Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 35

Editorial
C llab rati n
TODAY and TOMORROW
The Only Constant is Change
AT THE END of the penultimate episode of
" The Big Bang Theory, " Sheldon, sitting with
This edition of
Collaboration
Today and
Tomorrow is
chock full of
action items
to help your
organization
break inertia
and lean
into industry
evolution.
By David
Danto
Penny at a bar, comes to a conclusion more
profound than any that he has espoused
anytime during the series. He finally understands
and explains, " The only constant is
change. " Ultimately, that is a tremendously
important truth. It should be getting clearer
- even to the stodgiest among us - that
we are never going back to the world that
existed three years ago. Those few CEOs
clamoring for a return to the office simply
have not yet realized that we are never
returning to things exactly as they were
before. The only constant is change.
I can no longer count how many blogs
and articles I've written and/or edited that
started with some version of this: " After
years of a global pandemic.... " (I have no
doubt there are at least a couple in this
issue, as well). While absolutely not minimizing
the devastation and impact that
the last few years have had, people and
organizations seem to be universally asking
a pressing question: Now what? Now that
we're hopefully out of the worst of it, what,
exactly, should we be doing?
This edition of Collaboration Today
and Tomorrow is intended to answer that
question with specific action items for the
commercial integrator and the collaboration
professional.
We're honored to have Dr. Tracy Brower
open this edition with a high-level overview
of this changed future we're now looking at.
She makes the point that our future is really
now, and we're in control of where we want
it to go. The rest of the articles comprising
this edition get very prescriptive; they're
chock full of action items that should serve
as guidelines for how you can become
future-ready.
For example, David Smith explains that
hybrid working isn't just about throwing
webcams and in-office/out-of-office
formulas at employees. Rather, it's a highly
synchronized dance of people, processes
and technology. Michael Goldman covers
how to approach designing offices going
forward. Amelia Vrabel explains why hybrid
success is not so much about technology
as it is about having well-trained leaders.
Then, James King covers education and the
emergence of AI within that category. Next
up, Carol Zelkin explores telehealth and the
explosion of new services within it.
We close with the latest deserving
additions to " The Honor Roll, " as well as
with comments from the greater industry
community in " The Last Word. "
" Now that I know that, what do I do? "
That's a phrase I grew up with. Now that we
know the future (and the present) will never
again be like the past, what should we be
doing? The answers are adapt, evolve, grow,
change or die. Pick whichever version of the
catchphrase will get you off of your proverbial
sofa, where you're sitting and waiting
for things to go back to the way they were.
We're not returning to the office anytime
soon. We're not returning to anything at all
the way it was before. The only constant is
change.
David Danto is director of emerging technology
at IMCCA. Danto is also the director of
UC strategy and research at HP Poly.
commercialintegrator.com
MARCH 2023 Commercial Integrator 35
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

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