduced with care and sensitivity and are led from the front by IT professionals, who are keen to support the business and its strategic goals. While virtual teams and flexible working can improve communication and collaboration to enable data sharing and the nurturing of new ideas, this is not a given. These models introduce management challenges, and there may be issues with integration of the various technologies. The world of employment is changing, too, to reflect a more distributed environment, with fewer permanent positions, flexible working hours and more contractors. These are significant developments and companies need to think about how they will adapt. On a human level, digital workplace transformation is about bringing people together through technology to give a contextual and unified experience. As such, it requires close collaboration between IT and the business to ensure that technological and the cultural issues are handled in unison and not apart. The role of IT is moving from technology provider to business enabler. A multifaceted approach is essential given the pace of technological change. If the technological and human strategies are not firmly intertwined there is a danger that the organisation’s trajectory will be skewed one way or another. Employees need to be supported through the process of change, and helped to understand that the journey has no final destination. It is an ongoing process of continuous improvement, ensuring the organisation is prepared for ever more rapid change. A culture of change and support must be driven from the boardroom and then permeate the organisation. Inevitably it will run into difficulties from time to time, and the organisation must be ready to step in to help, through enlightened HR, employee support and training policies. This is why businesses should consider partnering with a trusted and experienced third party that can smooth the way whenever challenges arise. Even when change is happening all around us, there is rarely such a thing as a wholly new problem, just one that the individual business hasn’t seen before.
Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu 11
Adding value through a culture of collaboration
About the sponsor, Fujitsu Fujitsu employs over 14,000 people in the UK & Ireland, with total revenues exceeding £1.8 billion. Offering an integrated product and service portfolio, we deliver consulting, applications, technology products, systems integration and managed services, including cloud-based solutions, for customers across both public and private sectors, including retail, financial services, telecoms, government, defence and consumer IT. For more information: Visit:
uk.fujitsu.com
12 Computing | research paper | sponsored by Fujitsu