MS "Hybrid Work Era... Digital Competency Is Essential"

Lee Ji-eun, CEO of Microsoft Korea
MS Announces Business Innovation Strategy Conference

Lee Ji-eun, CEO of Microsoft Korea

Lee Ji-eun, CEO of Microsoft Korea (MS), emphasized that "to accelerate digital transformation, organizations must resolve the complexities of hybrid work and fundamentally adapt to the changing labor market."

On the morning of the 28th, at the ‘Next Normal, Hybrid Work Innovation Press Briefing,’ CEO Lee stated, "The traditional concepts of working hours and physical workspace are no longer valid in this new era." Hybrid work refers to a flexible working style that is free from physical constraints such as location. It is an environment that guarantees security and work productivity based on digital technology.

Currently, due to the impact of COVID-19, the global labor market is shifting towards hybrid work. MS identified digital culture and digital capabilities as essential elements for organizations to quickly adapt to changes in the work environment. Digital culture can be fostered through acquiring technological skills, internalizing technology, encouraging technology-based innovation, and promoting flexible work methods. In particular, flexible work requires not only spatial but also temporal distribution of work hours. Accordingly, performance evaluation methods must be redefined.

To strengthen an organization’s digital capabilities, the company explained that innovation in operational models such as people, space, and processes is necessary. Organizational culture should be restructured to help members adapt to flexible work, and the authority of managerial staff should be enhanced. Conditions must also be established to provide equal work experiences regardless of work location. By redesigning tasks such as HR, operations, marketing, and manufacturing into cloud-based work environments, organizations can maximize flexibility.

On this day, MS also introduced solutions supporting hybrid work. ‘Teams’ is a collaboration platform that supports all areas of work, including video conferencing and document co-authoring. MS continuously updates Teams to suit hybrid work. ‘Teams Rooms’ supports a physical presence feel by moving cameras according to the speaker. ‘Viva’ provides an integrated solution necessary for managing organizational members.