PULSESURVEY

DigitalAccelerationRedefinestheFutureofWork

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SPONSORPERSPECTIVE

TobetterunderstandhowtheCovid-19pandemichaschangedthespeedofdigitallyenablingwork,theworkforce,andtheworkplace,wesponsoredresearchbyHarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServices,andtheysurveyedleadersinavarietyofindustriesandgeographies.Bottomline,whatwe’vebeenhearingfromourcustomersandpartnersalignswiththisresearch:

Theglobalpandemicnotonlyforcedcompaniestospeeduptheir

digitizationefforts,butthisnew,fasterspeedisbecomingthenorm.Andtofurtherexplorehowtogetandstayahead,HarvardBusinessReview

AnalyticServicesgainedinsightsfromsomeofthetopmindsinbusinesstransformationonhowtomakeyouraccelerationeffortsstick.

Asyou’llseeinthefollowingreport,HarvardBusinessReviewAnalytic

Servicesfoundthatnotalldigitizationeffortsarecreatedequal.Enablingremoteworkwastopofmindatthestartofthepandemic,butnow

companiesarelookingforwaystogleanmorebusinessvalueandsharpentheircompetitivepositionwiththeiraccelerationefforts.

AndnoteveryoneintheC-suite—fairlyornot—isseenasequalwhenit

comestochampioningdigitalacceleration.Regardless,thereportisproofpositivethatfortheforeseeablefuture,thespeedofbusinessisgettingfasterandwillcontinuetoimpactthefutureofwork.

Wehopeyoufindthisreportasvaluableandinterestingaswedid.

GregPryor

ExecutiveDirector

Workday

HIGHLIGHTS

91%ofsurveyrespondents

whoaccelerateddigital

transformationamidthe

pandemicintendtomaintainthatswifterspeedandnotreturntotheeffort’spre-

pandemicpace.

72%ofthoserespondentspointtotheCEOastheexecutive

whomostprioritizesdigitalaccelerationefforts.

53%ofthoserespondents

recognizethatcreatinga

corporateculturethatbettersupportsdigitaleffortsis

theirtoppriority.

DigitalAccelerationRedefinestheFutureofWork

Ascorporateandworkenvironmentscontinuetoevolve,

digitalaccelerationspurredbytheCovid-19pandemic

hasonlyheightenedexpectationsaboutthespeedand

effectivenessofthatevolution.Thatpandemic-related

digitalaccelerationwasnecessarytosecureimmediate

economicsurvival,butitendedupdoingsomething

more—settinganewnormalintermsoforganizational

speed.So,whiletheoriginalintentionwastoquickly

enableremotework,organizationsnowseedigital

accelerationasamorepermanentpartoftheeffortto

realizebusinessoutcomes.

Eighty-sixpercentofthe326businessexecutivesacrossdifferentfunctions

surveyedbyHarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServicesinApril2021saytheir

organizationhadaccelerateditsdigitaltransformationduringthepandemic.

Ofthose279executiveswhorespondedthatway,91%plantomaintainthe

heightenedpaceofdigitaltransformationpost–Covid-19—ortomoveeven

faster—speakingtojusthowpermanenttheyviewthisshiftinspeedtobe.

That“greatacceleration,”however,didnotalwayscomewithoptimalresults

intermsofproductivity,scope,orspeed.Afterall,thesurveyrevealsthat

notallcompanieswerewell-preparedforthedigitalaccelerationnecessary

duringthepandemic.Fewerthanhalfofsurveyrespondents(45%)strongly

agreethattheywereabletoacceleratedigitalinitiativesandstayproductive

atthesametime.Onlyone-quarterofrespondentsstronglyagreethatthey

wereabletoacceleratethedigitizationofalltheprocessesthattheysetout

todigitizeduringthepandemic,andjust28%saytheyhavebeenableto

transformasfastastheyneededtooverthepastyear.

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“Digitalisn’tjustabouttechnology,it’sadifferentwayofoperating.It’snotsomethingyoubuyorimplement.It’ssomethingyou

becomebytransformingyourmindsetaboutdigitization,”saysJoshBersin,aglobalindustryanalystandpresidentandfounderofBersin&Associates.

NigelGuenole,directorofresearchfortheInstituteofManagementatGoldsmiths,UniversityofLondon,observesthatthepandemichasincreasedpeople’sexpectationsabouthowbusinessisdonedigitally,whichalsoincludeshowemployeesconductwork.Thisexpectationisnolongerlimitedtotheworkforceofonebusinessunitoroneorganization.Withtheboundariesbetweenorganizationsdisappearingduetodigitalconnectedness,employeesneedtobeabletocollaborateandconductbusinessdigitallyenterprise-wideaswellasacrossmultipleorganizations.

Tobeabletomeetexpectationsandmaintaindigitalaccelerationlongerterm,companieswilllikelyneedtorethinktheirapproachtotransformativeprocessesandtechnologies.Asuccessfuldigitalaccelerationintothefuturerequirescreatingastrategythatnotonlyhelpscompaniesseizecurrentopportunitiesandaddressimmediatechallengesof

FIGURE1

TheNeedforSpeed

Avastmajorityoforganizationsintendtokeepup

digitalacceleration

Whichofthefollowingstatementsaboutdigitalaccelerationbestdescribesyourorganizationmovingforward?

37%

Weaimtomaintainouracceleratedspeed

31

Weaimtomoveevenfasterthanourcurrentacceleratedspeed

23

Weaimtogofasterthanbeforethepandemicbutaren’tyetsureofour?nalpace

5

Weaimtoreturntoourpre-pandemicspeed

4

Don’tknow

Source:HarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServicessurvey,April2021

thepost-pandemicrecovery,butalsobecomesaspringboardforamoredigitallyforward-lookingorganization.

“Digitalisn’tjustabouttechnology,it’sadifferentwayofoperating,”saysJoshBersin,aglobalindustryanalystandpresidentandfounderofBersin&Associates,anindustryresearchandadvisoryfirm.“It’snotsomethingyoubuyorimplement.It’ssomethingyoubecomebytransformingyourmindsetaboutdigitization.”

Thisreportdiscusseshoworganizationsviewtheshort-andlong-termbenefitsofdigitalaccelerationandthestepstheyareplanningtotaketoachievethesegoals.Itdelvesintotheimportanceofcreatingtheculturethatsupportsdigitalaccelerationandhowmanagementcanalignaroundthegoalsandscopeofdigitalacceleration.Finally,itexplainshowcompaniescanusetechnologiestonotonlyenabledigitalaccelerationbutalsoinvolveemployeesincreatingamoreproductiveworkplace,nomatterwhereitis.

ADigitalAdrenalineRush

Thepandemicinjectedashotofadrenalineintocorporatedigitaltransformationefforts.Beforethepandemic,thepaceofdigitalaccelerationvariedfromorganizationtoorganization.Somewereintheearlydaysofimplementingdigitalsolutionsinareassuchase-commerce,customerexperience,businessmodels,andemployeeexperience,whileotherswereinamorematurestage.WithCovid-19cameanurgencyaroundremotework,andthepandemicforcedeverybodytobroadentheirdigitizationeffortsacrosstheirorganizations,includinganimmediatefocusondigitizingtheemployeeexperience.

Thatimmediacyeventuallyreshapedwhatnormalis.Aspreviouslynoted,thesurveyshowsthataccelerationofdigitaltransformationsparkedbyCovid-19hasindeedbecomethenewnormal:91%ofthosewhoaccelerateddigitaltransformationamidthepandemicintendtomaintainthatswifterspeedandnotreturntothepre-pandemicpace—andsomeaimtomoveevenfaster.FIGURE1

Thelingeringeffectsofthepandemicarejustoneofthereasonsfortheconstantneedfordigitalacceleration.Companiesareinagrowthandhiringmodepost-pandemic,

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51%

52%

36

40

butawaveofemployeeresignationsinsomeindustries1

andarecord-breakingnumberofunfilledjobopenings2

arehamperingthesegrowthefforts.

BersinofBersinAcademypointsoutthatorganizationsarefindingtheycan’thireenoughpeopletotakeadvantageofgrowthopportunities.Asaresult,hesays,theyfacearealriskthatthedigitalaccelerationstartedbythepandemicmaybestoppedbythelackofthehumancapitaltomakeitworthwhile.

AccordingtoBersin,thesolutionisn’ttoslowdownthedigitizationofworktoimproveemployeeexperiencebuttointensifyitandthusincreaseengagement,retention,andproductivityoftheworkersorganizationsalreadyhave.Retentionespeciallyloomsasaseriousissue,consideringthatoneinfouremployees(26%)areplanningtolookforanewjobwhenthethreatofCovid-19decreases,ontopof20%whoswitchedtheirjobsduringthepandemic,accordingto

Prudential’sPulseoftheAmericanWorkerSurvey,3

whichpolled2,000adultsworkingfulltime

Inmanycases,digitizationnotonlyenablesandimprovesemployeeexperienceandretentionbutalsocanhaveadirectimpactoncustomerexperienceandretention.Clinicaltrials,forexample,typicallyrequirein-personmeetingsamongmedicalproviders,trialparticipants,andtrialadministrators.Whenthepandemichit,thein-persontouchpointswereeliminated.ButPRAHealthSciences,acontractresearchorganizationthatadministersclinicaltrials,useditsdigitalcapabilitiestocollectdataremotelywhenneitherpatientsnormedicalstaffcouldmeetinperson.KentThoelke,formerlyPRA’sexecutivevicepresidentandchiefmedicalofficerandnowchiefinnovationofficeratICONplc.,believesthatthesuccessofpandemic-relateddigitalaccelerationwilladvancetheoveralldigitalmaturityofcompaniesinvolvedinclinicaltrials.

ExpandingDigitalPrioritization

Thepandemicforcedmanyorganizationstosendtheirworkershome,whichiswhytheyimmediatelydevotedmostoftheireffortstodigitizingtheiremployees’experience.“Manycompaniesareastoundedathowquicklytheyputworkflowsonlineandhoweffectivelymanydigitaltoolscouldbeusedforthingstheydidn’tpredict,”saysBersin.

Digitizingwasahigherpriorityforsomeprocessesthanforothers.Accordingtothesurveyfindings,thetwoprocessesthatwerethemostdigitallyacceleratedduringthepastyearwere,byfar,remoteworksystemsandprocesses(81%)andcollaborationandteamcommunication(79%).Themost-citedbenefitofdigitalaccelerationachievedlastyearwasaproductiveremoteworkingsystemandarrangements(71%),withimprovedoperationalefficiencyandreducedoperatingcosts(52%)adistantsecond.

Butgoingforward,remoteworkmaynotneedthesameprioritywhenitcomestodigitalacceleration.Lessthanathirdofrespondents(31%)citeremoteworkasabenefitofdigitalaccelerationtheyarelookingfor.Instead,whattheyaimtoachievefromtheircontinueddigitalaccelerationareimprovedoperationalefficiencyandreducedoperatingcosts(51%)andimprovedcustomerexperience(41%).FIGURE2Thisshiftmaybetheresultoftheintensefocusandprogressmadeinenablingremoteworkduringthepandemicandtherecognitionthatcompaniesnowneedtomakesurethatdigitalaccelerationleadstobroaderbusinessoutcomes.

FIGURE2

ShiftingPrioritiesofDigitalAcceleration

Afterenablingremotework,companiesarelookingforbroaderbusinessbene?ts

Whatoutcomesisyourorganizationmostaimingtoachievefromits

continueddigitalacceleration?Whatbene?tsfromdigitalaccelerationhasyourorganizationachievedoverthepastyear?

■Aimingtoachieve■Achievedoverthepastyear

Improvedoperationalef?ciency/reducedoperatingcosts

41

29

Improvedcustomerexperience

Increasedagility/speedofoperations/abilitytopivot

19

35

Improvedcompetitiveposition/marketshare

33

27

Newrevenuestreams/businessopportunities

31

71

Aproductiveremoteworkingsystem/arrangement

28

33

Increaseddatamanagementcapabilities

13

18

Improvedcybersecurity

11

8

Optimizedsupplychain

Source:HarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServicessurvey,April2021

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Thetwoprocessesthatwerethemostdigitallyacceleratedduringthepastyearwere,byfar,remoteworksystemsandprocesses(81%)andcollaborationandteamcommunication(79%).

Bersinpointstotheexpectedtightlabormarketoverthenexttwoyearsandtheimportanceofmakingpeoplemoreproductiveasreasonsforthecontinuedfocusonefficiency.

Toensureproductivityandefficiency,itisimportanttokeeptrackoftherightmetrics,saysJoeBerger,seniordirector,digitalworkspacepracticeatWorldWideTechnology(WWT).Keepingsuchmetricsisnotaneasytask,consideringtheamountofdatabeinggeneratedbyinteractionsbetweenemployeesandeveryonetheydobusinesswith,includingcustomers,partners,andcoworkers.Insteadofanalyzingsuperficialdataabouttheattendanceorfrequencyofmeetings,dataanalyticsshouldbeaimedatmeasuringbusinessgoals,saysBerger.

Amindsetfocusedonproductivityandefficiencymaychangeoncetheeconomyrebounds.Onlyathird(33%)ofrespondentscurrentlyviewdigitalaccelerationthroughtheprismofgrowthandbusinessopportunities,forexample.“Rightnow,manycompaniesaredealingwithmaintainingorrecapturingthegrowthratetheyhadbeforethepandemic,”saysBersin.“Oncetheeconomycontinuesgrowingatafastclip,businesseswillfeelinsecurityaboutnotgrowingfasterthanthemarket,andwe’regoingtoseeabusinessenvironmentwhereacceleratinggrowthwillbeatoppriority.”

AligningCultureandTechnology

Theinterplaybetweentechnologyandcultureisthedecidingfactorinthesuccessofdigitalacceleration.Digitizedworkflowsmeanthatworkismoreinteractive,thingsaredoneinrealtime,andthedevelopmentofsystemsandproductsiscontinuousanddatadriven.Tosucceed,employeesneedtobemoreagileandreskillquicklywhentheirjobschangeduetoadvancedtechnologies,newbusinessoroperatingmodels,orotherfactors.Tosucceedintheircareers,theyneedacultureoftransparencyandcommunication,withtheorganizationsignalingtoemployeeswhichskillstheywillneedandofferingtrainingsotheycanacquirethem.

Notsurprisinglygiventheirimportance,technologyandculturehavebeenthetwobiggestchallengestodigitalacceleration.Atfirst,thebiggestchallengesorganizationsencounteredduringtheirpandemic-inspireddigitalaccelerationweretiedtotechnology(constraintsoflegacyITsystemsandtools,citedby44%)andculture(corporatecultureisnotfullypreparedfordigitalacceleration,39%).

Whenthepandemichit,technologyeffortsweresometimesthwartedbyaculturebuiltaroundtraditionalprocessesandtheexpectationthateverybodywouldbeintheofficeeveryday.Companiesinthisboatstruggledwithmakingthetransitiontoremotework,saysWWT’sBerger.Hecitesacompanythataskeditsemployeestocomebacktotheofficeduringthepandemictopickuptheirdesktopcomputersbecausetheyhadnowayofaccessinganywork-relatedinformationfromhomeonanyotherdevice.

FIGURE3

TechwithaHumanTouch

Topchangesneededtosucceedatdigitalaccelerationinvolvecultureandtechnology

Basedonyourexperienceduringthepandemic,whatarethemost

importantchangesyourorganizationneedstomakeinordertosucceedatdigitalacceleration?

53%

Createacorporateculturethatbettersupportsdigitalefforts/agility

49

Integratetechnologiesintoamoreseamlesssystem

46

Maketechnologiesmoreuser-friendly/people-centric

38

Trainworkforce/recruitnewskills

37

Increaseinvestmentindata-driven/advancedtechnologies

27

Applydesignthinkingtoaddressdigitalchallenges

17

Improvesecuritymeasures

16

Explorenewtechnologypartners

Source:HarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServicessurvey,April2021

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Themost-citedbenefit

ofdigitalacceleration

achievedlastyearwas

aproductiveremote

workingsystemand

arrangements(71%).

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Byimplementinghealth-relateddigitaltoolsandplatforms,

companiescanhelpemployeesfindtheresourcesandprogramstodealwithmentalhealthandotherissues.

Lookingahead,cultureandtechnologycompatibilitywilllikelyfigureprominentlyincontinuingdigitalaccelerationefforts.Respondentsrecognizethatcreatingacorporateculturethatbettersupportsdigitaleffortsistheirtoppriority(53%).FIGURE3

Thisculturepriorityisfollowedcloselybytheneedtointegratetechnologiesintoamoreseamlesssystem(49%)andtheurgencytomaketechnologiesmoreuser-friendly/people-centric(46%),whichmakessensegivenhowmany(44%)saythattheconstraintsoftheirlegacyITcreatedoneofthebiggestchallengestheyexperiencedinthepastyear’sdigitalaccelerationefforts.

Bergerbelievesthattrustisthekeyingredientofaculturethatsupportsdigitalacceleration.“Ifyoudon’thavetrustthattheemployeesworkingremotelywillgettheirjobsdone,thewholeconceptfallstothewayside,”hesays.

Anotherreasonwhyculturehasbecomepivotalstemsfromthewaythepandemicaffectedhowemployeesviewemployers’responsibilitiesregardingthewell-beingoftheworkforce.Whileissuessuchasempathy,diversityandinclusion,orsocialjusticearenotnew,theytookonanewlevelofprominenceaspeoplebecameworriedabouttheirphysicalandemotionalhealth.Somegroupsofemployeespaidahigherpricefortheirwell-being,abilitytomakealiving,orcareergrowthprospectsthanothersdid.

Companiescanusetechnologytomaintainacultureofequityandcaring.Digitallyempoweredhumanresourcesdepartmentscanmonitorhiringandcareerpathtrendsandimplementprogramsaimedatdiversityandinclusiontoensureequitableworkforcepractices.Byimplementinghealth-relateddigitaltoolsandplatforms,companiescanhelpemployeesfindtheresourcesandprogramstodealwithmentalhealthandotherissues.Enablingremoteworkfulfillstheneedforflexibility,whichhelpsemployeeswiththeirwell-beingandwork-lifebalance.Meanwhile,communicationtechnologies,whethermobilechannels,collaborationtools,ordigitalsignageintheworkplace,cankeepemployeesuptodateabouthealthrisksandshareotherimportantinformation,helpingcreateasafeworkplace.

AligningManagementthroughout

theEnterprise

Digitalaccelerationworksonlyifitinvolvesallpartsoftheorganization.“Greatcompanieslearnthatitisn’tjustthe

tech.Itisn’tjusttheHR,itisn’tjustlineofbusiness.Allthreearerelated.Andnotoneofthemcanfallbehindwithoutholdinguptheothers,”saysBersin.

Suchanenterprise-wideeffortrequiresachampionattheverytopoftheorganization,andCEOshaveshowntheyareuptothetask.Seventy-twopercentofsurveyrespondentspointtotheCEOastheexecutivewhomostprioritizesdigitizationaccelerationefforts,followedbythechiefinformationofficer/chieftechnologyofficer(47%),thechiefoperatingofficer(31%),andtheCFO(21%).(Chiefhumanresourcesofficers,orCHROs,areamongtheleastlikelytobeseenasdigitalaccelerationchampions,whichthisreportwilldiscussattheendofthissection.)ThehighinvolvementoftheCEOindigitalaccelerationbodeswellforbusinesses,asinitiativesspearheadedorbackedbyCEOsaretypicallymorelikelythanotherstosucceed.

Whiletopexecutivesagreeontheneedfordigitalacceleration,mostarenotyetfullyalignedwiththeareas,speed,andscopeinvolvedinsuchaneffort.Respondentsstronglyagree(61%)thatexecutivesattheirorganizationsbelievethatcontinueddigitalaccelerationiscriticalforstayingcompetitive.However,fewerrespondentsstronglyagreethattheirexecutivesarealignedwhenitcomestohowtoproceedwithdigitalaccelerationintermsofitsscope(28%),speed(29%),andareasthatmostneeddigitalacceleration(31%).

Thegoodnews,accordingtoBersin,isthattop-levelexecutivesacrossallfunctionsaremorelikelytocollaboratebettersincethepandemic,whichremovedmanyofthebarriersthattraditionallyexistedbetweenexecutives,suchasbureaucraticschedulingofmeetingsinvolvingC-levelexecutivesrepresentingdifferentfunctions.C-levelexecutivesworkedtogetherduringthepandemic,meetingvirtuallyandhavingtownhallswiththeiremployeeseveryweek.

Thechallengewillbetomaintainthatopennessandcollaborationwithouthavingtheexternalpressureofthepandemic.TheUniversityofLondon’sGuenolesaysthattherightapproachstartswiththerecognitionthatdigitaltransformationshouldbedrivenbybusinessneeds.Hegivesanexampleofacompanythateveryyearsolicitsideasfordigitalinitiativesfromalllinesofbusinessacrosstheorganization.Theideasarethenfedtotheevaluationcommitteeforprioritization.

Whileallfunctionshavearoleindigitalacceleration,thepandemichasbroughtemployeeexperiencetothetopofcorporateagendas,puttingthespotlightonhumanresources

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professionals.Andyetthesurveyshowsthatjust8%ofrespondentsviewCHROsaschampionsofdigitalacceleration,afarlowernumberthanisseenforotherfunctions.

“SeniorHRprofessionalsusedtohavealittlebitofanimpostersyndrome,astheyworriedthatthey’renotnecessarilymakingasbigofanimpactastheirline-of-businesscolleagues,”saysGuenole.However,thepandemichasclearlyrevealedhowcrucialhumancapitalisforbusinessperformance.HRprofessionalscanplayakeyroleinboostingbusinessperformancebyusingtechnologytoimproveemployeeexperience,recruitnewemployees,andincreasetheretentionofcurrentemployees.

Inaddition,tohelpprovideemployeeswiththerightskills,humanresourcesprofessionalscanusedashboardstomonitorthenumberofenrollmentsandcompletionsalignedwithlearningparticularstrategicskills.Theycannowalsoincreaseretentionbyusingpredictivedataanalyticstodeterminewhichemployeesmaybeonthevergeofleavingtheorganization.“Humanresourcesprofessionalsneedtobethefacilitatorswhohavetoknowthebusinessneedsandhowtodeliveronthesegoalsviatechnology,whileensuringthatthepeoplesideofthebusinesscanwalkalongwiththat,”Guenoleasserts.

CreatingaHybridWorkplace

Flexibilitywillbekeytoenablingthefutureofworknowthatthepandemicshowedthatpeoplecanfunctionwellwhileworkingremotely.Atthetoplevelofmanagement,itmeanscreatingflexibilityforemployeesformutualbenefit—thatis,enablingworkintheworkplaceorfromhome,whicheverbestfulfillstheneedsoftheorganizationandtheemployee.Gettingcorrectthathybridmodelofworkingpartlyinofficeandpartlyremotewillbecrucialforemployeeretention.“Employeeswhodon’tlikethepost-Covid-19modelofworkwillpotentiallyleavetogotoacompetitor,andcompaniesmayfindithardertoattractnewtalent,”saysBerger.

AccordingtothePulseoftheAmericanWorkerSurvey,4

42%ofcurrentremoteworkerssaythatiftheircurrentcompanydoesnotcontinuetoofferremoteworkoptionslongterm,theywilllookforajobatacompanythatdoes.Thissentimentsignalsthata“warfortalent”maybeloomingifcompaniesdon’taddressworkers’needs.Thatsurveyalsorevealedthat87%ofAmericanworkerswhohavebeenworkingremotelyduringthepandemicwouldprefertocontinueworkingremotelyatleastonedayaweekafterthepandemic.Amongallworkers,68%sayahybridworkplacemodelisideal.

Ahybridworkingarrangementwilllikelygainevenmoretraction.Morethanhalfoftherespondents(55%)totheHarvardBusinessReviewAnalyticServicessurveystronglyagreethattheirorganizationswilloperateasahybridmodel

Thepandemichasclearlyrevealedhowcrucialhumancapitalis

forbusinessperformance.HR

professionalscanplayakeyroleinboostingbusinessperformancebyusingtechnologytoimprove

employeeexperience,recruit

newemployees,andincreasetheretentionofcurrentemployees.

goingforward.Ofcourse,anewworkmodelrequiresnewthinkingaboutcreatingtheemployeeexperience.Therigidemployeepersonas—definedbyfunction,role,orlocation—needtobereplacedbyamoreflexiblemethodology,saysBerger.

Hebelievescreatingawell-roundedemployeepersonastartswiththeunderstandingofadayinthelifeofanemployee.“It’snotjustaboutwhattechnologiesdoyouneedtousebutalsowhatisyourdaylike?Whataretheprocessesthatthisemployeemightbeapartof?”saysBerger.“Thepersonamodelingshouldbearoundthatfullfeatureset,notjustthetechnologyapplicationsthatpersonmightneedaccessto.”

Guenoleaddsthatsuchanapproachtotheemployeeexperienceismoregranularandnuancedthantraditionalmodelingandrequiresaprecise,data-drivenapproachtomakesurethatdifferentpersonascoalesceintoawell-oiledorganization.

Butadata-drivenapproachwhenitcomestodecisionmakingisn’tlimitedtoemployeeexperience.Infact,suchanapproachcanbeappliedthroughouttheorganizationforavarietyofthings.Forexample,datamanagementtoolsthat,amongotherthings,providetheunderstandingofworkflowsandtheirbusinessoutcomes,arethetoptechnologyinvestmentthatcompaniesareincreasingoverthenexttwoyears,with52%ofrespondentsrankingthemaheadofcollaborationlearningtools(48%)andcloud-basedplatforms(43%).FIGURE4

Digitalworkplacetechnologiesofferthepotentialformultipleemployeestoorganicallycreatenewtools,processes,andworkflows.Atthepolarendsofeachworkforcearetwotypesofemployees,withprogrammers,developers,

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FIGURE4

Data-DrivenDecisionMaking

Increasesintechnologyinvestmentdesiredoverthenexttwoyears

Whattechnologies/solutionswillyourorganizationbeincreasingitsinvestmentsinoverthenexttwoyears?

52%

Datamanagementtools

48

Communication/collaboration/learningtools

43

Cloud-basedplatforms/tools

41

Projectandteammanagementtools

41

Remoteworktools

39

Task-automationtools

37

Specialtytools/software

24

Enterpriseresourceplanningtools/s