New & Notable

CIOs empower the new state of work

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Tuesday, 01 June 2021 23:14

Toronto – June 1, 2021 – Work is a critical part of many people's lives. With recent technology improvements and shifts brought on by the pandemic, CIOs have a unique opportunity to rethink where and how work gets done. IT leaders are leveraging modern collaboration tools and open platforms to help realize the potential to meet their organization's objectives.

Even though more than 70% of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, the goal is not just about pushing work out to employees' homes. Companies need to acknowledge that two-thirds of the workforce wish for more in-person time with their teams. Businesses require a hybrid approach to balance worker desires with the organization's employee well-being and productivity goals.

CIOs have mandates to implement greater resilience to protect their organizations from further disruptions. They must also seek opportunities to adjust business models and structures to improve the employee experience and satisfy customer engagement expectations.

With these principles in mind, The IT Media Group brought together 12 cross-industry IT executives for a virtual roundtable entitled 'Empowering the New State of Work.' The session provided an opportunity to discuss employee and customer experience priorities, challenges, and approaches.

Moderating the roundtable was Jeff Ishii, Chief Technologist at The IT Media Group. Also participating were executives from the session sponsor, Salesforce, Senior Vice President Business Value and Enterprise Architecture, David Landry, and Canadian Area Vice President, David Hodge.

The interactive session included a combination of live polling and panel discussion about the challenges and best practices for the following topic areas:

1. Imperatives of the new work model

• Hybrid work environments
• The sustainability agenda
• Engaging with customers

2. Roadblocks in the path to growth

• Employee challenges
• Technology and organizational barriers

3. Approaches to unlock potential

• Enabling collaboration
• Digitizing the enterprise

4. Transforming the organization

• Empowering the workforce
• Re-imagining the customer experience

When asked about the value of being at the roundtable, David Hodge commented, “The conversation was both productive and insightful. We all agreed that we are in a world that is digital-first and customer-centric. Panellists also emphasized the importance of employees in the digital transformation equation.” He added, “There is no return to normal; it’s more of a transition to the next normal. At Salesforce, we have pioneered the entire digital transformation journey as it relates to customer engagement. I welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how we orchestrate, connect the experiences for our customers, and inform all stakeholders at every step.”

David Landry observed, “It was important to meet with the CIOs across Canada to understand what is top of mind for each of them. It will be essential that we, as IT leaders, continue to have a high-level voice in C-suite discussions because we can provide strategies for employee and customer engagement beyond just the technology.” When asked how companies can solve their challenges, Landry added, “We are happy to share what we see across Canada and the world about hybrid work environments, environmental sustainability management, and raising the CIO seat at the executive table. Organizations can take advantage of our continued investments in innovation to connect with their customers, partners, employees, and other stakeholders in ways that satisfy their business priorities.”

All participants will receive a strategic insights report highlighting more than 70 tactics and best practices discussed during the roundtable.

For more resources about how The IT Media Group fosters collaboration amongst the CIO community, please visit our events page. Interested parties can subscribe to our Youtube channel to watch a host of CIO roundtable highlights and executive interviews covering leadership, technology, and operations topics that address compelling issues.

The IT Media Group is an award-winning producer of events and content for senior IT executives. Based in Toronto, our leadership team includes some of the most experienced and well-respected media, technology, and business professionals serving Canada's IT executive community.