the digital century & workplace automation in a post gfc economy

BUSINESS WHITE PAPER

The Digital Century & Workplace Automation

in a Post-GFC Economy

18.05.2014

M a r k e t i n g | B u s i n e s s | I n t e l l i g e n c e

MML PTY LTD | Digital Consulting | White Paper #18052014

Mass Media Logistics Pty Ltd | 2014

Are digitally agile workplaces an emerging trend?

Absolutely. If there was one thing to learn from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, it was that businesses, industries and companies of all sizes were beginning to feel the financial sting of having excessive labour capital allocated to basic workplace administration and document control.

Entirely necessary for the control and management of content within a business, administration has always (silently) been the single most expensive core business process for companies.

Today, as organisations the world over look to outsourcing when realigning facets of their administrative operations, effectively sharing and managing internal and external data is proving a challenge for less digitally agile companies.

Whether the bulk of your administration consists of internal process documents, corporate communications and/or the classified handling of intellectual property a companys content-data must always be communicated, relayed and actioned effectively, and quickly.

However, in todays mobile world, business administration is a slowly dying role for an Australian worker commanding an AUD60k per annum salary. Why? Because companies can no longer afford to pay someone that in essence, technology and more digitally savvy/autonomously minded professionals can do the work for, and in most cases to a higher standard.

Automation, as terrifying as it sounds allows post GFC workplaces to streamline their internal operations, trimming the fat from payroll by replacing obsolete hands and the associated risk of human error, with digital platforms and leaner business modeling that is driven primarily by the advent of digital and mobile communications technologies.

Nevertheless, business administration and document control will always be a core business process for any manager working within an enterprise, however it is best to understand how to eliminate unnecessary elements of the role



through basic automation that leverages digital and mobile application technologies with enhanced business outcomes.

Choosing the right task tracking, delegation and document control software for your company, business, or industry

For your company to make an educated decision on what is required to streamline internal processes, certain aspects of internal management must be taken into consideration.

Ask yourself who spends the most time doing what, when, where and why? How is decreased productivity and lack of accountability within management structures affecting your companys revenue forecasts?

Pick one fundamental issue that limits your workplace administrations ability to control and manage data effectively, and conceptualise how implementing an enhanced digital communications channel could eliminate current limitations?

Whether integration comes through innovating your traditional business model, creating a powerful and transparent communication loop between ground staff, management, executives and company directors will undoubtedly enhance a businesses overall capabilities.

Usability: Ensuring uptake through training and education

By integrating streamlined digital and mobile information handling systems within a professional work environment, digital and mobile application technologies are quickly replacing the associated costs of retaining the old humanistic, and/or less productive way of getting a job done.



Post GFC workplaces that have embraced workplace automation have managed to innovate via:

Utilising systems that can easily communicate and streamline core business processes between departments.

Allowing administrational staff/management to make quicker, more accountable and documented decisions without the need for often frustrating interference by middle management.

Identifying, tracking, and later disciplining workers that offer little and/or no evident contribution to your workforce that without these technologies can often justify/bluff their contributions to the team via those analyzing their performance

Therefore, integrating digital and mobile applications to action the abovementioned points should make the transition to a new system as quick, intuitive and smooth as possible.

A digital transition will require precise training and change management expertise, especially in workplaces where less agile management/executives have coerced their superiors into retaining their long-term employment often by placing emphasis on workplace politics.

Based on our own change management experience, patience is imperative throughout the digital and mobile integration process as certain individuals adhere to new systems faster than others. Naturally, a well-learned management professional should not have any qualms assisting those struggling to adapt to an improved and cleaner mobile application system enhanced productivity will better perform their KPIs anyway.



Mass Media Logistics Pty Ltd: An example of successful workplace automation

We dont pretend to be perfect time maestros ourselves, we do howeverallocate significant resources to ensure that administration and document control remains as automated as possible. This has been achieved through implementing an automated administrative system that was tailored 100% around our own challenges, and therefore 100% effective in remedying those challenges.

Whether its customer relationship management, content management, or the mobile handling of data, workplace automation has allowed our company to partially eliminate administrational processes and their associated costs from its operations.

Freeing up capital, and allowing it to be funneled into more important departments such as research and development, MML Pty Ltd understands wholly, the benefits of integrating purpose specific digital and mobile application software into the workplace.

We firmly believe that;

Any type of manager that sits idle by their smart phone waiting for notifications all day, whom is busily politicking, or who is actively engaged more on social media networks than completing critical tasks at hand is unable to justify the wage they so arrogantly command.

Integrating digital platforms and mobile task tracking applications into the workplace help identify, track and later purge your workplace of these often-destructive individuals accelerating change management processes in the digital space with enhanced business outcomes.



The advantages of automation in a post GFC workplace

Although old school management luddites probably wont agree, the advantages of integrating a digitally automated communications system into your workplace are limitless. However, like any good researcher, one must compare the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a system as such.

Typically, this would be done through a social, political and economical advantages/ disadvantages analysis, however the political aspect is hardly necessary (for now), so well focus on the latter.

Social Advantages +

Recalibrate your work environment as being more direct, transparent and savvypurely through automation, by:

Increasing workplace transparency brand your work environment as being no mess, direct and 100% productive and accountable.

Identifying and alerting senior management of free riders, allowing you to trim the fat from your workplace, and greater inspiring your team to be more productive, innovative and autonomous in their decision making.

Increasing workplace productivity encourages staff to perform at a higher level by focusing more on accountability, embracing transparency and identifying those who deserve reward and recognition.

Decreasing staff turnover silent achievers are more easily noticed which is reflected through clearly measurable and fully accountable KPIs empowering your staff for keeping up with tasks, meeting sales and marketing forecasts, and for staying ahead of schedule at all times.



Social Disadvantages -

Implementation of a new system will take time getting used to, especially in a workplace were less agile staff remain present.

It is imperative that appropriate time is allocated to train all staff to actively engage with newly implemented digital and mobile communications processes; otherwise (without mandatory policy & procedure) short-term integration of new processes (investment required) are at risk.

The social disadvantages of implementing digital and workplace automation into the workplace are:

Technical Glitches and slow Internet speed this can be frustrating and can hinder the general uptake of integrating digital mediums into your workplaces processes. Nevertheless, youll always get what you pay for, thats why its important to choose the right people, the first time round to implement the systems.

Paranoia (whos looking over my shoulder and why?) This is a major one and could possibly cause tension, however, a good worker has nothing to be scared of, if theyve got nothing to hide. In most cases paranoia and job insecurity is reflected by politicking staff, who are identified through digitally agile managers who are able to identify using these technologies where performance and accountability lacks.

Alternate training requirements Some grasp new technology easier than others, it is that simple. Make sure that clear communication and patience is exercised when teaching less agile staff how to embrace digital and mobile application technologies, otherwise youll struggle with integration if youve got more than 30 staff to train.



Economic Advantages +

Aforementioned, is the fact that trimming the fat from your companys payroll will have immediate economic advantages. Lets face it, no post GFC workplace can afford to have that guy or girl slinking around doing absolutely nothing.

Gone are the days of those whom pointlessly conducted trips to the office printer, only to later scribble on their printouts to make themselves appear busy. Yes, it happens. In fact, its rife in the post GFC workplace. We believe and strongly advocate identifying and removing these snakes in the grass from your organizational structures.

Workplace automation through digital and mobile applications will cleanse your workplace of legacy staff, and youll be able to sleep easy knowing that your workers are operating in-line with fully accountable and measurable key performance indicators.

Workplace automation will increase your yearly fiscal returns by:

Cutting back on non-crucial printing and paper waste In the age of sustainability, unnecessary administrative printing is considered heresy. Automation eliminates the need for printing, as electronic PDF files and their storage, are increasingly becoming the norm.

Maximising productivity as mentioned, get the most out of your labour capital, through increasing staff accountability and eliminating unnecessary downtime. Fully measurable organization and accountability is the new chaos, and post GFC workplaces simply cannot afford to retain complacent non-productive staff.

Unwiring business the less wire, clutter and chords you have around the office, the better. not only is excessive floor wiring an WHS issue, but entirely unnecessary in this day and age.



Economic Disadvantages

The associated costs of implementing a secure digital framework may not be in every workplaces budget and many free open source programs exist that can somewhat assist in the automation process. However, you often get what you (dont) pay for, and based on experience, would strongly suggest tailoring a digital automation system with a professional digital consultancy company.

Nevertheless, the economic disadvantages of implementing a mobile application as such are:

Initial cost digital and mobile communications platforms are software, and you need to understand this now. Therefore, the cost of developing a digitally automated workplace requires solid financing and/or long-term sustainable vision by a digitally competent manager/ external consultant.

En prcis, it is important that you take a stellar look at who, what, when, where, and why your workplace is not performing at its peak. A simple SWOT analysis can assist your workplace in identifying the communications stopgap, and better help you tailor a digital and/or mobile strategy to remedy the said stopgap.

Productivity 2.0: better perform & retain key staff

A happy, efficient and productive workplace is one to be reckoned withas innovation and an enhanced work environment always follows. Nevertheless, the positive social spillover effects of having a transparent and 100% accountable worker mentality, empowers entire departments to better perform and communicate the byproduct of a digitally agile workplace that calls free-riders on their bullshit.

There is simply no room left in business for the piecemeal delegation of tasks and the rampant he said she said type rot and/or internal politicking. Take into account, the extreme bitterness and detrimental effects that the above mentioned and outdated mentality those who bring politics into the workplace.



Staff whine, alliances are formed and broken, and suddenly, youre work environment becomes reminiscent of Kabul, circa 2001. Workplace automation, it could be suggested eliminates assumption and the non-earned sense of importance from your workplaces management structure, and consequently productivity levels and staff retention will increase.

Increasing staff retention: Transparency is a fantastic attribute to any workplace, and without transparency, managers and executive staff find themselves running around seeking labour justification from their staff. By labour justification, I mean managers and executive staff having to look over the shoulders of their employees when they shouldnt have to.

For example, a public relations focused head of sales and marketing with no business acumen and/or experience, whom laments in making others lives difficult through their own management incompetence, finds it very hard to survive in a workplace whereby staff are 100% accountable for completing their own tasks, on time according to the incontrovertible data identified through monthly KPI reporting.

These free riders and politically minded individuals have no desk space in a digitally automated workplace, and therefore organisations should listen to the advice of a digital manager and/or consultant to ensure immediate steps to replace this person are made.

In addition to a better work environment, staff turnover will consequently decreaseas you know exactly who is doing what and when its going to be delivered by. Theres less room for discrepancies, communication generally improves, and a happy, productive work force that fully understands their roles within an organisation will indefinitely follow.

Never have to train staff again, just retain and continuously improve their processes, albeit with little tolerance for repeated critical error.



Viewing Labour as ROI: Post GFC workplaces have shifted the way a typical employee is perceived. Bosses and increasingly, recruitment agencies, no longer rely on here-say when screening a potential job candidate. These days, employers need physical, cold, hard and raw evidence that someone they are about to hire can justify the high AUD wage theyre due to receive. Labour, whether it is physical or intellectual is all about Return on investment and measurable performance in a post GFC workplace.

Integrating a rock solid digital strategy into the fabric of your organisation mobile applications will decrease your chances of feeling burnt by free riders. Gone are the days of having to bash yourself over lazy individuals who have managed to fly under the radar doing nothing for 3 months they will be caught out straight away in an automated work environment. Digital Platforms and the military level reporting and analysis of a competent digital manager that leverages these platforms will not fool.



Out with the old and in with the new: where to next?

You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo A fundamental shift in workplace tradition can be attributed purely to recent technological innovations. How we communicate with each other both at home and in the workplace is changing. Born out of the ashes of the post GFC economy is a trustpoor society that is penniless, broken and technologically confused. Nevertheless, the digital age haveth arrived, and out of the post GFC ashesgrows a robust and highly profitable opportunity for struggling companies, businesses and entire industries to re-structure.

Although half the struggle is remaining agile in this rapidly changing technology rich environment digital platforms/mobile applications, and the devices that host them will continue to influence multiple facets of our daily lives both at home and at work.

Just take a look at the stock markets, companies such as SAP, IBM, ORACLE, Accenture and CISCO to name a feware witnessing their shares skyrocket. The worlds most innovative workplaces have gone digital, just take look at the glittering quarterly revenue figures these innovative companies are generating.

Now, I dont pretend to write from the desk of a large multi-national company, thats not the point. The point is however, to inform as many people as possible that automation through digital innovation will enable your business, company, or industry to perform at its pre-GFC capacity.

Excessive allocation of labour towards administration and document control is choking post GFC businesses and without addressing the fickle morals & ethics of slashing a redundant workforce for your company, please ask yourself how long you can afford to sustain a workforce performing at only 35% of its overall capacity?

Surely not long given the current economic climate.



About the author:

Lucas Thompson is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mass Media Logistics Pty Ltd, a specialist digital agency and consulting company with offices in Australia and Asia.

The author is passionate about information technology and marketing intelligence having worked in the digital space for leading multi-national corporations in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong, China.

Fore more information please contact [email protected] to book a private and confidential business consultation.

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