The heroic journey to the digital workplace:

Our hero sets out

All stories have...

a beginning,a middle,

and an end.

And it’s no different for business stories, like your journey towards the digital workplace and its epic conclusion of

connected collaboration for all.

The digital workplace means more than “going digital”. It’s a complete transformation of how your organisation interacts...

both internally and with the outside world. It’s about faster, better, information flows which lead to quicker, more

informed decision making.

Organisations planning a digital workplace rose

from 9% to 52% in one year.

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It’s about technology, of course, but hand-in-hand with technology is cultural change. The combination of the two can put your organisation in a position to quickly take advantage of market trends and differentiate itself against the competition, by creating an environment where the positive experience of interacting with you is enjoyed by customers, employees, and partners as a single, seamless experience.

Customer service and engagement tools were a priority for 52% of early adopters.

But like any journey, it’s marked by milestones… with a few pitfalls to avoid.

This series of guidebooks is your map.Take it with you on your journey, and the road ahead will be clear.

The first in a series of threeThe next guidebook in this series will define the path to a smooth launch, introducing the characters and challenges to address as your organisation transforms.The last part, the third, will answer the issues around a successful transformation, realising the expected and unexpected benefits and bringing your organisation with you.

But this - the first - starts at the beginning: equipping you for the journey ahead.

1. The Vision:Define your destination

[Vision]

When digital initiatives fail, it’s often because their leaders didn’t think beyond digital.So the first task of any digital hero is to define what success looks like. “Going digital” on its own isn’t a vision; it’s a method. A method to get your business to a better place.

[Vision]

The vision of taking a business to a better place is different for every organisation. For every organisation’s visions to succeed it needs a hero to drive it, a hero driving from the top, leading from the C-Suite.

[Vision]

So first, emphasise what success looks like. Not where.

Because before you can start your journey, you’ve got to know how things will be on arrival. In short, once you understand the vision and how it drives your digital journey you can get going.

[Vision]

So to define your destination, take a step back from technology, and look at the end destination.

[Vision]

Human factorsThe key to getting buy-in is understanding that cultural factors often matter more than technological ones. So before you look at tech, look at the beating heart of your organisation, your people.

[Vision]

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”

Peter Drucker

[Vision]

That’s the first step: embedding your vision in your company culture.

At this milestone, you haven’t yet started your journey. But, you know where you’re going.

[Vision]

2. The Reasons:Why this, why now?

[Reason]

Organisations fail when they see this reason as the entire journey and not the first step.

Every journey will have a starting point, a reason to embark it, a reason for the vision.

[Reason]

Employees today are wary of management fashions and fads. So any vision is more likely to succeed if it answers a broadly

recognised problem.

But that problem doesn’t have to be a big one.

[Reason]

Your vision may be designed to address some large event.

[Reason]

However, the starting point could be, and in fact often is, something much smaller, such as an office move, a consolidation or renovation. This might be the result of a merger or acquisition or it could be a drive for more flexibility.

[Reason]

More and more we find digital tools and channels at the heart of marketing - and this is only going to increase.

However as always success will come from the successful adoption of this technology.

[Reason]

Having the right collaboration partner can help!

[Reason]

Rather than denying this reality, embrace it.

Win-win.

[Vision]

3. The Assessment:Create a map of where

you are going

[Assessment]

Once you’ve defined what success looks like, make sure you know how to plot the journey. When going on a journey, it’s not

enough to know where you’re going - you also need the best route plan. After all, how can you get to your destination without knowing where you are now and how you are going to get there?

It’s not always a straight A to B...

[Assessment]

There are many tools, surveys and third parties that can help you with your assessment. The key is to determine which are the most important metrics you need to know about your current situation.

[Assessment]

Talk to staff at all levels, and ask yourself the hard questions.Are they open to new ideas, or will they see your plans as a threat? What do they have invested in their current processes, the ways they work now? Might they feel your changes alter their professional identity in some way? How likely are they to push back?

[Assessment]

You might not want to hear the answers but you must answer these questions first. If you can make the team see how a digital workplace will improve their lives you are halfway to user adoption and buy-in.

[Assessment]

By 2020, 60% of organisations will be spending money on rapid detection and response.

[Assessment]

Network effects

[Assessment]

If two or more people are using a collaborative application, it has value. If only one person is, there’s not. That’s the network effect of the digital workplace: where a product or service becomes more valuable in tune with the number of people using it.

The digital workplace has 9 “dimensions”, over half of which are network-centric.

[Assessment]

[Assessment]

As network effects grow, there comes a point where it’s more valuable to be on the network than off. (Who can do without a mobile phone these days?)

This is the other part of the vision step: finding that point of no return. Because from then on your vision is unstoppable.

[Assessment]

It might mean department heads incentivised to make the changes. It might be ten young guns on a mission to persuade. In extreme cases, it might mean persuading hundreds of people to retrain or adjust their worldview. But once you have a critical mass of people seeing value in your vision, that vision becomes a goal rather than an idea.

60% of digital workplace early adopters see it as essential for competitiveness.

[Assessment]

[Assessment]

If the “big problem” is a major office move, look for the “small problems” that preoccupy most staff.

Do I lose desk space? Where will I sit when I come to the office? Will I be able to access all the resources I need? These aren’t small issues to the people who have to spend eight hours a day experiencing them. Maintaining or even improving social interactions is also a key factor - if people are working remotely they need other ways to feel engaged.

Find the Little Problems…

[Assessment]

70% of office workers believe their productivity would be higher if their environment was less noisy

whilst 81% of managers are unconcerned about office noise.

[Assessment]

[Assessment]

If the feedback tells you there is a requirement for more private workspace in the office, make sure there are areas for concentrated work. If the commute is a big issue then flexibility and work/life balance will be hugely motivational.

40% of employees already rely on mobile for at least some of their work.

[Assessment]

…to drive the Big Change

[Assessment]

[Assessment]

Along the way, you’ll find this gets buy-in to the big problems, too. If you’re merging with a partner company - or being taken over by one!

- poor workflow integration is why most M&A’s fail.

[Assessment]

If the first milestone involves equipping 10 people with new laptops for remote working, yet frees up 5 hot desk stations, you can offset costs against benefits in stages. Making your whole plan a lot more

palatable to the CEO - while managing risk.

4. The Allies:Choose your travelling

companions

[Allies]

[Allies]

Lastly, remember reaching your digital workplace isn’t a journey you can take alone, it is a journey for which you need allies, a road trip. Identifying the right functions and people in your organisation with a shared vision is going to make your journey a much more successful one.

Tailor benefits to the team

leaders

[Allies]

[Allies]

Once the right people, functions and teams have been identified it is time to formalise it. Create a steering committee or group with someone at the helm who will drive collaboration and ensure that everyone is working towards a shared agenda.

[Allies]

The CFO’s interested in the business case for adopting your plan. Marketing wants its people to shout your story from the rooftops with greater reach and clarity. IT wants a smooth rollout with lower ongoing support costs. The Sales head, well, wants more sales and HR is looking to find better ways to attract, retain and engage talent.

Ultimately, they’re all the same benefit: value to your company. But you can communicate that value in different ways.

Look for champions outside the

C-suite

[Allies]

[Allies]

Finally, there’s a case for finding champions across the office who are key to helping you communicate your story across functions and regions.

40% of workers are looking for ways to perform better without sacrificing family life.

[Allies]

[Allies]

Champions can come from any function, all they need is passion. If they sell your vision of the digital workplace, you will find opt-in across the organisation is far higher.

Summing up:The digital workplace isn’t only about bits ‘n bytes. It’s about transforming your business into an agile organisation: where customer service ethos runs through every department your employees and customers interact on an equal basis for the same positive experience and your digital story can be experienced both inside and out.. Communication and collaboration technology are your enablers.

When you’re ready, take the next step on your journey: preparing for launch.

Your heroic journey to the digital workplace starts here.Download Chapter One of this guidebook and take it with you as you begin your journey.

You’ll be the first to receive Chapters Two and Three, plus access to more great resources to help you on your way!

Continue your journey

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

workplace.

Get in touch now!