For many of us it is hard to imagine that we are now into the third decade of the 'New" century. If your career started prior to 2000 a lot of your ideas, systems and processes mentally were probably shaped by a very different way of doing things than we now experience. For those who only know the world of the 21st century the contrasts are not as great but even for them much has changed in the last 20 years.
For office environments that is also true. Depending upon your location and your industry many aspects of the office have changed substantially over these years. Architecture is different, layouts are different and the way work is carried out is certainly different.
Of course everyone is now comfortable with a computerized work environment and most people are used to working with online communication replacing a great deal of what used to happen on the phone or with correspondence. Offices are less dominated by the piles of paper which used to make up the daily workflow and rows upon rows of filing cabinets or even the file room are less likely than two decades ago.
What about your work procedures?
Have these changes along with the changes in communication and physical systems? If not your organization has probably found itself falling behind competitors who have adopted new and more efficient ways of operating. A new calendar year is a great time to take a quick look at how you are doing things to see if changes could be warranted and healthy.
Late last year we wrote about the move from older Windows server platforms into newer ones with better security, faster performance and enhanced opportunities for deployment. This is only one area of office infrastructure you might want to consider.
Others would involve user collaboration tools like internal chat software which could reduce the flow of email conversations to speed decisions.
A different approach to marketing your services and products which makes better use of the new social environment and online tools could be worth investigating. If things like SEO and content marketing are strange terms to you, then do some research as they are well proven and mature strategies for most industries.
Have you considered and deployed mobile tools which could enhance your customer service delivery by making client profiles readily available to field personnel whether in service or in sales.
What about document record keeping, record storage requirements, information retention and destruction protocols (either physical or electronic)? Have all of these been built and are they managed?
Personnel recruitment, training and retention is also massively different than at the beginning of the century and keeping up to date and in sink with needs and trends is important.
Outside influences
Of course the legislative world is in a constant state of change as well so keeping up with the regulations which affect your business is always needed.
The big political issues that spin around us including environmental changes, trade issues and general unpredictability of government systems also challenge business decision making.
Watching the fiscal pressures which governments face while keeping an eye on where the costs of capital and infrastructure may go adds to the challenge of predicting your course.
I'm sure that for many business owners and managers the change of this decade will seem as challenging as any which have come before and perhaps even greater than others. The opportunities seem large but the issues can be large as well so keeping a focus on looking ahead, planning for change and being as ready to shit course as you are able makes for a less stressful work day. Take some time to think about the big issues you face early this new year.
Lee K
