Collaboration

When we think about the future of work, we generally mean how will humans work alongside technology. The future is already here and gaining momentum. Already key skills such as collaboration, teamwork, creative thinking, and curiosity are being pushed up the critical skills list. So being hyper-collaborators is the skill of the future. Innovative business collaboration techniques can improve your company’s productivity by 20 to 30%.

The future of video conferencing

In all honesty, video conferencing has been around for a decade. Skype and WebEx aren’t new, but what is new is the rate in which they are becoming a business (and personal) staple for how we do things. GenZ use video chats in a whole new way, as an extension of their normal communication. It's only going to become increase as they enter the workplace. No longer will people hide behind the "video off" button, and everyone will become more relaxed with being seen. For those who are new to video conferencing, the term Zoom Fatigue has become a thing, simply because for many, it's a whole new skill to learn. Over the coming decade, it will just become the norm, until augmented or virtual reality and hologram style projectors hit our homes. Virtual reality companies like RealSense, AltspaceVR, and DORA all offer immersive experiences for the boardroom. The fact is though, videoconferencing will become second nature, and meetings and collaboration in this environment will become more engaging and productivity will increase.

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Co-creating work

Even the term co-creation is now old. I remember hearing that phrase for the first time and a lightbulb went off in my head. Co-creation is the act of 2 or more people coming together to collaborate and innovate together, rather than holding back. This is the way people will work together in the future, working together to create something of value. Many office spaces have been redesigned to create collaborative spaces, with informal seating and design to remove barriers.

The rise of sharing platform like Dropbox, SharePoint, Google Docs and Notion have fuelled the co-creation space, meaning we can work together without time and space limitations. Multiple people working on a document, across multiple devices is no longer a thing of the past. It's still new to many but will become the norm. Those that without and don't share knowledge and information will be seen as blocks and barriers to success. Knowledge sharing is now power.

Data Collaboration

OK we have seen the dark side of sharing data with Data Analytics and election rigging, but already we see it being used as a force for good. Capturing and recording massive amounts of data used to be a challenge. Now, the problem is analysing it and finding meaning in it.

Most of the data being created is by consumers. Everything from age, location, what you are looking at online, how long you look at it and what you go on to buy. Businesses are accumulating an ever-expanding amount of consumer data, and their old data tools are no longer up for the job. Research, science, and health care are already sharing data and breakthroughs are happening at an increasing rate. Data collaboration will become imperative because it allows companies to blend multiple sources of data and reach meaningful conclusions. Data protection will play an even more essential role in an organisation, but the possibilities are endless.

The future of collaboration

Although technology is evolving at a rapid rate, humans take a little longer to get on board with the change. Therefore, leaders must help develop collaborative behaviours within their organisations, and the education systems must adapt also. Leaders will become master facilitators, leading with humility, transparency, and openness. They will pose questions and empower others to actively work together to find answers. They will focus on removing blocks and barriers to anti-collaborative behaviours like fear, blame and politics. Having clear focussed goals, identifying problems to solve, and putting the right people in place is the only way companies will survive.