On Workplace 3.X: Nureva

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for ensuring meeting equity for all employees and how to deliver the best collaboration experience regardless of location.

Thought Leader: Nancy Knowlton, Chief Executive Officer of Nureva

Work from anywhere: a catchy phrase, certainly, but it really is as simple as providing the wherewithal for knowledge workers to accomplish work tasks anywhere.

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The more that the trend to work from anywhere progresses, the more concerned I am about the simplistic view of what “work” actually is. When we were all forced to work from home in the earliest stages of the pandemic, there was an intense focus on just being able to keep working. Technology solutions came to the rescue to keep business going in a time of great uncertainty and worry. The pendulum swung from all in-person to all remote. People and organizations adapted rapidly

We shouldn’t expect individuals to define how and where they’ll work and how a company’s work culture evolves." —Nancy Knowlton, Chief Executive Officer of Nureva

An emergency response should not be construed as a thoughtful evolution. Now that we have the option to choose many aspects of work, my sense is that we need to create a new vision of what work encompasses. While “place” is a clear consideration and important, it is not the central item. Company culture needs to take center stage.

We spend about a quarter of our available time at work each week. Teams form and engage in social behaviors around work and outside work. While some teams have had remote members for some time, most people would concede that the entirety of their interactions contribute to their ability to work together productively.

Just as we wouldn’t expect staff to choose their collaboration tools (i.e., Microsoft Teams versus Zoom), we shouldn’t expect individuals to define how and where they’ll work and how a company’s work culture evolves. There must be consideration of individual input with a definition set at an organizational level. What makes a productive work environment? What works well for individuals? How should organizations think about collaboration?

Company culture: the central consideration in the definition of the future of work.

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Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology (AVT). She was a critical member of the AVT team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A storyteller at heart, Davis enjoys facilitating and engaging in deeper conversations about the complex topics shaping the evolving AV/IT industry. She develops and moderates AV/IT roundtables and co-hosts the AV/IT Summit. Davis explores the experiential ethos of the modern workplace and higher ed campus to provide insight into the drivers that will impact decisions. For more than 25 years, she has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer B2C publications, associations, and companies. Recently, she has become obsessed with the role of AI in the workplace.