The nature of work is slowly but steadily changing. Traditional corporate tools, such as intranets, HR and finance systems, are being joined by new collaboration and social tools. These are bringing new capabilities and opportunities into organisations, allowing staff to connect and coordinate more effectively.

Consumer technology is also evolving rapidly, transforming almost every aspect of daily life. It is now common for people’s personal tools, such as mobile phones and tablets, to be more advanced and better connected that their work equivalents.

This is putting pressure on organisations to catch up with consumer technologies, and to enable more flexible ways of working.

Alongside these technology changes, demographic changes are slowly having an effect. Teleworking and flexible hours are becoming increasingly common, as is a blurring between work and home time.

All of this is captured by the concept of the ‘digital workplace’, which encompasses the broader electronic working environment for staff, outlining how the pieces all fit together.

For many, this is an exciting time, ushering in a new generation of corporate tools and behaviours, for the benefit of both organisations and staff.

These changes are not simple, however, are careful thinking is required to ensure they are more than just another fad or phase.

As a foundation for strategic planning, this article outlines six keys to the new digital workplace.

[March article by James Robertson, read the full article]