If there is one takeaway from the last couple of years, it would be that technology has taken a front seat in allowing businesses to define their workplace, one that works for their employees and their brand.
Hybrid working remains a fixture in the workplace. It is no wonder that in the current workplace setting, demands of doing business have evolved, leaving organisations scrambling to cater to the ever-evolving demands inherent in this global transformation. As expectations and demand grow for this new way of getting work done, businesses today face a new reality – to adapt or to risk being left behind in this digital evolution.
As a spin-off of a major tech corporation, we have also encountered the challenge of facilitating a smooth transition for our employees in key areas: work productivity, employee experience, and improved accessibility to technology, given our decision to adopt the hybrid work model permanently.
In our case, the cornerstone of this transition has been the establishment of a people-focused culture that fosters enhanced collaboration—an aspect that is frequently disregarded in traditional workplaces. Yet, this issue is not unique to our organisation, and many organisations across industries grapple with it.
Having witnessed both the opportunities and obstacles brought forth by remote and hybrid work, there are a few key insights that we have gained that can help other organisations frame their hybrid work modernisation strategy.
Dedicated leadership
Fully embracing hybrid work takes time and effort and will not come without challenges. While the integration of technology from big data and cloud to Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a huge role in supporting businesses in their productivity levels, having clear direction and commitment from the leaders of the organisation is crucial for hybrid work success.
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Before anything else, it is crucial that leaders address the underlying reasons for change. They must come together to develop a unified vision for the business, ensuring that their teams are aligned and working together to address the strategic priorities of the organisation. Workplace transformation transcends titles, departments, and in many cases, time zones, making it crucial for leaders to solicit input and help from stakeholders across the organisation.
Leaders should also foster a growth mindset among their people to ensure that they, too, understand the importance of continuous improvement, including their relationship with technology. Employees will need clear direction, unwavering commitment, and continued reassurance from leadership at every stage of the journey.
By remaining relentlessly devoted to transformation efforts, providing ongoing updates and guidance, and engaging employees across your organisation, the leadership team can co-create a sustainable workplace model that evolves as the company grows.
Hybrid work modernisation is an organisation-wide transformation which seeks all hands on deck to establish new processes for the hybrid environment. This endeavour can inspire action, encourage acceptance, and support an organisation in implementing change at a large scale.
Culture must be at the forefront of change
Often overlooked, adaptive culture is one of the factors that empower an organisation in its workplace transformation. When we launched Kyndryl, we built our culture based on trust, which became our way of life.
Even with the physical separation inherent to hybrid work, which can complicate and hinder the full potential of engagement between employees, we hosted Culture Exchange, an online brainstorm that invited employees from around the world to share ideas and feedback on the culture they’d like implemented for our new company.
Using this information, we identified six core principles that serve as building blocks for The Kyndryl Way. These cultural tenets underpin everything we do, from the way we engage with and increase value for customers to how we organise ourselves and work.
The Kyndryl Way
And as we consider our daily work, we continually seek avenues to reinforce the symbols, behaviours, and systems that strengthen our culture. For example, to help bring the values of “Flat” and “Fast” to life, we’re eliminating processes that prioritise approval over accountability.
Unless approvals are mandatory, these tools and checks will be permanently removed, from our workplace systems, giving decision-making authority to those who work most closely with customers.
In addition, we opened up platforms where we could share with people our workplace transformation plans and connect with them on their journeys through change. We kept them in the loop of progress within the organisation and created digital collaboration hubs where they could find news, FAQs, best practices, and quick links to application-specific insights and training to support their day-to-day tasks.
There is no doubt that it takes a substantial investment of time and capital to establish an adaptive company culture. However, when elements of inclusive workplace culture are blended into your digital transformation strategy, employees and customers will reap the benefits.
Create the ultimate tech environment
Although technology may seem like the predominant component of any digital transformation, the reality is that employees are the heart of workplace modernisation.
It is crucial to look into the employees’ experience and performance based on the current technology that buoys the workforce and creates a technical blueprint that can elevate the hybrid work experience for all. Consequently, selecting the right technology partner becomes one of the most critical business decisions you will face to successfully execute your hybrid workplace modernisation.
The digital tools provided to employees will significantly impact individual performance, which in turn, can directly influence the success of the business. For Kyndryl, we wanted to deliver a robust suite of collaboration tools that would enable our employees to work and serve customers seamlessly, whether they’re in the office, out in the field, or working from any other location.
It was essential that the devices and applications we chose for our technology stack would make it easy for every individual to contribute to meetings, share ideas with and receive feedback from their teams and others and interact with colleagues, partners, and customers around the world.
We also saw value in shifting from a conventional cybersecurity posture into creating a resilient network that combats persistent cyber threats. As a result of this change, over time, our employees will take on an increasingly important role in the process by actively managing and thwarting attacks, all while improving internal efficiencies — something I would encourage other organisations to consider doing.
Hybrid work modernisation is a journey, not a destination. Businesses must stay informed on employees’ workplace needs and make the right investments in the appropriate tech stack to allow everyone to thrive and truly build and maintain a diverse workforce.
With this approach, I am confident we can embrace the future of work, reimagine what is possible, and create a more resilient and flexible workforce for generations to come.
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