Technology – disrupting the way we work and play
The pace of innovation is speeding up and new technologies – or new ways to use them – are emerging daily, disrupting and blurring the lines between the way we work and how we conduct our personal lives. Executives are finding it increasingly difficult to strike a balance between work and leisure in a culture where instant and constant connection encourages people to be ‘always on’. However, technology can be used to redefine the blurring line between work and play.
Information Technology (IT) is used by virtually everyone in some form or another, and the consumerisation of it means that users have come to expect similar digital experiences at both their homes and at work. They have become accustomed to the ease of using applications such as Facebook without needing training or instruction. The same expectation has been pushed over into working life, with a desire to easily tap into and use business systems without the need for training. As such, workplace applications will need to provide user-centric, intuitive and immersive experiences to drive adoption and use.
This transition from manual to automated and intuitive systems is destined to completely change the way we work. Mobile devices and virtualisation are becoming more prevalent, enabling businesses to function smoothly. While this anywhere computing seems to further blend work and home life, it also enables executives to free up time typically spent on mundane and manual tasks so that they can focus more on tasks that require foresight, strategy and core knowledge.
In today’s world, the adage ‘disrupt or die’ holds true, and executives can ill afford to not be focused on forging their business path ahead, applying technology to ensure they remain relevant and competitive. Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics are here, and executives would be well served to be exploring how these technologies can be leveraged to increase their bottom line.
Executives looking to lead their organisations into future success need to find ways to harness these new technologies so that they move away from a myopic vision, towards one driven by innovation. Using new technologies and anticipating trends in order to address core business challenges will go a long way towards ensuring they remain ahead of competition. For example, human resource activities can be streamlined through effective use of automated analytics of employee data, and workflow tools can ensure that activities and processes are finetuned so that they run with little to no interference.
Many businesses can leverage what are typically considered personal applications within the workplace.
By using technologies to cover the menial tasks, executives can shift their attention to where it matters, focusing on tasks which require insight, strategy and intuition. Questions such as, what the business’s vision should be and how to adapt it as the business grows, how to grow the business, what key programs and initiatives should be investigated and adopted in order to carry out the vision and strategies, all need to be an executive’s priority. While big data analytics can provide insights for these tasks, executives need to look at making decisions based on their intuition coupled with the insights offered from technology.
Amit Kaundinya is Practice Manager – Digital, BPM and Integration at Wipro Limited. Gavin Holme is Business Head, Africa at Wipro Limiteda
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