“We have met the enemy and he is us.”

 

This quote from Pogo (via Wikipedia) is arguably the most famous one from the sadly long gone and much beloved comic or more accurately ‘commentary strip’ can sum up the results of a new poll by Deloitte on corporate adoption of new workplace methods and technologies.

 

More than 40 percent of 750 technology executives across multiple industries surveyed during a recent Deloitte (News - Alert) webcast, “Technology and People: Understanding the Workplace of Tomorrow,” cited organizational resistance as the primary roadblock. Another nearly 28 percent of the respondents, ranging from upper management to managerial level, pointed to budget and cost constraints as the main deterrents.

 

Here are the highlights:

 

*          Almost half  or 44.7 percent, of respondents said their companies have begun workplace of tomorrow initiatives, including alternative work policies, workforce mobility, virtual technologies, telecommuting, and increased collaborative spaces

 

*          Nearly 30 percent of respondents’ companies are not using Web 2.0 tools, increasing shared workplace areas, or developing real estate strategies to improve workplace utilization

 

*          Blogs, wikis, podcasts, instant messaging, social networks and other Web 2.0 tools are the mobile technologies most companies are considering, according to roughly 29 percent of respondents

 

Deloitte Consulting LLP directors Hope Hughes (News - Alert) and Seth Siegel, who presented the webcast, said the following factors companies ought to consider in their efforts to design and implement effective workplace of tomorrow initiatives:

 

*          Strong stakeholder engagement by top executives

*          Effective workplace analysis

*          Cross-functional integration between the real estate, technology and other offices in a company

*          Commitment to invest in mobile technologies, Web 2.0 tools and workspace management systems solutions

*          Incorporation of enterprise-wide sustainability and greening initiatives

 

“The polling results indicate that corporate leaders should devote as much interest and investment into where and how the work is performed as they do into the nature of the work itself,” Hughes said. “The recent realities of a changing workforce and evolving worker demands are driving-up the need for new workplace technologies. However, our polling indicated that some companies are still slow in adopting 'workplace of tomorrow' type strategies that could help improve agility and effectiveness, as well as respond to workforce changes in a cost-effective manner.”

 

“A hiring surge can result in a significant increase in the real estate and facility costs required to provide a physical workspace for the new personnel,” Siegel added. “Similarly, a workforce reduction might result in a significant increase in vacant, unused space. Effective workplace of tomorrow strategies and technologies can help de-link physical workspace consumption from headcount and align technology investments with business demands and workforce patterns.”

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