Inkjet & Digital Printing
Konica Minolta at London Tech Week: Towards an emerging science of the workplace
Tuesday 14. May 2019 - As Lead Stream Sponsor for Innovation and Platinum Sponsor of the Future of Work Summit at London Tech Week 2019, taking place from 10 - 14 June, Konica Minolta will be presenting its view on improving the workplace experience through a new science made possible by measurement.
It is easy to talk about how technology is changing the way people work – so long as the story revolves around particular tools and devices such as laptops and mobiles. Yet there is a whole world of technology surrounding the workforce today that rarely gets a mention: the physical environment in which people work. Increasingly equipped with sensors and empowered by intelligent devices, this environment is able to take measurements and make adjustments autonomously. With these capabilities, workplaces constantly optimise themselves to best suit the needs of employees, measuring without intrusion and adapting without imposition.
Paul Chaplin leads new ideas development for Konica Minoltas Business Innovation Centre in Europe. At London Tech Weeks event, the Future of Work Summit, he will present a story titled Towards a Science of the Workplace in a keynote on 13 June, beginning at 9.40 AM at WeWork, 9 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YF. “My primary interest is how a physical working environment shapes experience, not only in terms of design but how much control over the environment can be offered to individuals and teams. Measuring how this works today, even with the most basic measures, may help organisations understand how to invest for their next-generation workplaces,” Chaplin explains.
If more measurements are made possible at lower cost, then, consequently, an ever-wider range of measurements can be anticipated. “However, simply because something is possible does not make it useful or even ethically responsible,” Chaplin says, adding: “What is needed is a more open discussion between different stakeholders on both the value and risks of this new science, which should, first and foremost, serve the benefit of society whilst demonstrating value to business investors.”
Beyond the Future of Work Summit, Konica Minolta will be part of the five-day Innovation Mini MBA at Academy London. This academy is a Google Space that provides a platform for innovators, disruptors and challengers to ideate, test, prototype and pitch. As a guest speaker, Milan Lakhani, Head of Strategy & Business Development at Konica Minoltas Business Innovation Centre, will hold a keynote about Embedding corporate innovation. This presentation is set for 9.00 AM on 12 June. Lakhani will also be a part of the jury session, where participants of the Mini MBA will present their results to a panel selecting the winning idea.
The workplace of the future is a major investment area for Konica Minolta, which is developing and offering a variety of client-centric solutions to help organisations build their future-ready workplace ranging from Managed IT Services to the management of print infrastructure and IoT edge computing devices like the Konica Minolta Workplace Hub.