Modern workplaces are characterised by the interactive usage of digital technologies with business efficiency (Ashforth, Caza, & Meister, Reference Ashforth, Caza and Meister2024). Mobile communication has changed how people interact in the workplace and there is now almost complete and constant technological connectivity through the internet and other devices (Giacosa, Alam, Culasso, & Crocco, Reference Giacosa, Alam, Culasso and Crocco2023). Marsh, Vallejos, and Spence (Reference Marsh, Vallejos and Spence2022, 2) describes the digital workplace as ‘the broad set of connected technologies that employees use on a daily basis to do their jobs’. Digitalisation has meant more focus on digital capabilities that has led to efficiency gains, which has meant organisations leveraging digital technology to increased business activities. Organisations are focusing on digital technology in a strategic way to accelerate the transformation of business processes. This enables novel ways to interact with customers based on digital communication.
Digitalisation can augment existing business strategies by offering more accessible information. This can lead to changes in an organisations business model by a rise in demand for digital information. More organisations are shifting to using digital technology to streamline operations with cloud and mobile computing shifting how organisations store and share information. As a consequence, digitalisation can improve the use of traditional technologies.
The process of digitalisation is based on the internet of things making computing devices interact. This has resulted in a need for digital information to be collected and transferred via different outputs. In addition, mobile apps are influencing digital transformation by enabling businesses better abilities to connect with customers. Mobile apps are a way to facilitate real time communication via chatbots or other communication tools. They enable businesses to offer sales promotions and advertising communications. Modern workplaces have been transformed through the use of digital media, which means the application of innovation in workplaces has resulted in substantial changes. Existing and new information has been altered to a digital format through the process of digitalisation. This has been enabled due to technological innovations including computers and machines. The process of digitalisation requires the use of digital technologies in processes.
Modern workplaces focus on responsible usage of digital technologies for job tasks (Anjum, Liang, Durrani, & Ahmed, Reference Anjum, Liang, Durrani and Ahmed2022). Increasingly workplaces are utilising more intelligence forms of computing to increase efficiencies. Due to advances in artificial intelligence affective computing is becoming a reality. Affective computing is defined as ‘a class of computer-based solutions that analyse data about human behaviour such as facial expressions, gestures and language, for its emotional information’ (Richardson, Reference Richardson2020, 78). More workplaces are using it as a way to utilise computing technology to understand emotions (Fan, Song, Fang, & Chen, Reference Fan, Song, Fang and Chen2023). Picard (Reference Picard2000) initially premised that affective computing was a way for computers to interact in a real world environment. It enables them to be intelligent by recognising different forms of emotions.
Intelligence as a topic is debatable as there are various ways it can be defined and measured. A broad conceptualisation of intelligence is information a person or entity has as part of its knowledge repository. It is hard to define due to its vague nature and changing definition in society. Every living organism has some kind of intelligence but in different forms. Entities are born with an innate form of intelligence that changes as a part of their development. Intelligence is needed in some form to survive. Sternberg (Reference Sternberg1997, 1030) defines intelligence as ‘the mental abilities necessary for adaptation to, as well as selection and shaping of any environmental context’. Most people think intelligence refers to being able to problem solve. The emphasis on analytical skills means that it emphasises intellectual assets of a person. Whether this is the only way to measure intelligence is debatable as it can refer to abstract reasoning and decision-making as well as other tasks. To be intelligent a person needs to be able to adapt. This means there is some evolution in terms of how a person perceives and reacts to their environments. Sternberg (Reference Sternberg1997) suggests that intelligence will establish an external correspondence and internal coherence.
Two main types of intelligence evident in modern workplaces are physical and verbal. Physical intelligence is derived from actually viewing things. This can include buildings and places in which information about their physical characteristics can be obtained. Observation and direct involvement is needed in physical forms of intelligence. Detailed information can be obtained that may be hard to verbally disclose. Physical information includes small and atmospheric conditions such as wind or sun. In addition, feelings or thoughts such as heat or cool can only be experienced in person. They can be described to others but having real time interaction is important. Technology such as radars and sensing machines can be used to provide some forms of physical intelligence. Verbal intelligence is derived from written or oral sources of information. It can be shared with others but is open for interpretation. Documents such as books, magazines, and reports in an online or physical format are sources of intelligence. The radio, internet, and television are used to disseminate verbal intelligence.
In order for intelligence to exist in a workplace there needs to be the integration of different forms within individual knowledge repositories. The trilogy of the mind refers to its cognition, affect, and conation (Hilgard, Reference Hilgard1980). Cognition involves a person’s ability to perceive things, think, and use their intellect. It is a way to acquire knowledge that influences future action and can involve the use of memories to determine future possibilities. Important parts of the cognitive process include ‘thinking, reasoning, problem solving, deduction, induction, perceiving, imagining, language and remembering’ (Hynes & Koc, Reference Hynes and Koc2024, 101). Present and past experiences can influence cognition behaviour in individuals. Bayne et al. (Reference Bayne, Brainard, Byrne, Chittka, Clayton, Heyes and Mather2019, 2) states that cognition involves ‘activities and processes concerned with the acquisition, storage, retrieval and processing of information’. Affect refers to emotions, feelings, and mood of a person. Conation involves understanding motivations, volition, and temperament of an individual. It refers to the desire of a person to act in a certain way. Individuals will behave differently depending on their intrinsic needs and experience.
The new workplace reality of hybrid work with intelligent capabilities brings more flexibility but at the same time doubts about performance (Mao, Hsieh, & Chen, Reference Mao, Hsieh and Chen2012). As a consequence, employees can have excessive anxiety as a result of the lack of direct connection to their workplace. Non-traditional office workplaces that include flexible working conditions have made the boundary between work and home less obvious. This has led to higher levels of thoughts about work outside normal work hours. The inability of people to detach from work has given rise to work-related stress. Technology that facilitates off-hours working has led to more perceived work pressures. As a consequence, during a person’s leisure time they may process work information. This can lead to burnout in terms of emotional exhaustion. Due to unfavourable work environments individuals can perceive they have too many job demands.
The context in which entrepreneurship occurs helps make sense of the activity and likelihood of success. Often it is taken for granted and assumed to be irrelevant but in practice the context is important. The context refers to where the entrepreneurship takes place and is a central element in whether the entrepreneurship succeeds. A great deal of knowledge is known about entrepreneurship in specific contexts like technological and social but little in other contexts including sport. The context implies how the entrepreneurship will occur and the resulting impact. To make a novel contribution to the field the context must be understood.
Context can occur in an online or offline format. Online formats involve the use of information communications technology to start or build a business. Increasingly digital start-ups are becoming popular due to their ease of use and ability to be international. As a consequence, there are many website tools that help people build an online business. Offline formats are more traditional and use a bricks and mortar format. This means the businesses are normally established in physical stores that are located in retail or factory districts. This helps them to gain visibility but comes with associated costs like rent and human capital. Context can occur in a range of industries including education, tourism, healthcare, environment, and government. Thereby it requires careful consideration about how the workplace is changing and how it can be maintained.
The sociodemographic context is important in understanding the modern workplace. This is due to the gender, age, religion, ethnicity, and other factors influencing the type and rate of workplace development. Spirituality and religion can impact how a workplace is managed. The spirituality can influence people management techniques and the type of products produced. It can occur in an overt or covert way depending on the mindset of the managers. Often the founders and managers of a business may be more focused on lifestyle types of business ventures due to their religion. This can influence the hours a business is open and their policies. Therefore, it is useful to consider whether stakeholders including consumers, suppliers, and associates influence the context. The spatial dimension of context refers to the locational attributes such as city/country and developed/developing areas.
All workplaces require some form of leadership but there is no single best way to lead (Lonati & Van Vugt, Reference Lonati and Van Vugt2024). Some workplaces prefer more authoritarian and dictatorial styles of leadership that emphasise a top down approach. This may be due to entrenched practices necessitating a more formal style of leadership. Other workplaces may have a more compassionate and emotional form of leadership based on the type of industry (Muzam, Bendkowski, Mah, & Mudoh, Reference Muzam, Bendkowski, Mah and Mudoh2023). These different leadership styles means there are various views regarding how best to lead a modern workplace.
Leadership is essential in ensuring the long term success of a workplace. Good leaders shape employee attitudes and productivity levels. In the modern workplace, inspiring and creative leaders are needed to deal with complexities. Employee learning is synonymous with effective leadership. When there is mutual trust between leads and employees there will be more collegiality. This can cultivate a sense of respect which is needed on collaborative tasks. Leaders that demonstrate a commitment to their employees will be viewed in a positive light. This will reinforce employee’s commitment to an organisation and lead to more empowerment (Richardson, Reference Richardson2024).
Job satisfaction can be determined by the way leaders manage an organisation. This is due to a positive emotional state resulting from a happy workplace (Smith, Schweitzer, Lauch, & Bird, Reference Smith, Schweitzer, Lauch and Bird2022). Leaders are important in providing clear directions for employees and actively providing feedback. They occupy a position of power as they can create a good learning environment (Shamsudin, Subramaniam, & Ramalu, Reference Shamsudin, Subramaniam and Ramalu2014). This means that they have insights on how to best manage employees based on time and resource constraints.
Productivity paranoia is becoming more evident with modern workplaces facilitating flexible work hours. This means employees are uncertain about whether they are producing the appropriate results. This is due to employees having the flexibility to work remotely but needing to show their managers their work output (Zhai, Wang, & Weadon, Reference Zhai, Wang and Weadon2020). Some managers think that if people are not working in traditional work offices they are not properly doing their job. This perception hurts employees and can cause them to overcompensate by doing more work. Due to not actually seeing a person working there is a misconception they are not working. This means reassessing productivity in terms of how it is measured.
Idea harvesting refers to workplaces utilising feedback and comments for positive change. There can be a lot of ideas circulating in a workplace but it is difficult to ensure ideas progress. This means managers need to follow up on ideas by researching them and exploring possibilities. This will enable cross pollination of ideas in terms of different ideas being incorporated into a theme. By doing so ideas can be documented as a way of ensuring they are noted.
Buzzworthy ideas that are being discussed in workplaces can provide a way of staying up to date with trends. By leveraging these ideas, it provides a way of engaging with customers and stakeholders. This can result in co-creation between idea makers and thinkers that produce further ideas. Ideas need to be constantly updated based on changing situations. New media items and industry trends can expand on previous ideas. This means idea harvesting is a skill that workplaces need to facilitate. Strategies to encourage idea generation should be implemented. This will ensure ideas are rewarded in a workplace. Strategy quilting is a way to incorporate different ideas into a workplace decision. This means the overall strategy will be a combination of multiple ideas. By doing this real time insights can be embedded into a workplace in order to guide in strategic decision-making.
In conclusion, this editorial has discussed the role of modern workplaces in taking advantage of digital technologies. This is important in understanding how managers can lead by example through knowledge sharing. The role of intelligence in the modern workplace was explained in terms of highlighting the context of the situation. Different types of modern workplace trends including productivity, paranoia, idea harvesting and strategy quilting were then discussed. This is important in forecasting future workplace trends regarding organisational performance.
