Zygmunt Bauman said we live in a liquid society that continuously changes and in which we can no longer rely on the past or on lasting habits. In this context, even companies need to be ‘liquid’ if they want to remain competitive. In other words, they have to be flexible, capable of adapting rapidly to changes, and able to use new technologies to anticipate competitors.
How can companies afford it? They need some basic elements. Read the article and find out more.

One of these fundamental elements is the work team, which must be ‘liquid’ itself.

This new kind of companies base their success on the professional skills of people that can be physically distant from the offices. Moreover, the workload of each individual is not established a priori but varies according to the needs and goals of the different projects. In other words, outsourcing and flexible working are certainly a way to adapt rapidly to any change.
But how is it possible to manage a team that does not physically work together every day? New technologies allow the so-called Smart Working: a management system that dynamically optimizes productivity connecting every member of the enterprise structure, from management to production to sales force.

Mobile apps, online platforms, management softwares and social networks allow to manage the automation of the business processes, to guide and control communication between the members of the team, to monitor their productivity and motivate them. In this way, companies can get results with 3 advantages over traditional companies:

  • they can access to resources, previously considered unreachable (eg highly qualified workforce living abroad);
  • they reduce costs because they don’t need to have permanent offices, permanent staff, etc;
  • they can be competitive on larger markets, thanks to the rapidity of reorganization.

The Smart Collaboration, that is the ability of the whole team to operate through the use of new technologies, allows to create what we might call “miniature multinationals”. These are businesses that start from an entrepreneurial entity that can be really small, around which a vast galaxy of relationships, skills and professionals (managed using new technologies) is developed. This galaxy is always in change, but it’s the strength of the company.
To make the Smart Collaboration really effective, the team must be feel really engaged in the projects of the companies and must be willing to use the technological tools.
Gamification can really make a difference. Every project ca be transform into a sort of videogame, in which the team has goals to reach, levels to finish and rewards to collect. This new approach increases the level of engagement of the team and the spontaneous use technology. For the first time, what is usually perceived as something that the team ‘must do’ is transformed into something the the team ‘wants to do’.

For the old-style entrepreneurs this new model of business may look like transient.
Actually, the liquid society in which we are already living in is pushing for flexibility, and technology, innovation, R&D are becoming more and more fundamental.
It is never too late to take on this transformation based on digitization. Indeed, this is a perfect time for the Italian companies, thanks to the available fiscal incentives for R&D, ending with the arrival of 2020. You can find out more during our event at LABORCLUB, Mestre (VE), on October 20th. Join us, CLICK HERE!