WORK IT! | Page 2 of 3 | Cut Business Expenses 40% with Integrated Business Solutions

HOW TO HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES WORK TOGETHER

Today’s workers carry smartphones, tablets and laptops that connect them with colleagues and job tasks wherever they go. Collaboration apps have exploded in recent years, and now even most basic business software — to make spreadsheets, documents and presentations — has become cloud-based and portable.The result is a truly mobile workforce that can accomplish virtually anything without setting foot in the office.Yet many organizations are not keeping pace and their managers are stuck in an old style of management thinking. They’re still living in the 20th century.In her research on the “smart workplace,” Trina Hoefling sees three top concerns of today’s managers:1. [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T09:01:00-04:00

REMOTE WORKERS CAN BE HAPPIER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE

Despite some resistance from middle management and the occasional exception like Yahoo, remote work is becoming the norm — and for good reason. A 2014 study conducted by researchers at Stanford University found that remote employees experienced greater contentment, increased productivity and were less likely to quit. The author of the study, Nicholas Bloom, states, “The more robotic the work, the greater the benefits, we think. More research needs to be done on creative work and teamwork, but the evidence still suggests that with most jobs, a good rule of thumb is to let employees have one to two days a week at [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T18:59:14-05:00

CAN ENOUGH CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS BE FOUND?

Cybersecurity breaches and cybercrime have been recognized as an area of immense risk for at least five years. Organizations ranging from the government to corporations have had data compromised or stolen. Currently, cybercrime alone is a business estimated by $445 billion, according to the Harvard Business Review. Technology news reveals that the average company deals with 200,000 attempts against security daily. The number of incidents and their breadth is triggering concern that there are not enough qualified people to be the white hats: cybersecurity professionals who block security breaches, develop better security, monitor systems, and develop policy and educational programs [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T19:09:29-05:00

5 SUCCESS TIPS FOR WORKING REMOTELY

The average full-time American employee spends one third of their day working, five days a week, according to the Center for Disease Control. That means your coworkers, your daily tasks, and the work culture you surround yourself with can be just as important as the relationship, activity, and environmental decisions you make with the other two thirds of your life. Think of yourself when you were younger - when a child goes to school each day, is it just a place where they spend a third of their day, being watched after, or is school a fundamental building block [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T19:19:26-05:00

HOW BEST TO COLLABORATE

Collaboration drives so much in a workplace. Collaborative teams have a deeper sense of trust, are more willing to take risks, and are supportive of each other more consistently. It’s a powerful trait to infuse into any work team. How best to collaborate depends on many factors: the teams, the work, the need and the project. Yet there are common traits every effective collaborative workplace shows. Business Strategy and Types of Collaborations In a recent book, Heidi K. Gardner, a distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School, describes “smart collaborations” as falling into one of three categories: Employees use individual and specialized [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T19:31:16-05:00

WHAT PROBLEMS CAN TECHNOLOGY SOLVE?

It’s clear that digital technology can power business and that many digital companies have disrupted entire industries with the way they deliver products and services for the better. But can technology be part of solving social issues as well as business ones? Can it disrupt models of organizations where progress on social issues has been made? In the last three decades, for example, the rate of poverty across the globe has been cut by 50%. There have been significant increases in life expectancy, and significant decreases in child mortality. But, pressing social issues remain. Recently, a group centered around [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T19:47:44-05:00

HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE?

Customer lifetime value (CLV) is an important business metric. It provides management with a view of how much repeat business they can expect from customers. In turn, the revenue projection arising from that calculation can provide an overview of how much they need to spend on retaining customers. Typically, CLV is computed as follows:(Average Value of Purchase) x (Number of Repeat Transactions) x (Average Retention Time in Months or Years for the Average Customer) So, for example, a magazine subscription would be calculated as $50 every year for a 3-year subscription. The equation would then read: $50 year x 3 years [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T20:03:42-05:00

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: WILL CORPORATE INROADS FAIL?

Artificial intelligence is a popular topic in boardrooms and C-suites today. As AI becomes one of the most-discussed opportunities, businesses are making significant investments in technologies designed to innovate new business models and improve business processes.Yet if history proves anything, many companies will swing and miss at this latest business strategy. Why? From the dot-com boom and bust in the late 1990s and early 200s to the collective reluctance of cloud computing in the last decade, businesses have missed obvious opportunities for growth.Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Google fear that companies are already missing out. Their [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T11:04:05-04:00

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MOVES TO THE CLOUD

In 2017, artificial intelligence and machine learning have moved out of the movies and into the mainstream. Commercials highlight intelligent in-home assistants (think Amazon's Alexa) and smart products learn how we behave and give us better search results or product recommendations.Today, the most innovative and pioneering companies in artificial intelligence include some of the world's best-known brands and new players that are poised to become industry giants. Here's a closer look at artificial intelligence: the companies that innovate.BaiduA 2016 study released jointly by Baidu, based in Beijing, China, Stanford University and the University of Washington made major technology news. The study [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T11:02:57-04:00

THE INTERNET OF THINGS RIGHT NOW

Our world is hyperconnected, driven, in part, by advances in digital technology and wireless functionality. The convergence of these innovations is called the Internet of Things. It is transforming the way we live, work and play. Just what is the state of the Internet of Things right now and where is it headed? Put simply, the Internet of Things is a network of millions of connected objects and devices that are smarter and much more than simply a collection. An IoT device is any object that is fitted with software, sensors, and wireless capabilities. They can detect information, collect and store [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T21:06:57-05:00

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: WHAT METRICS MAY DIFFERENTIATE THEM GOING FORWARD?

Most social media platforms operating today have been built with scale as a dominant metric in their business strategy. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and their kin wanted to build out as big as possible to keep revenues flowing. Yet increasingly, social media is becoming more than social media if, by that, we mean that media that connects friends and communities. Social media is becoming the platform on which an increasing amount of other media is produced and consumed. The venerable New York Times, for example, notes that Snapchat’s access to newspapers, magazines, and television on its platform channels is “online media [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T21:40:53-05:00

E-MAIL VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION: MAXIMIZING IMPACT

E-mail is a dominant mode of information dissemination in many corporations. It’s just as dominant overall, of course. But increasingly, communications from upper management to the company at large, from supervisors to their reports, among team members, and between departments are all shared via e-mail. E-mail is often the default mode of communication. The adoption of e-mail as a communications tool has clearly had benefits for business strategy. It is quick, convenient, ensures targeted receipt, and is pretty much universal. Face-to-Face Is Much More Effective But it also has some downsides. A recent Harvard Business Review article noted that, [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T22:07:54-05:00

HOW TO LISTEN BETTER AT MEETINGS

We all know that communication in meetings -- especially virtual meetings -- is often less than optimal. The number of questions, differing perspectives, repetition, and multiple points of view often creates a kind of static where it’s difficult to say what goals were furthered during the meeting time. Meeting goers don’t always remember what was said. The Wall Street Journal indicates that people remember just 10% of the material imparted in face-to-face communications, of which meetings are a subset.So, how can you improve meeting communication? Listen better. Have a Listening System in Place A recent Harvard Business Review suggests note-taking as a system of both [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T22:16:36-05:00

5 ONBOARDING PAIN POINTS AND HOW TO FIX THEM

How much time do you devote to onboarding your new employees? The duration of a couple of presentations? A day or two?The process for hiring new team members should not end with receiving a signed offer letter, nor should it be over after the Day-1 orientation. Management and organizational experts suggest that successful onboarding processes can last as long as 6 months. Now don’t think of this as an intense, daily program. While this process is, indeed, long-lasting, it can simply consist of regular check-ins, communicating expectations and giving feedback to your new hire over a period of months.Read this [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T09:00:15-04:00

LESSONS FROM DIGITAL INNOVATION IN FINANCE

Finance companies are not always linked with digital innovation in the way that, say, social media or technology companies are. However, digital innovation is affecting the industry, from venerable investment banks to blockchain developers. Fast Company annually publishes a list of the world’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, but it also breaks the list into sectors. Want to know who the most innovative companies in the finance space are? Read on to see the latest technology news on the top four. Goldman Sachs: Into a Digital Lending Platform The #1 company on Fast Company’s financial sector list is a highly venerable, highly traditional investment bank. [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-09T23:19:06-05:00

HOW SAFE IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS?

The IoT allows for the measurement, collection, transmission, and usage analysis of countless objects, from cars to clothes. For marketers and business strategists, the IoT generates massive amounts of data that exposes the behaviors and passions of millions of customers and potential customers. In this time of great concerns over privacy and security, the question remains, regarding the Internet of Things: How Safe? Security Concerns In October 2016, a denial-of-service attack crippled Dyn, which provides vital internet infrastructure. The attack was carried out via a botnet of hacked devices -- webcams, camcorders and even baby monitors. Fortunately, there were no casualties [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T00:27:15-05:00

SHOULD YOUR BUSINESS JOIN A COWORKING SPACE?

WeWork’s coworking spaces offer fruit-infused water, lively designs, and an open community. As Andrew Rice described it in Bloomberg, “WeWork has cast itself as a new kind of workplace for the post-recession labor force and a generation that has never known a cubicle. It aspires to make your job a place you never want to quit.” There’s no office politics and a lot of opportunities to laugh and network at free events like Friday evening happy hours. Coworking spaces like WeWork are on the rise, and for good reason. The Harvard Business Review defines coworking spaces as, “membership-based workspaces where diverse groups of freelancers, [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T01:21:04-05:00

IS AUGMENTED REALITY COMING TO THE WORKPLACE?

A concern that machines will replace workers animates much discussion about the future of technology. Robots, drones, and virtual reality all seem to portend a time not far distant when machines do work once done by humans. Indeed, in some instances, that future is already here. Proponents of augmented reality (AR), though, are increasingly saying that AR will improve employee performance, hiking both productivity and safety and increasing worker satisfaction. The key point to them is simple: machines and human employees, working together, perform better than either performs alone. On the Factory Floor… Most people in the U.S. likely know [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T01:54:56-05:00

WHY GOOD DATA IS CRITICAL FOR COLLABORATION

It is universally acknowledged that good data can help company performance. In the human resources field, for example, data can help identify why top performers leave, what might be done to retain them, and how to make more employees satisfied going forward. In operations, it can help identify what processes are more productive. Across the board, data can be used to pinpoint the characteristics of creative teams. Data analysis can identify what characteristics make a team malfunction — and then be part of the suggestions to correct the impediments.Good company data is an essential part of business strategy.Yet, what constitutes “good data” [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T02:03:49-05:00

HOW WORK STYLE CAN IMPACT COLLABORATION

One of the key factors that can enhance collaboration in a workplace is to identify the work styles of each member of a team. Each member of a team may have different work styles, which involve personality, focus, and even the way in which information is processed. Although the word “diversity” in corporate life is often used to refer to gender and ethnic group representation, different work styles are a form of diversity that needs to be acknowledged and striven for. Ideally, employees bringing different styles to the table would create synergy. However, far too often, teams may founder and those [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T02:18:32-05:00

CASE STUDY: HOW DATA ANALYTICS IS TRANSFORMING THE FOOD BUSINESS

Americans have more access to better food and food for a sophisticated palate than ever before. Great meals can be had everywhere from airline terminals to 5-star restaurants specializing in haute cuisine. Most people are aware of the rise in the foodie culture, where people from 18 to 75 pursue sophisticated foods ranging from roasted squab to artisanal chocolate to craft beer. But most people don't think "digital data" or "analytics" when they think of eating. In fact, technology news like digital data and analytics have a great deal to do with food and restaurant companies and their ability to meet the [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T02:24:06-05:00

WHO DOES SOCIAL MEDIA BEST?

Every year, Fast Company compiles a 50-company list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies.” It surveys the business universe for companies whose products and business strategies have made the greatest impact.Innovation in social media likely has one of the most significant impacts of any digital workplace. Why? Social media is increasingly expanding the category of social media itself. Think of it as technology news, a way to get in touch with friends and crowd-share opinions a la Twitter? Not anymore. Social media is blazing a trail in how information gets disseminated and re-envisioning what functions are performed via its channel.Here is an [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T02:32:25-05:00

SOLVING TIME MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS IN A DIGITAL BUSINESS

Senior management in a digital workplace can become concerned about time management when important goals are not being met, yet their people are clearly working. Some employees are even working late, yet rollouts and shipments have both been delayed.A recent article in the Harvard Business Review explores whether this scenario might be a result of focus challenges among the staff, not time management per se. The focus on time management, in fact, may be masking systemic focus issues that need to be addressed with upper management’s leadership skills.Distraction costs about $1 trillion every year. It detracts from more sophisticated knowledge work, such [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T02:41:11-05:00

ASSESSING THE VALUE OF A “LIKE”

With the rise of social media, business strategy in marketing departments followed the "like." Endorsements on social media channels like Facebook was thought, axiomatically, to lead to increased sales. That's one of the reasons that so many organizations have social media pages.Social media engagement, so the theory goes, leads to more sales, both to "likers" and their social networks.What Is the Value of a Thumbs-Up?The exact value of a "like" or other social media approval, however, has been disputed for years. A roundup by Business Insider several years ago revealed that the values of likes was, on the whole, fairly negligible, ranging [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T11:05:00-04:00

A DOWNWARD MOVE FOR DIGITAL IQ

Businesses worldwide are losing “digital IQ” at a rapid rate, according to a yearly survey conducted by PwC. The Digital IQ survey tabulates responses from business leaders at over 2,200 companies and defines Digital IQ as “the measurement of an organization’s abilities to harness and profit from technology.”In 2016, 67% of businesses surveyed self-rated their digital IQ as strong. In 2017, which marks the survey’s tenth year, the number had fallen to 52%.Yet businesses were responding well to technology news, saying they had increased spending on emerging technologies over the decade, to 18% of the budget versus only 1% a decade ago.Upper [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T10:57:47-04:00

TRACKING CUSTOMER PREFERENCE IN BRICK-AND-MORTAR STORES

Most people know that their behavior on a computer screen can be monitored. The sites they visit, how long they look at a particular page, and long-term patterns can all be explored, measured, and quantified. Online retail sites, for example, can determine customer preference and make recommendations based on browsing patterns as part of a business strategy - and they often do.Computers and Brick-and-Mortar: More and More AlikeThe ability of bricks-and-mortar stores to track the mobility of their customers may not be as well known.However, brick-and-mortar locations use tracking methods much as computers do. Part of the reason is that [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T21:34:31-05:00

VARIETIES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AND HOW BUSINESSES USE AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is frequently the focus of technology news. There is a marked tendency, however, to treat AI as if it were a singular thing. The Varieties of AI It isn't. A recent article in Wired points out that there are many varieties of artificial intelligence. If you hear of deep neural networks, for example, you are reading about a pattern recognition system. Facebook, Microsoft, and Google all use neural networks. Another form of AI uses probabilistic programming. This type of AI uses the hypotheses of programmers, and then use data generated by AI to test and refine those hypotheses. [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T21:50:01-05:00

USING SOUND TO IMPROVE DIGITAL SECURITY

Many digital technologies use images for security, along with consumer-specific knowledge-based authentication (KBA) such as passwords. However, sound is increasingly moving to the fore in technology news as a means of providing digital security. In the Call Center and Outside It: Detecting Fraud One reason is that some digital fraud is committed via the sound of a voice. Call centers are frequent targets of fraudulent calls. Forbes, for example, highlighted an attempt by one caller to have fraud protection on his bank account removed for 30 days because he was traveling overseas. But the call was not because a consumer [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-10T23:09:51-05:00

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS COMING TO DIGITAL WORKPLACE

Artificial intelligence (AI) is frequently the focus of technology news. There is a marked tendency, however, to treat AI as if it were a singular thing.The Varieties of AIIt isn't. A recent article in Wired points out that there are many varieties of artificial intelligence. If you hear of deep neural networks, for example, you are reading about a pattern recognition system. Facebook, Microsoft, and Google all use neural networks.Another form of AI uses probabilistic programming. This type of AI uses the hypotheses of programmers, and then use data generated by AI to test and refine those hypotheses.Probabilistic programming can be used [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2024-03-27T11:01:57-04:00

WHAT SNAPCHAT CAN TEACH US ABOUT PLATFORMS AND PRODUCTS

Snap Inc., the company that brought us the social media app Snapchat, is going public shortly. In the materials for its initial public offering (IPO), Snap described itself as a "camera company." The description caused no small amount of commentary, largely because Snapchat is a social media smartphone app, not a camera.Snapchat uses cameras, of course - one of the key selling points of Snapchat is the ability to send photos and videos, embellished with drawings and animation. But the use of a camera is different than the production of one. The latter is what "camera company" implies.Or, does Snap [...]

Thomas Fuhrman2017-12-11T00:07:04-05:00