Barriers to collaboration – and overcoming them

23 May 2013

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We love @dcoleman100‘s collaborate.com article: what’s stopping you from collaborating?

Almost all businesses – and individuals – think they are good at collaborating. It can be difficult to measure an ROI on collaboration, let alone how effective it is on a personal level. One way is to look at barriers to collaboration.

According to a recent study, 65% of those surveyed really wanted to collaborate, but in that same group only 35% found they were able to collaborate effectively. That left 30% of the people unable to fulfil their collaboration needs.

What are the most common barriers to collaboration in business?

The most common responses to this question: corporate culture, poor leadership, unclear goals for collaboration.

According to David Coleman,

These results were not that different from the original study I did 20 years ago, which means, people are still people, but the technology has changed. I also believe many more people today know about electronic collaboration then when I asked about it 20 years ago. The same problems are apparent, and mostly they are not technology problems, but more focused on people and process.

What kind of workers do you have, and what are the barriers to collaboration in your business?

The diagram below shows the way your employees might engage with collaboration technologies – whether they are unconsciously incompetent, unconsciously competent, consciously incompetent or consciously competent. Collaborators come in all different shapes, and so do change resisters, so it’s important to know where your team are and how you can move them forward.

Barriers to collaboration

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Do you use the Steljes Training Portal?

22 May 2013

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Steljes Training Portal

Find out more about the Steljes Training Portal:

Business objectives haven’t changed much over the years. The need to stay competitive, to get the best return on investment and maximise productivity are as important now as they ever were. But the technologies that deliver those objectives have changed, extending and expanding the workplace at lightning speed.

To maximise the return on existing investment it is important for all businesses to ensure that staff are ready to embrace the technology they find at work, Steljes Training has created a combination of courses that will help staff understand the benefits that using the technology will bring, focusing on how to enhance existing work place practice.

We know that keeping up-to-date with technology and making sure teams understand it is a key concern – the Steljes Training Online portal will ensure that staff can take a course on their SMART Collaboration technology, any time and any place. It gives clear step by step guides on how to use the software and advises on best practices for meeting room use and presentation environments.

Contact Steljes Training for further information on the Training Portal and how to subscribe: training@steljes.co.uk

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Collaboration, The Faces of Steljes

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A new kind of touch-type: the KALQ keyboard

21 May 2013

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KALQ KeyboardHow would you like to type 34% faster?

According to new research the KALQ thumb keyboard can take on the QWERTY we all know – and the results show that it could make touch typing easier.

Apparently a normal QWERTY keyboard on a touchscreen device limits you to typing at a rate of about twenty words per minute.

The idea behind the KALQ keyboard is you type with two thumbs – only on tablets and larger smartphones though.

Its creators used “computational optimisation techniques” to identify which gave the best performance.

Do you think adopting the new KALQ keyboard would be confusing or make you more efficient?

Researchers at St Andrews, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Germany and Montana Tech in the US joined together to create the virtual keyboard, which will be available as a free app for Android-based devices in the near future.

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Too Cool for Business

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Touchscreen shop windows: a reality in 2013?

20 May 2013

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eBay CEO on touchscreen shop windowseBay CEO John Donahoe has recently announced that the company will be engaging in offline sales – but not the kind you’d expect.

“Technology is blurring the lines between online and offline commerce and a ‘new retail’ environment is emerging. One example of how eBay is partnering with retailers to provide innovative technology solutions is the work we continue to do with the Kate Spade brands and we are excited to be partnering with them on the launch of Kate Spade Saturday in New York.”

With a combination of mobile technology and interactive store windows, eBay will be popping up in New York this summer with a lifesize touchscreen shop. According to Donahoe,

“It’s not just to shop or make payments but the whole flow.”

Donahoe says that this is part of a bigger push eBay is making to bring itself closer to where retailers are still doing the majority of their transactions: offline. This will also be about multiscreen experiences across smartphones, tablets, and in-store devices.

“We see a world where consumers will be multiscreen and access the Web in multiple places,” he said. “We’re building mobile applications that are seamless across those screens.”

Watch him talk about the idea here:

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Evolution of Business, Too Cool for Business

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Is the rise in flexible working destroying the workplace?

16 May 2013

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According to this interesting article by Office Insight, the UK isn’t the only country putting unwanted office space to use.

A new report from CBRE shows that Dubai is now facing an oversupply of commercial property that means buildings are changing use before they’re even finished.

With some areas seeing occupancy levels below fifty percent, developers are turning would-be offices into homes and hotels.

“Landlords are seeing these issues and looking for ways to [reduce] that risk; changing the use to residential or hospitality are potential ways. Some owners have decided ‘we can get better value for this development if we go for a change of use’. It’s a trend we saw in reverse in some parts back in [the 2006-08 real estate boom] when residential landlords would look to convert to office space because office rents were significantly higher.” Matthew Green, Head of research and consultancy at CBRE

More detail on this story is available here.

Do you think there’s still a place for new office design?

With collaboration technologies and BYOD, flexible working means employees can choose to come in when they need to. Collaboration hubs mean that work is more innovative and efficient – while remote workers can join in easily no matter where they are. Take a look at our flexible working report and let us know your thoughts!

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Productive Workplace, Virtual Workforce, Working Across Distance

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Is this the future of mobile technology?

15 May 2013

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Patrick Kane and his app-controlled bionic armMeet Patrick. He is the very first person to have a bionic arm, controlled by… a phone app.

Patrick Kane, 16, is from London. He lost his arm and right leg to meningitis as a baby, and said the new i-limb was “priceless”.

The app gives users of i-limb 24 pre-programmed hand positions, and users can control the movements by choosing hand positions using the app – but they can also do it by contracting muscles.

“I am still very good if I am not wearing the arm but it gives me that extra level and now I can really do anything that I want with it.

It will allow me to do things that I could do previously but quicker, more efficiently and more fluidly.”

Ian Stevens, chief executive of Touch Bionics, said the technology gave users extra “unparalleled dexterity and control”.

What could the consequences of mobile-controlled bionic technology be?

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A Brief History of the Touchscreen

14 May 2013

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We like this brief history of touchscreen technology – despite the Microsoft bias! They’re missing capacitive touch, Disney’s Touché and most importantly the SMART board - what else do you think should be on this infographic?

What do you think are the biggest developments in touchscreen technology? Find out more.

History of Touchscreen Technology

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Evolution of Business

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IT Trends Visualizer app: witness the evolution of the digital world

13 May 2013

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IT Trends Visualizer is your insight into the evolution of the digital world.

IT Trends Visualizer is an app that helps everyone – from IT decision-makers to IT bloggers – get to grips with the IT trends that are causing a buzz online.

IT Trends VisualizerThis app, brought to you by Orange, uses information on Twitter to find your articles and trends – including mobility, cloud computing, unified communication, security, M2M and more.

The homepage allows you to specify a time period and choose a sub-category, representing news articles about your chosen IT topic.

IT Trends Visualizer

Articles are then displayed and classified according to the number of mentions on Twitter – a measure of its popularity and the amount of conversation going on. When you find an interesting article, you can click straight to it, comment on it and share.

Best of all, it’s free – download the app here and find out more with the #ITtrends hashtag:

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Productive People

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NEC Solutions Showcase 2013

10 May 2013

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NEC Solutions Showcase 2013

The NEC Solutions Showcase 2013 is the unmissable Display Solutions Event of the year. Taking place on 16th May at Tobacco Dock in London, this event is about bringing together specialists in retail, transportation and more, put your questions to the experts and have a taste of the latest innovations in display solutions.

Steljes will be showcasing the brand new SMART Room System for Microsoft Lync - be one of the first audiences in Europe to see this fantastic new meeting room system.

The event is dedicated to presenting the latest advances in display technology across key vertical sectors.

Now in its 5th year, the 2013 Solutions Showcase provides an outstanding opportunity to discover ‘best in class’ innovative technology solutions within a number of interactive zones including Retail, Digital out of Home, Education, Transport, Leisure, Healthcare, Media and Corporate Communications. Collaborating within each zone are NEC’s Solution Partners, ensuring exceptional synergies to benefit both the integrator and the end user.

“At the NEC Showcase, industry market leaders can work together in showing fully operational solutions to both the channel and end customers.” - Simon Jackson, VP for NEC Display Solutions.

Have a look at this video from last year – then register now for free!

Join in the conversation using the hashtag #NECshowcase and follow @NECShowcase on Twitter!

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The Faces of Steljes

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Could you collaborate outside of your business?

9 May 2013

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We’ve written on shaping your workplace with collaboration technology and given you the tools to do it - but is there more to collaboration than inspiring collaboration within your business?

There are numerous benefits to encouraging inter-business collaboration:

1. Networking

All business is driven by referrals and connections. We’re in the hey-day of the online review and recommendation, so the collaborative small business must always be looking out for new opportunities with other businesses.

2. Inspiration and Reciprocal Support

By bringing together a group of like-minded businesses, you can gain a valuable source of motivation, inspiration and support. Beyond referrals, businesses can share challenges out to their network in order to brainstorm solutions. Consider joining a LinkedIn group, actively participating in online forums or spending time in shared office space.

3. The Co-marketing Vision

What if your business had a circle of small businesses that shared customers and participated in joint marketing opportunities? When you share an audience, you’ll find that you all need to put yourselves out there in the same places. These informal alliances bring new value to current customers, as well as expand your visibility into new audiences.

The companies you collaborate with don’t need to be next door – with SMART conferencing, they can be anywhere. A shared vision and a shared audience don’t necessarily mean a shared office. How could collaboration change your industry? Read this great article on collaborating with your enemies… then think about how you could take your next step with these forty-six insights.

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Collaboration

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