Embedded Files
For some products, people like to root as if they were sports teams. Smart phones, operating systems - you better not discuss iOS vs. Android at the Christmas table.
By some magic, our brains transform some tools into extensions of ourselves. Google Docs is not something you take off the shelf and put it back when you're done, it is a tool in your Swiss army knife for creating meeting minutes and proposals. Your email system is more than a table of text notes - it is how you maintain (or lose) sanity, keep in touch, delegate, retrieve and organize.
This is why G Suite is different from other tools in use at PwC. Not because it is more complex (Workday or SAP are much more complex) - but because people adapt it as theirs. You need to tread carefully if you take something away or change components.
Let's have a look at how what it means for you and PwC - there are not only positive sides to it.
"My software"
"My software"
Software that helps you accomplish something you want becomes your tool. Even better if you like the design, if you can customize it and if it plays well with other products that you like.
You may also get very good at using it.
"Their software"
"Their software"
This is software that you better use, or else. You would perhaps not annotate what project you worked on this week, but HR needs that information. So you go to that system and log your hours. You may even like the tool, but you would not say it is yours. You don't use it to make a point, or to cleverly express yourself.
Some people feel this way towards Google Workspace. To me, moving from "their software" to "my software" by training, pointing out benefits and taking concerns seriously is the heart of change management.
"My Software" is what we strive for ...
"My Software" is what we strive for ...
Because G Suite is actually more - it is you. Compared to your HR system, G Suite is increasingly becoming the lens through which we see our working lives. Without seeing the lens. You communicate naturally using email, chat rooms, you check what is on your Calendar... Just as you forget (after a time) that you are wearing working gloves, you forget the tools that your are using. You do not get that from your HR system.
... with a twist: Collaboration and speed of change
... with a twist: Collaboration and speed of change
In the case of G Suite, there is more to the program than just changing email client and word processor for the fun of it. While you will still do your day-to-day job (managing projects, writing proposals, creating reports), you should now be able to do so more collaboratively. There are tangible benefits for teams to work this new way (it's also more fun).
A second reason behind the switch to G Suite: It puts the company on a faster track to change things. We are all told to adapt faster - you can see it happening in your G Suite tools. There are hundreds of changes every year, many of which are truly transparent (see what I did here?). Others are more radical: Your calendar doesn't look the way it used to do, and how long did you use that old calendar anyway? Your Chat is new, so is Gmail.
It requires a bit of work and curiosity to stay current. But hey, in all honesty, it's the best ride, isn't it?
Downsides
Downsides
People become overly attached to the tool and "their" configuration. Change causes anger - so software companies avoid offending users and try to please all. Systems swell over time and become even harder to change. You may not use Word Art, but someone does and will get very vocal if you dare touch it.
The system becomes infrastructure. Think of the Chrome browser - you could say it's a platform for running web based services and extensions. Becoming infrastructure is great for a tool in terms of acceptance (and funding), but every department that builds their tools on top makes the product harder to replace.
We could not have switched from Hangouts to Chat in a couple of weeks if Hangouts had been sustaining an ecosystem of bots.
The next time you get into heated arguments over conversation view, remember the extraordinary things you managed to get to that point. Thanks for reading!
Page updated
Report abuse