How organisations can use automation to power high performance

High performance is defined as being effective, successful, confident and able to manage change, in your role and as a business. It’s about delivering consistently good results, but also creating a culture of collaboration, dedication and teamwork that allows teams to work together for the benefit of the business. Not only can high performance generate positive financial outcomes, but it can also lead to a more productive and collaborative team, job fulfilment, and gaining an edge over your competitors.

Although the majority (80%) of businesses say they believe the recent shift to hybrid working has led to performance improvements across their organisation, recent research conducted by Smartsheet found that less than a quarter of director-level employees consider themselves high-performers. Respondents also said that just half of their day-to-day business activity is aligned with high-performance outcomes.

While IT leaders share the belief that the shift to flexible working has edged organisations towards high-performance outcomes, several barriers remain. CIOs cite communication breakdowns as the biggest enemy of reaching these levels of efficiency, followed by a lack of clearly defined performance outcomes and an inflexible company structure.

Many business leaders also cited a lack of investment in technology as one of the biggest barriers. However, overcoming this particular obstacle could help organisations navigate other challenges.

These challenges were discussed at a recent event hosted by Smartsheet. During the event, titled “The Role of Technology in Driving High Performance,” CIOs and IT decision-makers shared the obstacles their organisations face in achieving high performance and discussed the importance of investing in tools to improve performance outcomes.

“Technology can help organisations gain visibility and control of their data, which can strengthen connections between C-level leaders and the rest of the business, breaking down siloes between teams,” said Sarfraz Ali, VP for EMEA at Smartsheet. He added that data visibility can also clarify key performance indicators and help connect employees to the company’s strategic vision.”

“Prioritising key initiatives in a portfolio is essential to delivering the right results that form the foundation of strong organisational performance,” said one CIO.

Another CIO said that achieving high-performance outcomes “requires enterprise teamwork and the ability for technology and operations to integrate conversations with the requirements of the rest of the organisation.”

By embracing technology to enable effective communication and collaboration across an organisation, CIOs ensure that they support a culture of trust. The Smartsheet research found trust is crucial to achieving a high-performance culture, with respondents citing the importance of being trusted to make the right decisions, clear and consistent leadership, and cross-functional working across the business.

“A culture of respect and mutual understanding is central to high-performance organisations and depends on the right leadership behaviours,” added a third CIO at the roundtable event.

Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), can also positively impact an organisation’s performance outcomes. For example, AI can be used to analyse performance data to help leaders identify and retain high-performing employees. It also allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks to increase efficiency across the organisation, leading to happier and more satisfied employees.

While technology comes with its own challenges, such as the need for it to be balanced with human instinct, attendees agreed it plays an essential role in helping organisations to achieve high-performance. Be it through data visibility, improving efficiency and productivity, or innovating to gain a competitive advantage.

“By embracing the right tools and resources, your organisation can overcome the barriers to high-performance outcomes,” Sarfraz added.

Smartsheet, for example, can help your business to manage projects efficiently, provide seamless communications for your employees and automate time-consuming processes, ensuring high-performance results can be easily attained.