| | August 20169CIOReviewoperational effectiveness, incremental revenues and health and safety, while lowering costs. · Human Resources ­ Studies have shown that the best and brightest talent wants to work at a digital workplace, and this affects everything from recruitment to retention. Today's workers, particularly millennials, or digital natives, are accustomed to digitally-driven experiences in their lives as consumers, and carry those same expectations into the workplace. This ever-growing cohort wants more than a paycheck; they want mobility, flexibility and opportunities to collaborate in new and unexpected ways. Digital workplace solutions provide employees with the speed, flexibility and myriad opportunities to innovate, while helping the organization become more competitive in the war for talent. If you aren't yet convinced about the outcomes possible with a digital workplace, consider the following example. At Avanade, we worked with an international natural resources company running one of the largest mines in North America. The company struggled with disparate, PowerPoint-based reporting from various vendors, making it challenging for pit supervisors to immediately respond to equipment issues, communicate alerts, changes, etc. We helped develop a cloud-based solution that integrated with the client's internal line-of-business infrastructure. The solution collects information from deployed sensors and aggregates the disparate mine data in real-time, then makes it available through an easy-to-use portal to the dispatch control center and to pit supervisors on an app accessed through mobile devices. The client now has a path forward to increased mine supervisor productivity, and a mechanism for identifying ways to prevent issues like machinery downtime and employee injuries.Effectiveness of the workplace is one of the most pressing issues facing companies today, and it is one where CIOs must drive the agenda. Here are some best practices for CIOs and IT leaders as they look to collaborate with other stakeholders on implementing a more modern, effective workplace: ·Forge stronger relationships across the business. Meet regularly with other department leaders to learn what their needs are, share expertise and uncover opportunities for joint projects. ·Evolve traditional mindsets and set the tone for collaboration. As technology budgets and control move outside of the IT departments, CIOs and other business leaders must break free from traditional mindsets and preconceptions that can keep them at odds with each other. For IT leaders, for example, this could mean thinking more commercially and holistically about their organizations' business goals.·Understand IT's role as a critical partner to the business. While other functions, like marketing and human resources, are increasingly demanding a seat at the table, IT still offers the deepest bench of technical skills in most organizations. This expertise allows IT to lead the conversations, while ensuring that all relevant stakeholders also have a voice. It's no secret ­ a digital workplace has a direct impact on how effective and competitive a business is. In a world that is increasingly digital, organizations need to be digital on the inside so they can deliver strong experiences on the outside. Multiple business functions have skin in the game on this issue, and IT leaders are uniquely positioned to help power a more connected, innovative, collaborative and engaged workforce, while contributing in a meaningful way to the overall health of their organizations. A digital workplace has a direct impact on how effective and competitive a business isBob Bruns
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