The 'New Way of Working' is still a hot topic. As an office worker today, you want to be able to work flexibly. Independent of place, time, and location. As an adoption consultant, I help with the complete change process to guide users within organizations in this new way of working. Meanwhile, I have learned that the 'New Way of Working' is more than just putting documents in the cloud and providing employees with mobile devices. And if you want to know why working efficiently is often still far from reality with the 'New Way of Working', read on!
‘The ‘New Way of Working’ has several advantages:
The ‘New Way of Working’ is about giving employees the ability to work flexibly and remotely. They can then collaborate with their colleagues and customers anytime & anywhere. An important factor in this is the digitization of work processes; move everything to the cloud.
This way, employees can access their documents and applications via any (mobile) device connected to the internet. At home on the couch, on the train, from a yacht, or from a sunny place anywhere in the world; working is possible everywhere with a Modern Workspace.
In addition to more workplace freedom, the ‘New Way of Working’ helps with working (more) efficiently through digitization of work. Compare, for example, a form you receive via email (or mail) with a digital form. The sent form requires different actions to fill it out, send it, and then process it.
With the digital form, you can fill it out, send it immediately, and have it processed. This increases the quality and reliability of standard work. As a result, more time is left for complex tasks.
Making knowledge and information accessible in an organization is increasingly important. Relevant information must be available anytime and anywhere. Yet sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees; there is so much information around us that searching and filtering it feels like a full-time job.
The ‘New Way of Working’ helps with this by making information centrally and filtered accessible. This way, you search faster within the total of digital information, or better: you get all relevant information presented to you in an orderly manner through personal filters.
The above advantages will be desirable for every organization. And that’s what makes the ‘New Way of Working’ so popular. Are you already with your head in the cloud? Then keep your feet on the ground for a moment, because these advantages don’t become reality just like that.
With the ‘New Way of Working’, organizations often spend most time and energy on putting all data in the cloud. But no matter how good it sounds on paper, with mobile devices and cloud solutions, you’re not there yet. You’ve only met the technical aspect of the ‘New Way of Working’, the systems and devices.
Organizations forget the human and process aspect of the ‘New Way of Working’: employees who collaborate in a new way. They haven’t been taken into the cloud and are still standing with both feet on the ground. This results in the ‘New Way of Working’ being a large technical investment, where the promised benefits are only marginally experienced in the organization.
The ‘New Way of Working’ thus asks for more. Not only the data and systems, but the entire organization will have to go through the transition. This means that work processes, leadership, responsibilities, and behavior must be recalibrated to work time and place independent.
The success of the ‘New Way of Working’ rests on the motivation and enthusiasm of employees. Are they willing to work differently? Do they have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their task in the new way? Do they experience enough freedom and trust to get started with the ‘New Way of Working’? Do they see the benefits of it? Do they get enough support when they get stuck? The ‘New Way of Working’ thus forms a transition that affects the entire business operations.
The most important and first step is therefore getting clear on the why. Why do you want to implement the ‘New Way of Working’; what problem does this solve? Why is there now a problem that requires action? Why is the ‘New Way of Working’ the best choice for your company?
With the answers to these questions, you create a framework with which you guide the entire business operation step by step and phase by phase in the transition to the ‘New Way of Working’. This way, you prevent the transition from remaining a party for the IT department and ensure that it is supported organization wide. The most important task in this is motivating and enthusing employees. They are the ones who make the transition a success.
Therefore, before you start looking for cloud solutions, answer the following questions:
Starting with the ‘New Way of Working’ involves more than just purchasing a cloud solution. Organizations that limit themselves to this are facing a trajectory full of frustrations and disappointments. This will require more investment than when they guide the organization towards the ‘New Way of Working’ from a clear why.
Need help in getting clarity on your why and getting employees on board to embrace the ‘New Way of Working’? Then contact us via the form below.
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