Virtual Teams Save Time and Energy - Workplace Revolution - what it all means for the future of offices. Human Resources and Workplace Keynote Speaker

Futurist Keynote Speaker: Posts, Slides, Videos - Future of Work, Workplace, HR, WFH - Keynotes

Written in 2009 - anticipating future workplace trends very accurately.  

Life’s too short to travel to every meeting and the latest technology really makes you feel you are all together.   Three dimensional images can also be created of conference speakers for larger audiences, walking life-size on stage.

How they work

The aim is rapid reduction in proportion of face to face global meetings, while strengthening team relationships at the same time. There are many ways to enable live communication between teams in different locations ranging from a group telephone call, to a videoconference linking one or more sites, to chat screens and so on.  The best quality office-based video links use huge screens so that participants in other places appear life sized, as part of the group.    One screen can show slides or documents, while others can show participants.

Why they matter

Over 25% of many corporation’s carbon footprint is travel and air travel is a significant element of this.  Eyenetwork estimates that if a third of business travel could be turned into virtual meetings, it would reduce annual global emissions of CO2 by over 120 million tons.

Most large organisations are still sending executives to almost every meeting instead of using videoconferencing to save travel time and cost.   Time spent away from home has doubled for many executives over the last two years and is already at unsustainable levels.  Many business leaders are already spending up to six weeks a year cruising at 35,000 feet.  What happens in the next three to five years?   Work-life balance is now number one or number two career priority in many nations.  So there is pressure for change – and all this is without the growing concerns about the environment.

Case study:   I have presented at two corporate events recently where another speaker appeared as a solid-looking, life size “hologram”, able to walk around the stage and interact with other people on the same platform.  I have also spoken to an international conference taking place simultaneously at nine different sites around the world – from my home.  It happened at the height of the Sars crisis when participants were unable to travel beyond their own national borders.

Challenges

Most people don’t like “performing” on live video calls for several reasons.  Their experience has often been that equipment is in the wrong place, picture is poor quality, calls can fail, there is time delay.  But new technology has improved the experience.    Video is a powerful medium which makes many people self-conscious and familiarity is important so team members relax.  At the same time, if people behave exactly as they would face to face, they can fail to bridge the distance and technology gap, and can come across as a shadow of their real selves.  Key skills are needed to really shine during a video call.

Business opportunity

The UK market alone for videoconferencing and related services is already around £250m a year.  Demand is likely to grow faster than the 5-7% a year seen in the mid 2000s.  Expect sales to double in the next 5-10 years as usage increases, and technology improves.  The EU market could grow to £3bn a year.  Expect many organisations to allow travel budgets to be used to buy travel-saving technology, funding a boom in personal video systems and related equipment, technical support, training and so on.

This is a highly competitive market with few barriers to entry.  There are many opportunities for cross-selling other IT or communication products and services.  For example supplying not only video systems but also new call-centre technologies, switchboards and software.

Articles and Videos on HR and related issues

From redundancy to new job - 10 steps to transform your career

Future of Executive Education, better work-place training, more effective seminars, high impact workshops and corporate events.  Video to 4,500 executive education / event organisers.

Secrets of business success - workshop video - the most important HR value in the world

Leadership ethics - video to senior leadership at European Commission on values, compromise and corruption

Work-life balance - workplace survival and life-life balance

How to improve your work-life balance - video of World Women's Day presentation at the EU

Older workers: impact of raising / abolishing retirement age on workplace, recruitment, employment

How to be a great leader - video comment - motivating others

Career development - take hold of your own future

Does social networking destroy "real" workplace relationships?

Emotional intelligence - in recruitment and team building

Virtual teams and virtual working - includes video of keynote presentation

Presentations on Human Resources

Human Resources - war for talent and related issues in context of global trends. For Global HR team of Unilever.

How to Manage Yourself - personal and business survival guide. The crisis of purpose in most corporations, where it is all going, why it really matters and what to do about it. The elusive secret of personal happiness. How to increase your personal productivity by up to 50% by using the 80:20 rule - and have more free time. Discovering your personal agenda. How to manage stress and how to listen to what your own body is telling you. How to make great things happen at work, at home and in your wider world.

Building a Better Business - the key to management, marketing and motivation - and the $20,000 challenge. Leadership training for Barclays Bank / ABSA bank (South Africa, regional focus, Middle East)

Leadership in an Uncertain World - European School of Management and Technology.  Challenges and opportunities - Six Faces of Global Change and what they mean for your business.  Keys to success in downturn and beyond.

Building a Better Business - how the latest book came into being, and why future success depends on showing how you are building a better world for your customers, workers, suppliers, shareholders and wider community. Presentation for the Transformational Business Network annual conference (TBN).

Stan Am Rheim Leadership Forum 2008 - key global trends and impact on leadership / strategy following credit crunch and global economic chaos.  Managing uncertainty, reducing risk and maximising opportunity.  Credit crunch in broader context of global trends and economy.

Taking Advantage of Information Capital - Adapt to changing needs of workers and customers: convergence, crowds, clouds, connections, controls - keynote for global media organised by Ricoh.

Making Things Happen - Welsh Assembly (Parliament) presentation for leaders in national and local government, health authorities, social services and other statutory agencies on leadership, motivation and change management

Why bother to change a corporation?: Business School MBA elective programme on Strategic Transformation. The crisis of purpose in business today and why most people don't care about your strategy or the future of the corporation. How to persuade people to change. How to connect with the passions people have for a better life. Reasons why people don't change. How to create effective leadership and ownership of your corporate strategy.

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