MFESSENTIALSPublished by MindForest - www.mindforest.com

#21

EXPERTISE - CHANGE MANAGEMENT

IS YOUR COMPANY FUTURE PROOF?

CONTENTS

THE FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE… ARE YOU READY?DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: DON’T FORGET THE PERSON BEHIND THE MACHINETHE PIVOTAL ROLE OF HR DURING A PERIOD OF DIGITALISATIONHYPERCONNECTIVITY - HOW CHARGED ARE YOU?THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURECYBERSECURITY: DEVELOPING A PRO-ACTIVE CULTUREHEALTHY HACKS AGAINST INFORMATION ATTACKS

Spread the word!The brochure is available in both French and English on our website:La brochure est disponible en français et anglais sur notre site :§www.mindforest.com

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Publication: MindForestEditorial team: Jane Barton, Michaël Benedic, Geoffrey Kamba, Sandy Lopes, Lisa Obringer, Lene Pedersen, Steven Urbanski, Périne WeilandLayout: Aurélien BernardIllustrations: Benjamin Bagot, Aurélien Bernard

THE FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE… ARE YOU READY?

EDITORIAL / 3

The important thing to note is that they are all inter-related, one cannot simply focus on one force or challenge. In order to remain competitive and on top of the game we need to be proactive and agile; learn, unlearn and relearn fast to respond to the constant changes that the modern age presents today.

Digital resistance is common in many workplaces and is one of the most difficult aspects to tackle. Studies show that today’s digital changes are more challenging than a traditional change project with only 5% of digital change projects achieving or exceeding expectations.3 The main reason is that when transition projects are started, companies tend not to see the whole picture and only focus on technology and digital tools. They frequently disregard everything from strategy over culture, communication and security aspects to the thriving and wishes of the actual end-user, namely the collaborators within the organisation. The solutions presented here are by no means exhaustive, but this edition of MF Essentials is proud to introduce you to a global overview of our expertise and knowledge to help you and your company become more agile, flexible, efficient, competitive and collaborative.

We look forward to supporting your project linked to succeeding in the future of the workplace.

Happy Reading

1,2 Smartway2.com: Future of the Work ebook 28.08.18 [24.09.2019]3 Bain risk history survey 2017 and Digital 360 Barometer survey 2017

Historically seen, one could argue that change is slow.It took over 50 years from the first invention of a power station to generate electricity by Edison till steam engines were replaced.

One of the issues at the time was that managers replaced the steam engines but failed to redesign factories and optimise processes to take full advantage of the electric motors and the flexibility that came with them.1

Back in the second industrial revolution, it fell to the next generation to redesign and optimise processes, as well as to (re-)train employees and review working conditions.

Today in a much faster paced world, companies cannot leave it to the next generation to shift gears. We are in the middle of digitalisation and the continuous evolution of AI and technological tools, so we need to rethink the way we work today - because today the future is now.

Today’s ultimate challenge is much more about people than about technology. With increased globalization and digitalisation, it is not only about changing the nature of the tasks we perform but also our way of thinking, when, how, where and with whom we perform our tasks.

Emerging technologies (AI, robotics sensors, data)

Change in every job and work becoming more cognitive

Changing demographics (ageing workforce vs rise of

millenials)

Increasingly diverse teams, demand for flexible workspace and

empathetic leadership

Increased tech economy and agile work practices

Talent recruitment and retention & autonomous work force

If we look at the top forces presenting major challenges today, we can divide them into three groups: 2

CHAN

GES

FORC

ES

4 THEORY / Text by Sandy Lopes & Lisa Obringer | Consultants at MINDFOREST

No matter whether a private or a public corporation, the subject of digital transformation is bound to be high on your agenda. But what does this really mean and what are the main challenges facing the people affected by these changes?

Today, most companies claim to have included digitalisation in their strategy. According to a study carried out by IDG in 20181, more than a third of all companies polled (37%) were either undergoing a phase of digital integration or execution and 7% described themselves as a digital company. However, 47% of the companies polled were still in the process of gathering information or formulating a digital strategy.

Digital is now Over the past few years, technological progress, the advent of the Internet and of the connected consumer have made the world – companies and individuals alike – more aware of accelerated changes than ever before.

In Luxembourg, the government has attributed special status to digitalisation and has even created a Ministry of Digitalisation (2018). The government has launched a wide variety of initiatives ranging from Fit4Digital and eHandwierk for SME’s, to Smart Tourism for the tourist industry, the Digital Skills Bridge for the overall economy, and in more general terms, has also digitalised a great many administrative operations. Digitalisation really is a subject which preoccupies private companies and public administrations in Luxembourg and constitutes a reality which they will all have to face up to.

What does digital mean exactly? Digital refers to the use of new technologies to support the evolution of a company, both at a structural level and in human terms (processes, working tools, communication, interaction between employees and also with clients, etc.) and all of this without any limitations in terms of time and space. A digital transformation project is thus unique in that its structure is transversal, it impacts all the interactions within the company and places the client at the centre of its strategy.

Nowadays, the best-known digital initiatives are in the realm of big data (or “data analytics”), mobile technologies and applications, API’s as well as access to private and public clouds. More recent developments are largely dedicated to artificial intelligence, “machine learning” and the “Internet of Things”.2

Much more than a simple IT installation?The role of change management in the context of a digital transformation project. In organisational terms, digital transformation constitutes both a major preoccupation and a strategic challenge; its impact reaches way beyond the realm of a simple IT installation and is likely to provoke a wide range of hindrances and resistance to change. The constant pace of innovation brings its share of opportunities, but may also represent a source of confusion and instability. In reality, in addition to the effect digitalisation may have on working tools and organisational structures and processes, there is a real risk that it may have a considerable impact on human interactions. Such changes can have a major influence on existing group dynamics and on the corporate culture and must therefore be clearly defined, planned and managed.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: DON’T FORGET THE PERSON BEHIND THE MACHINE

1,2 https://resources.idg.com/download/white-paper/2018-digital-business

We all have a role to play: don’t forget your stakeholders Some projects may be delayed or even fail if they lack support from management and/or other influential people. This is why it is important to identify all the relevant stakeholders at the beginning of a project to assess the project’s potential impact on their daily work and also to ascertain how much influence they will have on the project. In addition, the chart will help you to involve them in the project at the right moment.

If you come to the conclusion that some stakeholders have a lot of influence on the project, you will probably decide to keep them informed and to integrate them into the project, when and if necessary, as a means of ensuring their continued support of the project. At this stage, a sponsor plays a crucial role in influencing certain parties, who could otherwise oppose the project.

Furthermore, by involving all employees from the outset of the project enables them to contribute to the definition of their needs. They should be consulted during the period of solution definition and will therefore be more ready to accept the final solution. By setting up a means of gathering feedback, you will gain valuable information about users’ fears and ideas, which in turn will be useful for the further development of the project and provide material for communication. Feedback could be provided on a case by case basis if the number of people involved is limited, otherwise standard responses can be used in the event of larger numbers. A variety of methods are available depending on the corporate culture and the level of user maturity (e.g. basic questionnaire, suggestion wall, etc.). The feedback obtained should reflect the person’s level of information with respect to the project, as well as their level of understanding and support of the project and their impact on making the change happen.

Digitalisation at the service of a change ambassadors’ network. A network of change ambassadors is frequently implemented in change projects as a means of creating a link between the operational teams and the different project management teams to gauge the progress of project-related measures and to ensure a steady flow of feedback. In some cases, such change ambassadors even make an active contribution to providing solutions for the problems identified. In general, meetings between MindForest teams and such ambassadors take the form of workshops designed to assemble a maximum number of

ambassadors and to promote as much contact as possible between employees, who do not usually work together.

If the change project concerns a multinational company, it may be necessary to reunite ambassadors from different countries or even continents. In such cases, a dedicated numerical platform will prove indispensable as a means of managing and animating the ambassador network.

In addition to this, it may be useful to use videoconferencing tools such as Skype or Zoom. Brainstorming sessions can be scheduled with all the ambassadors or with selected groups to work on both global topics and those more specifically attributed to certain departments, these may be conducted using online tools such as virtual boards, which encourage rapid and visual exchanges. Even training sessions, which would normally be provided in person, can be provided online, thus permitting the ambassadors to follow them at their own pace, whilst still staying in touch with MindForest trainers who are available to answer any questions which may arise. Even if online tools are essential as a means of providing guaranteed access, it is still important to ensure that a trainer/moderator remains available whose task it is to maintain the dynamic of the network. This person is in charge of ensuring that all ambassadors have access to the different tools and information provided and can therefore fulfil their roles as ambassadors correctly; only in this way will they be able to contribute positively to the project. Nevertheless, this type of project still makes it essential to define ways of bringing all the ambassadors together from time to time in actual face to face contact, for example at ad hoc workshops, as this ensures that they gain confidence in each other, which in turns strengthens the dynamic of their interactions.

/ THEORY 5

How to structure a change project Most current methods for accompanying a change project are structured one-dimensionally based on the different project phases: planning, preparation, implementation and the measurement of change. Such approaches are however incompatible with digital projects which are organised more iteratively, as progress is made in sub-sections to allow time for testing and any potential modifications or improvements based on client feedback. For this reason, traditional project management methods are unsuited to projects involving digital transformation.

In order to mitigate the failings of traditional project management methods, several new approaches to change have been defined during the past few years, they are known as “agile” (Autissier-Moutot) or “lean” (J. Little). These methods aim to cross match the current challenges facing companies with a more flexible approach aligned to existing digital transformation projects. Thus, the phase of change support is organised in the same overall way as the project is managed; with each separate project phase involving change actions. These actions consist of a series of tests, which first have to be deployed on a small scale in the form of sprints to provide a rapid check of whether the measures are appropriate and effective before they can be deployed throughout the organisation. In this case, the implication of all employees is a really important factor in ensuring the success and progress of this method, which ensures the ongoing improvement of all proposed and tested actions.

According to Autissier & Moutot (2015) this Agile method is based on four basic criteria:1. The ongoing construction of a change plan involving

all employees,2. The constant communication of project progress as

a means of maintaining employee motivation,3. The implementation of change actions based on

experience gained,4. The focus on understanding why there is some

resistance to change and how to deal with it.

Any change management project should focus on the human factor. The acceptance of the change by all directly or indirectly affected employees can be gauged as a measure of the overall success of any sort of project. In the case of a digital transformation project, it is also important to align all measures linked to the transformation project with those linked to the change project. By adjusting the roll-out rhythm of both projects, it becomes possible to use the information gathered by one (the information related to the digital transformation) to feed the other (what effect will the change have on the employees and their working methods).

MAN MINUS THE MACHINE IS A SLAVE; MAN PLUS THE MACHINE IS A FREE MAN.HENRY FORD

6 THEORY / Text by Sandy Lopes & Lisa Obringer | Consultants at MINDFOREST

The digital revolution has already started and is having a noticeable effect on our day to day lives whether because of social media, connected objects or other interactive machines. Certainly, companies are starting to pay more attention to these changes. Nowadays every company must face far reaching changes, whether in terms of its organisation, existing processes, culture, management or competences.

In this context, an HR professional has a vitally important role to play. (S)He not only has to accompany the employees, but also become actively involved in the planning of future internal moves both at an organisational and operational level. This mission constitutes a particular challenge, as the role of an HR professional is also subject to major changes. HR employees need to modernise their approach by taking digital trends into account, they have to envisage new methods at every stage of their colleagues’ professional career, whilst simultaneously redefining all HR processes: recruitment, training, talent management and knowledge transfer, to name but a few. For this reason, HR departments are currently having to face a wide variety of major challenges, which we will now examine in more detail.

Accompanying Change in the Context of Digital Transformation The HR professional has to create the link between the strategic change planned by senior management and the reality in the field as faced by line managers and employees. This challenge is all the more daunting, because digitalisation constitutes one of the most far reaching changes of the past few decades. Thus, an HR professional has to ensure that all employees and managers detect sufficient “sense” and find answers to their real needs to encourage them to commit to the changes on a long-term basis. During an initial period, the main challenge will be to enable employees to make up for their shortcomings in terms of numerical competences and to reduce the shortfall between their current knowledge base and future requirements. The digital revolution accelerates the need to update competences, although unfortunately not all managers and employees are prepared to accept this.

THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF HR DURING A PERIOD OF DIGITALISATION

Text by Michaël Benedic | Consultant at MINDFOREST / EXPERTISE 7

8 EXPERTISE / Text by Michaël Benedic | Consultant at MINDFOREST

Taking a New Approach to Training Methods The HR professional will also have to adopt a new approach to training methods, if (s)he wants to ensure the rapid and agile acquisition of those competences required by a digitalisation process. The numerical revolution coupled with innovative new methods will make it possible to create a link between new professional requirements and the corporate strategy. Collaborative tools (such as wiki, online communities, etc.) and access to online training content (MOOC, tutorials, webinars, etc.) will become increasingly popular and serve as the basis for future employee competence development.

Encouraging Managers to Adapt and Leaders to Develop This changing context inevitably leads to uncertainty and puts much greater demands on managers and leaders to fulfil their roles. In such a context, it is important to be able to provide reassurance for disorientated teams, who are looking for guidance and need support during their attempts to change and adapt. A digital transformation can only succeed if employees are motivated and committed. For this reason, HR specialists need to accompany managers whilst they acquire new techniques for interacting with their teams. This entails taking a more agile approach and setting a good example as a manager in order to encourage greater support and involvement by all those affected by the planned changes. To achieve this, the HR team first needs to assess managerial competences in order to subsequently be able to implement appropriate training and coaching sessions. Of course, the HR team must also ensure that these measures achieve the desired effect and that the theory learnt is applied appropriately in the field. It is imperative to ensure that managerial competences are enhanced. If managers feel uncertain, ill-informed or discouraged in the face of digitalisation, then their teams are bound to express the same emotions if not more so. This is why it is so important to assess their requirements and expectations in HR terms and then to suggest appropriate measures, so they can guide their teams through this period of change. Paradoxically, a digital transition makes it essential to acquire more “soft skills” and competences, which cannot be replicated by a machine no matter how intelligent it may be.

Anticipating and Implementing the Transformation of Professional Skills A further side effect of digitalisation concerns the changes to professional skills, which may be more or less radical. In order to avoid greater problems, the HR team needs to invest even more time in anticipating such changes to job requirements and competences. By anticipating future requirements and taking immediate action, it becomes possible to help employees adapt to the situation and thus avoid unnecessary frustration or difficulties.

Attracting and Retaining Young Talent Digitalisation is taking place at the same time as the arrival of the so-called “Generation Y” (people born between the mid-1980’s and the end of the 1990’s) and of Generation Z (the Millennials) on the job market. It is more difficult to retain employees from these generations, this particularly applies to Generation Z, as they are far more preoccupied with searching for a meaningful life than their elders. Of course, they are also more numerically proficient and have all the necessary competences in this field. Thus, HR managers are faced with the challenge of attracting and retaining such young talents. In order to achieve this, companies need to pay greater attention to their brands, for example by using social media, and to implement innovative and attractive recruitment techniques. This may be complemented by an approach, which emphasises career opportunities and planning, as well as the possibility of pursuing a variety of tasks within the company. Furthermore, it may be useful to introduce a new decision making structure, to encourage employees to assume greater responsibility and to authorise greater flexibility at work.

Setting a Good Digital Example If an HR professional wants to drive a digital transformation (s)he has to set a good digital example, which inevitably entails the digitalisation of HR processes. For example, recruitment could be channelled via social media, HR documents digitalised or online tools introduced for carrying out employee satisfaction questionnaires.

As the human factor is the real key to the success of any digital transformation, this offers the HR department a unique opportunity to reinvent itself and to take a more strategic role than ever before. The implication of HR professionals is crucial as a means of coping with the challenges described above and enables the company and the teams involved to make the most of the digital revolution. In addition, the HR team will have to play an advisory role for senior managers, who are not always aware of the implications of digitalisation and the measures required to ensure its success. They will also have to reassure managers and employees alike, whilst ensuring a good working environment and the credibility of the employer’s brand, as every change inevitably involves a wide range of tensions and uncertainty. It will also be necessary to reappraise career planning to ensure that this can be reconciled with corporate values and culture. To sum all of this up: HR professionals have the potential to be the primary stakeholders in a digital transformation!

Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST / EXPERTISE 9

How charged are you?In the 1970’s a senior executive received fewer than 1000 outside communications a year, but today an executive receives over 30.000 emails and other communications. The number of meetings has been driven through the roof with one study showing a staggering 300.000 hours spent in weekly executive committee meetings and according to an Atlassian study unproductive meetings alone cost US organisations over 30 billion dollars a year1.So, with the advance of digitalisation, it is clear that the business world will continue to move at enormous speed. The question is whether we can really keep pace, change and adapt while remaining competitive and efficient?What do we have to concentrate on more and what do we risk overseeing?

Hyperconnectivity – the new buzz word?With the daily information overflow we experience, everyone speaks about us being hyperconnected and the associated risks, but what does hyperconnectivity actually mean?The term was first used by Canadian social scientists Anabel Quan-Haase and Barry Wellman. It arose from their studies of person-to-person, person-to-machine and machine-to-person communication in networked

organisations and societies. The term refers to the use of multiple means of communication, such as email, instant messaging, telephone, face-to-face contact and Web 2.0 information services2.

Hyperconnectivity in businessHyperconnectivity has changed the way we do business, which means that companies on the leading edge have the opportunity to trounce the competition3. The fact that it enables many people to be connected at the same time has changed our lives forever. We are constantly connected, busy exchanging, transferring and sharing data and information. If used wisely the tools linked to hyperconnectivity can support tremendous growth and process optimisation opportunities for companies:• Strategy: research concludes that the answer to

digitalisation and hyperconnectivity is part “analogue” and part “digital.” The analogue tools they refer to are “old school”: strategy and culture. The most fundamental element for productivity is a clearly stated and effectively communicated strategy, which is linked to frontline priorities4.” This means that it is vital to embrace a digital strategy across company departments and not just to react and implement blindly because the

HYPERCONNECTIVITY HOW CHARGED ARE YOU?

1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/baininsights/2016/08/17/drowning-in-email-how-to-avoid-to-the-dark-side-of-hyperconnectivity/#5e7ac6ab4376 [12.06.2019]2 Wellman, Barry (June 2001). «Physical Place and Cyber Place: The Rise of Networked Individualism». International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. [12.06.2019]3 Jim Carroll (2002) Opportunity awaits companies that master hyperconnectivity: https://www.jimcarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2002oct_command_ 3 and_control.pdf [19.09.2019]4 https://www.bain.com/insights/solving-for-the-dark-side-of-metcalfes-law/ [19.09.2019]

10 EXPERTISE / Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST

competitor does so. It is important to consider what the business really needs, which infrastructures and purpose-built digital tools are suitable as digital supports and will not constitute a hindrance to efficient workflows, for example if they are too unwieldy, complicated or not properly understood by employees. The beauty of hyperconnectivity is the ease of data collection and sharing, which also makes it easier to identify consumer behaviour and trends. This is of course extremely beneficial in terms of marketing and sales opportunities, as location- and interest-based targeting has become much easier now that around 80% of all interaction occurs online via mobile devices.

• Culture: As mentioned above in order to be successful a digital strategy needs to be supported and embraced by the company culture. It should be in tune with today’s modern world promoting values of disciplined and engaged interaction with concrete actions and results to avoid confusion, indecision and collaboration just for the sake of collaborating. Here questions around values arise, it is important to understand that talking about values is not the same as living them, leading by example and demonstrating commitment through actions. Technology can help to support the company culture by introducing communication and collaboration platforms to replace audio with video calls and community-based platforms to engage employees and avoid parallel processing during such meetings.

• Communication: Regardless of whether we are talking about internal or external communication, today’s communication overflow means it is more important than ever to define which communication tools are acceptable and when each channel (collaborative platform vs. physical meeting; email vs. phone-call or SMS, etc) is most appropriate. Furthermore, it is imperative to set up clear guidelines/rules, do’s and don’ts regarding media use and respectful behaviour (work vs. private, tone and language) to avoid both additional information overflow, conflicts, data loss, inefficiency and addictive behaviour.

• Employee Engagement: To keep employees engaged and performing well, companies need to target those distractions which are commonly linked to hyperconnectivity, such as competitive job opportunities, globalisation, new ways of working (sometimes leading to frustration due to lack of understanding), general expectations, health and wellbeing, as well as an increased risk of stress and burn-out from not understanding the down-side of connectedness and the risks and potential

addictions at play. Many methods can be used, however a company needs to create clarity around values and expectations when dealing with hyperconnectivity. This can for example involve cultivating a culture respecting the private sphere, time off and space to breathe. This links to the communication standards mentioned above, ensuring that all employees collaborate and respect the different media usage and allow colleagues to set boundaries among themselves if a colleague is misusing a tool or disrespecting the rules. Companies allowing mindfulness linked to digital connectedness experience higher employee engagement, as employees get time out to regenerate their resources and attention levels. By encouraging mindful downtime and “digital detoxing”, the company will achieve a better overall performance thanks to a focused and engaged workforce. Last, but not least it is important to mention the importance of kindness and resilience when embarking on engaging collaborators during the era of over-connectedness. Methods like offering kindness and understanding of each employee’s situation and ways of dealing with hyperconnectivity, offering mindful meeting practices and daily strategic thinking time help to create a better overview and make people prioritise and manage their time more effectively. Encouraging free time, tools and activities to build up resilience, can help reduce stress and deal with periods of heavy workload differently, making employees more understanding, mindful and tolerant towards co-workers, which in turn improves long-term collaboration and efficiency.

The dark side of hyperconnectivityWhere there are opportunities there are undeniably also risks and challenges. If not dealt with correctly, hyperconnectivity can have severe implications for the success of a company if it risks a lack of efficiency influencing the bottom line: According to the Oxford Economics Leaders 2020 Study, collaborative overload in the hyperconnected world is an issue. Over 4000 executives and employees found most companies lack the managerial skills, organisational culture, and technology to make collaboration pay off on a large scale5.

5 Oxford Economics Leaders 2020 Study: The next generation executive: Getting collaboration right 2016

/ EXPERTISE 11

Communication overload leads to lack of concentration, confusion, errors and burn-out. Furthermore, hyper-connectivity can constitute a security risk if fake news and fraud and scam emails/phone calls are received and not dealt with properly. Last but not least, employee disengagement is increasingly becoming an issue with a Gallup survey stating that on average 67% of employees within an organisation are partially or fully disengaged6.Often disengagement starts with the employee not being able to identify with the company culture or to understand the digital changes occurring. Coupled with the feeling of not being able to digest all the information provided, a lack of autonomy, belongingness and feeling of mastery of the new technologies and digital tools can lead to frustration and disconnection from work. If such stress created by the above challenges is not dealt with in good time, it can lead to employees suffering negatively influences on their health and wellbeing.

Some symptoms of hyperconnectivity• Mental Fatigue• Depression• Parallel processing and task execution• Stress and burn-out• Eating disorders• Disrespectful communication and aggression

towards colleagues due to a lack of attention to personal behaviour

• Connectivity addiction• Disrupted sleep and insomnia• FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)• Lack of concentration and disrupted attention

span• A depleted immune system

The Concept of Digital WinnersDigital winners are represented by the tech-savvy companies, who have handled digital transformation to their advantage. Surprisingly what those companies have in common is that the technological change itself does not necessarily lead to profitability. Throughout the change process they have not focused entirely on digitalisation, they have however understood that the transformation was people-driven and in order to succeed the human had to be placed at the centre of attention. The Oxford Economics Leaders 2020 Study backs up this finding by emphasising that digital leaders are distinguished by how they manage three aspects of business: leadership, diversity and technology.

• Leadership: According to the study, digital leaders are more proficient in facilitating collaboration (62% vs. 47%) and are more responsive on meaningful decisions. They provide more feedback and categorically discourage complexity and bureaucracy. For them a top priority is to foster internal and long-term partnerships.

• Diversity: To collaborate effectively in a hyperconnected workplace, leaders need to be transparent decision makers. Furthermore, diversity is a huge factor and goes beyond scorekeeping employee demographics, but rather should focus much more on fostering respect and communication, as well as having a positive impact on both culture (66% vs 47%) and financial performance (37% vs 29%).

• Technology: Despite the proliferation of social networking and other digital tools, the majority of companies do not really use technology to foster effective collaboration. Such companies tend to prioritise process optimisation, innovation, data analytics and customer experience rather than initiatives like collaboration, real-time decision-making and communication. This is where again digital winners set themselves apart by using collaborative platforms to determine employee aspirations and needs (60% vs 40%).

Hyperconnectivity is a risky business; the best way to prepare is to be preventive, not to take hasty decisions and follow the mass but to recognise digitalisation and the hyperconnectivity that accompanies it as a chance to define and/or re-align company strategy to align with today’s measurements, to embrace and embed a digital culture taking both opportunities and challenges into consideration.

It can be an accelerator to review and modernise ways of communicating and collaborating and a tool to (re-)engage employees by building a culture of kindness and resilience in exchange for higher performance and profitability. This can be achieved by adopting the understanding of the digital leaders, by focusing on new engaging and collaborative leadership styles, whilst increasing transparency and diversity within the company. Last but not least, dealing with hyperconnectivity and being “tech-savvy” is not about having the highest number, most fashionable and expensive digital tools implemented, but about using them wisely and efficiently to respond to the needs of the employees and organisation.

6 Gallup survey 2017

THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE

Ways of working have changed tremendously in the last 15 years, becoming more digital with the democratization of the Intranet as well as under the influence of mobile technology. We may wonder what the workplace will look like in the future with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Virtual Reality and their unrelenting effects on company culture, organization, collaboration, …

AI is already part of our daily lives – recommendations both online and on TV are made through Intelligent Artificial and algorithms computing our interests – and will probably become even more predominant during the next 10 years. The way people behave has also changed tremendously, 30 years ago, there was only the “analogue” way of doing things, now sociologists speak about “digital natives”, “analogue people”, “digital immigrants” and so on. Far from being preserved, the work environment has been subject - if not the pioneer – of much of this technological and cultural revolution, ranging from the first introduction of automatization robots to AI or even Virtual Reality today; this changing reality inevitably shakes up the way we do business and work.

It is interesting to consider megatrends for the workforce and workplace of the future and their implications (i.e. in terms of management practices and change management practices).

Rise of Virtual RealityLong conceived or considered mostly for entertainment and the gaming industry, virtual reality is becoming more and more a reality of our daily work environment. Virtual reality offers an almost unlimited range of opportunities: training in a virtually recreated environment, prototyping, construction, data-visualization or manufacturing to cite but a few. An increasing number of companies have adopted this virtual path, convinced that the virtual world, including fluid interfaces and haptic technologies, can best answer their needs. Such solutions can range from immersive virtual conference rooms that enhance collaboration between remote project teams; to training for highly technical or dangerous tasks. The challenge remains to identify and define the company’s needs within a digital mindset.

12 EXPERTISE / Text by Geoffrey Kamba & Périne Weiland | Consultants at MINDFOREST

Automation, Robotics & AI Automation of production has been around for more than a century but is accelerating with robots accomplishing not only physical and tedious tasks, but also more and more intellectual tasks thanks to cognitive computing or chatbots. Robots and the related impact of automation are often feared and depicted as being potentially a source of job destruction - as many as 70% of people asked believe that robots will steal people’s jobs1 - as well as remotely controlled operations in the workplace of the future. AI, which already exerts a certain degree of influence on our daily lives (GPS, personal assistants (Alexa, Siri,…), will only become and more intelligent with the transition of augmented intelligence (where technologies allow for new business opportunities) to autonomous intelligence such as the self-driving car, the scary dog-robots developed by the MIT, automated trading, smart thermostats where human intervention is not needed anymore.

Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to activate a different mindset as production automation, robotization and AI won’t stop. The differently impacted stakeholders should focus their energy on finding new opportunities to work “differently” with machines instead of fearing them.

Real Time Insights and Predictive DataIn our digital age, real time insights are seamlessly recorded about our everyday lives and actions without us even noticing; the choice of TV programs, adverts that make us change channel, adverts that we actually click on, data collated by marketing agencies to better tailor content for their audience of choice. In the same way, companies can collect insights both internally and externally and draw on predictive data. For example, in internal communication, insights can help you understand your audiences better, the content they are interested in, how much time they spend reading it, their preferred channels, etc. All of this information can help improve the way an internal communication officer decides to deliver a message. Working RemotelyThanks to advances in the field of IT, as IT infrastructures are more generally relocated to the cloud and no longer limited to an office-based server access, the popularity of remote working will keep on growing, involving the rise of tools such as Slack, Zoom and perhaps in a few years time we will be able to use holographic presence.

More and more employees request permission to work remotely, they want more say in their work-life balance and desire more and more flexibility.

This represents an opportunity for organisations, by offering remote work and flexible opportunities, they contribute to employee attraction, engagement and

retention. Moreover, some companies might even decide to encourage remote working, as it helps them reduce their operating expenses by reducing the cost of office space. Reinventing Collaboration However, collaboration will probably need to be “reinvented” and supported, as the very flexibility born out of digitalization will actually fragment the workforce, with staff working remotely or offsite. It will become increasingly necessary to implement crucial measures to maintain a feeling of belonging to a company and a team whilst still benefitting from the use of new technologies.

This means that technologies – such as video, video-conferencing, digital whiteboards, messaging apps, virtual reality and so on – will have to bridge the gap for interaction and will have to be designed to instill a new dynamic and support virtual and remote collaboration. Cultural Shift: the Rise of a Digital CultureWhile digitalization helps the workforce to become more efficient, it also implies higher customer expectations with respect to customer delivery and will change every aspect of how we operate. The implications for workers are to become more at ease and comfortable with human to machine interactions and even machine to machine interactions. CEOs, CTOs and CIOs will need to develop change management competences as well as champion digital transformation. These will be needed in order to explain the advantages and the many opportunities which will emerge from such technologies and how to best implement such tools – all of this in the face of increased competition in a variety of fields. Rise of Ethics and Corporate Responsibility, Well-being The need for more ethics and corporate responsibility in the work environment is also a major trend. Faced with talent scarcity and high employee turnover, CEO’s need to prioritise the awareness of ethics and CSR strategy, as it is now recognized that the latest generation (millennials) has a higher need to identify with the organisation’s purpose, values, sustainable approach before it will commit to staying with an employer and delivering a high level of performance. Moreover, overall employee engagement has clearly been linked to higher performance. Therefore, the number of companies which integrate CSR strategy, ethics and/or well-being programs into their strategy needs to grow.

/ EXPERTISE 13

1 Commission européenne Special Eurobarometer 427 (2015) “Autonomous system”

The “digital reality” is becoming more and more embedded in our daily lives and will greatly influence the workplace of the future, especially considering the trends and opportunities which present themselves to businesses and workforces all over the world, as more challenges arise.

As a result, change capability will be required in all walks of working life from CEOs to blue collar workers – from envisioning and implementing digital strategies, to using tools such as Virtual reality in their everyday job, from shifting the culture to a more collaborative one by setting up processes and areas which ultimately support and encourage greater understanding of the needs of the latest generation on the job market and anticipating future ones.

For example with respect to Big Data, currently most organizations have already built in systems to collect data, however they need to become better at actually creating value from said data. The focus needs to be on fostering analysis competencies in order to leverage the data collected for decision making, not only in financial companies or departments, but in every field and in every department from product design to internal communication.

In the same way, HR needs to pay attention to the changes automatization will impose on the workforce. It will have to implement training sessions and competence development programs in order to ensure that resources

remain relevant and productive, thus taking into account the disappearance of some jobs and the rise of other new ones coupled with different ways of working. For example, the workforce will require skills related to the handling of machines with human interaction, to understand the fundamental principles of machine to machine interaction and generally to become more aware of how to interact with digital tools.

The increase in digital data raises questions about the security of data and the insights collected and stocked on remote servers and tiers on cloud platforms. Cybersecurity competencies will thus need to be developed in companies, including the employment of dedicated personnel specialized in handling threats, as well as creating global awareness of these issues throughout the company.

Digitalization or digital transformation requires us to be equipped, as briefly explained above, it also means that organizations as whole need to be able to count on specific skills, competencies and a comprehensive knowledge base, which will enable us all to succeed in mastering the next stage of evolution and workplace evolution towards the title of “homo digitallus”.

14 EXPERTISE / Text by Geoffrey Kamba & Périne Weiland | Consultants at MINDFOREST

McKinsey Global Institute,2017 Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions In A Time Of Automation, McKinsey & CompanyThe Workplace of the Future on WIRED, https://www.wired.com/brandlab/2018/06/the-workplace-of-the-future/Dixon L., May 3, 2019, The Past, Present and Future of Internal Communication on Workforce: Focus, https://www.workforce.com/2019/05/03/past-present-future-internal-communication/Horton T.August 30, 2018, How a high-tech AI solution can boost employee engagement, https://www.ibm.com/blogs/client-voices/high-tech-ai-solution-boosts-employee-engagement/Morgan, J. 2015. The future of work: attract new talent, build better leaders, and create a competitive organization.Frost & Sullivan, 2015. Report on the top 20 global megatrends and their impact on Business, Cultures and Society.Global Trends to 2030 : The future of work and workplaces, ESPAC Ideas Paper series

In 2018 every second company in Luxembourg was targeted by a phishing attack or malware infection, making cybercrime the 2nd most reported economic crime. A further, 43% of companies in Luxembourg expect to be victims of cybercrime during the next 24 months, far more than those affected by the second most disruptive economic crime registered: money laundering (17%)1. Faced with such significant threats, companies of any size or sector can neither afford to remain ignorant nor avoid taking precautions against this fast-developing type of crime, as they otherwise risk not only economic penalties and data loss, but also damage to their reputation and trust.

Information Security vs. CybersecurityBefore discussing different types of cybercrime and how to gain protection from attack, it is important to understand that cybersecurity is only a part of the generic term Information Security. This covers all types of information and is defined as “the protection of information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction in order to provide confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It is a broader field that is concerned with information and the protection of information whether be it physical or computerized”2. Cybersecurity however only covers “the ability to protect and defend the use of cyberspace from cyberattacks”3. While the two terms today are often used interchangeably,

it is the overlapping between Cybersecurity and Information Security namely “information involving cyberspace” which constitutes the main concern today, as most data is stored digitally and is in many business cases of a highly sensitive type4 :

CYBERSECURITY: DEVELOPING A PRO-ACTIVE CULTURE

Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST / EXPERTISE 15

1 https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/forensics/global-economic-crime-and-fraud-survey-2018-summary-infographic.pdf [18.09.2018]2 Kissel, Richard: https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-cyber-security-and-information-security [12.09.2019] 3 Hamburg Ileana; Grosch Kira Rosa: “Aligning a Cybersecurity Strategy with Communication Management in Organizations” [11.09.2019]4 Kissel, Richard: https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-cyber-security-and-information-security [12.09.2019]

INFORMATIONINVOLVING

CYBERSPACECYBERSECURITY INFORMATION

SECURITY

What is cybercrime?In step with digitalisation and the continuous development of digital communication tools and platforms, cybercrime and piracy of customer and employee data are multiplying at great speed. While the consequences are multiple and at times severe, many individuals and companies still believe that it will “only happen to someone else”. But inevitably the day will come when they are affected: the website hacked, email systems blocked, information leaked, databases compromised or the entire system suddenly seeming to have a life of its own – steered by an external force.

There are various types of cyber threats that can attack devices and networks. In general, they fall into three categories, namely the categories of attacks on confidentiality, integrity and availability5:

• Attacks on confidentiality. These include stealing your personal identity information and your bank account or credit card information. Many attackers will take your information and sell it on the dark web for others to purchase and use.

• Attacks on integrity. These attacks consist of personal or business sabotage and are often called leaks. A cybercriminal will access and release sensitive information for the purpose of exposing the data and influencing the public to lose trust in that organization.

• Attacks on availability. The aim of this type of cyber attack is to block users from accessing their own data until they pay a fee or ransom. Typically, a cybercriminal will infiltrate a network and block access to important data, demanding the payment of a ransom. Companies sometimes pay the ransom and fix the cyber vulnerability issue afterwards, so that they can avoid halting business activities.

The consequences of these types of attacks are multiple and are an evolving danger to organisations, employees and customers.

A potential break in the availability of data, resulting in an interruption of business activity, can have severe consequences and in extreme cases lead to the closure of a company. There is also the risk that cybercrime may cause a loss of customers as they lose trust in how their data has been safeguarded, again with important consequences for the organisation, where it has taken years to build a strong reliable image and gain the trust of both customers and employees.

Human Hacking: Social EngineeringWhile traditional hackers and cyberpirates are becoming more and more sophisticated in their malicious attacks (APTs and Malware), one newer and less considered trend is “social engineering” also known as human hacking. In this field of cybercrime, hackers (social engineers) exploit the common weakness found in every company: human vulnerability and psychology in order to bypass security systems.

Social engineers often use a variety of at first sight “harmless” media, such as phone calls, emails and social media, to trick people into offering them access to confidential and sensitive data. However, more and more commonly, physically present social engineers have managed to trick employees into gaining access to restricted areas or confidential information.

Social Engineering: The process of psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or giving

away information

Types of Cyber Threats

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Attacks in which an unauthorized user

gains undetected access to a network and stays there

longer period of time

Malware: Software that is specifically designed to gain access or

damage a computer without the knowledge of the owner

16 EXPERTISE / Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST

5 WIRED Magazine, “The CIA secret to cybersecurity that no one seems to get,” December 20,2015.

/ EXPERTISE 17

5 Common Social Engineering AttacksTo give an idea of how common such social engineering or human hacking really is and how quickly a company or employee can become a victim of this type of cybercrime, here is a list of five common forms6:

1. Phishing. This is the most common type of social engineering; it mainly consists of characteristics such as seeking to obtain personal information by using link shorteners redirecting to suspicious but apparently legitimate websites, which in turn incorporate threats, fears or a sense of urgency to provoke a prompt reaction.

2. Pretexting. Here social engineers focus on creating a good pretext or scenario to build a sense of trust in order to then steal the target’s information. Often in the pretext of needing certain pieces of information (like a CSV number) to confirm their identity. More advanced pretexting manipulates the victim into performing an action enabling the hacker to exploit structural weaknesses in a company’s IT system.

3. Baiting. This method is similar to phishing yet distinguishes itself by promising an item or good that the hacker uses to entice their victim(s). Baiting is not restricted to online schemes, but can also focus on exploiting human curiosity via the use of physical media.

4. Quid Pro Quo. Here the social engineer promises a benefit (often a service) in exchange for information. Often companies experience a spamming of as many direct numbers as possible offering IT assistance – where in reality a malware is then installed or passwords obtained.

5. Tailgating. Such attacks involve a person who lacks the proper authentication to follow an employee into a restricted area, often impersonating a delivery driver or similar.

The main flaws in organisationsOne problem in companies, especially in SME’s, is that they still lack reliable IT tools to ensure high security levels. While for some companies the security of information isn’t always a high priority, it is very important for their customers, employees and trading partners.7

As management becomes more aware of the reality of cyber threats – even for smaller structures - many companies decide to install several protective layers spread across computers and networks thinking that by doing this they are well protected and in the “safe zone” of cybercrimes. However, while the technical aspects of cybercrime constantly develop, unfortunately, today most cybercrime occurs due to the overseen main “flaw” in

organisations: namely human error.Today, a smart and effective cybersecurity plan should not only rely on technology, but also on the people working in and outside the organisation making smart prevention choices. Consequently, while surely a centralised management of IT security levels protects the installed system, a continuous information campaign directed at all employees and externals informing them about the challenges linked to cybersecurity is at least as important as the IT defence system itself.

To support and implement this type of extensive security sensitisation plan, it is imperative to approach this with proper change management techniques to make employees understand the importance of information and cybersecurity; especially their specific roles in protecting their own data as well as that of their customers and the company.

The human side of cybersecurityHow can you help employees understand the risks involved and support them in their protection against the various types of cyber-attack?

At MindForest we believe that the only way to achieve success is by always putting the human being at the centre of projects and solutions. This also applies to changing a culture (behaviour and understanding) and processes towards a safer and more protected environment.

Creating awareness of all IT security issues should be an ongoing process with attributed ownership. This is why every MindForest project to develop a cybersecurity culture for a client is analysed and tailored to meet the exact requirements of the client.As a basic rule, it is important to have a healthy mix of unique, periodic and on-going actions to anchor and incorporate a sense of cyber-security and create winning habits within the organisational culture. The periodic actions should aim to raise awareness of the issues of computer security, while the carefully engineered cyber-safety community puts emphasis on developing ongoing actions and developments resulting in long-term education, understanding and prevention within the organisation.

6 https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-awareness/5-social-engineering-attacks-to-watch-out-for/ [08.09.2019]7 Kissel, Richard : https://books.google.lu/books?id=raLtcBTjYuwC&printsec=frontcover&hl=de&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false 7 [15.09.2019]

18 EXPERTISE / Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST

8 https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/forensics/global-economic-crime-and-fraud-survey-2018-summary-infographic.pdf [18.09.2018]

In general, one can describe the MindForest approach as follows:1. Gamification workshop to understand the current

situation2. An in-depth analysis of the findings3. Creation of an action plan and support material 4. Implementation of a cyber-safety community at the

client5. Definition a “contingency and disaster recovery plan”6. Roll out of an action plan with the support of the cyber-

safety group7. Continued iteration and development of a cyber-safe

culture

Each step involves real time examples as well as commitment and attributed ownership to ensure that all parties understand and support the company’s Information Security strategy to fight against both cybercrime and physical information piracy.

Education and awareness remain a top priorityDespite studies showing that cybercrime is the 2nd most reported economic crime and awareness of the severe economic and reputational risks an attack can have, many companies concentrate on setting up technical measures, which are primarily formal procedures and technological systems (walls).

Even so, depending on the sector and size of the entity, all too many companies still do not perform any cyber-security due diligence nor have formulated proper measures and plans against information- and cybercrime. However, with technological progress and as hackers become more sophisticated in their methods (phishing, malware, etc), everyone – both small and large companies - is at risk from cybercrime and social engineering attacks. This is why it is crucial to adapt and include both technical and human measures when evolving a preventive and post attack plan.

Further, as already discussed “humans are the first vector of cyber-attack and ideal prey for malicious individuals who want to compromise an organisation”8, most crimes can be traced back to a human error allowing this malicious individual to enter either digitally or physically. As this factor is difficult to assess and in order to be truly ready for any future cyber-attacks, the company culture and strategy needs to support a “cyber-safe” mentality and embed the sensitisation of individuals (employees as well as externals working for the organisation), as only through preparation, education and increased awareness can habits be changed towards a culture of caution and alertness to identify and/or prevent misconduct by malicious individuals and hackers.

MindForest has created a communication package to support an organisation’s approach to cybersecurity training and to raise awareness of this issue. The package consists of a brochure highlighting potential threats, a range of topical stickers, posters and a magnet; the aim of this visual support is to highlight best practices and describe appropriate behaviour for employees to adopt in order to become more vigilant and cyber safe.

HEALTHY HACKS AGAINST INFORMATION ATTACKS

Text by Lene Pedersen | Consultant at MINDFOREST / EXPERTISE 19

Read the company’s privacy policy

Lock your laptop

Back up filesregularly

Only trust https:// URLs

Question any “fantastic” offers both physically and/or digitally. If the offer is

too good to be true, it probably is

Question any suspicious looking information, even if the sender is

allegedly known

Keep devices updated with the newest software and anti-virus software

Don’t open emails, attachments or links from unknown senders

Call MindForest for a human-centric action plan

Restrict your information flow when speaking on the phone and discussing

professional matters in public

Ensure the identity of the sender/caller/person in front of you before

disclosing any sensitive information

Ensure privacy through screen protectors when working in public

spaces, e.g. public transport

Never let external people wander around the building without

surveillance

MindForest S.A.34, rue Michel RodangeL-2430 LUXEMBOURG

MindForest Lounge11, rue Ste-Zithe

L-2763 LUXEMBOURG

Telephone +352 43 93 666 770Fax +352 43 93 666 777

E-mail info@mindforest.com

www.mindforest.com