The Facebook page of the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University has posted an invitation to TU students to  attend a Tuesday, 10 November 2020 webinar on digital workplace.

The Thammasat University Library collection includes a number of books about digital workplace.

The seminar will be given on Zoom at 7pm. The speaker will be Mr. Kevin Pereira, managing director of Blu – Artificial Intelligence, Hong Kong and Adjunct Faculty of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) School of Management.

Professor Roger Levermore, Dean of AIT, will also conduct a question and answer session as part of the webinar.

As Mr. Pereira’s Linked in page explains,

Blu is a consulting firm that specializes in Artificial Intelligence (AI). We advise companies on how to overlay AI on top of their existing strategy, while simultaneously helping with the resulting knowledge transfer and organizational change. In my role as Managing Director Financial Services, I’ve been building up Blu’s knowledge and product bases as well as ramping up business development efforts within Financial Services. I’ve also had a hand in developing our expert network of AI specialists spanning the areas of Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Data Strategy. I do think that in the future, combining AI technology with business model innovation will be key and I look forward to the challenge of helping our clients through that. If you’d like to chat about AI, whether for your business or just your general interest, feel free to get in touch!

He is currently also a Visiting Lecturer at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology:

I’m excited to be co-teaching Big Data in Finance to MBAs and MFin/MSIM students at HKUST. In the course we’ll be looking at how Big Data and Artificial Intelligence is being applied in the Finance industry. In addition to looking at different Big Data methodologies, we’ll also be considering the future implications of Big Data and how it’s going to change careers and societies going forward.

There have been many definitions of digital workplace. Among them are this online discussion of the topic:

Accepting the Digital Workplace

Something that was considered a futuristic term is now a basic reality that occurs in offices around the world. The term, ‘Digital Workplace’ has entered economies and societies around the world. But why is this important to discuss? What makes a digital workplace relevant and worth discussing? Let’s start with what the term ‘digital workplace’ was meant to connote.

What is a ‘Digital Workplace’?

From the very inception of the term, it has never been completely clear what constitutes a digital workplace. For many, a digital workplace is simply a change in the physical space of the office with real world objects and practices that have been digitized and folded into the workflow of the average office. It might have roots in this belief but it is clear to see that the digital workplace has grown from there.

In 2009, Paul Miller, the founder and CEO of the Digital Workplace Group wrote a book called ‘The Digital Workplace: How technology is liberating work’. The book is how Miller sees the future of the workplace and according to him, the digital workplace would present three major factors: governance, speed and efficiency and a digital presence.

While Miller’s definition is very broad, other definitions are sometimes vague and incomplete. What we can agree on is that digital environment started out as a complement to the traditional workplace but it is already becoming a substitute for it.

Building Information and Other Benefits

The digital workplace is beneficial for many reasons. Employees feel like they have more attention from the management and that they are engaging with all aspects of the company. This brings about more efficiency and increases interaction between employees.

Digital platforms are accessible across the whole company, which means employees can see the scope of work and all the tasks in one place. Whether it is booking meetings or assigning tasks, a digital workplace has platforms that allow employees to manage things in collaboration with each other.

The greatest strength of a digital workplace is storing and organizing information that is crucial to the company. The employees and the management can work together in setting up various databases and platforms that are part of the company’s digital workplace. In creating this centralized system of information organization and storage, the company makes the information available digitally, which leads to the next benefit of a digital workplace.

With a strong network in place, employees do not have to be in a central, physical workplace all the time as they can access their work digitally. This means that workers can move around freely to specific locations for meetings, if required, or simply work from where they live. This network allows employers to look for candidates who might not be based in the same city or even time zone but has the elite skills required to contribute to the work of the company.

With all these benefits, it is clear to see that the digital network is here to stay. It is not enough to set up basic Internet connections as you need to put together the infrastructure that supports this. UIH has been setting up Internet connections and providing managed digital services to business in Thailand and across South East Asia for decades now. Contact us to find out how we can provide solutions and improve your digital workplace today.

Another point of view is the following:

The Digital Workplace Defined

“Digital workplace” (DW) is the concept that there is a virtual equivalent to the physical workplace, and that this needs to be planned and managed coherently because it is fundamental to people’s productivity, engagement and working health.

At its heart the digital workplace is about:

Putting people first — The impact on employees is what makes the digital workplace important.

A technology layer — Advances in technology are driving changes in the digital workplace, and this is what makes it a current issue.

Management and design — Proactively developing a digital workplace means addressing it as a whole and coordinating between technology, process and people aspects.

Dimensions of a Digital Workplace

Over the years, my company has developed a digital workplace framework that has been refined and tested with over 70 client projects. It uses the metaphor of town planning because, like a town, digital workplaces cannot assume a clean slate. Instead they must work with things that are inherited and evolve as opportunities arise. Getting it right requires a combination of facilities and day-to-day running.

The digital workplace provides an organization with services or capabilities across five main dimensions (see blue boxes in the figure above):

• Communication and employee engagement
• Collaboration
• Finding and sharing of information and knowledge
• Business applications (process specific tools such as CRM, ERP and CAD tools, plus employee self-service)
• Agile working — the ability to be productive any time and place

To work well, these need the be supported by five management activities (the green boxes of the figure):

• Strategic planning
• Governance and operational management
• Proactive support for adoption
• High quality user experience
• Robust, secure and flexible technology…

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)