Can digital tools really work for harnessing creativity?

Where our hybrid teams once worked integrally onsite within our clients, we quickly had to adapt to an offsite remote model to enable the same levels of collaboration and output as the onsite model delivered. Fortunately, with digital workflows at the heart of all these relationships we were able to quickly move to a remote format – all be it we needed to simply work harder at maintaining the ‘water cooler’ discussions across the team.

We can use technology to help re-create those ‘water cooler’ moments by taking 5 minutes at the beginning of a virtual meeting for a non-work chat - too often we’re tempted to run straight into the agenda.

Top of the learning curve

A big learning curve has been extending our reliance on technology to the creative ideation at the start of a project. When you can’t get people together in the same room, how do you bounce around ideas and concepts? Collaboration in the early stages of a project is vital, and I’m sure we’re not alone in our concerns at whether this could easily be adapted or as effective virtually. Through the use of platforms such as Miro, we’ve been able to replicate creative sessions and hold both internal and client workshops with great success. Having the ability to visually see ideas through sticky notes, vote for ideas, import data or images all in one place has allowed our ideation stage to flourish as well online as it does off. In fact, in the last year, we’ve seen a significant improvement in our productivity and turnaround times and a lot of that is testament to good working processes and the right technology in place from idea stage through to end product.

What has become increasingly important to us is to be mindful that behind the tools there is still a human, with human thought processes. Well-being within an office environment is already well considered in most workplaces, but we must also recognise the importance of this at home too. Zoom fatigue is real and a quick way to reduce your productivity, despite all the right technology in place. Video calls drain our energy far more than a face to face meeting or phone call due to how we process information virtually.

We must look directly at the camera to show engagement in conversation, whereas in real life you wouldn’t be constantly focused on one image, you’d also process information around a room and from other people. To break this constant gaze on a video call could be construed as not listening or boredom so we must therefore concentrate harder to stay engaged which fatigues our brains more.

By encouraging break outs, time away from your desk and mixing up the way we communicate, even using your mobile to make a call instead of habitually dialing through video platforms can all help avoid fatigue. On a practical level, minimising your own face on video can reduce stimuli and the feeling you are ‘on show’ and for longer meetings where you’re not presenting turn your video off altogether so you’re able to move around and listen at the same time.

There’s no doubt that by working remotely we have had to make a concerted effort to communicate better and stay connected to one another. Internally, we’ve also seen a shift in sharing more information across teams and increasing visibility of projects across the wider business, and that has been made possible through a widespread adoption of digital collaboration tools. Not only is this important for our employee well-being and feeling connected to colleagues, but better communication has also significantly improved our efficiency with projects. When office life resumes, this is an area we will work hard to maintain and make part of our standard practice. Yet, with the implementation of more digital tools that help make communication and our working life easier, we must also keep in check the human implications and effects too.

James Lawton- Hill, marketing director at APS Group