Recently I talked at Intranett 2012 about how your organisation can transform its intranet into digital workplace to save costs and reduce unproductive time and workspace. I define the digital workplace as “Work is what you do, not a place you go to”.
The intranet is a key ingredient in an evolving world of work and technology called the digital workplace. If you are working from a cafe on a smartphone, accessing IM, sales data or online expenses forms, you are in the digital workplace. I want to cover in my next few posts how you can help make this happen starting with how you create a strategy for your digital workplace.
Vital to align your digital workplace strategy
Your digital workplace strategy must align with your organisation’s strategy. There is no point moving in one direction if your organisation is planning to go in a different direction. You need to be clear what your organisation’s strategy is and make sure your strategy shows how it will help to achieve it.
Digital workplace strategy is wider than intranet
A digital workplace strategy will usually be wider than your intranet strategy. It’s more than the traditional role for information published online. It will also cover the online user experience where you will be working e.g. while mobile, at home, in cafes; how you will be working e.g. using laptops, smartphones, and maybe personal and/or public PCs; what you need to do your work e.g. completing tasks, sharing knowledge.
Plan for the short, medium, and long-term
Your plans need to cover the short-term (0 – 3 months), medium term (3 – 12 months), and long-term (over 1 year). You need to prioritise your action plan to give the biggest benefit to your organisation based on best positive impact on people; most savings for your organisation; quickest to implement; and cheapest to do.
Who will have the biggest influence
You need to identify the senior managers, your stakeholders, who will have the biggest influence on your strategy. You need to build and maintain good relationships with them for your strategy to a) be implemented and b) have the best chance of succeeding. Typically they will represent Finance, CIO, HR and most importantly, your business units.
Identify who will be affected the most
You need to identify who will be most affected by your strategy. You also need to maintain good relationships with them for your strategy to a) be implemented and b) have the greatest chance of succeeding and make sure they are clear what to expect and understand how they will be affected. Typically they will be from your business units most influenced by the digital workplace.
Please contact me if you need my help or leave a comment on this post. In my next post I will cover the governance needed in a digital workplace.