#GartnerPCC Keynote Highlights Engagement, Digital Workplace

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Gartner PCC Conference Keynote: Deliver Excellent Engagement Through Mobile, Social and Analytics
Jeffrey Mann and Susan Landry set the tone for the Gartner PCC conference this week by speaking to the digital workplace of the future. In their keynote on Monday, they encouraged attendees to think beyond managing systems and focus on finding a deeper way to engage with constituents – be they employees, customers, citizens or partners.
Executives have heard all the buzzwords and now have high expectations for meaningful digital strategies. They may not know what this entails, entirely, but with a little guidance, they can create a roadmap for the future. Our role is to educate customers on the opportunities while forecasting challenges in revolutionizing the business landscape. After playing a quick round of Buzzword Bingo, the duo identified 4 key “buzzwords” that are driving demand in the C-suite. They are:
Engagement
This is where it all starts. Engagement can mean an appointment, something that is planned or agreed to, or even a romantic promise (pleasant or not). To truly understand the value of Engagement, the speakers asked the audience to envision a time when it didn’t occur. For example, think about the results a small group with passionate beliefs, working in close collaboration can achieve, compared to a group of disengaged individuals that really don’t care. The former is a great example of engagement and the gap is the marginal benefit of investing in this concept. So why does it matter? Research was presented showing 2.5x revenue growth for organizations in the top fifth of highly engaged organizations.
Digital
Digital has become a ubiquitous buzzword. We have been digitizing business since the age of computers 50 years ago – so what is new? Smart machines and wearable devices can make a difference someday, but what tools can we use today to define “digital” and how can we use it to our advantage to create a competitive edge? The speakers mentioned that “digital” can be thought of as the inclusion of technologies in a holistic way that enables users, improves processes and exploits tools and technologies in a new way to create additional revenue streams and ROI. They provided a great example of this – a retail boutique in NYC named “Story.” The owner installed a series of cameras that provided real-time data on foot traffic. This data was periodically analyzed and the store was able to reinvent itself every few months based on the interests of its customers. This approach led to a 30% return visitor purchase ratio and the data attracted new partners and sponsors that could quantify their investment. Story is a great example of a digital business.
Content
We all work with content in one form or another. Content could mean something you need to manage, a form of happiness, or a document. But what it really means is “Stuff.” Everything that we create or send. It includes artifacts, objects, sounds, relationships, tweets, and videos, everything that passes through or tangent to the organization.
Content is also an asset which often goes unexploited. It not only represents what the organization does, but how it thinks.   It documents the decision-making process – good ideas and bad.   Why does all this matter, the speakers questioned?  Because content connects dots and thoughts, it can be analyzed to gather insights into decisions and anticipate customer needs or issues before they occur.  Providing content to your constituents at the right time in the right context is extremely valuable. If you and your firm only manage content, you are selling yourself (and your organization) short.
Integration
It was mentioned that integration is not a new concept. We have been enabling applications to share assets and processes for decades. So why is it important now? We have seen a large shift in the proliferation of applications, data and devices. Data and logic is scattered everywhere inside our walls on-premises, in the cloud, and throughout the supply chain.   It is more critical now than ever to pull all of this disparate information into one relevant and complete experience for the user, in the moment they need it most.
The example used was Boston Children’s Hospital. Seven million children die every year from treatable diseases. Doctors around the world have information and documents available to them, but they aren’t consumable. OpenPediatrics is a digital workplace that integrates converted surgical and treatment documents into video, animations and audio simulations so that Doctors worldwide can easily find and access the information they need, when they need it.  The solutions team did not define adoption as the end goal, real success was only achieved when more lives were saved.
Where is it all going?
We are in a unique position to take the lead in creating a digital workplace. The tools are out there, yet we often need to think outside the box, and combine these tools/concepts, in order to excel moving forward. On thing is for sure – it will not happen taking an age-old approach to managing traditional systems. You can ensure your digital solutions are succesful by looking at new technologies, collaborating with people with new insights and applying the 4 key “buzzwords.”