Conclusion

Key findings and recommendations

Nicola Downing, Chief Operating Officer, Ricoh Europe

Nicola Downing,
COO, Ricoh Europe

Whilst the threat of coronavirus still casts a shadow over our work practices, we are collectively learning to live with the virus. As we move into an era of new challenges such as global trade disruption, severe climate change impact and supply chain barriers, senior leaders are being asked to chart a course through uncharted territory.

As we’ve learned from our research and the outcomes of our discussions across different disciplines, the challenge is not impossible. Digital transformation has been a guiding light, but one that needs focus and conscious decision making to optimise it’s potential.

Collaborate to build the big picture

Our conversations found that for organisations to enact an effective and long-term strategy, they must apply a cross-sectional approach and enhance the combination and interrelation between different departments, leveraging different skills and learnings. Too many of our participants, particularly those in Finance and Operations, felt a growing burden driven by internal siloes.

The pandemic demonstrated the power of what can be achieved with cross-collaboration, with IT departments enacting complex digital strategies overnight with support from finance and HR input. Equally, HR ensured all teams were conscious of employee wellbeing needs, with no roundtable group not discussing it.

The key to succeeding in this new world of work while maintaining a high productivity standard is a collaboration between the traditional company branches. One of the main findings of our research was exactly this: only by uniting these siloed groups and sharing expertise can an organisation provide and ensure a functioning structural plan. Working together and looking at the big picture will provide more holistic frameworks for cross-departmental relationships.

Investing in a long-term strategy

Over the past 18 months, nearly every business has undergone a robust digital transformation that has supported the remodelling, refreshing, and renewing of offices across the country. This digital transformation has enabled businesses to increase their innovation and agility, and as such, is suited to a new digitalisation of communication systems.

However, businesses would be foolish to assume the transformation is over. Our research found that following an onslaught of investments, finance teams are finding themselves needing to assess cost-benefit. In fact, we found that the need to make continued investments is continuing as the challenges that the various departments of both the private and public sectors develop. One such area for continued investment comes from addressing ongoing cybersecurity challenges and protecting employee and customer data. This type of investment will come in many forms, from tech to greater training.

The need for more training was identified as a keen concern for nearly all our roundtables, where the need to invest in safe practices was starting in the home. Only by making these grassroots and larger overarching investments can businesses ensure that they are fully protected.

The word of the future: flexibility

What was apparent across the board was the attitude altering effect remote work has had on the employee consciousness. There seems to be greater demand and expectation from employees for employer flexibility, with employees comparing the new world of work to the last 18 months rather than the years prior. Their perception of normal has shifted, and with an international talent shortage, businesses are feeling the strain to appease all employees – regardless of conflicting demands.

Flexibility comes together with collaboration, and in an increasingly globalised world, our offices are more connected and more affected by global crises than ever before. Alongside the pandemic and increased demand for flexibility, teams have been dealing with the effects of a supply chain crisis, Brexit and inflation. However, flexibility does offer malleability, ensuring managers can adapt to change and make compromises when these sharp issues occur.

The requirement to shape your business according to needs, to keep up with the times without losing your identity, is certainly a challenge that must be faced. Organisations should remain flexible and agile to remain competitive and ensure business growth while attracting and retaining top talents.

While there are still rough seas ahead for businesses across industry and sector, the storms are navigable through collaboration, careful investment and increased flexibility. By reviewing the “Leading Change at Work: Devising your digital workplace strategy” report, you have taken the first crucial step to leading your business down the pathway to productivity and security.

There are three provisional recommendations to consider in forming your next steps:

ANALYSE

All organisations small and large possess vast amounts of underutilised data that can inform business strategy. Following a period of such seismic transformation, it is crucial that we leverage this data to better understand how to move forward in this new world of work. Across all our roundtable discussions, there was a clear absence in the demand for metrics. For example, HR leaders are grappling to understand the right hybrid working balance, but this is being primarily determined through the use of anecdotal data. Across all departments, leadership must work together to evaluate how to establish measurable base lines that allow your business to trial and test new strategies and technologies to improve productivity in our people.

UNDERSTAND

Collecting data will be the first step but taking the time to understand its implications is an important follow on. In speaking to our IT leaders, whilst positive and important digital transformation is taking place, gauging what is working will take time and diligence. Importantly, feedback loops must be established between department leaders and c-suite decision makers. For example, in our conversations with Facilities leaders, the need to create agility through real-time learnings is becoming more apparent, yet industry leaders in this group didn’t feel they were being provided with these opportunities and were, as a result, lacking clear direction.

LEAD

Finally, business leaders must lead change in the digital workplace. We are all now operating in a part digital workplace, so there is an urgent need to recognise that the challenges we face no longer sit within the IT department, they impact HR, IT, Facilities and Finance/Operations.

This report revealed that digital transformation is a holistic challenge for organisations to work through in harmony. The key to succeeding in this new world of work while maintaining a high productivity standard is a collaboration between the traditional company branches.

One of the main findings of our research was exactly this: only by uniting these siloed groups and sharing expertise can an organisation provide and ensure a functioning structural plan. Working together and looking at the big picture will provide more holistic frameworks for cross-departmental relationships. Leadership in this sense reflects building these relationships and working to lead productive change across the board.