INSIGHT
THE ROLE OF AV IN A DIGITAL WORKPLACE
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Why digital transformation is making collaborative solutions more important than ever
igital transformation in the cent) feel they would be more productive if their office had better technology, saying that up-to-date workplace has become a major tech would allow them to do better work with buzzword of late, but in reality it more people. has been happening for around 20 years, ever since email started A staggering 45 per cent of people think that the to replace written documents as the main means technology in their office actually makes it more of communication. difficult to share information. Results also suggest However, digitisation today has started to have that employees are slow to embrace collaborative a real visible impact on the way people want to technology, with over half of executives (57 per work, and their technology preferences. For cent) explaining it is because they ‘don’t example, the use of smartphones in addition to understand it’. laptops and traditional office This highlights why usability programs has created a more should be at the front and centre complex ecosystem of digital tools when any AV solution is designed, “In this evolving and digital sources of information. purchased or implemented. If landcsape, it’s In this continuously evolving workspaces are overhauled landscape, it’s even more without a clear view of how any even more important that workspaces are new technologies will benefit the important that designed to facilitate end user, then businesses won’t collaboration. As teams become achieve anything. workspaces are ever-more virtual, the right AV Evidently something about the designed to equipment can make technology we use in the modern collaborative working easier and workplace is hampering faciliate remove any disconnect caused by collaboration. But is the collaboration” digitisation, creating a new technology at fault or are there element of social interaction. other factors at play? Information sharing is key to collaboration Making sure that colleagues are able to share information and ideas easily is absolutely crucial. Especially when team members aren’t in the same room, or even the same country. Clearly technology has a key role to play here, but are businesses implementing solutions that support the day-to-day needs of end users? Recent research from Sharp shows that more than three out of every five UK workers (64 per
Anti-collaborative habits undermine cooperation Research also revealed that anti-collaborative habits were common, with 41 per cent of office workers experiencing colleagues regularly talking over others during meetings and one third (36 per cent) experiencing others typing or carrying on with their own work during a conference call or meeting. Fifty per cent of people said that colleagues routinely ignore problems with communal office
Angela Townsend is sales manager of Sharp UK
March 2018
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