smart workshops

Workshops 

We have been participating in and tracking research on new ways of working and workplace trends since 1995, as well as working with senior executives, nationally and internationally, who were making the transition to new ways of working.

The result is Anne Marie’s new book, Smart Working: Creating the Next Wave.

This suite of workshops draw on that plus Anne Marie’s experience as co-facilitator of Johnson Controls’ Global Mobility Network, and exploratory learning network for senior Facilities, HR and IT specialists:

 

“...the written documents we produce are less valuable to them (network members) than the experience of engaging with peers who have different experience and perspectives from their won. 

The energy created is the consequence of an experimental ‘it goes where it goes’ approach to the conversation, which is facilitated with the lightest of touches.”[1]

 

It's all about you! 

The workshops are exploratory. A theme or topic is identified, resources are curated and offered as conversation starters, and then the conversation is facilitated with a light touch.

Our focus is you, your people and your business:

• What are your business challenges? 

• How do workplace trends and insights apply to you? 

• What can we help you to do better or differently?

 

Workshop 1:    Creating customer value

 What's it about?

Customers are the entire raison d’etre of business and technological developments are shifting the balance of power towards your customers:

• Connected customers talk to each other online, recommending or criticising your products and services.

• Mass-customisation, ‘designed and made with me in mind’, was a radical development for customer choice.  Customer power is now taking another leap forward. 3-D printing technology potentially enables co-creation, where customers are actively engaged in design and production – ‘made with me’. 
  

These developments mean that the way you organise to deliver to your customers has to be connected, agile and adaptive. They also means that you need to mobilise the skills, energy and creativity of every person in the workforce to meet customer expectations cost-effectively.

 

What will you learn?

This workshop will help you to understand how smart working practices create customer value. Together we explore the fundamentals of smart working practices and help you think about how they apply to your particular business context.

 

Workshop 2:    What's the big deal about social business?

What’s it about?

This workshop explores the recent rise of ‘social business’ as a phenomenon: why and what it means.

 

What will you learn?

We will help you to understand ‘social business’, which is not only about social technologies but also about the processes and cultures that allow them to generate business benefits.

We will also explore how your business could gain value through using social technologies and ‘social business’ approaches.

 

Workshop 3:    Energy and engagement: the secret to high performance

What’s it about?

Recent socio-metric research from MIT, using technologies that monitor people’s interactions, revealed that high-performance is linked to the energy and engagement generated through informal social interactions.

This workshop explores this and other factors associated with high performance, particularly how environments and cultures influence workforce energy and engagement.

 

What will you learn?

You will learn what people need from work, socially and psychologically, and how culture and performance environments significantly influence workforce energy and engagement.

You will also hear examples of what other businesses are doing and be prompted to think about what you can do to increase the energy and engagement in your workplace.

Workshop 4:    Understanding your challenges

What’s it about?

This workshop explores the implications of a number of current technological, organisational, economic and demographic trends in the wider business operating environment.

 

What will you learn?

We will help you to explore which of these trends are affecting you business, or are likely to affect it in the near future. What challenges will they pose for the business? What will you have to do more of, or do better or differently?

Workshop 5:    What do you need to do better or differently?

What’s it about?

The previous workshop focused on the external business environment, whereas this one concentrates on the internal performance environment within your business.

 

What will you learn?

Are your current ways of working up to the challenge? We will help you assess your current performance culture, performance environment and ways of working.

Workshop 6:    Making it happen

What’s it about?

We will help you to scope a practical project to pilot something you need to do better or differently.

 

Despite consistent evidence on the business benefits of high-performance working practices, the pull of the status quo is strong. Many businesses ‘fail their way’ to success in shifting to agile and customer-focused ways of working.

 

What will you learn?

You will learn about:

 

 how to scope and implement a practical project, including tips, techniques and tools;

 possible hurdles and how others have overcome them;

issues arising from relationship dynamics (conflict, collaboration, diversity, power, motivation etc);

how to challenge;

think critically and;

understand the implications of making complex decisions.

Please contact us for a conversation about how we might be able to help.