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CIOADVISORAPAC.COM
$15
FEBRUARY 2017
IN MY VIEW
CIO INSIGHTS
PETER AUHL,
CIO,
ADELAIDE CITY COUNCIL
NATALIA SHUMAN,
SVP AND GM, APAC AND EMEA,
KELLY SERVICES AND KELLYOCG
Ultimate Software
WHERE PEOPLE
COME FIRST
HCM SPECIAL
Why Collaboration Should Matter to
Every Organization in 2017
L
ike any leader overseeing a large geography, I
have often found myself meeting with partners in
Sydney, attending a customer event in Auckland
and joining an analyst briefing in Singapore – all
in the same week. The difference today, is that I can often
complete these meetings without having to board a plane.
As we head towards 2017, this changing dynamic of
workplace culture and collaboration continues to impact
business at all levels, from C-Suite to intern. Workplaces
are transforming and technology is the driving force.
In 2016, we’ve seen many collaboration predictions
come to fruition – particularly when it comes to technologies
that are easy to use and enable more natural collaboration
across environments and locations. Workspaces and
workplace behavior have also evolved. Witness the rise in
popularity of the ‘huddle room’ (or small group meeting
space), which not only encourages impromptu catch-ups
but delivers better use of company office space.
From Good to Great – Workplace Collaboration in 2017
So what impact are all these changes having, and what
direction will workplace collaboration take in 2017? I’ve
identified five key areas that I believe will be important to
organizations in the year ahead.
1. Access Anywhere Collaboration
As more people get access to collaborative technologies
at work, there is an increased end user expectation that
collaboration tools should be as easy and intuitive to use
as smart phones or tablets. People expect to be able work
in the same way across any device - in different rooms - as
they move from a desk to a meeting room – seamlessly
and effortlessly. To continue to drive user adoption,
collaboration tools will need to be designed for this way
of working.
2. Creating Intelligent and Personal
Customer Experiences
Organizations understand that to create loyal customers,
experience is everything. In an age where information
is instantly available online, customers are more
empowered than ever before. Research firm Gartner
predicts that by 2018, the world’s largest companies will
make use of intelligent apps, big data and analytics to
improve customer’s interaction with their organization.
In 2017, interactive collaboration technologies like
By Tony Simonsen, MD, Polycom Australia & New Zealand (ANZ)
CXO INSIGHTS
video are expected to be increasingly adopted as a way
of personalizing the customer experience. Face to face
communication in real time enables customers to be
more closely connected, develop rapport and have open
dialogue; which can lead to even greater innovation, as
well as loyalty.
3. Digital Transformation Moves Up
APAC Government Agendas
Companies will continue their digital transformation jour-
neys in 2017; and, according to research firm, IDC, world-
wide spending on technologies is expected to exceed US
$2.1 trillion by 2019. However, we are now also seeing the
need for a digital transformation shift beyond the private
sector to Government. Digitizing economies and public
services is now high on the agenda for many govern-
ments across Asia Pacific. Highly ambitious initia-
tives like the Digital Transformation Office in
Australia are a great example. With more digi-
tal natives joining the workforce - harnessing
the right technology to ensure connectivity to
society will be crucial to the success of public
sector digital transformation initiatives.
4. Evolving Workspaces
and Work Styles
Using a mix of cloud, mobile and
desktop collaboration apps is
fairly commonplace in today’s
modern workplace and most
organizations want their em-
ployees to be able to work eas-
ily regardless of location or
device. Tomorrow’s technol-
ogy has to be flexible enough
to meet the demands of differ-
ent work styles and collabo-
ration requirements ranging
from group brainstorming to
talent acquisition and training.
Likewise, the ability to collabo-
rate seamlessly is expected to be
an integral factor in the design of
future workspaces. Expect more
open meeting spaces, huddle rooms and personal work-
spaces; as well as home offices.
5. Startups and Entrepreneurs,
More Collaboration Needed
Business startups and increased entrepreneurial spirit
among millennials has contributed to workplace
transformation and innovation throughout Asia Pacific.
Co-working spaces, crowd funding, and the hiring of
freelancers has become increasingly commonplace among
this new breed of business owners. However, there is risk
attached to startups which has led to high failure rates. A
recent article in the Harvard Business Review suggested
that startups and established companies would both
improve their success rates if they collaborated instead
of competing, combining strengths. It’s expected that
collaboration technology and platforms will continue to
drive the spirit of innovation, keeping ideas and business
concepts alive through the right connections and transfer
of knowledge.
True Collaboration Delivering Real Value in 2017
Businesses of all sizes, and industries of all types have a
common goal - and that is to bring people together to get
things done, have meaningful and productive exchanges
and work towards success.
Collaborative technologies have the power
to level the playing field and give all a voice in
the workplace of the future. This represents
a tremendous opportunity for both the
public and private sector to unleash their
collaboration potential and embrace new ways
of working.
I really believe that 2017 is the year
more businesses and Government
organizations discover the real im-
pact that rich, meaningful collabo-
ration can deliver to employees,
customers, and ultimately their
bottom line.
Headquartered in Sydney,
Australia, Polycom (PLCM:
NASDAQ) is a multinational
corporation that develops vid-
eo, voice, content collabora-
tion and communication tech-
nology. Founded in 1990, the
company employs more than
3800 people and caps revenue of
$1.4 billion annually.
Collaborative technologies have the
power to level the playing field and
give all a voice in the workplace of
the future
Tony Simonsen,
MD