Productive digital collaboration in an evolving threat landscape
Stacey Lewis 
Date published: Feb 17, 23
Productivity is a significant component for making your business profitable and successful in the long run. Enhancing your company's productivity can also positively impact your company culture and team's morale - promoting a better work environment and leading to a more successful organisation.
Successful collaboration improves problem-solving, increases creativity, enables innovation, reduces costs and enhances productivity.
Your ability to effectively collaborate is crucial for organisations where multi-stakeholder input is essential, speed to market is vital. Your ability to get the right people involved in projects creates more momentum within the execution process and heads off potential delays and changes.
Productivity pitfalls when working collaboratively
Indeed, when it comes to collaboration, a lack of feedback is one of the major hindrances to productivity in an office environment. Team members must have their efforts and performance recognised and evaluated regularly to grow as a team.
We can safely say that there are some traditional communication methods that are here to stay. One of them is email. Nevertheless, inefficiently managing emails, mismanaged documents and lack of accountability can significantly hinder the workflow.
Silos within organisations
Many organisations struggle with silos - sharing information and collaborating across departments is difficult when data is siloed. In order to maintain your team's cohesion, hybrid and remote teams must be kept in the loop and provided with access to the necessary information to remain productive.
Siloed data can make it difficult for leaders to get a holistic picture of their business. For data to add value to the analysis and decision-making processes, it is important that it can be found easily by the right stakeholders, used in a timely manner, secure, and can be trusted when it is found and used.
Enhancing productivity with the right tools and processes
It is always difficult for people who have always done things in a particular way to accept change, so introducing new platforms or techniques for collaborative work can be challenging. However, using the right tools and processes to work more productively has never been more important.
The most effective productivity tools are fit for purpose, meaning they are designed specifically to address the challenges faced by users. These tools should be intuitive and easy to use, so that your team can get the most out of them without having to spend a lot of time learning how to use them. Furthermore, productivity tools should be a catalyst for productivity improvements and growth, not just a temporary fix. They should provide clear and measurable benefits, such as increased efficiency and better time management, that users can see over time.
When users are able to experience these benefits, they are more likely to continue using these tools, further driving their own productivity and success.
Digital employee experience (DEX)
2021 and 2022 saw remote, and hybrid work become permanent norms for millions of workers. It was a turning point for many organisations as we embarked on a journey to the digital employee experience (DEX). This means your IT workflows must evolve to better support a dispersed workforce that relies on digital technology more than ever before. According to a study by 1E and Vanson Bourne, 95% of professionals highlighted IT issues as a hindrance to productivity and that it also affects company morale.
Types of IT issues that can hinder productivity:
- Slow or outdated technology: Outdated hardware or software can significantly slow down productivity, as employees waste time waiting for programs to load or devices to perform basic functions.
- Unreliable legacy systems: System crashes can prevent employees from getting their work done and can cause frustration and stress.
- Inadequate security measures: Poor cybersecurity can result in data breaches and lost productivity, as employees spend time responding to and recovering from incidents.
- Poor collaboration tools: Poorly designed collaboration tools can make it difficult for teams to work together efficiently, resulting in lost productivity.
- Incompatible systems: Employees can waste time trying to navigate or integrate different systems and software or struggle to transfer sensitive data between them.
- Lack of mobile capabilities: In an increasingly mobile workforce, a lack of mobile capabilities can prevent employees from accessing documents and information, especially in a time sensitive manner, slowing down productivity and processes.
How to unlock your productivity
An essential element to your organisation's success is effective collaboration.
Join us at The Future-Ready Digital Collaboration Summit with award-winning author Grace Marshall whose practical advice on productivity and work-life balance has been featured in The Guardian, Irish Times, Forbes, HuffPost, London Economic Forum, Working Mums, Glamour, Business Matters and BBC Radio.
Grace will deliver a thought-provoking talk that gives attendees actionable insights and tips on improving productivity in their business. You'll also be given the opportunity to ask your productivity questions and get answers from the expert herself.
Session talking points
- Productivity pitfalls when working collaboratively
- Using the right tools and processes to work more productively
- The digital employee experience (DEX)
- How to unlock your productivity
About Grace
Grace Marshall is known for her “refreshingly human” approach to productivity.
She is Head Coach and Chief Encourager at GraceMarshall.com, Productivity Ninja with Think Productive, one of the world's leading productivity training companies. Her book "How to be REALLY productive" was named Best Commuter’s Read in the CMI / British Library 2017 Management Book of the Year Awards.
Make productivity a priority to be future-ready
Register for the Future-Ready Digital Collaboration Summit, on 15th March 2023.
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