In wired and wireless workplace, technology is meant to help manage the tidal wave of information that pours in each day. But it can end up complicating matters. Here are five ways to optimise your company’s performance and encourage more organised teamwork.
1 Ask around
Don’t guess what your team’s top time-wasters are: ask. Managers wear many hats but no-one expects you to be mind-reader. Information management is meant to simplify processes, and create user-friendly and efficient way for staff to work together to contribute to the overall success of company. Every organisation’s needs are different. Is your team’s main priority web content management? Document sharing? Data storage and access? Before you can fix the issue, make sure you’re clear on your team’s needs.
2 Focus on people
Remember that software isn’t smart – your people are. As effective as software systems can be, no technology is truly intuitive. Technology systems are only as helpful as humans let them be. Why dedicate time and money identifying the need for new system, introducing it to your business and then allow it to go largely under-utilised? Your staff are the conduit to your business’ success. So provide adequate training so your team can utilise the full suite of tools now available to them.
3 Sidestep computer clutter
Does this scenario sound familiar? You’ve spent time drafting document that needs to be reviewed by team members. You send it through as an email attachment, receive two rounds of edits in two new versions of your original document – which you have to resave and compare side-by-side to ensure consistency. “Track changes” is not an information management method. It’s computer clutter. There are smarter, more efficient ways for teams to collaborate to get the job done.
4 Click virtual buttons
Keep collaboration, community and creativity top of mind. More than ever before, New Zealand businesses are connecting with vendors, suppliers and partners in multiple time zones and languages, and across multi-functional teams. The collaboration afforded by technology is no longer nice-to-have. One-at-a-time documents are becoming outmoded. Many companies are reducing time by moving their entire administration function online, where all relevant parties can access pertinent information, fill in forms and provide sign-off at the click of virtual button.
5 See info as currency
Here’s betting that when it comes to the critical financial aspects of your business such as cash flow and payroll, you’ve got pretty firm grasp on how to stay on top of what comes in, what goes out and what stays where. So take the same approach to the information exchanged among your team members. Think of your company’s information – data, documents, files and more – as the currency of your team’s economy.
Chris Gray is New Zealand sales director, Adobe.
