Working effectively means finding the best ways to combine digital and physical space to capitalize on their strengths. Digital space enables us to collaborate across distances, access vast amounts of data and information, automate repetitive tasks, and customize our work environment. Physical space enables us to interact with tangible objects, experience sensory feedback, bond with others through social cues, and enjoy serendipitous encounters.
Working digitally means more than just using digital tools. It means changing how we think about and use the workplace. Instead of seeing it as a physical location that provides access to equipment, information and co-workers, we can see it as one of many virtual places where teams gather when working on shared problems and solutions. This virtual place can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, by anyone who has the right technology and permissions.
Working effectively means finding the best ways to combine digital and physical space to capitalize on their strengths. Digital space enables us to collaborate across distances, access vast amounts of data and information, automate repetitive tasks, and customize our work environment. Physical space enables us to interact with tangible objects, experience sensory feedback, bond with others through social cues, and enjoy chance encounters.
The modern digital workplace is not a single monolithic place either. It consists of various places designed for different purposes and activities. For example:
- A home office for focused work that requires minimal distractions
- A collaboration space for networking with other professionals and accessing shared resources
- A conference room for formal meetings that require high-quality audio-visual equipment
- A break room or kitchen for informal chats and social interactions
- A lab or workshop for experimenting with physical prototypes and materials
The challenge is to choose the right place for the right activity at the right time. This requires understanding the purpose of each place, the preferences of each worker, and the possibilities of each technology.
Scheduling seems to be the biggest issue we have at the moment. Ideally everyone would do focused work on the same day of the week (in their home office) and would do collaborative work on another days (in collaboration spaces). Many organisations have tried mandating specific days in the office, but employees have difficulty aligning the type of work they do on a given day to their location.
The choice of technology depends on factors such as:
- The nature of the work:
- Is it creative or analytical?
- Is it individual or collaborative?
- Is it routine or novel?
- The budget:
- How much can the organization invest in technology?
- What is the expected return on investment?
- The culture:
- How open is the organization to innovation?
- How willing are workers to learn new skills?
- The regulations:
- What are the legal or ethical implications of using certain technologies?
Choosing modern technology for the workplace is not an easy task. It requires careful planning, evaluation, testing and implementation. It also requires ongoing monitoring, maintenance and improvement. But when done well, modern technology can enhance productivity, creativity, engagement, and satisfaction among workers.
Technology can also help organizations achieve their strategic goals, adapt to changing contexts, and gain competitive advantages. Technology is a means to an end. The end is creating a modern digital workplace that works digitally and effectively for everyone.
Disclosure: The first draft of this post and the featured image were created by Bing.