Collaboration tools that increase productivity

Digitalization is not primarily about technology, it is about the people and changing behaviours in the organization in the direction needed. However, doing new things and things in a new way is not always the easiest.

At the last government meeting, we invited Fredrik Nilsson from Hej Engagemang! to talk about the importance of involvement and clarity in digitization projects. He also talked about what it takes to succeed in creating commitment among employees.

A good start is to answer the question why – why will this be better for me and for us if we use these collaboration tools? Because when you have found your "why", there is a purpose and that is where the driving force is. Then of course it is important to answer what we should do, who should do it and how. But remember that all people are motivated by different things and therefore it is good to work with target group adapted communication also internally. And finally, be clear about what can be influenced (and not) to create engagement and focus on what can be influenced.

How to create engagement

So how do you create the conditions for engagement? According to self-determination theory, there are three basic psychological needs that affect our motivation:

• Competence
• Autonomy
• Relatedness

So by having clear goals and working with follow-up and feedback where employees have a mandate, you make them feel competent. Autonomy is about having a purpose, offering as much choice as possible and encouraging initiative. And don't forget to show appreciation. Clear roles and responsibilities are also important. If you manage to tick these boxes, you will create good conditions for employees to be engaged and for you to achieve the goals of your digital initiative together.

How the National Library of Sweden handles policy documents on its intranet

We were also visited by the National Library of Sweden, which showed how they streamlined the work with their policy documents on the intranet. A brilliant example of a project with a clear "why" where employees were involved from the start with commitment and which resulted in increased productivity.

Previously, it was difficult to find the right policy documents, to read them and to put them in context. With the launch of the new intranet, the management of policy documents became an important development area. The solution was to move from documents to web pages on the intranet. This resulted in better searchability, clarity, accessibility and readability. And the policy documents became more attractive to actually read and take part in.

Here you can read more about the National Library of Sweden intranet and the awards they have won for it.

Collaboration tools for the digital workplace

Now that you know more about what it takes to get employees involved in digital initiatives and a good example from the National Library of Sweden, let's take a look at the collaboration tools. Here we have listed different collaboration tools that can increase productivity in different areas:

• Sitevision Messaging – create channels and chat with colleagues. Sitevision Messaging makes collaboration easier and brings you closer to your colleagues, while making you more productive as you can easily reach the right people and find the right information.

• Nextcloud – share files with each other in a safe and secure way. You don't have to spend time searching for files and sending large files. Being able to edit documents at the same time also makes collaboration easier.
• Jitsi – have video meetings with colleagues inside and outside your organization. Jitsi allows you to stay in touch with all your teams.
• Quickchannel – produce interactive webcasts, webinars and videos that drive engagement and results. Can be used both internally in your organization and externally with your target audiences.