Two years into the pandemic, most of us recognize that, at least in some ways, the world is a remarkably different place than it was two years ago. While we collectively try to find a new semblance of normal in our personal lives, many businesses have already accepted the permanence of change COVID delivered. In an interview with CNBC, Bret Taylor, who is now COO, co-CEO and president of Salesforce, said bluntly, “Work as we know it has changed forever.” If this is true, what does it mean for the future of business?
All Digital Everything
In his segment with CNBC, Taylor stressed the importance of “digital headquarters,” emphasizing that, for the modern business, the digital environment is even more important than a company’s physical offices.
Remote work has become a stable path forward for many businesses in our post-pandemic world. Cloud tools for CRM and enhanced company communications—i.e., the products Salesforce delivers—made it possible to remotely manage the daily operational functions. And in many cases, it didn’t just get companies through a hard time; it worked well.
“Every company needs a digital HQ to connect its employees, customers, and partners, and thrive in a work-from-anywhere world,” explained Taylor. The pandemic largely supports his point. Many businesses had to pause physical interactions in the interest of risk mitigation, but as we are wont to do, the human race did not lie down in the face of adversity. Quite the opposite, businesses everywhere deployed rapid innovation, ensuring the world could keep turning, even if we couldn’t physically be together.
Unraveling the Dynamics of Business Process and Digital Headquarters
Mark Zuckerburg’s now-famous motto, “Move fast and break things,” focused energy on progress and momentum. It was meant to inform design decisions and get products to market and into the hands of users as quickly as possible. The concept essentially favored speed over governance. And as Harvard Business Review put it in 2019, it created a situation that was “increasingly untenable.” The article went on to declare the era of “move fast and break things” as over.
So, how do you properly account for governance while in the throes of innovation? How can companies build digital headquarters while also keeping governance top of mind? The answers can be found within your business process.
Stewart Butterfield, CEO and co-founder of Slack, explains that your digital infrastructure is the key to innovation. Discussing how the pandemic changed circumstances for many businesses globally, Butterfield called our current post-pandemic situation a “once in a generation opportunity” for innovative change.
“Building your digital HQ means thinking carefully about the digital infrastructure that connects everyone in your business, helping them find new ways to innovate, collaborate and stay connected,” said Butterfield.
Tools like those in the EZFlow platform help you do just that. For example, our Process Intelligence tools provide powerful visuals of end-to-end business processes, illuminating problem areas and affected segments, while the Business Process Studio provides value chain mapping and critical process automation tools. Perhaps most importantly, though, the platform was built with collaboration in mind, providing a governance framework for risk management, cost control and strategic planning.
Need Help With Your Hybrid Workforce?
Whether you’re building your hybrid workforce for the first time or just looking to improve how it runs, taking a value-led approach to project management and business process improvement can make all the difference. Get in touch with our process experts today to schedule a free consultation.