The heroic journey to the digital workplace:

Our hero rises

The digital workplace is not a dream destination but a reality.Connecting up your people and technology - on a single, intuitive collaboration platform brings benefits which can be felt right across the entire organisation. But reaching that nirvana isn’t an on-off switch; it’s a journey.

And the next step on our hero’s journey towards that digital workplace is to get walking.

In Part 1, you saw our hero making plans.

They stopped thinking of “digital” as an end in itself but as part of the overall vision. The vision of the digital workplace as a dynamic organisation where people, process and technology work

together to help organisations join up to face clients, to react to market conditions quickly and to stay a step ahead of the competition. Organisations that have a clear vision (one that starts at the top!) will have a greater chance of success. Our hero had a call to action - a compelling event - to kick start their journey and draw out the map of today and the destination of tomorrow. Then,

armed with goals and plans our hero set out to find their allies.

The second in a three-part seriesIn this episode - Part 2 - our hero starts travelling forward, with a spring in his step and a song in his heart. (Or at least a mandate and budget.)

Travelling at our hero’s side, are guides.

Guides can help you navigate the pitfalls -

they’ve been there before.

Finally, we conclude with the all important launch - with our hero at mission control making

sure that all is successful.

All ready for Part 3, where you’ll see how real business value comes

not just from technology, but its adoption and the integration into

business processes.

Taking your organisation on a successful journey to a digital workplace requires change - are you ready!

Let’s join our hero as he looks around for helpful guides on his digital road.

1. The Guides:Tracking down local expertise

[Guides]

You’re seeking people with specific, executable knowledge - preferably those who’ve travelled your path before - who have a range of expertise, on both technological and cultural

challenges and can help you find your way

but the right place to look for guides is outside your organisation.

You may have sourced your travelling companions internally (look at HR, Facilities Management, the CFO and C-Suite in general),

[Guides]

Never be afraid to ask

for help

[Guides]

More often than not these are people related

(think adoption and resistance to change).

You may know your destination and have a plan to get there, but no matter how well prepared you are - there will be obstacles!

[Guides]

Two-thirds

[Guides]

of executives believe technology has made listening to people more difficult.

How do you decide which type of guide to engage?Look for those with experience of the digital journey, those who understand the steps along the way and have been there before. These guides could be as diverse as a training company, an integrator or a change consultant.

[Guides]

…and seek balance from system integrators

[Guides]

The digital workplace isn’t limited to the office, it’s everywhere!It encompasses every device, every location - both in the office and out! This means that data, security and shadow I.T will all be considerations - as well as ever increasing user expectations.

[Guides]

[Guides]

30-40%of workers today depend on digital workplace connectivity.

Research suggests

Change is the only constant Change management could play a key role in the digital journey as the process which underpins any workplace transformation. Hand holding projects from inception through to delivery and the subsequent transition into ‘business as usual’. Change management also drives adoption, it enhances the adoption of services into business processes and ensures the full benefit (and therefore full ROI) are realised.

[Guides]

And, at the heart of the digital workplace (Gartner believes providing a consumer-like computing experience is a big part of any such effort) is the user.

After all, if the user is resistant to change, doesn’t adopt or is not given appropriate tools then the business case will never show a return.

[Guides]

To help you think about what this philosophy involves, here are some fellow heroic adventurers discussing what the term ‘digital

workplace’ means to them.

[Guides]

2. The Launch:Committing to the journey

[Launch]

A time for talk, a time for action...You’ve already surveyed and researched your key to success (your users!), now it’s time to

take take on the three Ps - Plan, Prepare and Prove (proof of concept).

[Launch]

spread the wordit’s not enough to simply send an email stating the new system’s ready to use. Each individual and team within your organisation needs to understand they’re all in this together. Team A’s accurate data entry helps Team B make better decisions. Sales’ prospect pipeline informs Marketing’s campaign strategy. And so on.

Whatever you do, make sure you

[Launch]

...and a time to reflect and adapt

[Launch]

This might need more resources than you thought.

That’s why the switched-on Hero packs more supplies than they think they needs for their journey. Even when the destination’s in sight, the terrain can be rockier than first

imagined. Which brings our hero to...

[Launch]

3. The Launch:The point of no return

[Launch]

If there is any sort of mission failure your project could be seriously de-railed.

The launch is exciting. It’s the moment when you press go on your carefully laid plans - but once you launch there’s no turning back!.

[Launch]

ran a proof of concept in their most traditional office - their contact centre in Amsterdam. If they could make ‘smarter working’ work there it could work anywhere. They took the learnings from the pilot and used them for the rest of the global rollout.

[Launch]

The more prepared you are the more likely your digital workplace is likely to succeed.

From interoperability to integrationSome think integrating systems is the easy part. Interoperability might be a

hygiene factor but integration is where organisations can truly excel.

It could be integrating them into your existing core applications or making it a part of people’s natural work processes and habits - looking at integration issues from a workflow perspective can be useful. If data models aren’t working correctly, if workgroup sessions and meeting archives aren’t easily accessible, it’s certain your users will want to tell you about them.

Integrating new tools and technologies into your ecosystem is business critical.

People, processes and technology drive digital workplace success and integrating these is at the heart of each organisation’s journey.

“IT is the enabler to making the digital workplace happen but it’s also down

to people, process and culture”UC EXPO 2016 Marianne Calder, Managing Director,

Collaboration Architecture Sales Europe

who better to sell your solution across functions and across geographies than your own people. appointed internal champions in their ‘Smarter Working’ transformation. The champions came from different countries and departments and ran opt-in sessions for their colleagues on how they used their digital workplace tools. The result? 100% user adoption.

Appointing internal champions is critical to integration,

That’s how you deal with this middle part of your hero’s journey. Integration brings it all together, make the

picture clear in your mind. Then aim for it. Then you will be ready for the final stage of your journey…

4. The Pitfalls:facing down the challenges

[Pitfalls]

Post-deployment challenges? Yes, there will be some,

irrespective of how well you’ve prepared! It’s time to consult

your guides again. Pay particular attention to issues like:

[Pitfalls]

Checking for security conflictsOne of the most common digital workplace challenges is around security. As we open up to a world of mobility, multiple devices, VoIP and more there are data and security considerations.

[Pitfalls]

Overcoming resistance to change But the biggest challenge of moving to a digital workplace is another human one: resistance to anything new. People factors are often the real challenges of any workplace transformation with technology as the enabler. It doesn’t matter how messy and manual the previous way of doing things was; people got used to it. And they’ll keep on doing things the old way until they have a real reason to change. As Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

[Pitfalls]

40%of people believe doing their job means sacrificing personal time and family life.

[Pitfalls]

(It’s yet another area where IT and HR can work together. Technological solutions, human motivation: the HR/IT partnership is a dream one.)

found (after launch) that their biggest challenge was the middle management and their resistance to change. Their smarter working programme meant that employees (or associates as they call them) were empowered to work flexibly. In some instances the middle management were not equipped to let go or manage their teams in this environment. bought in eWork - a remote training company - to teach their managers to manage by objectives rather than by presenteeism. The result was a for more meaningful management culture, and as for the employee attrition - that dropped to 2%.

[Pitfalls]

Most importantly remember, others just like you have faced these challenges and have overcome them.

[Pitfalls]

Summing up:That’s two stages of your journey to the digital workplace complete. Don’t be put off by the stages along the way - the result will be worth it! Understanding the typical journey is half way to delivering your own digital workplace transformation. And remember, you have your guides to walk with you hand in hand. On your hero’s journey, you never need to feel alone.

And the destinationa transformed, connected organisation where engaged employees share information and collaborate quickly, easily and flexibly - is truly worth the journey.

Continue your heroic journey to the digital workplace.Download Chapter Two of this guidebook and let it aid you as you continue your journey.

What is more, you’ll be the first to receive Chapters Three and get access to Chapter One - just in case you missed it.

Continue your journey

Contact Arkadin to see how we can help you on your journey to a digital

workplace.

Get in touch now!