Not a day goes by without us hearing about the many new challenges being forced upon us by the global pandemic. But it continues to amaze me how many organisations have reacted positively to this adversity, grasping the opportunities to rediscover and reinvent their ways of working.
Now twelve months in, Covid-19 has been an accelerator for transformation for many industries, and despite it undoubtedly suffering the greatest impact across multiple areas, the healthcare industry has been a pioneer in leading this transformation. Hospitals, life sciences, suppliers, ecosystems, policy makers and individual employees have all undergone significant duress, as well as the wider communities that they support.
Dealing with the unknown and responding to unprecedented demands has been the norm. Accelerating the modernisation of technology is now a business imperative for many organisations to arrive at a harmonised and unified infrastructure earlier than planned, to help create greater resiliency and agility.
The future of the technology industry is defined by major trends that are changing workplaces, workforces and the very nature of work in the 2020s. Growing adoption of technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality expand the possibilities for new products, services, business models and the processes that enable them. This accelerated pace of change and evolving stakeholder expectations, new regulations and legislations around global challenges, such as social inequality and sustainability, are transforming many organisations.
The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic made the world acutely aware of how important it is to be able to successfully adapt to the unexpected. To embrace resilience, companies need to have employees who are capable and skilled – who feel valued and supported and who are empowered with technologies and solutions that help them work with efficiency and confidence.
The future of work is arriving fast for many companies that are using innovative ideas and solutions to transform their workplaces, workforces and the nature of work itself. The organisations that have survived and even thrived during these challenging months are those that have quickly pivoted to new business models, products, solutions and services. This requires organisational agility which can be achieved through next generation technologies and capability building.
As part of our vision for the future of the industry we continue to embed experience management capabilities across SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite so individuals can share their feedback and business leaders can listen and make informed changes. Employee experience extends beyond the tools offered by HR, but encompasses every touch point across a business, including IT, finance and operations, as well as the many other services and applications that cover everything in between. The Intelligent Enterprise enables organisations to understand how the entire end-to-end experience for an individual can impact morale, productivity and business results.
Achieving organisational agility starts with the strong intent to move forward with a growth mindset, aiming to pivot quickly and turn challenges turned into opportunities. Like in many other organisations, healthcare organisations are challenged to make necessary changes and adapt to new work quickly, and even strive to be the pioneers. The healthcare industry as a whole is a large network of various players which form an ecosystem that requires seamless connectivity, transparency, data, agility and continuous growth for better outcomes and healthy communities.
Once a “Patient First” mindset is established as a cultural foundation, the supporting operating model should be enabled by the right technology and solutions to deliver exceptional, seamless and quality services to patients, ensure a trusted, nurturing and safe workplace for healthcare personnel, and finally foster a responsible community partnership.
A great example of this in action is Eskenazi Health, one of the leading providers of healthcare in Central Indiana. With a vision for simplified employee experiences, Eskenazi Health turned its challenges into opportunities by utilising a unified data platform for finance, supply chain, and HR. This platform relieved employees from repetitive admin tasks and helped them focus on delivering more value and keeping patients happy.
For more information, visit the HR and People Engagement area of sap.com and the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SuccessFactors and @SAPNews.