You’re committed to improving the way people work at their jobs. How do you get those you’re trying to help — and those whose support you need — to share your enthusiasm for a vision of working smarter?

The term “digital workplace transformation” lends some industry weight to this vision.  But it doesn’t capture the complexities and obstacles different organizations may encounter as they try to improve their internal processes and their ability to interact with customers. It also doesn’t make a case for the benefits, which include helping companies connect with customers (through tools like video collaboration and interactive displays) and making it easier for individuals and teams to work together.

Let’s add some context to our consideration by addressing AVI-SPL’s perspective on — and contributions to — workplace transformation.

AVI-SPL designs, integrates, and supports the type of meeting spaces where it’s easy for participants to start video collaboration meetings, connect personal devices to room systems, and present materials to in-room and remote participants. Among AVI-SPL’s case studies, you’ll find many examples of corporations, museums, and schools using interactive displays to engage their guests so they can find information and get a favorable view of the organization.

As you commit to workplace transformation, consider the value your business provides and how that value could change or be delivered more effectively. AVI-SPL helps companies improve their ability to collaborate in teams because it gives them the technology tools that today’s workers expect to have, and it makes them easy to use. One reason for that ease is automation, where rooms are designed for a minimum number of user interactions to engage any of the major functions. And scalable cloud-based services automate the scheduling, launching, and management of meetings so that they start on time and with no inconvenience to the participants.

Gaining consensus for workplace transformation

Digital workplace transformation requires people and an organizational structure that are open to change and are willing to put in the work to achieve it. To gain consensus for workplace transformation, learn how people want to work, their current struggles, and what kind of functions they expect of their technology systems. By collaborating with consultants and internal focus groups, you’ll identify areas for improvement. The solutions providing that improvement may include a catalog of meeting spaces with systems for video collaboration, simple control of room devices, interactive touch panels, and wireless presentation systems.

Always remember that the end goal is a better way of working together. Don’t undergo a process of change for its own sake, just to say that you’ve done it. The technology systems should fit the workplace culture (be it the current culture or the culture the company wants to emulate).  Because change will affect the entire company, give a voice to different stakeholders, including representatives from HR, marketing, finance, operations, and the like.

Once you’ve determined that change is necessary to improve the way people work, follow these steps laid out by JLL:

• Those in leadership positions must endorse the commitment to change. If the executives don’t believe in the plan, why should the rest of the company?
• Understand why employees might be resistant to change. If they are resisting because they think they don’t have the ability to change, or because they won’t have sufficient support, work through these obstacles through workshops and training sessions.
• The resistance can be cultural (“this is how we’ve always done things”) and personal (“we don’t have the skills “). When you understand different cultures and how they can affect your strategy, you can address employee resistance through training and new processes.
• Your company’s circumstances should dictate how you implement change. Some companies can change quickly, while others would be better off with an incremental process.
• Manage your strategy. Be flexible and willing to change the strategy as you learn more about the way your company operates.

The entire business doesn’t have to be ready for change. To make changes on a small scale, focus on a couple of internal groups or departments that would benefit from better collaboration with one another. As they are successful, they can be part of the advocate groups who share the news of their success to the rest of the company.

In the comments, tell me about your challenges with improving the workplace through meeting spaces and collaboration systems. You can also fill out this form and share your questions with AVI-SPL’s collaboration experts.

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