The development of ideas and sharing them among staff has been speeded up exponentially according to the vice president of Google Enterprise.
Sebastien Marotte told the BBC, as part of its Future of Work series, that social media, mobile working and the invention of cloud computing have accelerated the world of work.
He said that communicating online is becoming normal for many people and current issues which prevent it running as smoothly as it could do will be ironed out over time.
The breakdown of traditional work practices is just beginning and the future of how jobs are done is just starting to emerge.
In a study which the Future Foundation carried out for Google, it identified three key areas to watch for the future of business.
These were communication, 100 per cent mobile working via the web and social tools, which many businesses are only just beginning to understand the potential of.
Mr Marotte said: “Collaboration may seem like a buzzword, but many organisations are already developing cultures that encourage people to work together across locations and borders, using social, mobile and cloud technologies.”
The research confirmed that collaborative working leads to innovation and that in future there is more likely to be emphasis given to good ideas over performance targets.
Many staff currently feel that their employers do not make the best use of technology and that they prefer some of their own devices.
The development of devices mean staff can work from anywhere, any time, though the study found that some staff still enjoy the social interaction associated with an office atmosphere.
In the future companies need to see social media as an important business tool as opposed to a diversion which staff must be kept away from.
The potential for marketing, networking and increased productivity which social tools represents cannot be ignored.
This summer’s Olympic Games is expected to see the future of working practices brought into place as more people practice flexible and mobile working due to pressures put on public transport.
