On October 5th, 2021, Microsoft officially rolled out its newest version of the Windows Operating System. While there are undoubtedly many great updates to give users a more uniform experience between work and life, you may be wondering what you need to know from an IT perspective.
Welcome to the Era of Hyper-Innovation
At the end of 2020, Citrix conducted a survey to measure how the corporate world was responding technologically to the sudden challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that the “rupture of the corporate landscape cemented business leaders’ expectations of a bright, tech-enable future of work.” They have hence labeled this next phase of corporate collaboration, powered by a significant increase in the adoption of new tools amongst the workforce, as “The Era of Hyper-Innovation.” In fact, the paradigm shift occurred faster than anyone could have anticipated. Within 6 months of the start of the first global lockdowns, business leaders overwhelmingly (88%) claimed that rollouts of new tools had already vastly improved their ability to collaborate.
The buy-in from the industry leaders is undeniable. Companies have attributed an average of 45% of their growth in the last fiscal year to innovation of their products, services, working environments, and new technology tools. Research has shown that every 1% increase in spending on innovation leads to a 1.95% increase in overall revenue. With these numbers, it is no wonder that 4 out 5 business leaders are committed to bringing their companies into a hyper-innovation phase by investing in “tech-powered hybrid working.” 49% of companies surveyed have increased their investments in innovative technologies for this next phase of work.
In speaking with a lot of different organizations and government bodies about training on a daily basis, each one approaches this topic differently. But they tend to fall into two categories when it comes to employee development: reactive or proactive. While there is always a need for “as needed” training, the most successful are preparing their training plans well in advance. As such, I consistently coach my clients to be proactive in identifying current and future goals for their skilled employee base. This is the reason New Horizons developed a free resource that helps organizations align their training plans to the actual needs and wants of their employees.
Enterprises win in the face of disruption through business-IT alignment, anticipation, and the ability to emerge stronger than before. Optimizing for stability is unrealistic. Not only are there grave threats during moments of crisis, but there can be missed opportunities for growth if you don't anticipate them. According to a recent report from Gartner, 90% of enterprises have experienced a turn/disruption. Everyone goes through it. So have no fear. Changing conditions are ripe for visionaries to clear a path for innovation. If you face it right.