New working environment: Moving with your head as well

In the wake of the digital transformation of the economy, the demands on employees are also changing - among other things, because modern information and communications technology not only enables new solutions to problems, but also new forms of work organization. That's why many companies are currently asking themselves under the buzzword New Work: How can we use not only the technical possibilities of digitization, but also the modern forms of collaboration for our success that many start-ups and innovative niche providers practice, for example?

As a rule, these forms of work aim to,

• Increase employee and team ownership,
• Improve cross-divisional and cross-functional collaboration; and
• Increase creativity and speed in developing and implementing new solutions to problems.

Be flexible, creative and productive

In achieving these goals, technical innovations are both the key and the driver. For example, digital collaboration tools increase the possibilities for cooperation in teams whose members work at different locations. They also open up new possibilities for integrating external service providers, business partners or customers into projects.

Companies that provide complex services for their customers or design solutions to problems are particularly keen to exploit this potential. However, as with any change, projects to establish new forms of work organization and collaboration are also subject to the following: In addition to supporters and opponents among the employees, there is usually an undecided mass. So the question arises: How can the number of supporters necessary for the success of the project be won? An effective transmission belt can be a new working environment.

Create a new working environment

New forms of (collaborative) work that, for example.

• a high degree of automation,
• cross-departmental and cross-functional teamwork, and
• short decision paths

usually also require different working environments. So it's important to create workspaces that support these goals - because they match (future) work processes and requirements and make teams creative and productive. Therefore, before redesigning existing and creating new workspaces, it is advisable to analyze factors such as:

• How much time will team members spend on common tasks in the future?
• How often is concentrated individual work necessary?
• Which technical processes and tools need to be integrated?
• How often are conferences and phone calls held - with colleagues, service providers, customers, etc.?

From the results, companies can derive the appropriate space concept. In addition, such an analysis offers the opportunity to identify and eliminate work processes that waste resources.

Success factor: Involvement of those affected

If companies give their employees a great deal of opportunity to participate in the planning phase, many of those affected can be won over as supporters at an early stage of the project. It is then easier to break down outdated structures and patterns of thought and behavior and implement more targeted processes.

Every move gives you the chance to move with your head - in other words, to set a new mental course. After all, every move is preceded by a lengthy planning process, during which the cards are sometimes reshuffled. The employees know this. Accordingly, they look forward to the change with curiosity, excitement and (sometimes) uncertainty. Therefore, from a change management perspective, a move should be used as an organizational "unfreeze" moment in the sense of Kurt Lewin: Employees are taken out of their comfort zone and put into motion. This is less about introducing new tools than developing a changed mindset, because: Organizations will only become faster and more flexible, more willing to learn and more customer-oriented if employees understand their role differently - and their managers allow them to act more independently and responsibly.

Goal: "Happy working people

In the digital age, only tasks are increasingly left for human employees due to advancing digitalization and automation,

• which are difficult to decide and
• where you also have to rely on your intuition resulting from your expertise.

So companies need employees who are willing and able to make such risky decisions because they can, want to and are allowed to do so.

The "can" and "may" require new structural framework conditions. In order to use these effectively, employees usually need to be trained. The "want", on the other hand, is already present in many employees. The positive response that the buzzword "New Work" has met with, for example, shows that many people long for meaningful (collaborative) work that is also oriented toward parameters other than top-down defined processes and structures. Companies will need such employees in the future: "Happy working people" are a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success in the digital age.

To the author:
Dr. Georg Kraus is managing partner of the management consultancy Dr. Kraus & Partner, Bruchsal (www.kraus-und-partner.de). Among others, he is a lecturer at the University of Karlsruhe, the IAE in Aix-en-provence, the St. Gallen Business School and the Technical University of Clausthal.