CivTech 5 — Challenge 10 — Empowering/Fostering Networks and New Connections for Work Local

Description

How we go about work and business is being redefined by the need to respond to and live in a post-Covid world. It is very likely that at-home and near-home working will be important, with organisations both large and small adopting distributed workforce models. How can tech drive the vital development of informal networks and break down the barriers to connectedness within the distributed workplace? Networks play a vital role in all aspects of the economy. They drive the sharing of knowledge, skills, experience, expertise, and ideas. These ‘increments of chit-chat’ help build long lasting valuable relationships. Best practice in the design of our physical office spaces is often based on supporting exactly this type of informal social interaction and creating the right culture and atmosphere to foster this. But it is incredibly difficult to replicate this when working remotely. Formal interaction is well catered for in the digital realm through applications which support face to face online meetings; there are a plethora of messaging and community tools which also support less formal interaction based around ‘communities of interest’. However, the ‘coffee stop’ interaction, the ‘bump’ in the corridor with someone you maybe haven’t seen in a while, and the unexpected, serendipitous meeting with someone new are things that are not readily available online. Without such informal interaction there is a risk that people are left excluded; either from the career development opportunities which come from informal social interaction, or left out of opportunities to collaborate across a wider pool of teams, or excluded through feeling socially more isolated through the absence of the casual conversations in the canteen. Creating this in the context of a public sector organisation, empowering its people to interact with people both inside and outside their organisation has the potential to drive huge advantages - particularly if it also increases interaction between people working in different sectors, be that in the public, private, third or academic sectors. So how can tech help foster the development of informal networks when people are working at home or in Work Local hubs, in a way that is safe, secure and will drive the vital development of informal networks and the cross-pollination of ideas? Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved https://www.civtechalliance.org/civtech Lot 1: About CivTech CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, CivTech’s approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to smaller, innovative businesses. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create solutions to public sector problems as quickly and effectively as possible. For you – whether you’re an individual, team or company – it’s an opportunity to take a Challenge, solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You’ll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here’s the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren’t ‘single organisation’ problems – most exist worldwide. In short: open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond to them. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage where they’re developed further. The best go through to the Accelerator – a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech’s unique business workshop system, a business capable of taking the emerging product to the world. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved https://www.civtechalliance.org/civtech