Collaboration tools that boost productivity

Digitalisation is not primarily about technology but about people and changing behaviours in the organisation 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 digitalisation projects. He also talked about what it takes to successfully create employee engagement.

How can collaboration tools help you?

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 once 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 are going to do, who is going to do it and how. But remember that all people are motivated by different things and therefore it is good to work with targeted communication internally as well. And finally, be clear about what can be influenced (and not) to succeed in creating engagement and focus on what can be influenced.

How to create engagement

So how do you create the conditions for engagement? Fredrik drew on work psychology research and our psychological needs. According to self-determination theory, there are three basic psychological needs that affect our motivation:

• Competence
• Autonomy
• Togetherness

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 personal initiative. And don't forget to show appreciation. Clear roles and responsibilities are also important. If you manage to tick these boxes, you 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 manages 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 access them and to put them in context. With the launch of the new intranet, the management of policy documents became a key 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 that the policy documents became more attractive to actually read and take part in.

Read more about the Royal Library's intranet and the awards it has won here.

Collaboration tools for the digital workplace

Now that you have a better understanding of what it takes to get employees involved in digital initiatives and a good example from the Royal Library, let's take a look at 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 by easily reaching the right people and finding 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 or sending large files. Being able to edit documents simultaneously also makes collaboration easier.
• Jitsi – have video meetings with colleagues inside and outside your organisation. Jitsi lets you stay in touch with all your teams.
• Quickchannel – produce interactive webcasts, webinars and videos that drive engagement and results. Can be used both internally within your organisation and externally to your target audiences.