The Digital Century & Workplace Automation in A Post GFC Economy

BUSINESS WHITE PAPER
The Digital Century & Workplace Automation

in a Post-GFC Economy
18.05.2014
Mar ket i ng | Busi ness | I nt el l i gence
MML PTY LTD | Digital Consulting | White Paper #18052014
Mass Media Logistics Pty Ltd | 2014
Are digitally agile workplaces an emerging trend?
Absolutely. If there was one thing to learn from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis,
it was that businesses, industries and companies of all sizes were beginning to
feel the nancial sting of having excessive labour capital allocated to basic
workplace administration and document control.
Entirely necessary for the control and management of content within a
business, administration has always (silently) been the single most expensive
core business process for companies.
Today, as organisations the world over look to outsourcing when realigning
facets of their administrative opera!tions, effectively sharing and managing
internal and external data is proving a challenge for less digitally agile
companies.
Whether the bulk of your administration consists of internal process
documents, corporate communications and/or the classified handling of
intellectual property a companys content-data must always be
communicated, relayed and actioned effectively, and quickly.
However, in todays mobile world, business administration is a slowly dying role
for an Australian worker commanding an AUD60k per annum salary. Why?
Because companies can no longer afford to pay someone that in essence,
technology and more digitally savvy/autonomously minded professionals can
do the work for, and in most cases to a higher standard.
Automation, as terrifying as it sounds allows post GFC workplaces to
streamline their internal operations, trimming the fat from payroll by replacing
obsolete hands and the associated risk of human error, with digital platforms
and leaner business modeling that is driven primarily by the advent of digital
and mobile communications technologies.
Nevertheless, business administration and document control will always be a
core business process for any manager working within an enterprise, however
it is best to understand how to eliminate unnecessary elements of the role
through basic automation that leverages digital and mobile application
technologies with enhanced business outcomes.
Choosing the right task tracking, delegation and document control
software for your company, business, or industry
For your company to make an educated decision on what is required to
streamline internal processes, certain aspects of internal management must be
taken into consideration.
Ask yourself who spends the most time do!ing what, when, where and why?
How is decreased productivity and lack of accountability within management
structures affecting your companys revenue forecasts?
Pick one fundamental issue that limits your workplace administrations ability to
control and manage data effectively, and conceptualise how implementing an
enhanced digital communications channel could eliminate current limitations?
Whether integration comes through innovating your traditional business model,
cre!ating a powerful and transparent communication loop between ground
staff, management, executives and company directors will undoubtedly
enhance a businesses overall capabilities.
Usability: Ensuring uptake through training and education
By integrating streamlined digital and mobile information handling systems
within a professional work environment, digital and mobile application
technologies are quickly replacing the associated costs of retaining the old
humanistic, and/or less productive way of getting a job done.

Post GFC workplaces that have embraced workplace automation have
managed to innovate via:
! Utilising systems that can easily communicate and streamline core
business processes between departments.
! Allowing administrational staff/management to make quicker, more
accountable and documented decisions without the need for often frustrating
interference by middle management.
! Identifying, tracking, and later disciplining workers that offer little
and/or no evident contribution to your workforce that without these
technologies can often justify/bluff their contributions to the team via those
analyzing their performance
Therefore, integrating digital and mobile applications to action the
abovementioned points should make the transition to a new system as quick,
intuitive and smooth as possible.
A digital transition will require precise training and change management
expertise, especially in workplaces where less agile management/executives
have coerced their superiors into retaining their long-term employment often
by placing emphasis on workplace politics.
Based on our own change management experience, patience is imperative
throughout the digital and mobile integration process as certain individuals
adhere to new systems faster than others. Naturally, a well-learned
management professional should not have any qualms assisting those
struggling to adapt to an improved and cleaner mobile application system
enhanced productivity will better perform their KPIs anyway.

Mass Media Logistics Pty Ltd: An example of successful workplace
automation
We dont pretend to be perfect time maestros ourselves, we do however
allocate signicant resources to ensure that administration and document
control remains as automated as possible. This has been achieved through
implementing an automated administrative system that was tailored 100%
around our own challenges, and therefore 100% effective in remedying those
challenges.
Whether its customer relationship management, content management, or the
mobile handling of data, workplace automa!tion has allowed our company to
partially eliminate administrational processes and their associated costs from
its operations.
Freeing up capital, and allowing it to be funneled into more important
departments such as research and development, MML Pty Ltd understands
wholly, the benets of integrating purpose specic digital and mobile
application software into the workplace.
We firmly believe that;
Any type of manager that sits idle by their smart phone waiting for
notifications all day, whom is busily politicking, or who is actively engaged
more on social media networks than completing critical tasks at hand is
unable to justify the wage they so arrogantly command.
Integrating digital platforms and mobile task tracking applications into the
workplace help identify, track and later purge your workplace of these often-
destructive individuals accelerating change management processes in the
digital space with enhanced business outcomes.

The advantages of automation in a post GFC workplace
Although old school management luddites probably wont agree, the
advantages of integrating a digitally automated communications system into
your workplace are limitless. However, like any good researcher, one must
compare the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a system as
such.
Typically, this would be done through a social, political and economical
advantages/ disadvantages analysis, however the political aspect is hardly
necessary (for now), so well focus on the latter.
Social Advantages +
Recalibrate your work environment as being more direct, transparent and
savvypurely through automation, by:
! Increasing workplace transparency brand your work environment
as being no mess, direct and 100% productive and accountable.
! Identifying and alerting senior management of free riders, allowing
you to trim the fat from your workplace, and greater inspiring your team to be
more productive, innovative and autonomous in their decision making.
! Increasing workplace productivity encourages staff to perform at a
higher level by focusing more on accountability, embracing transparency and
identifying those who deserve reward and recognition.
! Decreasing staff turnover silent achievers are more easily noticed
which is reflected through clearly measurable and fully accountable KPIs
empowering your staff for keeping up with tasks, meeting sales and marketing
forecasts, and for staying ahead of schedule at all times.

Social Disadvantages -
Implementation of a new system will take time getting used to, especially in a
workplace were less agile staff remain present.
It is imperative that appropriate time is allocated to train all staff to actively
engage with newly implemented digital and mobile communications processes;
otherwise (without mandatory policy & procedure) short-term integration of new
processes (investment required) are at risk.
The social disadvantages of implementing digital and workplace automation
into the workplace are:
! Technical Glitches and slow Internet speed this can be frustrating
and can hinder the general uptake of integrating digital mediums into your
workplaces processes. Nevertheless, youll always get what you pay for, thats
why its important to choose the right people, the first time round to
implement the systems.
! Paranoia (whos looking over my shoulder and why?) This is a major
one and could possibly cause tension, however, a good worker has nothing to
be scared of, if theyve got nothing to hide. In most cases paranoia and job
insecurity is reflected by politicking staff, who are identified through digitally
agile managers who are able to identify using these technologies where
performance and accountability lacks.
! Alternate training requirements Some grasp new technology easier
than others, it is that simple. Make sure that clear communication and patience
is exercised when teaching less agile staff how to embrace digital and mobile
application technologies, otherwise youll struggle with integration if youve got
more than 30 staff to train.

Economic Advantages +
Aforementioned, is the fact that trimming the fat from your companys payroll
will have immediate economic advantages. Lets face it, no post GFC
workplace can afford to have that guy or girl slinking around doing absolutely
nothing.
Gone are the days of those whom pointlessly conducted trips to the ofce
printer, only to later scribble on their printouts to make themselves appear
busy. Yes, it happens. In fact, its rife in the post GFC workplace. We believe
and strongly advocate identifying and removing these snakes in the grass
from your organizational structures.
Workplace automation through digital and mobile applications will cleanse your
workplace of legacy staff, and youll be able to sleep easy knowing that your
workers are operating in-line with fully accountable and measurable key
performance indicators.
Workplace automation will increase your yearly scal returns by:
! Cutting back on non-crucial printing and paper waste In the age of
sustainability, unnecessary administrative printing is considered heresy.
Automation eliminates the need for printing, as electronic PDF les and their
storage, are increasingly becoming the norm.
! Maximising productivity as mentioned, get the most out of your
labour capital, through increasing staff accountability and eliminating
unnecessary downtime. Fully measurable organization and accountability is the
new chaos, and post GFC workplaces simply cannot afford to retain
complacent non-productive staff.
! Unwiring business the less wire, clutter and chords you have
around the ofce, the better. not only is excessive oor wiring an WHS issue,
but entirely unnecessary in this day and age.

Economic Disadvantages !
The associated costs of implementing a secure digital framework may not be in
every workplaces budget and many free open source programs exist that can
somewhat assist in the automation process. However, you often get what you
(dont) pay for, and based on experience, would strongly suggest tailoring a
digital automation system with a professional digital consultancy company.
Nevertheless, the economic disadvantages of implementing a mobile
application as such are:
! Initial cost digital and mobile communications platforms are
software, and you need to understand this now. Therefore, the cost of
developing a digitally automated workplace requires solid financing and/or
long-term sustainable vision by a digitally competent manager/ external
consultant.
En prcis, it is important that you take a stellar look at who, what, when,
where, and why your workplace is not performing at its peak. A simple SWOT
analysis can assist your workplace in identifying the communications stopgap,
and better help you tailor a digital and/or mobile strategy to remedy the said
stopgap.
Productivity 2.0: better perform & retain key staff
A happy, efcient and productive workplace is one to be reckoned withas
innovation and an enhanced work environment always follows. Nevertheless,
the positive social spillover effects of having a transparent and 100%
accountable worker mentality, empowers entire departments to better perform
and communicate the byproduct of a digitally agile workplace that calls free-
riders on their bullshit.
There is simply no room left in business for the piecemeal delegation of tasks
and the rampant he said she said type rot and/or internal politicking. Take into
account, the extreme bitterness and detrimental effects that the above
mentioned and outdated mentality those who bring politics into the workplace.
Staff whine, alliances are formed and broken, and suddenly, youre work
environment becomes reminiscent of Kabul, circa 2001. Workplace automation,
it could be suggested eliminates assumption and the non-earned sense of
importance from your workplaces management structure, and consequently
productivity levels and staff retention will increase.
Increasing staff retention: Transparency is a fantastic attribute to any
workplace, and without transparency, managers and executive staff nd
themselves running around seeking labour justication from their staff. By
labour justication, I mean managers and executive staff having to look over
the shoulders of their employees when they shouldnt have to.
For example, a public relations focused head of sales and marketing with no
business acumen and/or experience, whom laments in making others lives
difficult through their own management incompetence, nds it very hard to
survive in a workplace whereby staff are 100% accountable for completing
their own tasks, on time according to the incontrovertible data identified
through monthly KPI reporting.
These free riders and politically minded individuals have no desk space in a
digitally automated workplace, and therefore organisations should listen to
the advice of a digital manager and/or consultant to ensure immediate steps to
replace this person are made.
In addition to a better work environment, staff turnover will consequently
decreaseas you know exactly who is doing what and when its going to be
delivered by. Theres less room for discrepancies, communication generally
improves, and a happy, productive work force that fully understands their roles
within an organisation will indenitely follow.
Never have to train staff again, just retain and continuously improve their
processes, albeit with little tolerance for repeated critical error.

Viewing Labour as ROI: Post GFC workplaces have shifted the way a typical
employee is perceived. Bosses and increasingly, recruitment agencies, no
longer rely on here-say when screening a potential job candidate. These days,
employers need physical, cold, hard and raw evidence that someone they are
about to hire can justify the high AUD wage theyre due to receive. Labour,
whether it is physical or intellectual is all about Return on investment and
measurable performance in a post GFC workplace.
Integrating a rock solid digital strategy into the fabric of your organisation
mobile applications will decrease your chances of feeling burnt by free riders.
Gone are the days of having to bash yourself over lazy individuals who have
managed to y under the radar doing nothing for 3 months they will be
caught out straight away in an automated work environment. Digital Platforms
and the military level reporting and analysis of a competent digital manager that
leverages these platforms will not fool.

Out with the old and in with the new: where to next?
You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an
idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo
A fundamental shift in workplace tradition can be attributed purely to recent
technological innovations. How we communicate with each other both at home
and in the workplace is changing. Born out of the ashes of the post GFC
economy is a trustpoor society that is penniless, broken and technologically
confused. Nevertheless, the digital age haveth arrived, and out of the post GFC
ashesgrows a robust and highly protable opportunity for struggling
companies, businesses and entire industries to re-structure.
Although half the struggle is remaining agile in this rapidly changing technology
rich environment digital platforms/mobile applications, and the devices that
host them will continue to inuence multiple facets of our daily lives both at
home and at work.
Just take a look at the stock markets, companies such as SAP, IBM, ORACLE,
Accenture and CISCO to name a feware witnessing their shares skyrocket.
The worlds most innovative workplaces have gone digital, just take look at the
glittering quarterly revenue gures these innovative companies are generating.
Now, I dont pretend to write from the desk of a large multi-national company,
thats not the point. The point is however, to inform as many people as possible
that automation through digital innovation will enable your business, company,
or industry to perform at its pre-GFC capacity.
Excessive allocation of labour towards administration and document control is
choking post GFC businesses and without addressing the ckle morals &
ethics of slashing a redundant workforce for your company, please ask yourself
how long you can afford to sustain a workforce performing at only 35% of its
overall capacity?
Surely not long given the current economic climate.
About the author:
Lucas Thompson is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mass Media
Logistics Pty Ltd, a specialist digital agency and consulting company with
ofces in Australia and Asia.
The author is passionate about information technology and marketing
intelligence having worked in the digital space for leading multi-national
corporations in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong, China.
Fore more information please contact lucas@massmedialogistics.com to book a
private and confidential business consultation.

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