As we adapt to extraordinary change, can Australian businesses still afford innovation? Or is it mission critical operations only for business survival?
Around Australia and the world, businesses are making major changes to their operations in timeframes no one thought possible just weeks ago. The forced innovation spike is best reflected by a new army of people working remotely from anywhere and everywhere.
Ricoh’s Workplace Innovation Index 2020 found most business leaders agreed on the need for innovative improvements to products and services. The key barriers to innovation? Budget, staff resistance and security. But as rapid change becomes our new normal, businesses who ignore innovation might feel the sting across profits and productivity.
Now a new report, Everywhere continuity, looks at innovation in a time of disruption, and the case for wholesale digital transformation.
Innovation for the WFE revolution
Working from home isn’t new to some businesses – but it’s never been deployed at the speed or scale we’ve seen in early 2020. Necessity truly is the mother of invention; when a remote workforce became the only option, IT teams across the globe rolled out changes in days that may usually have been months in the making.
For people shifted into home offices, garden sheds or the kitchen bench for their workday, seamless connection is critical to maintaining productivity and positivity. Because it isn’t just work from home – this is work from everywhere (WFE).
Your mobile workforce isn’t locked down by their location or their device – productivity flows everywhere with the right tools. Nothing is worse for remote workforce morale than systems that slow down the working day, leave people feeling isolated.
If we can move that fast on working from home, Australian businesses have got the drive to innovate our way through 2020 and beyond.
The innovation imperative
The innovation imperative remains for Australian businesses. The evolving business environment puts the onus on businesses to adapt their technologies and digital culture, fast.
Businesses that can do that are positioning themselves to manage challenging times and stay profitable in suddenly overcrowded markets. But there’s an opportunity to harness the get-it-done culture to take on a global market that just got tougher. Innovation doesn’t have to be risk without reward. You can see practical, profitable changes when you get innovative with:
- developing new technologies and products
- streamlining processes, techniques and management methods
- shorter go-to-market and product cycles.
Must-read insights on the role of innovation in our new business normal
The report, Everywhere continuity, outlines four steps to everywhere continuity including doing more with what you have.