Author: Ubiq

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Should Users Use Social Media for Work Collaboration?

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Social media is a powerful communication tool to share information and build relationships, as individuals and brands. It can also be a significant distraction in the workplace, where people use social media to attend to personal matters rather than focus on work responsibilities. Despite this possibility, companies are now considering how to turn social media into a valuable work resource.
Salary.com’s 2014 Wasting Time at Work survey revealed that 4% of total work time (online and offline) wasted was on social media. Looking at online activities, employees spent 23% of their online time on Facebook, 1% on Pinterest and 1% on Twitter. This may pose a challenge to business productivity.
Enterprise social media is on the rise, as organizations seek means to improve internal communications across departments. Better communication translates into higher levels of employee engagement, motivation and performance. The opportunity to utilize an technology at work that people use everyday to connect with their loved ones could be what boosts collaboration in the office and breaks down barriers across departments.
Microsoft created a Whitepaper called The Rise of Enterprise Social Networks, using various survey data reported some interesting statistics on employee engagement and the impact of social networks on business:

  • 73% of employees are disengaged (Isaac Getz/ ESCP Europe School of Business)
  • Employees are 4X more likely to be engaged at companies with enterprise social networks (PulsePoint Group/Economist Intelligence Unit)
  • 60% of employees believe that social media promotes creativity and innovation (Microsoft)
  • 61% of employees believe that enterprise social media improves communication and collaboration (Microsoft)

These statistics are eye opening, yet somewhat troubling. What is happening in the office that makes so many workers not interested in their employer? Certainly, company culture plays a significant role. If leadership is too rigid and fragmented, then employees will shut down. If leadership is interested in their employees’ level of satisfaction, then they need to make them feel a part of the business and be active in it.
Social media has truly changed the way many of us conduct business from sales to IT. Telecommunication firms, like Verizon and Optimum, have turned to tools like Twitter for help desk support. These businesses are becoming models for how IT can work within the corporate intranet and have begun to spark interest in tools like IT ticketing systems. We’ve seen project management go this route too, using tools like Slack, Trello and Basecamp as a means to collaborate and communicate.
Those individual tools work great, but often those are limited in transparency. If the intent is to break down silos, enterprise social media tools like Yammer and SocialCast are connecting people to interact beyond assigned projects. They are allowing employees to get to know each other by learning and sharing. Companies are creating roles for internal community management and social media management to encourage communication, idea exchange and collaboration.
While enterprise social media can be a wonderful thing, it really comes down to how the company supports it. Here are some things to consider when deciding to implement an enterprise social network at your company:

  1. Company Policy: Leadership should have internal and external communication policies in place. If not, it’s time to draft one! Your company should provide guidelines on the types of information and interactions that should take place on the network, noting what will be permitted and what will be moderated. Your policy should set structure without being a barrier.
  2. Human Resources: To make enterprise social media work for your business, you will need to build a team to support and manage it. Community and social media managers should be empowered to encourage engagement and collaboration by setting examples, moderating activity and supporting employee usage.
  3. IT Infrastructure: When implementing new technology, your current systems need to be evaluated to support it. You also need to have a team that is knowledgeable on how these networks function. If you have a unified communication system in place, the enterprise social network should be a part of it and not a standalone communication tool. It needs to be accessible, yet secure.
  4. Company Culture: Not only will leadership need to buy into the idea of an enterprise social network, your employees will too. Communication is key in any sort of change, big or small. Therefore, there needs to be interest and excitement built by demonstrating the operations and the benefits to business. Once you have adoption, you may begin to see a change in your company’s culture to promote a sharing environment.

Will enterprise social media work for your business? Simply having a network isn’t enough. You as a leader need to be a part of it. Your employees will let you know by how engaged and motivated they are. Social media is only as powerful as those using it. What do you think? Should users use social media for work collaboration?

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3 Considerations When Implementing Wearable Tech in the Workplace

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Technology is all around us. From tablets to smartphones to interactive displays to wireless projection, we seem to be constantly plugged in. But wearable devices are taking our relationship with technology even further. Wearable tech includes a broad range of electronics such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart clothing, glasses, accessories, and even implanted chips. Each of these “smart’ electronic devices is worn on the body of users for convenience, data accuracy, and aesthetics.
There are few who haven’t heard of or seen someone wearing one of these devices. In fact, over 33 million devices have been sold worldwide this year, according to a recent Business Insider report. In the U.S., 1 in 5 people own a wearable and 1 in 10 use it on a daily basis. The market for wearables is only expected to grow, with forecasts predicting that 148 million units will be sold in 2019.
The market for wearable tech has been slowly building up for years. Until recently, it wasn’t likely that the devices would enter the mainstream. Before, many of these devices were considered solely for personal and fitness use. However, their capabilities are much more sophisticated now than they were a few years ago. Now, they can do everything a smartphone can do and more. They can monitor sleep patterns, measure worker productivity, make phone calls, pay for purchases, track fitness, etc. With the release of Apple’s smartwatch, more consumers are interested in joining the tech-wearing culture.

Wearable Tech in the Workplace

Organizations are also realizing the potential role that they could play in the workplace, and many have or are considering wearable device programs. Studies suggest that a significant portion of the workforce is open to using them, if it helps them complete their job duties or improves work processes.
In one PricewaterhouseCoopers study, 70 percent of employees said, as part of a wellness program, they would use employer-provided wearable devices in exchange for insurance premium discounts. Another study by Cornerstone OnDemand reported that 80 percent of employees would use wearables for health and wellness programs. An even larger percentage would if they earned perks and discounts for using them.
So far, several businesses have reported promising results when using these technologies, especially for engagement and employee wellness programs. A growing number of companies are implementing wellness programs with the help of wearables. For instance, the oil company BP gave around 25,000 employees FitBits to monitor their health and fitness. Employees that reached a certain number of steps, received benefits on insurance premiums and other perks. Wearables can increase the effectiveness of these wellness programs, which could save organizations up to $264 per year, per employee.
When employees are happy, they are 12 percent more productive. According to a study from Goldsmith University, organizations that use wearables can increase employee productivity by 8.5 percent and job happiness by 3.5 percent. Grocery chain, Tesco, has started giving employees in their warehouses smart armbands that monitor worker productivity. The bands check shipments and send data like task completion time to managers. They can also detect worker fatigue to prevent work-related accidents.
There are dozens of possible benefits for using wearables in the workplace and it’s likely more companies will implement them. However, before rushing to order some wearables for the office, companies should address some key considerations.

Employee Privacy

One of the top reasons why individuals are hesitant to embrace a wearable world is data privacy. According to a PwC survey, 82 percent of people worry wearables would invade their privacy. Some countries are even considering regulations for how organizations use them in the workplace. For instance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) agency proposed limitations that if passed would restrict what types of data that companies can collect from employees using wearables and how they can use that information.
Companies need to set a distinguished line between ethical and unethical data usage. They should communicate with employees regarding the types of data that will be collected, and explain how that information will be used to help improve their work processes and satisfaction. Especially for health metrics, companies should have a data usage policy that they send to workers to review and approve before moving forward.
Many companies that have implemented wearable technology in the workplace have done so on an opt-in basis, making using the device optional. Some, like Tesco, may choose only to use the device while at work. To ensure that they balance employee privacy with improving working conditions, companies and their employees should establish guidelines for how and when the devices are to be used.

Data Security

Security is another primary reason individuals and organizations may be hesitant to adopt a wearable-friendly workplace. According to the PwC survey, 86 percent believe wearable devices could make them more vulnerable to data breaches.
Wearables were not originally designed for the workplace. The early versions were intended mainly for personal fitness and health monitoring. Now that many organizations are envisioning how wearables in the workplace could assist with initiatives like increased worker productivity and engagement, IT leaders are faced with how to secure these devices.
Wearables, like mobile devices, are more likely to be stolen or lost than a company desktop. Unlike other mobile devices though, it may be unclear if critical company data can be remotely wiped from them. Before introducing them to the office, organizations should develop a wearable device management policy that enables them to protect data from falling into the wrong hands.

User Engagement

Many businesses struggle with employee engagement. In fact, an estimated 87 percent of employees are disengaged. Disengaged employees often cause organizations to lose revenue, increase turnover rates, and negatively affect the work environment.
Technology is often used to assist in employee engagement initiatives. Wearables are one of the latest tech tools that are being introduced into the workplace as part of those programs. Oftentimes, companies see huge success when combining engagement with technology. However, where companies make a fatal error is thinking that the technology is the simple solution.
A wearable is just another tool. If companies don’t give users a value for using it, then they most likely won’t. Without sufficient reasons, they will eventually lose interest and stop using it. A study from Endeavour Partners reported that one-third of those that bought a wearable stopped using it after six months.
The study concluded that users found the devices valuable when they used them. The trick was getting them to continue usage. How do organizations keep users interested even after the honeymoon period?
There are some common themes that can be found in companies that use wearables effectively. For one, they give employees incentives like rewards and insurance discounts for interacting with the technology. Secondly, they don’t just present data to users, they incite actions. Lastly, they have specific goals.
Goals are perhaps the most important item a company should address in order for a wearable technology program to be optimally effective. For example, Tesco initiated its program with a clear, defined set of goals in mind. One of those was to increase the productivity of warehouse workers. By making the device part of the process and tracking completion time, it improved overall efficiency.
When wearable devices are used ethically and with proper security measures, they have the potential to empower employees, improve procedures, and enhance the work environment. However, organizations need to first assess how these devices will improve their business processes before jumping headfirst into the wearable tech bandwagon. Are you implementing wearable technology in your workplace yet? If so, how are you implementing it?
Additional Reading
Conference Room Technology: 5 Investments You Should Make
Conference Room Cable Management Checklist
Conference Room Design: 10 Examples Worth Studying

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4 Ways Your Audio Visual Setup Can Make Your Meeting Room Greener

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Your meeting room leaves a large carbon footprint, and not just because large groups of people drive and occasionally fly to get to them. The way you use your conference room technology — in particular your audio visual setup — can also have an impact on your energy consumption.
Here are four ways to make your meeting room greener using technology:
1. Upgrade Your Tech
Start by making sure that your meeting room has energy efficient devices, AV equipment, and fixtures. Use LED lights and properly insulated windows. Make sure that it’s easily accessible to most of your employees. For example, if your meeting room is on one floor and the majority of your employees are on another, they’ll use elevators to move between floors, leading to more energy consumed. Plan the physical location of your rooms carefully. Perhaps you can have large windows that let in natural light, instead of relying on artificial ones for your meetings.
2. Go Wireless 
Without cables and wires, you’re already consuming less energy. By using a wireless projection system and other wireless energy-star rated devices, you don’t waste time connecting devices to the audio visual setup and not too much energy is consumed during the meeting either.
This also ensures that you don’t need to have a dedicated set of hardware for your meeting rooms. By using wireless technology, you can easily utilize your devices in different rooms. For example, you don’t need two different sets of telecommunications equipment, devices, and presentation equipment for two different meeting rooms if you can make do with one.
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3. Go Paperless (i.e. Digital)
Paper brochures, meeting reading material, nametags, etc, only add to the carbon footprint. If you’re going wireless, you can easily go paperless. All you need to do is have the right presentation software and a way to connect to all of the individual devices of people attending the meeting.
You can also send all reading materials to your audience well in advance so that they can read it on their wireless devices. Paperless meetings are becoming increasingly common. You don’t need to print several copies of the literature, wasting paper, and ink. This cuts cost across the board.
4. Connect Remotely
One way to reduce the environmental impact of your meeting room is to connect with people remotely. Instead of forcing people from other states or countries to fly in for the meeting, connect with your team members with remote presentation. With the right communication and productivity tools, you can share your presentation with anyone, anywhere. All you need to do is give them the right access.
If you set up your meeting with video-conferencing tools, you can give remote audiences live, interactive access to your presentation. This significantly reduces the environmental impact of your meetings.
A trend that starts with your meeting room’s audio visual setup can spread throughout your company. Eventually, you’ll start becoming environmentally responsible in your day-to-day life. It’s vital to start somewhere, no matter how small you think your contribution would be.

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How Companies are Creating Revenue Through Digital Leadership

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It seems like almost anything is possible with the help of technology today. We can pay with a smartphone, check-in to hotels with a mobile device, or track exercising, eating, and sleeping habits with a wearable.
Businesses have also taken note of the digital revolution. Disruptive technologies like cloud computing, the Internet of things, wireless presentation, mobile devices, social media, wearables, and others have caused businesses to shift strategies. In fact, those that don’t go digital, will likely get left behind. For instance, 52 percent of traffic to retail websites comes from tablets or smartphones. Even in developing countries, one out of three people are online.
Many are embracing technology through digital leadership. There are many, varying definitions of digital leadership. A concise definition is that it is when organizations or individuals drive innovation and growth with the help of digital tools. The part where some organizations do it wrong is that they think it is all about technology. The tools are important, but it is how they are used that produces real results.
One study by MIT found that companies that are mastering digital leadership are profiting from it. According to the study, they generate about 9 percent more revenue and are 26 percent more profitable than their competitors. Some companies have become all-stars at not only mastering digital leadership, but using it to generate revenue.
 

Burberry

 
Take the icon brand burberry for an example. About a decade ago, the Britain-based luxury brand decided it needed a major transformation in order to remain competitive. Former Chief Executive Officer, Angela Ahrendts, and Chief Technology Officer, John Douglas, collaborated to develop and implement a digital strategy. The new strategy aimed to converge online and in-person retail experiences to create more convenient and personalized experiences for customers.
They have designed their flagship store in London to reflect the layout of their website. There are over 500 screens and 100 speakers in the store. When certain items, equipped with RFID tags, enter various locations throughout the building, they trigger video related to them to play on these screens. One of their many digital initiatives is called, “Customer 360”. With customer permission, the store tracks what an individual has tried on and purchased in the past. Then, they use previous shopping history to help customers the next time that they visit the store.
The transformation was a major success. Its revenue rose eight percent, from £461 million to £2.33 billion. Plus, the brand has inspired many other retailers to follow in their footsteps. Now, brands like Ray-Ban, Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom and more are focusing on developing the digital space.
Key takeaway: Personalization is key to connecting with customers and increasing sales. One reports states that 86% of consumers say that personalization has influenced their buying decisions. One in five retailers are implementing a personalized digital strategy, and 74 percent of those that have implemented one have increased sales as a result.
 

Starbucks 

 
The coffee giant has mastered the art of customer engagement. Their mobile app is the most used digital payment app in the United States, according to one Business Insider report. The report claims that about 5 million Starbucks transactions per week are conducted through it. Why has the mobile platform been such a success?
For one, mobile is convenient for much of their customer base. However, that is not the main reason. The primary reason for its success is that the company incentivizes user engagement by rewarding individuals each time that they use the app. It tracks how many times individuals use the app and lets them collect points, in the form of digital stars. Once customers have at least five stars, they can cash them in for a free refill or discounts. Accumulate over 12 stars, and you can get a free drink.
From a company perspective, the loyalty program is enhancing the customer experience and increasing sales. But, it also providing a platform, on which they can track customer data and purchasing behaviors better and send marketing content.
Key Takeaway: Mobile is crucial. Mobile usage has grown astronomically in the past few years, even overtaking desktop usage. According to ComScore, tablet usage has increased 1,721 percent and smartphone usage has increased 394 percent since 2010. Over half of the traffic to ecommerce sites originates from a mobile device.
It is common to see people surfing the Internet on their smartphone or tablet. In the workplace, mobile devices are becoming the norm. Many companies are cutting costs and increasing productivity by using mobile apps for employee engagement.
When it comes to engaging customers, many organizations find that mobile is the key. Today, having a digital presence isn’t just about being online or having a website. It’s about being where your customers are–on mobile devices.

Other businesses can look to these digital leadership examples to inspire their own initiatives. There are common themes that appear in companies that do it successfully. How are you using digital to help increase revenue in your company?
 

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6 Reasons Why IT Projects Fail

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Technology has forever changed the business world, and many would say for the better. IT has made it easier to work remotely, streamline processes, connect with customers, and much more. However, one question on business leaders’ minds is why do so many technology projects still fail?
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According to one study by McKinsey, more than 40 percent of IT projects fail. In the study, 17 percent of projects with budgets over $15 million failed so badly that they threatened to end the business.
Even when projects do not fail, many run over budget and exceed the deadline. The average large technology project exceeds the budget by 45 percent, runs over the deadline by 7 percent, and in the end, only achieves about 56 percent of the perceived value. However, businesses can learn from others’ failure. Below are the most common reasons why technology projects fail, and how business leaders can avoid making those same mistakes.
Shortage of Resources
One of the most common and obvious reasons why some technology projects are unsuccessful is simply resource limitation. In a survey by Innotas, 74 percent of respondents cited a lack of resources as the primary reason why they were unable to meet project demands.
This could be an easy problem to address if organizations planned thoroughly, ensuring that they have all they need. But, unexpected issues can always arise. For example, one resource mistake some make is not assigning enough players to one project. Giving each team member an unrealistic workload can not only hurt their individual ability to perform but their work morale.
No Clear Business Objective
Before beginning a tech project, organizations need to establish two points:

  1. What do you want to achieve?
  2. How will it be valuable to overall business success?

It feels like there is a new app, software, or device every year, and business IT can be pressured to keep their organizations equipped with the latest. Some organizations may feel like they need new tools, programs, and other IT ventures because everyone else has them. However, this mindset can be devastating for companies. It becomes problematic if the new IT project doesn’t have a clear objective and quantifiable end result.
Objectives help keep teams on track. Without them, they are swerving all over the place, and will inevitably crash. In fact, missing focus and unclear objectives were cited as the top causes of project failure in the McKinsey study.
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Lack of Leadership
Managers and leaders are vital to the success of tech ventures. They help shape the team environment. establish team processes, and motivate other members of the team. Successful IT projects often have leaders that understand the “big picture” and the role their work plays in it too. Intel CIO, Kim Stevenson, reflected this mindset recently saying, “There are no IT projects, only business projects.”
It is important for managers to delegate tasks to ensure that each individual understands how their work fits into the project. Individuals should have a clear set of expectations, which they are capable of meeting. Successful leaders are not only responsible for delegating tasks and setting expectations on a team. They are also maintaining the team morale, especially motivation.
One of the best but overlooked ways that team leaders can foster member motivation is by establishing a continuous, two-way stream of feedback. Asking for feedback from members can be just as important as giving it. This method gives each member a sense of value within the team and can increase motivation. Feedback can also help to reflect on the progress of a project and identify any red flags before they happen. When feedback is absent or lacking though, performance and motivation often suffer.
Micromanaging
Leaders should take an active role in project development, however, they should also know when to take a backseat. One of the worst mistakes that managers can make is to micromanage. Micromanaging is a time suck and motivation killer. By focusing too much on the details and constantly controlling how team members complete tasks, project managers can often lose sight of the big picture. They lose time to devote to other tasks and before they know it, the deadline has arrived and the project is incomplete.
It can be easy to get lost in the details, especially for longer ventures. However, even the most talented workers can struggle to perform when the boss is hovering over their shoulders all the time.
With a talented team, leaders should be able to loosen the reins a little. The key is to provide members with direction and support, but give them the opportunity to work independently. Managers should have regular check-ins with members to review their progress and be available if needed, but remember that each person has a role. Micromanaging will make your team members feel purposeless, undervalued, and stressed.
Poor Collaboration
Strong collaboration is perhaps one of the most influential factors that affect project completion. In fact, 86 percent of execs say failures are caused by poor collaboration and communication. Furthermore, 97 percent of executives and employees agree that a lack of alignment negatively impacts the completion of a task.
Delegating tasks is important, so that every member understands their responsibility to the team. However, where some IT projects go wrong is that team members don’t communicate or collaborate effectively or at all. Some take on the mindset that, “It’s not my job, you do it.” Unfortunately, that is one of the warning signs of a disengaged employee, and they can be toxic to meeting business goals. Incorporating collaboration from the start can help prevent members from falling into this category.
From the beginning and throughout a project, members should establish a team mindset. Even doing a few team-building activities at the start can help foster teamwork and engage members. When everyone is comfortable working in both independent and collaborative environments, the productivity and quality of work is more likely to increase.
It is important to stress that collaboration is designed to make your job easier, rather than give individuals more work. Advanced collaboration tools make it easy for individuals to work on projects together from anywhere.
Missing An Agile Culture
Agility is one of the top words buzzing around boardrooms today, but what is it exactly? The definition of agility will likely change depending on which executive you ask. For some IT leaders, agility is about technology. For others, it is about being able to anticipate and easily adjust to industry and market trends that will affect how you run your business. The companies that do agility best are the ones with a culture that incorporates both of these viewpoints.
Agile organizations are innovative and forward-thinking. Often, they are one step ahead of their competitors, because of their flexibility and ability to embrace change. Companies with agile cultures may even be more likely to complete projects. What does agility have to do with successful IT project management?
Companies with agile cultures are more likely to reach goals. Instead of following a traditional waterfall methodology of project management, moving from one process to the next without evaluation, they’ll take an agile approach. When agile principles are applied to project management, teams finish tasks in weekly or monthly “sprints”. Then, they reflect on their work and make any necessary adjustments to future processes.
There are dozens of reasons why an IT project can fail. Teams can get overwhelmed with user needs, resource limitations, changing technologies, communication, and dozens of other variables that affect completion. However, learning from these common mistakes can help make your next project a success.
Let us know what you think of why IT Projects fail? Do any of these happen to you?

Why You Need Angularjs for a Dashboard Application?

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Here at Ubiq we struggled with the path we would take in developing our device managing dashboard – a web application. This is likely because of our combined experience in web development – limited. The purpose of this software is to allow the owner of a device or devices to setup, configure and observe the use of each or many of them. We had a few requirements that we wanted to achieve. The first was that we could make a single page application, thereby limiting the amount of time a user spent moving between whole web-pages. Second, we wanted a tool that would allow for modular development.
Angularjs, with regards to our first requirement, is an excellent instrument. The ‘directive’, a construct specific to the library, allows for the manipulation and implant of custom html elements into the overarching structure of an application or webpage. Each directive, given a descriptive name, can make your index file easily readable and comprehensible. In making use of the ‘Attribute’ directives one can add functionality to native html objects or using ‘Element’ directives you can make entirely new ones. With the former you could make a particular view appear or disappear on the change of a value. The latter can conceal html within a single html tag. Together, they can efficiently display multiple in a single page. Angularjs will only call for the specific, concealed, html file required by the directive when it is to be displayed. If it has been displayed before the file will be in the cache. This makes the user experience almost seamless.
These directives also contributed to the attainment of our second requirement, modularity. By being able to separate the html of large, yet distinct elements we could also then separate the business logic of the application. A second library specific feature is the ‘service’ or ‘factory’. We used these to limit the access of our controllers to specific APIs, each controller associated with a ‘directive’. The controllers allow for data to be bound to the html. The APIs allow for controller-to-controller and app-to-server communication. With this we were able to  maintain distinct responsibilities between the disparate pieces of our application.
In conclusion, we are coming to the end of our opening salvo of development on the Dashboard application. The learning curve was steep. Much research had to be done in order for us to feel confident in our approach with Angularjs. However, the end result, in our minds is an aesthetically appealing and useful application that should present little difficulty with respect to bug fixing and updating as the company progresses forward in response to customer desires.

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What's Your Leadership Style?

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“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” – Mahatma Gandhi
In the IT world, many often forget there are people behind technology. CIOs and CTOs, as leaders, are responsible to make the connection between the human and the digital. However, leadership styles can vary in how to relate and work with others to ensure goals, tasks and expectations are being met.
As an IT leader, the manner you conduct yourself can make or break your team’s success. Your style should be adaptable for the setting. Whether you have built your organization structure or it is one you’ve inherited, you should evaluate how individuals contribute and how groups collaborate in your current environment. All leaders wants an “All-Star” team, but it will require getting to know your people, their skills and their styles to see what fits with your style and flexibility as a leader.
Here are 5 types of leadership styles to consider:

  1. Autocratic: This style of leadership puts all decision-making power into your hands. There’s no input for others. In a sense, you, as a leader, are at the top. There’s full control of processes, strategy and task. You manage the expectations of projects and tasks to ensure strategy is working as you have designed and issued to be implemented.This style has the potential to be positive and negative. Positively, it can be a time and cost saver with decisions being made quickly by a single person, the leader. Negatively, it can shut out team members whose expertise may help make better decisions. It can also lead to micromanagement and levels of rigidity in the organization structure.Example: Henry Ford, in creating and leading the Ford Motor Company, took the charge in creating the automobile assembly line and creating an entire industry in the United States.
     
  2. Participative. Contrary to the autocratic style, participative leadership opens the decision-making process to others. As a leader, you gather input from your team members to determine how strategy is formed and how projects are assigned and delegated. It can be viewed as “democratic.”Having input from others is great. However, it can come at a price. This style can open the door to cannibalization of work, inefficiencies and lack of direction from there being “too many cooks in the kitchen.”On the plus side, a participative leader gains levels of expertise and experience from his team. There’s a bit of reliance on subject-matter experts to help make well-informed decisions. This type of leader needs to balance influence with one’s management.Example: Steve Jobs was known to change his leadership style during his career at Apple, during their best and worst moments. However, what has helped Apple succeed in its current form was by hiring experts in the industry and listening to their input. There was a balance in being a guide and a learner, which made him an effective leader and his team, including current CEO Tim Cook, one too.
  1. Laissez-faire. This style can be simply stated as “let nature run its course.” This style of leadership leaves decision-making solely to the team member. It may seem like a “hands-off” approach, but it can be empowering to the worker. With that level of autonomy, the worker looks to the leader for guidance and support, when necessary.While some team members can thrive in autonomous work situations, any lack of communication can be viewed as off-putting or uncaring. In this style, the leader will need to be a bit proactive with the team. Regular check-ins with an open-door policy allows both leaders and team members to have fluid conversation and become transparent about projects, tasks and responsibilities.Example: Jack Welch, former CEO and Chairman of General Electric, was an effective yet hands-off leader in business. He allowed his hired experts to make the decisions without guidance, allowing them to use their experience and skills. Being hands-off wouldn’t mean to be ignorant of the business. His style allowed his employees to shine, and in turn his company’s value increased by 4,000% 
  2. Transactional. This style is based on a set of rules and instruction. It employees a rewards/punishment system. It’s a “quid pro quo” style, where employees experience consequences or benefits based on what and how they perform. It can be incentivizing for teams that require a bit more motivation than others.In this style, it’s important to gauge your team member’s motivation and satisfaction levels. Incentives can be a great boost to improve performance. However, it needs to be done in moderation. Incentives should not always be expected, as they can lose their attraction. Alternatively, if goals are not being met, the “punishments” need to not be demoralizing to stop work. They should be set to help rebuild and re-educate team members through communication. Be careful not to micromanage to get the results you want.Example: While there aren’t noted leaders who have taken to this style, some examples are work directives/orders, having “chains of command” and setting persons or self in supervisory roles to oversee lesser performers.
  3. Transformational. Transformation equates change. As a transformational leader, you seek opportunities to make change for your area and business. Whether it’s implementing new technology across the organization or creating new organization policies, you create the vision, design the strategy and motivate your team to implement.This style works best if you operate in project management, which many IT teams do. Your ability to give directions and develop cross-functional partnerships is essential, as efforts and their much needed support will need to come from other business areas. Communication is critical in giving direction so others can understand and align to your vision for change.
    Example: Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is a transformational leader who not only changed his style over the years, but how he conducts business. He found opportunities to create change using technological innovations from operating systems to hardware. However, he also used this experience to segue into a career in philanthropy, creating the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote initiatives for education, community development and world health.

Author John C. Maxwell said “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” To be an effective leader, you need to have a style that fits with your employees and work environment. In IT, you’re covering a wide range of functional skills and operations from help desk to development. Your ability to work with others and provide guidance and support will be key in how well you all perform as a team
Which leadership style matches you? Which type(s) would you like to adopt? Have you found a way to change styles necessary? Tell us in the comments!

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5 Things IT Administrators Hate about Deployment

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In 2014, TeamViewer conducted their IT Admin Behavioral Study to understand how IT administrators felt about employee habits and company usage. 92% reported frustrations by company behavior viewed as “troublesome” in how employees handled equipment and reached out to IT for support. 70% of IT administrators felt frustrated by their work, and 12% stated that the frustration made them want to quit their jobs. So, how can this frustration be eased, especially in the deployment of new technology?
Whether it’s hardware or software, IT administrators empower their teams to stay focused to complete any implementation correctly. However, such implementations have an impact across a company, in one or more departments. Working together can require a lot of effort, patience and the ability to be flexible, despite frustration.
While project management may seem to be a solution to manage technology deployments, it can also become an obstacle. A lot of the “grunt” work in a project is performed by IT. They are often only viewed the doers, because they have a specific skillset that no one else in the company has. However, IT administrators offer value in their experience and knowledge and keep a business forward-moving.
The goal with any deployment or project is for action to be seamless with minimal disruption. It important to ensure employees understand how your IT department functions. As much as they support the company and its employees, they also need support from them.
Perhaps, this list of 5 frustrations will help to shed some light and gain support for your IT team at work.

  1. “Include us!” Communication is critical, but it is also needs to be a two-exchange. IT may be doing the bulk of the work, but they also should be able to provide feedback and make recommendations on feasibility, approach and implementation. By having a dialogue, others can begin to understand how IT operates and can best serve the intended project.
  2. “Let us take the lead sometime!” Project managers may not fully speak the language of IT. IT administrator should be a partner in managing the deployment. That way, there is proper coverage, tasks are being completed against milestones and make sure resources are being properly managed within the department and in other areas of the business.
  3. “Stop making changes!” Frequent change requests can impact the efficiency of any implementation or update. IT teams manage multiple responsibilities to support the technological needs of your business. Certainly, there may be times when a change is necessary. However, all change requests should be evaluated to determine the priority on whether it’s something that can happen now or later.
  4. “Report errors…PLEASE!” Having a testing phase is a must for any project. Testing by IT and business units can help make deployments run smoothly. Even moreso is reporting of any errors. The earlier someone finds a defect, the sooner it can be addressed. Finding errors late in the game can disrupt business and put more pressure on IT resources.
  5. “We are NOT magicians!” Your IT department is full of talented people. As much as their ability to code, program and install can seem magical, it requires skill, experience and time. While it may seem as if implementing a new technology or upgrading a system is simple, it may not be, as it seems. Allow your team members to set the realistic expectations with your employees, no matter the request.

Deployment can be a stressful time for all involved. It might require “all hands on deck.” As an IT administrator, you can demonstrate the value of your team to the project and overall organization. To do this, give them the proper support to ensure they are performing well, even when under pressure.

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Turn Every Space into a Huddle Space or Conference Room

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The company cafeteria is not just for food service. It can often be the central meeting or huddle space for employees to meet, share ideas, and learn from one another. Based on its design, it’s a place that could be border-free and all-inclusive through conference room technology.
Think about your technology infrastructure and how it connects your team members and external partners. What if that technology was taken outside of the conference room or huddle space? Many mid-size and larger corporations have added audio/visual equipment into their cafeterias. Whether it’s to show a company’s latest commercial or to provide direction on company policy, such tools can increase access and reach of information.
By using the cafeteria for its social aspect and space, you can bring employees together! Presentations, “Town Hall” meetings, brainstorm sessions, etc. bring forth conversations. By layering communication tools like wireless presentations, you can now make the cafeteria your company’s largest conference room or huddle space.
“Town Hall” meetings, corporate training sessions and company presentations can be taken to a whole new level. Location, time, and wires no longer have to be a barrier to be a part of a conversation. The cafeteria becomes a place to inspire and to take action.
Here are 5 ways to make the cafeteria into a communication hive.

  1. Set up wireless presentation access. Wireless presentations are a means to share information with team members no matter where they are. Employees can contribute not only thoughts and ideas, but they can content from their devices, no matter where they are.
  2. Be equipped. Many cafeterias have AV equipment setup to display company messaging or just to air local news. However, take a look at your current conference room design and layout. Examine how the conference room being used and how certain tools and functions, like video conferencing, could work in a larger space. It may not be feasible to use the cafeteria for wireless projection, but connecting your laptop to the cafeteria TV shouldn’t be an issue.
  3. Schedule the “room.” Yes, your cafeteria may need to be scheduled for meetings. People still use the cafeteria to dine and socialize. If your company is using a conference room booking system, make the cafeteria a location or resource. Find out when your cafeteria is at its busiest. Then, make it available for meetings during slow periods. What’s important is to communicate cafeteria’s usage during those times.
  4. Test your connections and security. If your meeting will involve remote access, you should ensure that all parties will be able to connect, and that data shared will be secure. Wireless presentations, like Ubiq, allow for activity monitoring, secured access and data encryption for each session. It’s important to test those capabilities with a small group of employees, both in and out of the office, especially when implementing such communication tools in the cafeteria.

At your company, your goals should be tied to how your employees work. This includes where they work. If you can optimize your space to create more opportunities for collaborative and productive work, your employees will benefit greatly. Stop thinking of the cafeteria as only a place to eat. Look at it as an opportunity to learn, share, motivate and work…together.