Issue 2 | Article 16

 

Abstract
The digital workplace is the main driver of the recent changes in business communication. It has also significantly altered the content and delivery methods of teaching and learning. Interactions with students now require a new set of cognitive and physical skills. This article analyses the types of technical tools, applications, and elements of business communication within the digital workplace and their effects on the scholarship of students, lecturers, and educational institutions.

 

Introduction
The 21st Century and in particular the last decade has experienced significant changes in business communications mainly due to developments in information technology (infotech) and biological technology (biotech). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the rate of change of these technologies to the extent that business communication is now almost totally digital.

The digital workplace has not only changed the way we work, but also the speed at what we are expected to work. This article discusses the impact on the workplace generally and business communications specifically of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Deep Learning, 3D printers, and other contemporary and prospective platforms. It also addresses the current job market and makes some cautious predictions on how the market will change over the coming decades.

The influence of the digital workplace on both students and teachers has also been huge. A whole set of new skills, attitudes, and knowledge are now required for success. With technologies continuing to change rapidly, lifelong learning has become essential for everyone.

 

The digital workplace impact on business communication
Information technology is now the most important communication tool for organisations, with the Internet making business literally a virtual reality experience. Each advancement in technology – from the Farming revolution and the Industrial revolution to today’s Digital revolution – seems to eclipse its predecessor in sophistication, complexity, and speed.

So, what is the digital workplace? Based on current research there appears to be several definitions ranging from just the introduction of technology to an integrated technology framework on a cloud-based platform that allows business to work in a virtual environment. The latter definition includes platforms that contain “all the applications, data, tools and collaboration features employees need to perform work within a secure online interface that they can access from anywhere, anytime and on any device”. It streamlines/simplifies a complex range of technology tools.

Business communication has changed significantly over the past decade in three main ways:

  • Social Media has forced people to develop a wider range of communication skills.
  • Virtual Offices and the Internet have enabled people to work anywhere at any time and to communicate with their teams using platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, MS teams, and Blackboard Collaborate.
  • The Labour Force has become more flexible, in line with the rapidly changing nature of work, which now comes in many forms - i.e., type, time, place, and pace. There is much more part-time and casual employment (the Gig economy) than in the past - e.g., ‘Today around one in three employed people work part time, compared with one in ten 50 years ago’ (RBA 2017).

 

New and/or evolving technologies that impact on business communication
Artificial intelligence (AI). AI-based software is becoming more efficient and effective and is taking on more and more complex business communication tasks. Business communication must keep abreast of the changes and capabilities of this technology.

Cloud technology. This technology allows users to store and access data via the Internet rather than on a personal hard drive. The cloud offers huge benefits such as scalability, continuity, and security, The huge increase in storage capacity allows much greater provision of Internet-based data and improved voice communication. It permits organisations to serve multiple and fluctuating communication needs.

Fifth generation mobile network technology (5G). This is the next leap forward in mobile network technology. The main benefit is speed; downloads that used to take several minutes now require only a few seconds. Soon, mobile devices will be interconnected, and immersive experiences will be the norm. This means faster, more reliable, and more interesting business communication. 

Deep learning. This is a subset of machine learning, where artificial neural networks and algorithms inspired by the human brain learn from large amounts of data. It mimics how humans learn - from experience, processed by neural networks. The algorithms require a task to be performed repeatedly, each time tweaking it a little to improve the outcome. It is referred to it as ‘deep learning’ because the neural networks have various (deep) layers. Just about any problem that requires “thought” can be addressed by deep learning.

3D Printing (3D). This is an additive manufacturing process that allows a physical object to be created from a digital design and raw materials such as powders, carbon fibres, and graphene. For students planning to enter the manufacturing sector a knowledge of 3D printing will be essential when, as is expected, future 3D printers will handle mass production as quickly as and at lower cost than current mass-production methods. Although not currently relevant to business communication, who knows what the future use of this technology could be?

 

Impact on students and teachers
Teachers must be aware of the continuing trend toward a predominantly digital workplace when planning and delivering learnings to students. Structural changes in the labour force will affect the future of the students as there will be many more service jobs and fewer product jobs. For example, in manufacturing, 3D printers and robots are taking over ever more of the tasks that traditionally have been the preserve of manual workers.

However, these technical tools still need to be supervised and managed. Generally, students want and need management and leadership skills and more managers and leaders will be required in the future. An example of poor management is the Robodebt fiasco in Australia. (Robodebt was a method of automated debt assessment and recovery that was introduced in 2016 by Services Australia as part of its Centrelink payment compliance program. It replaced a slow but reliable manual system of calculating overpayments and issuing debt notices to welfare recipients.) A knowledge of these workplace changes will impact on the students’ futures and therefore reshape the teaching of business communication.

The actual tasks involved in the digital workplace are less routine, due to the technological changes that have led to the more repetitive tasks being automated. Skills gaps continue to be high as the demand for skills across jobs changes. Employers are most concerned at the lack of professional business communication skills, especially the rising use of technical slang and abbreviations in text messages.

The interaction with students now requires a new set of cognitive and physical skills such as critical thinking, analytical thinking, problem solving, and skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility. These skills may need to be taught as specific subjects due to their importance especially if cohorts are heavily weighted toward international students.

5G offers bandwidth to support ultra-high-definition video, allowing video conferencing to be more appealing and effective for remote work and study. According to several pieces of research employees/students are 75% more likely to watch a video than read text.

Information workers, employees, and students prefer newer communication tools, particularly instant messaging, over more traditional ones like e-mail or team workspaces (Deloitte 2021).

According to Accenture’s latest Technology Vision research, 70% of global consumers expect their relationship with technology to be more prominent in their lives over the next three years. Visual communications will increase. As one of the three media forms of communication visual is now more important than ever. Why?  Because students/people comprehend and retain visuals better than they do text.

 

The teaching and delivery of business communication
Learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. Rather, it is a collaborative and social experience. It now links the formal learning agenda of educational institutions with the personal learning goals of students and with learning communities beyond the classroom. For example, Wikis, blogs, and podcasts are being used as a collective intelligence knowledge base for communication.

Online teaching requires more than just replicating the content, format, and delivery method of face-to-face teaching. Standing in front of a camera and broadcasting the same material in the same way as in a face-to-face class is not effective when teaching online, particularly when student engagement is important.

As discussed by Ashok Chanda (2021) in his interesting article, The Art of Digitalising Online Content, digital content must create a dynamic learning platform with material that engages students. Chanda believes that online learning is here to stay. Greg Whateley (2021), in his comprehensive paper, Alternative Delivery Options, states that the future lies in hybrid learning, which offers students the choice of face-to-face or online learning. The latter is of particular benefit for international students studying offshore, especially during unexpected crises like pandemics.

Research was conducted by UBSS to ascertain if its students prefer being online or on campus with face-to-face learning. The following graph indicates that during the last trimester of 2020 and Trimesters 1 & 2 of 2021 the majority preferred online learning.  The main benefits cited by students were lower cost of travel and saving of time.


Preferred Study for UBSS Postgraduate (PG) and Undergraduate (UG) students


Source:  UBSS Research

The graph above shows a steady increase in undergraduate preference to study online, while postgraduate dipped in T1, but is back at 92% in T2. It will be interesting to study these trends in 2022 and 2023 or whenever the COVID 19 pandemic subsides or is controlled more effectively.  At that stage students may then miss the face-to-face interaction with their peers and lecturers and decide to return to campus?

In the Trimester 2 survey, students were asked to provide reasons for their expressed preference. As can be seen from the Word Cloud, the COVID virus is on the students’ minds, with home and safety paramount. Another factor in their decision is the time saving.

Teaching methods that have proven successful in the new digital environment include:

  • Dividing the verbal lecture content into smaller chunks of information. As in TED talks, there should be no more than 20 minutes per chunk (verbal in this context means the use of words both written and oral).
  • Including activities such as case studies, quizzes, fun competitions, leader boards, and gamification to assist with knowledge retention and problem-solving.
  • When students are showing a willingness to participate, actively engaging them in the conversation—posing questions, inviting them to elaborate, and taking notes;
  • Having short, interactive assessments to hold students’ attention.
  • Using visuals such as diagrams, pictures, and photos, as people are approximately 30% more likely to retain visuals than text; and
  • Using videos. The widening coverage of 5G is increasing bandwidth availability and thus supporting ultra-high-definition video. It is making videos more appealing and effective for remote study.
  • Students to use their webcams during class and assessments not only to comply with CPA’s requirements of identification and observation, but so that the lecturer is cognizant that they are in attendance and can participate, thereby increasing engagement.


New and emerging pedagogical trends include:

  • The move to opening-up learning and making it more accessible and flexible.
  • The rise in sharing of power between lecturers and students.
  • The increasing use of technology, not just in teaching but also in assisting and supporting students and providing new forms of assessment.

 

Conclusions
Our love of technology has allowed businesses to weave technology (and the businesses themselves) into the fabric of our lives. While this has transformed how we work, live, and interact with the world, it is important to recognise that this love for technology is not unconditional. It is becoming increasingly clear that communications and media businesses cannot assume that the customer is always looking for the latest tech or the best-of-the-best upgrade. They also want a sense of comfort and confidence that everything will just work as expected. (Accenture 2021)

Finally, in education today change is the only constant.

 

References 

Accenture (2021) Communications and media technology Vision 2020 Retrieved from

https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/communications-media/technology-vision

Chanda, A. (2021) The efficacy of online studies. Retrieved from

https://www.ubss.edu.au/media/2695/the-efficacy-of-online-studies.pdf.

Marshall, S. (2020) The digital workplace defined CMS WiRE, Retrieved from

https://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/what-a-digital-workplace-is-and-what-it-isnt-027421.php

Reserve Bank of Australia (2017) The rising share of part-time employment. Retrieved from

https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2017/sep/3.html

Whateley G.  (2021) Alternative Delivery Options. Retrieved from

https://www.ubss.edu.au/articles/2021/september/alternative-delivery-options/


Biography

Assistant Professor Sue Cameron MBA teaches Advanced Business Communication and Stakeholder Value and Ethics at UBSS.  Sue has won the UBSS Executive Dean's award for 'Outstanding Commitment to Teaching and Learning' twice. Prior to embarking on her academic career, Sue was a Senior Tour Guide at Sydney Opera House and had a 20-year career at P&O Cruises, Australian Heritage Fleet, Australian Business Ltd and Outsource Australia in senior management positions covering HR, Marketing, and Operations. She has also established and managed 4 businesses, ranging from boat charters to property development.