Collaboration matters how to empower your employees drive business value and productivity

Many collaboration initiatives focus on technology but neglect two fundamentals the people using it and the work they need to do A one-size-fits-all approach to collaboration tools wonrsquot adequately address the needs of your people from desk-bound workers to highly mobile executives Empowering employees with fit-for-purpose collaboration technologies and improved awareness programs can increase adoption engagement and productivity ndash a critical differentiator in highly competitive markets

Whitepaper

What we see in organisations today 3

Where and how meetings happen 4

Changing workspace acitivities - flexible is best 6

Getting started 7

Collaboration at its best 8

Up for adoption 9

Strategy roadmap and recommendations 10

Contents

Whitepaper

2

What we see in organisations today Organisations are realising that a cultural shift in their workforce is required to be relevant and competitive in the marketplace

Optus observes that when it comes to collaboration there is a level of confusion around responsibility and ownership of technologies and change programs in organisations Many initiatives are being completed in silos rather than as integrated bodies of work This aside one of the largest gaps for organisations is a current lack of defined behaviours or expectations around what it is to collaborate and collaborate well

People teams and culture ndash the way we work todayThe current mindset and expectation of a typical working day within many large organisations is rigid Many staff are cubicle-bound across a 9-5 working day Understandably the shift towards providing workplace flexibility and realigning a work focus on output rather than process can be confronting

By 2020 millennials will form 50 of the global workforce1 One of the defining characteristics of the millennial generation is their affinity with the digital world They have grown up with broadband smartphones laptops and social media and they expect instant access to information

The current organisational and operational structure of the large organisation is counterbalanced by a desire to change ndash and a workforce that is increasingly prepared to do so

Technology ndash the tools we work with todayCollaboration means technology deployments but your existing capabilities are likely limited due to

bull Fixed workstation technologies with limited mobility capability

bull The current security posture ndash for example no support for bring your own device (BYOD) or application (BYOA)

bull Fragmented applications and workflows

bull Complicated technology and communication methods lacking intuitive operability

bull Lack of support for anywhere anytime access (except for a limited subset of staff with hardened laptops)

Unfortunately many collaboration tools for knowledge workers fail to pay much attention to the individual and their own workflows This is evidenced by the rise of Shadow IT in the enterprise where solutions are used inside organisations without explicit organisational approval Employees ndash as consumers ndash have access to the latest and greatest in technology and are perpetually upgrading their devices operating systems and applications And the workplace is falling behind both with the technology itself as well as employee adoption

Technology can be a mechanism for creatively exploring opportunities and rapidly solving problems so attempting to shut it down or block it off might not be in your organisationrsquos best interest Some enterprise collaboration applications offer end-to-end encryption and meet strict regulatory compliance and if the right tools are selected employees are less likely to use unauthorised applications reducing security threats

Productivity is constrained by complicated technology and communication methods which lack intuitive operability Email and conference calls have a place as a means of communicating however for collaboration purposes both fall short Many teams today are frustrated by these antiquated experiences

With a plethora of systems and applications being used at any one time there is no wonder the knowledge worker endures frustration and inefficiencies from fragmented applications and workflows Cloud-based collaboration technology can facilitate rapid integration when compared with existing on-premise solutions which require lengthy and costly integrations

1 PwC lsquoMillennials at Work Reshaping the Workplacersquo (Research Report 2011) p3 available at lthttpswwwpwcdedeprozessoptimierungassetsmillennials-at-work-2011pdfgt

Whitepaper

3

What we see in organisations today 3

Where and how meetings happen 4

Changing workspace acitivities - flexible is best 6

Getting started 7

Collaboration at its best 8

Up for adoption 9

Strategy roadmap and recommendations 10

Contents

Whitepaper

2

What we see in organisations today Organisations are realising that a cultural shift in their workforce is required to be relevant and competitive in the marketplace

Optus observes that when it comes to collaboration there is a level of confusion around responsibility and ownership of technologies and change programs in organisations Many initiatives are being completed in silos rather than as integrated bodies of work This aside one of the largest gaps for organisations is a current lack of defined behaviours or expectations around what it is to collaborate and collaborate well

People teams and culture ndash the way we work todayThe current mindset and expectation of a typical working day within many large organisations is rigid Many staff are cubicle-bound across a 9-5 working day Understandably the shift towards providing workplace flexibility and realigning a work focus on output rather than process can be confronting

By 2020 millennials will form 50 of the global workforce1 One of the defining characteristics of the millennial generation is their affinity with the digital world They have grown up with broadband smartphones laptops and social media and they expect instant access to information

The current organisational and operational structure of the large organisation is counterbalanced by a desire to change ndash and a workforce that is increasingly prepared to do so

Technology ndash the tools we work with todayCollaboration means technology deployments but your existing capabilities are likely limited due to

bull Fixed workstation technologies with limited mobility capability

bull The current security posture ndash for example no support for bring your own device (BYOD) or application (BYOA)

bull Fragmented applications and workflows

bull Complicated technology and communication methods lacking intuitive operability

bull Lack of support for anywhere anytime access (except for a limited subset of staff with hardened laptops)

Unfortunately many collaboration tools for knowledge workers fail to pay much attention to the individual and their own workflows This is evidenced by the rise of Shadow IT in the enterprise where solutions are used inside organisations without explicit organisational approval Employees ndash as consumers ndash have access to the latest and greatest in technology and are perpetually upgrading their devices operating systems and applications And the workplace is falling behind both with the technology itself as well as employee adoption

Technology can be a mechanism for creatively exploring opportunities and rapidly solving problems so attempting to shut it down or block it off might not be in your organisationrsquos best interest Some enterprise collaboration applications offer end-to-end encryption and meet strict regulatory compliance and if the right tools are selected employees are less likely to use unauthorised applications reducing security threats

Productivity is constrained by complicated technology and communication methods which lack intuitive operability Email and conference calls have a place as a means of communicating however for collaboration purposes both fall short Many teams today are frustrated by these antiquated experiences

With a plethora of systems and applications being used at any one time there is no wonder the knowledge worker endures frustration and inefficiencies from fragmented applications and workflows Cloud-based collaboration technology can facilitate rapid integration when compared with existing on-premise solutions which require lengthy and costly integrations

1 PwC lsquoMillennials at Work Reshaping the Workplacersquo (Research Report 2011) p3 available at lthttpswwwpwcdedeprozessoptimierungassetsmillennials-at-work-2011pdfgt

Whitepaper

3

What we see in organisations today Organisations are realising that a cultural shift in their workforce is required to be relevant and competitive in the marketplace

Optus observes that when it comes to collaboration there is a level of confusion around responsibility and ownership of technologies and change programs in organisations Many initiatives are being completed in silos rather than as integrated bodies of work This aside one of the largest gaps for organisations is a current lack of defined behaviours or expectations around what it is to collaborate and collaborate well

People teams and culture ndash the way we work todayThe current mindset and expectation of a typical working day within many large organisations is rigid Many staff are cubicle-bound across a 9-5 working day Understandably the shift towards providing workplace flexibility and realigning a work focus on output rather than process can be confronting

By 2020 millennials will form 50 of the global workforce1 One of the defining characteristics of the millennial generation is their affinity with the digital world They have grown up with broadband smartphones laptops and social media and they expect instant access to information

The current organisational and operational structure of the large organisation is counterbalanced by a desire to change ndash and a workforce that is increasingly prepared to do so

Technology ndash the tools we work with todayCollaboration means technology deployments but your existing capabilities are likely limited due to

bull Fixed workstation technologies with limited mobility capability

bull The current security posture ndash for example no support for bring your own device (BYOD) or application (BYOA)

bull Fragmented applications and workflows

bull Complicated technology and communication methods lacking intuitive operability

bull Lack of support for anywhere anytime access (except for a limited subset of staff with hardened laptops)

Unfortunately many collaboration tools for knowledge workers fail to pay much attention to the individual and their own workflows This is evidenced by the rise of Shadow IT in the enterprise where solutions are used inside organisations without explicit organisational approval Employees ndash as consumers ndash have access to the latest and greatest in technology and are perpetually upgrading their devices operating systems and applications And the workplace is falling behind both with the technology itself as well as employee adoption

Technology can be a mechanism for creatively exploring opportunities and rapidly solving problems so attempting to shut it down or block it off might not be in your organisationrsquos best interest Some enterprise collaboration applications offer end-to-end encryption and meet strict regulatory compliance and if the right tools are selected employees are less likely to use unauthorised applications reducing security threats

Productivity is constrained by complicated technology and communication methods which lack intuitive operability Email and conference calls have a place as a means of communicating however for collaboration purposes both fall short Many teams today are frustrated by these antiquated experiences

With a plethora of systems and applications being used at any one time there is no wonder the knowledge worker endures frustration and inefficiencies from fragmented applications and workflows Cloud-based collaboration technology can facilitate rapid integration when compared with existing on-premise solutions which require lengthy and costly integrations

1 PwC lsquoMillennials at Work Reshaping the Workplacersquo (Research Report 2011) p3 available at lthttpswwwpwcdedeprozessoptimierungassetsmillennials-at-work-2011pdfgt

Whitepaper

3

Changing workplace dynamics ndash focus on teamworkThe workplace as we know it is changing driven by evolving demographics economics globalisation disruptive technologies customer expectations and more So how can organisations embrace these changes and empower staff It all comes down to how well information flows throughout the organisation across the network of employees partners and other stakeholders

Teamwork is one of the most important aspects in the workplace But for teamwork to be effective companies need to adopt modern work practices and technologies that help team members ndash wherever they are ndash share their work in a simple and efficient way The deployment of an effective collaboration platform can facilitate teamwork and open channels for information to flow more easily

Importantly the workplace of today involves more than standing desks and brightly coloured furniture ndash it may not even involve an office To encourage teamwork in this new landscape organisations can empower staff to work from anywhere at any time and know that the technology at their fingertips is easy to use and readily available

Smart collaboration tools facilitate smarter ways of getting things done They enable us to eliminate or automate repetitive tasks as well as consolidate and logically structure our workspace They also remove or at the very least reduce the noise that comes from other channels like email We have greater control over notifications and updates and only need to hear about things that are relevant to us

Unlocking engagement and productivity through collaborationResearch undertaken by Deloitte and Google has shown that when Australians collaborate they are able to complete work 15 faster with 73 feeling that they do better work and 60 feeling they are more innovative and satisfied2 Over half of employees and managers acknowledged that collaboration reduced the time to complete tasks Additionally when the right collaboration tools are combined with a forward-thinking culture teams can reach their full potential by driving innovation and creativity to unlock greater customer value

Employees of today expect greater flexibility as we shift away from traditional workplaces traditional business hours and traditional teams A recent study by Cisco of 111 million workers in Australia and New Zealand found that 61 of workers are working flexibly (ie hot-desking working remotely andor working on-the-go)3

In addition the rise of the gig economy and increase in remote working highlights the importance of providing an anywhere anytime workplace where employees have access to the right people and information at all times This includes a shift away from voice-only and in-person meetings towards virtual and video meetings A virtual meeting offers flexibility while video meetings help keep remote staff engaged by offering an immersive experience with non-verbal gestures and communications previously discerned only in face-to-face meetings4 It is easy to see why a face-to-face request is 34 times more successful than an email5

Collaboration tools can also help streamline business processes and save money ndash thus increasing ROI By integrating workflows and current data and information updates into one central repository employees can work faster and more efficiently

2Deloitte Access Economics lsquoThe Collaborative Economyrsquo (Report 2014) p1 available at httpwww2deloittecomauenpageseconomicsarticlescollaborative-economy-unlocking-power-of-workplace-crowdhtml

3Cisco lsquoWorkplace Collaboration in Australia and New Zealand Trends Behaviours and Impactrsquo (White Paper 2017) p4 available at httpswwwciscocomcdamglobalen_auassetspdfsworkplace-collaboration-in-AU-and-NZ-4Eran Levy et al lsquoThe Future of Work Itrsquos Borderless Lightning-Fast and Highly Creativersquo (Report Cisco 2018) p11 available at lthttpsconnectedfuturesciscocomreportfuture-of-workgt

5Vanessa K Bohns lsquoA Face-to-Face Request Is 34 Times More Successful Than an Emailrsquo (11 April 2017) Harvard Business Review (online edition) lthttpshbrorg201704a-face-to-face-request-is-34-times-more-successful-than-an-emailgt

Where and how meetings happen

Now

In-office 80

In-person 74

No video 59 58 +43

44 +6841 +110Video 41

Virtual 26

0

In 3 Years Growth

Source Eran Levy et al lsquoThe Future of Work Itrsquos Borderless Lightning-Fast and Highly Creativersquo (Report Cisco 2018)

Whitepaper

4

Meeting evolving employee expectations The proliferation of mobile devices and faster mobile and home Internet connections has been a catalyst for change How when and where we work has already changed with 69 of Australia and New Zealand employees reporting an increased use of technology in the workplace6

In a recent Ernst and Young study Australians were ranked fifth in the world for adopting new technology in their personal lives7 Australian employees expect employers to provide the same experiences at work as they enjoy at home This bodes well for the rollout of new collaboration platforms For example 90 of workers under thirty say they have tried conversational AI systems like Siri or Alexa in their home lives 64 say they could not live

6Cisco lsquoWorkplace Collaboration in Australia and New Zealand Trends Behaviours and Impact (White Paper 2017) p6 available at lthttpswwwciscocomcdamglobalen_auassetspdfsworkplace-collaboration-in-AU-and-NZ-2018pdfgt7EY lsquoEY Fintech Adoption Index ndash The rapid emergence of FinTechrsquo (Report EY 2017) httpswwweycomPublicationvwLUAssetsey-fintech-adoption-index-201724FILEey-fintech-adoption-index-2017pdf8Morar HPI lsquoAI Meets Collaborationrsquo (White Paper October 2017) p3 available at lthttpswwwgooglecomurlsa=tamprct=jampq=ampesrc=sampsource=webampcd=1ampcad=rjaampuact=8ampved=2ahUKEwiA3bOZmPvdAhUKc3AKHWhAAZ4QFjAAegQICRACampurl=https3A2F2Fwwwciscocom2Fc2Fdam2Fen2Fus2Fsolutions2Fcollateral2Fcollaboration2Fmorar-advanc-techn-white-paperpdfampusg=AOvVaw3H1jDo7LrTFmx692HNjxlfgt

without them and more than 70 believe virtual assistants could lead to major improvements in their work lives 95 of workers believe that artificial intelligence can improve tasks such as scheduling meetings taking notes or typing documents and emails8

To become a contemporary workplace an organisation may need to provide new technology coupled with new work practices

Whitepaper

5

Changing workspace activities ndash flexible is bestMost businesses are keen for their people to collaborate to spark innovation develop new ideas and quickly solve problems In the modern enterprise environment innovation is usually maximised by collaborating across lines of business

To facilitate innovation organisations are rapidly moving towards more flexible working environments such as Activity Based Working (ABW) where people are empowered to work in the style and place that they work best

ABW recognises that people need to do both individual work and group work And it also breaks the paradigm that all individual spaces should be assigned or ldquoownedrdquo or that all group spaces should be shared Spaces in the workplace need to support focused work collaboration socialising and learning

While ABW and collaboration could be undertaken independently organisations will gain the greatest benefits if the two programs of work integrate with one another

Understanding modern work stylesAt the heart of ABW is the concept of ldquowork stylesrdquo with some employees essentially desk-bound while others work remotely or are always on the go travelling to meet customers and suppliers Most organisations predominantly have two of the four work styles in use ndash Workstation Anchored and Highly Mobile ndash with executives making up the majority of Highly Mobile

Optus believes that understanding your employeesrsquo individual work styles will provide benefits such as maximising office space for more efficient use reducing capital expenditure on unnecessary technology reducing travel and other infrastructure costs and ndash most importantly ndash drastically changing the way in which staff experience their work

As an example Optus Business undertook a space utilisation study in 2016 with the intent of understanding how to create a more engaging workplace environment that would attract top talent across all work styles

The results highlighted that desk usage was rarely full meeting rooms were underused and space was being wasted Our staff wanted a greater variety of spaces in order to manage noise and privacy They also requested technology that would support workplace mobility9

We segmented our workforce into four work styles and designed the new space based on a solid understanding of how the workforce operates in terms of location interactions role pre-requisites and the enabling collaboration tools

Technology was updated and the floor layout was transformed adopting an open plan environment with multiple zones such as social hubs quiet zones and meeting rooms Zones were equipped for specific styles of work As a result the new workplace is much more conducive to driving innovation and co-creations

WorkStyles

WorkstationAnchored

Desk-bound non-mobile employee who performs highly focused individual work

Highly Mobile

Travel extensively to customer and partner locations

Neighbourhood Collaborator

Neighbourhood - based employee who is mobile within the group area

Remote Collaborator

Non-Mobile employee who works frequently with colleagues from non-office locations

9Optus The Optus Melbourne Office Launch ndash Part 1 (10 September 2017) lthttpswwwoptuscomauenterpriseacceleratebusinessthe-optus-melbourne-office-launch-part-1gt

Whitepaper

6

Getting startedA seat at the workplace strategy table Collaboration purchases donrsquot happen very often so it is important to get them right Most organisations come to us when they are undertaking an office refit or relocation and moving to ABW To maximise collaboration it is so important that your IT procurement team contribute to the workplace strategy early Optus works with organisations to ensure the technology team has a seat at the table at the start of the process not after the budget has all been spent on colourful lounges and kitchen spaces Without a contribution from your technology team there is a strong possibility that you will end up with substandard technology lacking intuitive operability Staff may resist the roll-out the substandard technology requires more IT support and staff may adopt inefficient and insecure workarounds by downloading their own consumer apps The risks start to rise and employee experience and engagement rapidly decreases

Selecting the right collaboration toolsThat leads us to the question which collaboration technology is best The answer depends on

1 Your current circumstances

2 How far along you are on your digitisation journey and

3 The end user experience you seek

Technology should be easy to use available and provide a consistent user experience allowing staff to seamlessly operate any of the collaboration tools deployed in an organisation Staff should know when they walk into a video conferencing room that they have never used that the tools will be similar to those they have used before They should have confidence that the technology will work and they should know who they can rely on for help if they canrsquot remember how to screen share

At Optus we recommend you consider five key factors when selecting the right collaboration tool

1 Collaboration technology must provide a great user experience and remove friction from everyday work processes Give your people feature-rich technology so that they want to use it Aim for one continuous user experience across video devices mobile devices and integrated applications

2 Choose technology that gets users up and running quickly that is easy to set up and gives IT the flexibility to add and remove users as required Look for a platform that has the analytics to demonstrate both ROI and adoption take-up

3 Solutions should simplify workflows for users and IT integrating easily into existing applications they use every day like Salesforce Outlook and the CRM The platform should be open and allow bots and API integrations

4 Does it maximise your existing IT investments and efforts Using existing on-premise and cloud IT investments is important You shouldnrsquot have to rip and replace for every update Optus Managed Services help many organisations reduce their footprint by taking responsibility for managing maintaining and supporting their collaboration solutions

5 Security should be always-on and provide options to manage encryption so your data is always secured This reduces any anxiety which may otherwise cause IT administrators to lock down sharing By choosing a solution with enterprise grade end-to-end encryption IT can instead become a collaboration and innovation enabler

Key features to consider1 Mobile friendly including new wearables like a

smartwatch

2 Video calling ndash for more productive engaging meetings

3 Sharing content securely ndash inside and outside your organisation

4 Cloud hosted with a certified provider who meets strict cloud compliance requirements

5 An open platform for integrations

Collaboration at its bestInvesting in the very best collaboration platform is one thing however encouraging staff to harness its full potential is another From experience Optus understands two key issues need to be considered the message and the means How will you communicate the value of the solution to employees How will you educate and prepare them to use it

Top-down cultural change ndash ldquothe messagerdquoSenior leaders and the executive team should foster the key values of empowerment and trust in order to drive a change in their own and staff behaviour

Creating a new collaborative culture requires clear communication of new initiatives from senior leaders Organisations must consider developing marketing and communications strategies that highlight the upcoming changes These should clearly define the initiativersquos objectives articulate why itrsquos being done and what benefits a collaboration-enabled culture will bring

A critical starting point and arguably the most important first step is for senior leaders to demonstrably embrace collaboration with continual use of the collaboration technology Leadership must communicate with staff conduct meetings and share information via the collaboration toolset

Bottom-up technology change ndash ldquothe meansrdquoThe workforce will develop an increased appetite for change as organisational culture changes Providing staff with opportunities for experiential learning ndash along with embedded accountability and ownership ndash will help them realise the benefits more quickly thus ensuring increased staff satisfaction and higher productivity

Staff need to be provided with access to the collaboration toolsets and be given a choice of how they wish to engage in events ndash for example immersive video conferencing in a dedicated room via video conferencing at their desktop or if the staff member cannot get to a video device then via voice-only technology (desktoplaptoptablet smartphone) Where possible staff should be given an opportunity to choose their preferred method of engagement

Whitepaper

7

Up for adoption Demonstrating a positive and measurable ROI will usually align with business objectives and justify future investments An accelerating usage of collaboration tools throughout an organisation may help to reduce internal costs and contribute to lifting profitability in areas such as ldquoimproving project delivery timerdquo or ldquoresponding to customers fasterrdquo The user adoption rate is therefore an important metric for organisations wishing to determine the success of their technology implementations

Sadly however many organisations have a whole slew of collaboration technologies that are rarely used or used only by those with a vested interest The rest of the company may find the solution difficult to use or of poor quality Even when the technology works the solution remains under-utilised because staff have not been trained or had a poor first experience

Harvard Business Review ran a survey asking organisations why collaboration tools had failed The results are hardly surprising ndash itrsquos what our customers tell us every day Technology that is not intuitive and not integrated into the business could cause low employee utilisation inefficiencies and siloed work practices

Why a focus on adoption is important As seen in the survey lack of adoption was considered a key reason why some collaboration tools fall short of enabling desired initiatives This is why adoption needs to be a critical pillar of any Collaboration Strategy

User uptake of new technologies can often be as easy as providing them with easy to use intuitive workplace technology However to ensure that you achieve maximum integration across all users some important practices should be considered

bull Make it relevant ndash Align tools to the work styles of user groups in your organisation A marketing department may use a collaboration tool in vastly different ways to a field maintenance force For each team or group it is important to develop a use case highlighting the organisationrsquos objective in adopting the collaboration tool (eg productivity job satisfaction or the customer experience) This should go hand-in-hand with user education on why workers should use it and how it can help them in their work

bull Make it easy ndash Select collaboration solutions that people love to use If tools arenrsquot user friendly and require multiple training sessions employees wonrsquot have a good experience and uptake slows A good collaboration tool should be as easy and intuitive to use as your smartphone

bull Make it work ndash Shadow IT emerges in response to unmet demands Collaboration tools that are not feature-rich and do not meet basic use cases may force employees to resort to non-approved technology

Why tools failPercentage indicating which of the following are the main reasons why collaboration tools fall short of enabling desired initiatives

44

38

35

26

Not enough employee utilisation

Lack of integration with other business processesoverly siloed

Lack of alignment with user workstyles and preferences

Too complicated to set up and too difficult to use

Source Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Survey March 2016

Whitepaper

8

Strategy roadmap and recommendationsFor collaboration within the organisation to increase it must become part of the overall corporate strategy Organisations generally have a number of change initiatives that are being undertaken in silos rather than via a programmatic body of work Significant benefit can be gained by more effective alignment and communication across programs such as the Future Workplace strategy End User Device Strategy Mobility Strategy and the Teleworking Strategy

The Collaboration Strategy should encompass a 3-5 year technology roadmap similar to the graphic below allowing an organisation to hit specific goals and ultimately lead that organisation to become a digital business

Converge voice video amp dataFoundational Steps

bull IP telephony amp contract centre

bull Corporate office

bull Converged networks

Simplify collaboration infrastructureLower IT expenses by reducing duplication

bull Unified communications

bull Telecommuting

bull Virtualised networks

Enable simple amp seamless experienceDemocratise access to richer collaboration

bull Universal team collaboration

bull Activity based working amp pervasive video

bull Collaborate where you are

Accelerate innovation with hybrid cloudsFlexibility scale and continuous delivery

bull Adaptive collaboration

bull On-line workplace

bull Multi-cloud fusion

Digitalise your businessEmbed collaboration in business

bull Process oriented collaboration

bull Cross organisational integrated collaboration

bull Outcome based collaboration

Present2020

Future

Efficiency

Prod

uctivityA

gility

The road to collaboration transformation key recommendationsOptus believes that organisations can achieve successful collaboration transformation through executive sponsorship of the new culture combined with the enablement of people through supportive work practices and policies Both are facilitated by technology capabilities that can create a seamless collaborative experience

Cultural ambition

Technology is only one of the enablers for change organisations must also have the drive and willingness to nurture an innovative and agile workforce A cultural identity cannot be imposed by senior leadership ndash it must be approved and embraced by all employees or it will fail and the organisation will default to the status quo

Executive sponsorship

Executing a new collaborative culture requires unwavering support from all senior leaders Organisations should consider developing marketing and communications strategies that highlight the upcoming changes It should clearly define what is going to happen articulate why they are doing it and what benefits a collaboration-enabled culture will bring

Technology adoption

For collaboration to be successful deploying it is not enough ndash it must become ingrained in daily operational work practices In order to encourage and familiarise teams with new tools executives must lead from the front by talking about and using the new collaborative capabilities A critical starting point for this and quite possibly the most important first step is for the senior leadership to demonstrably embrace the collaboration toolsets

Work style advocacy and workforce reconfiguration

Organisations should consider aligning their employees to task-based personas Persona mapping to the five work styles can help you to determine which devices are given to which employees Adopting the work style approach will deepen your understanding of how employees work now their potential to work differently and most importantly what technology and process improvements are required to get there

Effective policies for alignment and growth

Many organisations operate in a traditional manner with formal and informal processes and policies limiting positive change Cultural transformation and people enablement through new and revised policies processes and environment design are fundamental to delivering a successful collaboration strategy

Organisations can take advantage of a reinvigorated workforce to develop new and appropriate policies to support remote working activity based working and BYOD technology These policies should not be limited by how things ldquohave always been donerdquo but should look to how you want things to be done in the future

Learning with confidence

One of the biggest challenges to any new technology development is the fear of the unknown and the subsequent fear of failure due to the perceived intricacies of new toolsets Within the framework of any collaboration transformation itrsquos vitally important that all team members are provided adequate support Experiential learning builds each employeersquos confidence to acknowledge any gaps in their understanding and the capability to resolve them

Learning in this manner allows team members to acknowledge mistakes move forward without blame recognise effort and share information This will speed the process of empowerment trust and adoption

Accountability and ownership

To ensure a collaborative culture is embraced expectations of the leadership team should be articulated to motivate the broader team This will drive accountability and ownership

An agreed set of ground rules for collaboration that fosters trust and clarity across the organisation must be defined and championed by senior executives These rules will help team members know how to treat each other to communicate to participate and most importantly to be accountable This will help realign the focus of individuals from the process to the outcome

Continual feedback and review

Feedback and review is essential to cultural change implementation Regular pulse-checks across the organisation will help uncover obstacles and quick wins throughout the transformation process It will also enable the organisation to make timely adjustments to policy technology and the processes needed for continued support

Implementation of digital collaboration initiatives can require a cultural shift that will demand unwavering validation by senior leadership

Whitepaper

9

Give us a call

To discuss how Optus can help you with innovative ICT solutions visit wwwoptuscomauenterprisecollaboration or call the Optus Business hotline

1800 555 937 optuscomauenterprise

optusbusiness yesoptusblog yesoptusoblinkedin

copy Optus Administration Pty Ltd 2018 GMO_N 0863 1018MZ

Up for adoption Demonstrating a positive and measurable ROI will usually align with business objectives and justify future investments An accelerating usage of collaboration tools throughout an organisation may help to reduce internal costs and contribute to lifting profitability in areas such as ldquoimproving project delivery timerdquo or ldquoresponding to customers fasterrdquo The user adoption rate is therefore an important metric for organisations wishing to determine the success of their technology implementations

Sadly however many organisations have a whole slew of collaboration technologies that are rarely used or used only by those with a vested interest The rest of the company may find the solution difficult to use or of poor quality Even when the technology works the solution remains under-utilised because staff have not been trained or had a poor first experience

Harvard Business Review ran a survey asking organisations why collaboration tools had failed The results are hardly surprising ndash itrsquos what our customers tell us every day Technology that is not intuitive and not integrated into the business could cause low employee utilisation inefficiencies and siloed work practices

Why a focus on adoption is important As seen in the survey lack of adoption was considered a key reason why some collaboration tools fall short of enabling desired initiatives This is why adoption needs to be a critical pillar of any Collaboration Strategy

User uptake of new technologies can often be as easy as providing them with easy to use intuitive workplace technology However to ensure that you achieve maximum integration across all users some important practices should be considered

bull Make it relevant ndash Align tools to the work styles of user groups in your organisation A marketing department may use a collaboration tool in vastly different ways to a field maintenance force For each team or group it is important to develop a use case highlighting the organisationrsquos objective in adopting the collaboration tool (eg productivity job satisfaction or the customer experience) This should go hand-in-hand with user education on why workers should use it and how it can help them in their work

bull Make it easy ndash Select collaboration solutions that people love to use If tools arenrsquot user friendly and require multiple training sessions employees wonrsquot have a good experience and uptake slows A good collaboration tool should be as easy and intuitive to use as your smartphone

bull Make it work ndash Shadow IT emerges in response to unmet demands Collaboration tools that are not feature-rich and do not meet basic use cases may force employees to resort to non-approved technology

Why tools failPercentage indicating which of the following are the main reasons why collaboration tools fall short of enabling desired initiatives

44

38

35

26

Not enough employee utilisation

Lack of integration with other business processesoverly siloed

Lack of alignment with user workstyles and preferences

Too complicated to set up and too difficult to use

Source Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Survey March 2016

Whitepaper

8

Strategy roadmap and recommendationsFor collaboration within the organisation to increase it must become part of the overall corporate strategy Organisations generally have a number of change initiatives that are being undertaken in silos rather than via a programmatic body of work Significant benefit can be gained by more effective alignment and communication across programs such as the Future Workplace strategy End User Device Strategy Mobility Strategy and the Teleworking Strategy

The Collaboration Strategy should encompass a 3-5 year technology roadmap similar to the graphic below allowing an organisation to hit specific goals and ultimately lead that organisation to become a digital business

Converge voice video amp dataFoundational Steps

bull IP telephony amp contract centre

bull Corporate office

bull Converged networks

Simplify collaboration infrastructureLower IT expenses by reducing duplication

bull Unified communications

bull Telecommuting

bull Virtualised networks

Enable simple amp seamless experienceDemocratise access to richer collaboration

bull Universal team collaboration

bull Activity based working amp pervasive video

bull Collaborate where you are

Accelerate innovation with hybrid cloudsFlexibility scale and continuous delivery

bull Adaptive collaboration

bull On-line workplace

bull Multi-cloud fusion

Digitalise your businessEmbed collaboration in business

bull Process oriented collaboration

bull Cross organisational integrated collaboration

bull Outcome based collaboration

Present2020

Future

Efficiency

Prod

uctivityA

gility

The road to collaboration transformation key recommendationsOptus believes that organisations can achieve successful collaboration transformation through executive sponsorship of the new culture combined with the enablement of people through supportive work practices and policies Both are facilitated by technology capabilities that can create a seamless collaborative experience

Cultural ambition

Technology is only one of the enablers for change organisations must also have the drive and willingness to nurture an innovative and agile workforce A cultural identity cannot be imposed by senior leadership ndash it must be approved and embraced by all employees or it will fail and the organisation will default to the status quo

Executive sponsorship

Executing a new collaborative culture requires unwavering support from all senior leaders Organisations should consider developing marketing and communications strategies that highlight the upcoming changes It should clearly define what is going to happen articulate why they are doing it and what benefits a collaboration-enabled culture will bring

Technology adoption

For collaboration to be successful deploying it is not enough ndash it must become ingrained in daily operational work practices In order to encourage and familiarise teams with new tools executives must lead from the front by talking about and using the new collaborative capabilities A critical starting point for this and quite possibly the most important first step is for the senior leadership to demonstrably embrace the collaboration toolsets

Work style advocacy and workforce reconfiguration

Organisations should consider aligning their employees to task-based personas Persona mapping to the five work styles can help you to determine which devices are given to which employees Adopting the work style approach will deepen your understanding of how employees work now their potential to work differently and most importantly what technology and process improvements are required to get there

Effective policies for alignment and growth

Many organisations operate in a traditional manner with formal and informal processes and policies limiting positive change Cultural transformation and people enablement through new and revised policies processes and environment design are fundamental to delivering a successful collaboration strategy

Organisations can take advantage of a reinvigorated workforce to develop new and appropriate policies to support remote working activity based working and BYOD technology These policies should not be limited by how things ldquohave always been donerdquo but should look to how you want things to be done in the future

Learning with confidence

One of the biggest challenges to any new technology development is the fear of the unknown and the subsequent fear of failure due to the perceived intricacies of new toolsets Within the framework of any collaboration transformation itrsquos vitally important that all team members are provided adequate support Experiential learning builds each employeersquos confidence to acknowledge any gaps in their understanding and the capability to resolve them

Learning in this manner allows team members to acknowledge mistakes move forward without blame recognise effort and share information This will speed the process of empowerment trust and adoption

Accountability and ownership

To ensure a collaborative culture is embraced expectations of the leadership team should be articulated to motivate the broader team This will drive accountability and ownership

An agreed set of ground rules for collaboration that fosters trust and clarity across the organisation must be defined and championed by senior executives These rules will help team members know how to treat each other to communicate to participate and most importantly to be accountable This will help realign the focus of individuals from the process to the outcome

Continual feedback and review

Feedback and review is essential to cultural change implementation Regular pulse-checks across the organisation will help uncover obstacles and quick wins throughout the transformation process It will also enable the organisation to make timely adjustments to policy technology and the processes needed for continued support

Implementation of digital collaboration initiatives can require a cultural shift that will demand unwavering validation by senior leadership

Whitepaper

9

Give us a call

To discuss how Optus can help you with innovative ICT solutions visit wwwoptuscomauenterprisecollaboration or call the Optus Business hotline

1800 555 937 optuscomauenterprise

optusbusiness yesoptusblog yesoptusoblinkedin

copy Optus Administration Pty Ltd 2018 GMO_N 0863 1018MZ

Strategy roadmap and recommendationsFor collaboration within the organisation to increase it must become part of the overall corporate strategy Organisations generally have a number of change initiatives that are being undertaken in silos rather than via a programmatic body of work Significant benefit can be gained by more effective alignment and communication across programs such as the Future Workplace strategy End User Device Strategy Mobility Strategy and the Teleworking Strategy

The Collaboration Strategy should encompass a 3-5 year technology roadmap similar to the graphic below allowing an organisation to hit specific goals and ultimately lead that organisation to become a digital business

Converge voice video amp dataFoundational Steps

bull IP telephony amp contract centre

bull Corporate office

bull Converged networks

Simplify collaboration infrastructureLower IT expenses by reducing duplication

bull Unified communications

bull Telecommuting

bull Virtualised networks

Enable simple amp seamless experienceDemocratise access to richer collaboration

bull Universal team collaboration

bull Activity based working amp pervasive video

bull Collaborate where you are

Accelerate innovation with hybrid cloudsFlexibility scale and continuous delivery

bull Adaptive collaboration

bull On-line workplace

bull Multi-cloud fusion

Digitalise your businessEmbed collaboration in business

bull Process oriented collaboration

bull Cross organisational integrated collaboration

bull Outcome based collaboration

Present2020

Future

Efficiency

Prod

uctivityA

gility

The road to collaboration transformation key recommendationsOptus believes that organisations can achieve successful collaboration transformation through executive sponsorship of the new culture combined with the enablement of people through supportive work practices and policies Both are facilitated by technology capabilities that can create a seamless collaborative experience

Cultural ambition

Technology is only one of the enablers for change organisations must also have the drive and willingness to nurture an innovative and agile workforce A cultural identity cannot be imposed by senior leadership ndash it must be approved and embraced by all employees or it will fail and the organisation will default to the status quo

Executive sponsorship

Executing a new collaborative culture requires unwavering support from all senior leaders Organisations should consider developing marketing and communications strategies that highlight the upcoming changes It should clearly define what is going to happen articulate why they are doing it and what benefits a collaboration-enabled culture will bring

Technology adoption

For collaboration to be successful deploying it is not enough ndash it must become ingrained in daily operational work practices In order to encourage and familiarise teams with new tools executives must lead from the front by talking about and using the new collaborative capabilities A critical starting point for this and quite possibly the most important first step is for the senior leadership to demonstrably embrace the collaboration toolsets

Work style advocacy and workforce reconfiguration

Organisations should consider aligning their employees to task-based personas Persona mapping to the five work styles can help you to determine which devices are given to which employees Adopting the work style approach will deepen your understanding of how employees work now their potential to work differently and most importantly what technology and process improvements are required to get there

Effective policies for alignment and growth

Many organisations operate in a traditional manner with formal and informal processes and policies limiting positive change Cultural transformation and people enablement through new and revised policies processes and environment design are fundamental to delivering a successful collaboration strategy

Organisations can take advantage of a reinvigorated workforce to develop new and appropriate policies to support remote working activity based working and BYOD technology These policies should not be limited by how things ldquohave always been donerdquo but should look to how you want things to be done in the future

Learning with confidence

One of the biggest challenges to any new technology development is the fear of the unknown and the subsequent fear of failure due to the perceived intricacies of new toolsets Within the framework of any collaboration transformation itrsquos vitally important that all team members are provided adequate support Experiential learning builds each employeersquos confidence to acknowledge any gaps in their understanding and the capability to resolve them

Learning in this manner allows team members to acknowledge mistakes move forward without blame recognise effort and share information This will speed the process of empowerment trust and adoption

Accountability and ownership

To ensure a collaborative culture is embraced expectations of the leadership team should be articulated to motivate the broader team This will drive accountability and ownership

An agreed set of ground rules for collaboration that fosters trust and clarity across the organisation must be defined and championed by senior executives These rules will help team members know how to treat each other to communicate to participate and most importantly to be accountable This will help realign the focus of individuals from the process to the outcome

Continual feedback and review

Feedback and review is essential to cultural change implementation Regular pulse-checks across the organisation will help uncover obstacles and quick wins throughout the transformation process It will also enable the organisation to make timely adjustments to policy technology and the processes needed for continued support

Implementation of digital collaboration initiatives can require a cultural shift that will demand unwavering validation by senior leadership

Whitepaper

9

Give us a call

To discuss how Optus can help you with innovative ICT solutions visit wwwoptuscomauenterprisecollaboration or call the Optus Business hotline

1800 555 937 optuscomauenterprise

optusbusiness yesoptusblog yesoptusoblinkedin

copy Optus Administration Pty Ltd 2018 GMO_N 0863 1018MZ

Give us a call

To discuss how Optus can help you with innovative ICT solutions visit wwwoptuscomauenterprisecollaboration or call the Optus Business hotline

1800 555 937 optuscomauenterprise

optusbusiness yesoptusblog yesoptusoblinkedin

copy Optus Administration Pty Ltd 2018 GMO_N 0863 1018MZ