March 28, 2024

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My Learning reflection on the Future of Workplace

3d illustration of white phone over digital background with electronic circuit and repair tools

By Ange de la Victoire DUSABEMUNGU

Since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic around the world, governments have been taking various measures, including urging workers in various sectors to work at home in order to prevent the spreading of the outbreak.

Although working remotely has been introduced due to COVID 19, future workplace analysts find that in the end this approach will be implemented by many organizations whether public or private, after considering the approach can benefit two sides (both employer and employee).

It just seems that in order for a company to find an employee who can work remotely, it requires acumen and knowledge of how to monitor the work done by the employee who is working without physical presence at the workplace.

This is a very possible approach, thanks to the Internet technology that is spreading very quickly and widely used in various aspects of life.

From that perspective, thinking about the future, I realised that it will be more dominated by technological and Innovative changes and again one can imagine how he/she or the organization is leading will be able to cope with the future of the workplace that will be more and more dominated by home based employment opportunities.

As advice to the Managers in this modern world, it is good to start embracing the journey to transformation and have a mind-set change to make sure that there is a little pressure that will follow the adjustment to the new workplace approach. Each organization that needs to prepare itself for the future digitally led workplace can use the time now to do the following: Assessing the current situation within the company, Identify current challenges that are preventing the organization to transform, identify stakeholders and let them know the changes the organization needs for the future predictions and then as the Management, pause and decide to renew focus towards that change.

Taking the decision to renew a focus means that there are things that we are going to change that no longer serve us considering the long-term vision every manager has.

Why is competent problem solving skills paramount in the Future of Workplace?

Once an organization has been able to acknowledge the transformational needs, it is time to find a solution. The solution we are talking about here is transforming ourselves and our organization so that we have an active role in taking the company to the competing level so that there is no loss despite changing working conditions.

For sure, I don’t think I have that quality of being a good problem solver but truly, as a manager, I can testify there is no structure of problem solving in most of the organization and ours included.

To get a real transformation takes time to think about the real thing that you want the transformation to be. 

I always have to take time to think about the problem that I want to solve. The way I do this is to take time and know well the real problem I have. Why such a problem? What is behind the problem, how to solve the problem and what the impacts are if the problem is resolved and if not resolved?

After that, like an organization can do, I start talking about the problem clearly with the people I think are part of the solution. I analyse their opinion and based on the findings I start thinking about the solution and that is on a personal level.

With the organization, that should not be an individual task. It is an organizational task and the solution is for the organization and everyone’s ownership of the problem and solution is required.

Trust is important in this digital Era and apart from teamwork spirit and ownership of the problem and solution, trust is more important within the team itself and between the organization and its clients as end users of the services.

Why does the transformation need an agile team?

The most impactful in an agile team is the results and creativity. Once the organizations mind-set is changed towards a new model of working, they will foster creativity, have a teamwork spirit while at the same time increasing the income and better plan for continuous benefits.

Today, you find that at the workplace people are procrastinating and somewhere each one is very busy alone to maximize the personal or organizational impacts while in an agile team, the team works in an interconnected manner in order to arrive at the desired outcomes. 

Imagine having a team that is working remotely but has doubled your gains compared to the ordinary workplace? How do you see that? How can you advise someone else to employ your approach?

If Managers don’t bring new or upgrade new systems they are likely to fail in the future. New technologies will allow organisations to stay focused on their goals, to extend mind and skills and stay in the world of business while the traditional system, one that makes people procrastinate, will be struggling or totally deciding to leave or to merge with those who have already reached the maximum of technological transformation in their working model.  

Imagine having none to attend your store because other people with similar businesses have taken them to the Internet? Imagine realising the benefits at every late time and what will you have to say?

Now is the real time to start transformational journey

Before starting this Foundation level program at McKinsey Academy on the future of the workplace, I felt I was going to spend time virtually visiting technology firms to learn the settings of the Future workplace. At the beginning of the program, I wanted to learn techniques that will help me to cope with future scenarios at workplace 

Normally for the future I can project an automated workplace with a small number of employees controlling everything remotely.

As I wish, I and my organizational team will be excited to be among the leading absorbers of change in the digital workplace. As a result, this will impact our company’s credibility, performance, quality and timely services delivery to clients as well as keep adjusting to future trends on the job market. 

Along the way, the team will have to reskill more and more. This will help the organization reach its aspirations because the way of making progress will be based on learning and doing as a team, assessing and improving as a team.

In a nutshell, as a first step, Let us commit to assessing our current stand, by asking where we are today so we can base on the findings to start the Future workplace transformational journey in our organization since we cannot escape the changes that await us in the future

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