Small meeting spaces are fast becoming smart workspaces

A new study released by Polycom shows that an overwhelming majority of workers in the region find collaboration technologies help them to be more productive and to work smarter.

The survey polled more than 2,000 workers across the region, and looked to understand how companies were using technology to experiment with workplace design, and improve productivity.

Additionally, Singapore workers are leading the region in using collaborative technologies to improve collaboration (77%), increase productivity (70%) and enhance innovation and new idea generation (56%).

It also shows Singapore leading in the use of collaboration technologies in small meeting rooms – or huddle rooms – among countries in Asia Pacific.

On the other hand, the nation’s adoption of video conferencing is still lagging: less than half (41%) of small meeting rooms or huddle spaces in Singapore are video-enabled, in stark contrast to 77% in India, and 74% in China.

The rising interest in huddle rooms in indicative of how there is an increased need to rethink workplace design, against a competitive landscape that demands constant creativity and innovation.

“Creating intelligent workspaces like the huddle room, is the future of work. Small meeting spaces are fast becoming smart workspaces where high performance collaboration like problem solving and idea generation are taking place,” Audrey William, Senior Fellow and Head of Research, Frost & Sullivan Australia and New Zealand said.

“Over time, expect that collaboration technologies like video will evolve even further with many already starting to include the integration of smart devices and voice activated speakers powered by Artificial Intelligence technologies,” William added.

“Today’s digital workers want to work smarter – connect and interact spontaneously, produce outcomes and drive results quicker. Technology-enabled huddle rooms satisfy this need for real-time, productive collaboration and are now, more than ever, an important component in an organisation’s digital transformation journey,” noted Mei Lin Low, Director of Solutions Marketing for Asia-Pacific at Polycom.