In only a matter of years information technology (IT) will be just as common as driving a car or reading a newspaper, says Tom Austin, Gartner Fellow and Group Vice President of the Gartner Group. In his keynote speech at the Fabasoft teched 06 the expert explained which trends will determine not only the workplace of tomorrow but also leisure time.
Five trends for the working world of tomorrow
In the past 50 years the focus has been primarily on automated processes, risk minimisation and cost reduction. According to Austin, the next ten years will see a change in the way of thinking. In particular, project-based teamwork, non-routine task fields and stronger dynamics in virtual organisations will be in the foreground.
The non-routine "behaviour patterns" as Tom Austin calls them can be divided into five categories. IT should help to increase these behaviour categories, but not automate them.
1. Discover
Threats and opportunities have to be assessed all the time. This is a key for successful employees and companies. Business intelligence software and predictive analytics – complex statistical software to address future events – are appropriate means of evaluating opportunities and risks better.
2. Innovation
In the working world of tomorrow, new products, processes and services are an important step in being competitive. Search software such as Mindbreeze Enterprise Search Version or document management systems are the basis for the innovations of tomorrow.
3. Team
According to a Gartner study around one third of all office workers worked completely alone in 2005. By the year 2010 this figure will have dropped to 20 per cent, by 2015 it will even be as low as 15 per cent. Teamplaying and creativity are becoming more and more important as a result. Here IT should help to perfect employee interaction in the form of straightforward communication platforms such as VoIP, for example, or Instant Messaging.
4. Lead
In unstructured processes it is even more important to maintain control over the entire project. Efficient change management and an overview of all documents and processes are necessary for enhanced performance. On the software side document management systems and also web conferencing tools can help to control unstructured processes.
5. Learn
In the changing working environment the ability and more importantly the willingness to learn are a key issue for the high-performance worker of the future. The productive employees of tomorrow will excel through learning by experience, learning by doing and above all learning in a social environment. Here, e-learning suites and also the Internet are good ways of improving knowledge.
Software as a service
According to Tom Austin, increased investments in the IT infrastructure also increase productivity. However, software must be a service, and IT providers have to be aware of this fact. Technology must not be used as an end in itself - the human being has to be the centre of attention.
At the Fabasoft event the analyst presented five ways of increasing productivity in companies. Management has to play an active role in the decision-making process; all employees must have a voice in decision making; dividing people into interest groups develops best practices; social networks and yellow pages should be used as resources; metrics and incentives for pro-social behaviour have to be fixed.
Tom Austin is one of only 14 Gartner Fellows within the Gartner Group which has 600 analysts in total. Austin has been following Fabasoft's progress now for almost 15 years. Both members of the board at Fabasoft AG, Leopold Bauernfeind and Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Fallmann, have been in direct contact with him for many years and Austin has contributed a great deal to the success of Fabasoft.
About Fabasoft:
Fabasoft is a leading manufacturer of standardised software for electronic government and enterprise content and records management. The company serves primarily major customers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, Slovakia, Italy and Romania with local subsidiaries. Fabasoft supplies its own software products and the associated services with a view to all-encompassing customer care.
About Fabasoft teched:
Held annually, Fabasoft teched is Fabasoft's technology congress. Over a period of three days – including the preconference – well-known international experts report on trends and developments in the IT branch. Fabasoft employees are on hand at workshops to answer questions on current projects, how to handle business processes efficiently and security issues. A highlight of Fabasoft teched is the presentation of the new Fabasoft products for participants at the event.
For more information please contact:
Oliver Koch
Fabasoft International Services GmbH
Honauerstraße 4
4020 Linz
Austria
Tel.: [43] (732) 606162-181
Fax: [43] (732] 606162-609
E-Mail: Oliver.Koch@fabasoft.com
