Collaboration is a human activity. Change management isn’t just about technology, it's about employees. In the past, technology drove end user behaviour. But now the most effective technology lets employees work in the way that is best for them and the business. Ivan Provaznik at Commerzbank says: “Automation is a huge factor and topic for us. The whole banking industry is under huge pressure from legal, customer and stakeholder perspectives. We are trying to deliver more without bringing in more costs. The biggest cost in IT is employees. We want to give employees the opportunity to be creative and leave those repeatable tasks to automation.”

An employee-first approach to technology extends technology decision-making beyond the IT departments and even beyond the users. Technology decision makers in the business have changed. HR managers and digital workplace managers now have far more impact on choice of technology than they ever would have before. HR employees are demanding that the best systems are in place to attract new staff. Eventually, taking an omnichannel and integrated approach to workplace collaboration will mean that any technology change affects all departments in a business – so everyone will need to be involved in change. Ensure that line managers from different business departments understand why your business is making changes. When they see tangible benefits, publicise these to drive the momentum for change.