Between cloud services, video calling, internal social networks, and so much more, collaboration plays a huge role in modern workspaces. At the heart of collaboration is the technology that makes it possible. And for every type of collaboration software, there are multiple vendors and services offering various features and systems. Collaboration, while vital to the future of work, can also be overwhelming. But just as each organization has its own business plan and internal processes, so too does it need to have collaboration tools that meet its needs.
How do you know if your organization is using the right collaboration software? It starts by looking at the needs of your organization. With so many new advances and products available, it can be tempting to try to adopt all of the collaboration methods, but more isn’t always better. Do your employees travel often and work remotely? Focus on a cloud-based server. Do you have clients who regularly communicate around the world? Your best collaboration might come through video conferencing. By identifying the problems you want to solve, you can focus on certain services and have a better idea of the collaboration goals you want to reach and how you will measure their success.
With an idea of where you want to focus, you can start to look into different vendors. A variety of companies provide collaboration software, but they tend to use different platforms with varying features. Just as you would when buying a car or leasing a new office space, shop around until you find the platform that best works with your organization and that will address your problems and goals.
Collaboration can be a challenge for some companies, and it often comes down to an organization’s preparation. Companies may find themselves stumbling into collaboration as the need for teleworkers and increased communication arises. When that happens, managers are often on the defensive and simply want to quickly provide their employees with collaboration tools so they can keep working. But rushing to put something in place doesn’t give organizations the opportunity to do a dedicated search for the best solution to meet its needs.
If your organization isn’t currently using collaboration tools, that doesn’t mean it never will. The future of work is quickly shifting towards technology-enabled collaboration. By taking the time to create a thorough plan and thinking through the services that will be of the most use to your organization, you can do it right the first time and provide employees with the best solution without having to fix it later.
So many of the changes in the workspace are facilitating the growth of collaboration. The increase of the freelancer economy has made the ability to communicate around the world extremely important. Open workspaces have pushed the need for cloud-based computing and creative collaboration tools higher. Employees working remotely or from home also need to touch base with their colleagues, furthering the need for video and phone conferencing. There’s also the general improvements in technology; as computer processing and video resolution increases, for example, we naturally want to find ways to integrate it into our organizations.
There’s no denying that technology-based collaboration is a huge tool in future-proofing an organization and in giving employees the tools they need to
thrive in their jobs. While every organization doesn’t need to have every piece of available collaboration software, making technology adoption and collaboration a strategic part of your future business plan can transform how your company does business and help prepare you for a new wave of workplace changes.
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. You can invite Jacob to keynote your next conference, subscribe to his videos on Youtube, check our his podcast, or subscribe to his newsletter!
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