Trends

The IT side of the

tExt: nIenke deuss

new world of work

In a previous edition of tOPdesk magazine, we discussed the New World of Work, which focussed on working independently of time and place. In this article, Bob Smits, Business Consultant at Imtech, discusses several recent It developments within the New World of Work.

The hard side of the new world of work

the New World of Work is often viewed from the HR perspective the soft side where it is said that people should be the focal point, explains Bob Smits. the work is adjusted to the needs of the employee. However,

the New World of Work in particular provides organizations with the opportunity to offer a higher service level at a lower cost. this is the hard side. While this of course is very interesting for managers, because It plays an important part in the New World of Work, It departments also look forward to inherent technological developments.

The digiTal naTive generaTion knows no beTTer Than To find all social informaTion online

Connect, socialize and integrate

At Imtech, the New World of Work rests on three pillars: connect, socialize and integrate, Bob explains. In the past few years, It developments have been quick to follow one another. Many tools are focussed on supporting one (or more) of these pillars. Consider, for instance, the introduction of tools for Unified Communications (Connect), social media such as twitter (Socialize) and FMIS (Integrate).

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Connect
Working together from remote locations is only possible if you are connected with your colleagues and clients. thus the connect pillar revolves entirely around the availability of a communication channel an infrastructure that allows you to do your job. there needs to be an internet connection, a computer, a phone line, perhaps even video equipment and of course the option to meet each other in person, tells Bob.

clients and employees, allowing you to target specific people and respond to the tweets of clients in your area.

socialize
In brief, socialize is all about creating a social network, explains Bob. If you want to work independently of time and place, it is vital to know who you are working with, how you can contact colleagues and who is responsible for what. In order to work remotely, but successfully, there must be

working TogeTher from remoTe locaTions is only possible if you are connecTed wiTh your colleagues and clienTs

Bob Smits, Business Consultant at Imtech

the ability to switch between media types is also very important. For example, if you receive a difficult question through a chat message, you should be able to call that person or start a video conference with just one mouse-click. An example of this is the Microsoft Office Communicator, in which all communications media are linked in one interface. This is one of the current Unified Communications tools. Another example of integrating (communications) technologies is the new iPhone application called Layers, tells Bob. this tool combines GPS and twitter by scanning the surrounding area, which immediately displays all those who are located within a certain radius and what they are twittering about. this could become a new method of researching important issues among

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Going green
the New World of Work is often linked to Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS), because smart technologies help us to stay green. Using It can help save significant amounts of energy, explains Bob Smits. For a while now, IBM has been working according to the motto A Smarter Planet, and has successfully completed various projects such as intelligent traffic systems in Stockholm that have helped reduce traffic jams. IBM has also developed a smart building for the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn, where smart electricity networks (smart grids) are linked to sensors, enabling them to keep track of energy flows and, furthermore, have networks turn themselves on or off.

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mutual trust, which is difficult to realize while working in a virtual team. Hence the introduction of digital work environments containing employee profiles, internal social networks and environments for sharing knowledge, such as company wiki pages. Developments in this area began primarily with personal profile sites like Facebook and MySpace. In the meantime, however, the business world has also discovered the online possibilities of social media, which focus mainly on sharing knowledge, connecting

processes should be attuned to one another, and, these days, this has to be achieved entirely digitally. Consider the way that tOPdesk is used to support processes, where It is integrated into the current workflow. the integration of company processes is developing rapidly, as more and more software, hardware and information is integrated into smart devices. Just imagine a car that gives you updates on maintenance, informs you when the oil needs to be changed and recharges automatically as soon as its parked in the garage, says Bob. these are all developments in the foreseeable future.

before inviTing a poTenTial candidaTe for a job inTerview, you can look aT Their linkedin profile, so you know whaT To expecT

smart thinking
We have seen an exponential growth in It usage and possibilities, explains Bob. We should now be focussing on using the current technology to its full potential, and new developments are always around the corner, such as customer-focussed marketing through social media. By using online information retrieved from a LinkedIn profile, for example, organizations can specifically target potential clients. Because these individuals have filled in their preferences and interests online, you can address them accordingly. this is what makes present-day marketing so personal.

with others and personal profiles. Before inviting a potential candidate for a job interview, you can look at their LinkedIn profile, so you know what to expect, Bob explains. the digital native generation know no better than to find all social information online.

The challenge
We have to ensure that tools are attuned to the user in such a way that they are barely aware of using them, says Bob. the It specialist will also have to support communication technologies, VoIP, knowledge-sharing environments and document management systems. Henceforth, the goal is to offer better and more personal service using advanced technology. the challenge, however, is to deal with this in the best possible way.

Integrate
It is more important than ever to integrate company information with current applications, explains Bob. You should integrate It into the company processes, in order to measure, monitor and manage them. Bob also explains the importance of this development. Company

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