HomeAutomation and Robotics

Aligned to thrive with Enterprise Work Management

Winning with cross-enterprise collaboration and muscular workflows

With new expectations by workforce talent, and new demands posed by a shifting marketplace, deep-rooted changes in how we do work—and manage workflows—have proliferated across the economy. Managing ways of working within a team or a function is one standalone scenario. For organizations to truly grow and thrive, that collaboration must be enabled seamlessly across the enterprise. Work management must evolve and mature into Enterprise Work Management (EWM) to build an effective muscle of change.

In a recent study of business leaders conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value, we surveyed more than 1,500 executives from nine countries across 10 industries to understand how organizations are approaching their work management transformations, how effective they are at doing so, and what challenges might be getting in the way.

Enterprise work management: From nice-to-have to critical.

Nearly six in ten respondents agree: the need for effective EWM has escalated, moving it from a “nice-to-have” to a mission-critical priority. And the benefits of integrated work management strategies align accordingly, with respondents saying that integrated work management has resulted in improved productivity, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction for their organizations.

Integrated work management has resulted in improved productivity, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction for their organizations.With organizations understanding the urgency of EWM, it’s no surprise that spending on work management solutions is expected to increase significantly. New adopters of these solutions expect to spend 33% more in 2023 than in 2021, in-process organizations anticipate spending 24% more, and seasoned veterans expect to spend 29% more.

Work management spending has momentum, but companies still need to be thoughtful. High levels of economic uncertainty call for organizations to make smart, targeted, strategic investments that position them for long-term growth and resiliency. Work management can help by integrating automation into workflows, fostering collaboration within and across teams, and bringing greater visibility into resource allocations and availability.

What’s required is not only a set of systems and digital tools, but a strategic, integrated approach to transforming how people accomplish their work—and how organizations tackle that challenge. It’s about aligning strategy, people, culture, and technology—including automation— with personalized processes and simplified collaboration to create faster time to value.

A holistic approach that includes strategy, people, and work management processes

This report explores the accelerated need for EWM and why organizations invest in work management transformations today. We highlight the importance of orchestrating across various work management platforms. We explain how the EWM approach transcends technology to include strategy, people, and process. We also outline three areas of focus to consider when developing an EWM roadmap.

By aggregating multiple work-management processes into one enterprise-wide system of record, EWM can free employees to focus on higher-value work, provide clarity on how employee contributions impact overall business results, streamline work across ecosystems, and enhance an organization’s ability to manage compliance requirements.

EWM’s holistic approach addresses all the components of today’s complex work systems in a way that systematically eliminates functional silos across the organization (see figure). Think of EWM as a corporate chiropractor: a way to keep your organization in alignment, healthy, and thriving through more effective people and project management.

Enterprise Work Management: A holistic approach

Enterprise Work Management: A holistic approachLearn from Agility Outperformers

This report also explores a subgroup called Agility Outperformers. Comprising 11% of respondents, they’re distinguished by an EWM approach to work management transformations. Significantly, they report greater business results across multiple dimensions, including agility.

Read the report to learn more about a holistic approach to EWM that encompasses people, culture, strategy, structure, data and processes, and platforms. And see what lessons you can learn from Agility Outperformers.


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Meet the authors

David Romney

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, Associate Partner, Strategic Solutions Lead, IBM iX


Steve Winchester

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, Associate Partner, iX Consulting / Adobe, IBM iX


Jay Trestain

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, Global Adobe Workfront Lead, IBM iX


Richard Whitehead

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, Director, Product Marketing Leader, Adobe Workfront

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    Originally published 17 March 2023