Commercial Integrator June 2022 - 46

The Last Word
What Does Collaboration in
Our Industry Mean to You?
Gathering thoughts from around the industry on this issue's topic.
Compiled and framed by Michael Duda
THE ETYMOLOGY OF
" collaboration " traces back
to the Italian " collabōrō, "
which, in turn, goes back
to the Latin " conlabōrō, "
which directly translates to
" doing work together. " This
definition hasn't changed
all that much over time, but
the use of the term spiked in
1900, and it's continuing its
dramatic usage spike today.
Meantime, we've seen radical
paradigm shifts over the past
few decades, with collaboration
methods and guidelines
continuing to evolve.
It's an exciting time to
continue the development
of the collaboration world, as
we adopt a hybrid-working
model. This impacts how
humans work together. It
encompasses the use of
technology when we cannot
be physically together, and
it entails ensuring that all
collaboration is inclusive and
equitable for both remote
and in-person participants.
The effectiveness of collaboration
workflows can today
be measured by UX research
and governed by the equitability
of those workflows and
the technology that enables
them. Collaborative work is
no longer driven by " where
you are, " but, rather, by " what
you do, " " how you do it " and
" what tools you have to
achieve that goal. "
Collaboration culture is
directly defined by workplace
culture. If your workplace values
collaboration, your work together
with others will improve over
time. It really is as simple as
that. (I should also mention that
non-profit organizations like the
IMCCA can help your business
learn to drive collaboration
culture strategies.)
We asked several veteran
subject-matter experts
from many varying parts of
our industry a very simple
question: What does " collaboration "
mean today? What
follows are their responses.
Esther Loor
public education administrator,
New Jersey
Philip Langley
senior vice president, global
enterprise AV, Wesco | Anixter
Collaboration means to co-labor along with
someone to create a shared product or
achieve a common goal. I think about the
intense collaboration that was needed between education and
technology industries over the past two years and how much
was achieved in the edtech field. There was exponential growth
in subscriptions to instructional technology websites. Teachers
found a partner in these companies to support their learning
goals. Hardware companies also worked with school districts to
fulfill the physical needs of the classroom.
As we continue to discover our new normal, my sincere
hope is that we keep up with the collaboration. Let's continue
to be innovative and creative with the ways that our students
access the curriculum. We have learned some hard-earned
lessons on how to motivate students through technology. Let
us not let those lessons go quietly into the night.
Market dynamics don't halt change - in fact,
they often accelerate it. And the world of
professional AV and UC&C is no exception.
Commercial AV and UC&C are changing at hyper speeds.
What does collaboration mean today? Solutions must be everywhere,
simple to understand and easy to deploy. End users coming
back to the office or working in hybrid environments have
zero tolerance for less than 99.99% uptime for their commercial
AV and UC&C solutions.
That's why the need for AV-as-a-Service (AVaaS) has never
been greater across the globe. One monthly fee gets you
started and keeps systems running efficiently year after year,
delivering a consistent experience. When technology changes,
so does your AVaaS deployment. When capital expenses become
operating expenses, complexity can become simplicity.
AVaaS means you are always ready to collaborate and achieve
the best outcomes.
46
Commercial Integrator JUNE 2022
commercialintegrator.com
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator June 2022
