Intelligent workspaces are going to drive the future of work. Source: Shutterstock

Intelligent workspaces are going to drive the future of work. Source: Shutterstock

Hyper agility with intelligent workspaces drive IDC’s future of work model

IDC recently published a ‘future of work’ framework to help companies reconfigure their workforce as they climb up the digital maturity curve.

While the framework comprises of four things that need to change immediately, some experts believe that the one that can be tackled first, and quite easily, is the need to replace inflexible work environments with intelligent workspaces that foster hyper agility.

Incidentally, of the four, the need for intelligent workspaces is at the top in IDC’s representation as well.

IDC Future of Work Framework

Source: IDC, Future of Work: Strategies for the New Work Experience

“The future of work isn’t really about the future — it is about initiatives that companies need to pursue now,” said IDC Research VP Holly Muscolino.

“IDC believes that organizations that embrace these technological and organizational changes and cultivate an agile, dynamic worker experience and work environment will gain a competitive edge.”

To learn more about intelligent workspaces and how they foster hyper agility, Tech Wire Asia spoke to upcoming Southeast Asian co-working space UPGen’s CEO Nam Do.

“The demands of the modern workplace are shifting […] Today, businesses eager to retain talent and increase productivity are changing their approach to keep pace and stay relevant.

“This has resulted in businesses looking beyond standard real estate options to create workspace environments that encourage greater collaboration, inspire innovation, and drive creativity as well as enable serious work to get done.

“Intelligent workspace design has become a norm nowadays. By creating an open, inspiring space that supports collaboration and designing quiet spaces for concentrative work, the workspace can drive knowledge and idea-sharing, employee engagement, as well as a fostered sense of community. Knowledge sharing = innovation.”

Nam Do acknowledged the fact that business leaders might worry about taking up large square-footage in co-working spaces in a bid to offer intelligent workspaces to its staff because it might cause cultural and brand dilution.

It’s why most of the large co-working space providers, be it UPGen or global giant WeWork, offer customized, personalized spaces to big brands looking for smarter offices. This has helped these new-age lessors attract companies such as EY, IBM, and even Barclays.

Truth be told, physical spaces are just one aspect of providing intelligent workspaces. In a blogpost, IDC’s Muscolino explains that in order for workspaces to work to an organization’s advantage, they need to provide an ecosystem that is intelligent, integrated, and collaborative.

Organizations must, therefore, work on deploying technology that allows staff to work from anywhere and collaborate in real-time with the ultimate aim to delight customers.

“An agile and scalable work environment gives rise to a hyperscale, hyperspeed, and hyperconnected organization,” said Muscolino.

IDC Program VP Phil Hochmuth, in a recent report, provides a great insight for companies looking to get started on their journey to creating intelligent workspaces for the digital era:

“At the worker and group organizational level, digital transformation requires IT to leave behind old ways of thinking about how employees work with computers, software, and data and to rethink this in the context of an intelligent digital workspace.

“The intelligent digital workspace is not a product, service, or techno-philosophical concept; it’s the thoughtful deployment of IT resources and community to individual workers and teams, with the ultimate goal of getting things done and driving new business value.”

Looking around, especially in Asia, companies really are changing. The recent coronavirus outbreak forced the largest ‘work from home’ movement in the world, especially for staff in China and now Singapore.

Companies that don’t stall as a result of this will thrive, those that struggle know they’ve got to make quick changes. This, now, is the time for change.