ThoughtWorks principal consultant Zhamak Dehghani noted data-driven collaboration and decision-making requires shifting from standard models where data is the domain of siloed specialists, to a more versatile, democratic structure where it’s accessible to and informs all.
“No distributed system works without having interoperability and standardization,” she explained. “Standardization is key to getting this ecosystem of data products to play together and to being able to join customer information across different domains.”
Organizations can also connect more dots by reducing dependence on traditional, mono-dimensional means of communication like conference calls and e-mail. Newer, more comprehensive collaboration platforms that integrate multiple programs and accommodate various forms of real-time interaction are better suited for a reality in which “modern work is more complex than ever and requires the people, the data and the apps to get jobs done,” said James Sherrett, senior technology strategist at messaging platform Slack.
Companies at the event that have adopted collaboration infrastructure in some form testified to powerful results. More “elastic infrastructure” at leading Chilean airline LATAM has helped it accommodate up to 700 million visitors to its digital channels each year and paved the way for innovations such as an augmented reality tool that helps passengers measure the size of carry-on luggage, according to chief digital officer Dimitris Bountolos.
Indonesian ‘multi-service’ platform company Gojek, meanwhile, not long ago managed to launch 16 products in just nine months and now regularly uses data to form its business hypotheses, CTO Ajey Gore said.
Sanjay Cherian, VP of product strategy at Telus Health, explained how Canadian telecommunications provider Telus has used collaborative technology to create a virtual health ecosystem linking previously disconnected patients, pharmacists and providers to ultimately improve health outcomes at the national level.