Four key ingredients to unlock HyperProductivity through workplace IT

Just a few years ago, it was hard to directly link the impact digital tools were having on productivity across a business. But as businesses have transformed and become more digitally mature, that’s all changed.

With metrics for tracking productivity ubiquitous, business leaders want to take it up to the next level. Now they are focused on HyperProductivity -- driving unprecedented levels of productivity across the organization. To date, businesses have tried a range of tactics to foster HyperProductivity, frequently involving discouraging workers from spending time on anything other than core tasks. As an extreme example, some businesses even installed uncomfortable toilets designed to limit time employees spend in the bathroom. Instead, they should be focusing on making it as easy as possible for employees to do their jobs, which is why optimizing workplace technology is a better path to explore.

It’s hard to understate the potential impact of workplace IT optimization on productivity. It could be comparable to switching from spending hours washing clothes by hand and drying them on a line, to pressing a few buttons on a washing machine and tumble dryer. To unlock these rewards, however, businesses must first lay the groundwork.

The hundred-app trap

Businesses need to balance the exciting benefits that apps and software could bring to their employees with the risk of overwhelming them by introducing more layers to the tech stack and deployments. Some employees may well feel inundated by all the technology and struggle to keep pace, especially as the average large enterprise already uses a mammoth 187 apps.

In turn, this means businesses aren’t seeing the returns they expect from IT investments. The same study revealed businesses waste £16m every year on software that’s duplicative or not used, and leaders aren’t even aware of 51 percent of the applications in their organization in the first place. If the drive towards HyperProductivity means businesses introduce even more, this problem could become even worse.

Employee uncertainty with technology may trigger deeper, more permanent staff struggles. If staff is constantly having to learn, remember and relearn the specific ins and outs of hundreds of apps, there’s a risk that they won’t be able to focus on their actual job requirements. In turn, this could lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, alienation or even outright hostility towards their job. And of course, even if none of these negative feelings arise, time spent mired in tech trouble is likely to impact productivity, whether or not employees perceive this impact. 

Ultimately, then, an unfettered drive for HyperProductivity risks a decrease in the very thing -- productivity -- it aims to supercharge. How can this risk be reduced? 

Driving HyperProductivity without stalling 

There is a lot of ground to cover, but fundamentally there are four key ingredients businesses should use when optimizing workplace IT for HyperProductivity. 

1. Providing a consistent, seamless experience for employees across technologies, wherever possible. The crucial thing here is to make it easy for them to understand how a particular app works, regardless of their level of familiarity. 
2. Driving digital collaboration. This means enabling workflows to run across different apps, so employees aren’t boxed in. They can draw on the power of multiple apps to complete a task. For example, an employee might plan a report via Teams, and then work on it in Google Docs alongside others, before exporting it into Word for final publication.
3. Using automation to make people’s workflows as easy as possible. This can lighten the mental load on employees. Filing an expense form or submitting a request for a new piece of equipment at the push of a button is easier than having to navigate a complicated path through multiple apps. 
4. Enabling staff to use everyday language when using apps, rather than forcing them to adopt unfamiliar jargon or phrasing. Employees must be able to get the job done without having to remember all the different keywords and terminology used by different software providers. Ultimately, they should be able to use the same language they would to interact with a colleague.

Reaping the rewards

Enterprises that use workplace IT to foster HyperProductivity will be on course to outperform their peers, potentially empowering workforces to operate at previously unreachable heights.  

We know this is easier said than done. For HyperProductivity to become reality, businesses need to cultivate a unified, consistent standard of work from all employees. That’s not a straightforward task for enterprises, especially those that use hundreds of apps. One helpful option for them is to consider an outside consultancy to advise on the necessary cultural and process changes they need to go through. 

If they can focus on employee experience, collaboration and automation, businesses will be on course to make the most of their IT investments and, with the right approach to optimization, they can be confident workplace IT will play a key role in driving HyperProductivity as we head into 2024.

Image credit: ra2studio/depositphotos.com

Uzi Dvir is CIO at digital adoption platform WalkMe.