Using Information Technology to Build a World Class Team

Written by Shackleton Technologies

The success of any business usually relies on the quality of the team behind it. The customer experience may be paramount, but the people delivering the service makes the greatest difference.

Similarly, as your business grows, you will need access to new skills. Depending on the required skillset, this may be quite a challenge. High demand equates to high salaries for instance. And the best candidates are often attracted to cities, leaving smaller organisations based in smaller towns or rural locations at a significant disadvantage.

But technology is helping to reduce those inequalities by opening the global recruitment market to everyone.

Overcoming the presenteeism challenge

By looking beyond your immediate locale, you can immediately access a wider pool of talent. But there is one major hurdle to overcome – the obsession with presenteeism.

The world of work is changing rapidly, and the concept of a single, central office where all employees are based is dying out. A report by accountancy giant PriceWaterhouse Coopers found that just 25% of millennials expect to work “normal” office hours (9 to 5) for instance. Another suggests that 70% expect to spend half their time working away from “their” desk.

The fact is, the very best candidates are happy to work for good businesses – but they don’t want to be tied to your physical office. Forward-thinking businesses will embrace this change if they want to build a great team.

How technology can assist

An effective team is empowered by access to information, no matter where they are based. You need to supply them with tools to make it as easy as possible to share information, and to work together.

Creating a central data repository of company knowledge is the first step. Using a tool like SharePoint Online, you can create an intranet-like system. Authorised users can then store and share files, build internal websites to share project information, host discussions and build automated workflows. SharePoint Online is available any place any time, and supports a broad range of devices, allowing you to build a team based anywhere in the world

SharePoint Online is complemented by Office 365, the cloud-based version of the world’s most popular productivity suite. The applications that employees already know and use – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook – but based in the cloud.

These online versions also support collaboration natively, allowing multiple users to work together on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Exactly as they would when sat next to each other in the office. Using the Microsoft cloud, it doesn’t matter if your employees are based in the same office or the same continent – they can still work together effectively and efficiently.

Ultimately, cloud collaboration technologies unlock the global recruitment market for your business. With more potential candidates to choose from, you will be able to acquire the skills you need at a price that fits your budget – and obtain maximum productivity by properly equipping your team

To learn more, please get in touch.