3 Ways Technology Boosts Workplace Communication and Makes You a Better Manager

Russ Fradin

Where there’s a management struggle, there’s now a digital solution.

Frustrated with a system or piece of equipment? The answer is just a Google search away. Need a new process? There’s an easy-to-use digital management system for that.

Despite the evolution of social media platforms, mobile apps, and online databases, some managers remain hesitant to update their tried-and-true methods. They’re not only missing out on improving productivity, but also failing to realize just how profoundly new digital solutions can enhance their company’s internal culture — especially in the realms of communication, teamwork, and engagement.

Any generational animosities hampering workplaces can be easily quelled through tools like Google Docs and Basecamp. They create a level playing field that enables all team members to speak a common language, fostering an extraordinarily cooperative and connected work environment.

If you’re a tentative manager who’s been using the same tools for the past decade, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and reap the benefits of today’s technology.

Here are the three biggest internal improvements you’ll experience:

1. Informed Employees and Advocates: Technology can challenge and inspire employees to stay on top of industry trends, bring their A-game to the office, and work smarter. When you maximize the knowledge and engagement of your employees, they become your greatest assets.

There are low-cost, easy-to-use tech tools emerging that inform staff and promote the spread of ideas through social selling. They enable employees at every level to hop on their personal social accounts and provide valuable advocacy for your company, driving brand awareness and lead generation.

2. Boosted Teamwork: Leaders no longer need to call a meeting to share ideas or problem solve; there are countless new digital collaborative tools that make workplace teamwork easier than ever.

Apps like Evernote or Simplenote enable team members to jot down thoughts and digitally share them with the entire team, and task management can now be easily automated and delegated with software like Pyrus or SugarCRM.

Teamwork doesn’t require in-person, face-to-face interaction anymore; new technology enables unlimited collaboration from any location.

3. Camaraderie: Company lunches and office parties no longer meet the need for employee-employer relations. Employees now expect to be able to connect with their companies and co-workers on social media.

Being “friends” with teammates on Facebook creates a feeling of connectedness, friendship, and belonging inside and beyond the office walls. Social media also fuels employee activism; about half of all employees share at least one post that mentions their current employer and draws visibility to their workplace.

Join the social media conversation by fostering healthy “friendships” between your staff and brand.

Managers who hesitate to look beyond their surefire methods of the past are missing out on a golden opportunity to create a workplace that anyone and everyone can thrive in.

(August 19, 2015) is gone. A new digital solution is exactly what today’s employees need to build great relationships, collaborate, and be engaged.

(168)