One way that IT can provide workplace leadership is by helping business teams integrate familiar ‘consumer-like’ technologies into their everyday work. The approach brings plenty of benefits, including reduced learning curve (as employees are already familiar with many of these technologies), increased adoption and productivity, higher workplace satisfaction, and more.
Gartner reports that at a recent Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Matthew Cain, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner indicated that:
“In addition to looking at technologies with their roots in the consumer space, consider technologies that are likely to be mainstream three to six years out.”
What’s Next?
So what technologies might make sense? Here’s a look at some of the anticipated next-generation technologies we may see a few years from now.
Gartner lists several of what it calls “emerging digital workplace technologies.” These include:
“Immersive Technology: Organizations can harness technology that blurs the line between the physical world and digital or simulated world to create a sense of immersion such as video conferencing with gesture control or use of augmented reality or virtual reality technologies for simulated training situations.”
“Omni-Comms: Employees will benefit from a fully mobile suite of Unified Communications and collaboration services that will be embedded in business processes.”
“My Personal Cloud: Just as chefs bring their personal set of knives to each restaurant they work in, employees in the future may bring their own personal collections of internet apps and services to use for both personal and professional purposes.”
“Silo Buster: Organizations should take advantage of collaborative tools to drive ideation, crowdsourcing, hackathons, etc. beyond traditional teams and organizations structures.”
Are You Adopting ‘Smart Tools’?
As the piece states: “How employees use technology outside of work says a lot about the possibilities to bring smart tools inside the organization. The IT organization has an opportunity to lead the enterprise in boosting employee agility and engagement by drawing on what employees use in their personal lives.”
Sources: Broadsoft, Gartner
