Cisco-Commissioned Survey Shows How Young Execs Feel about Video in the Workplace
Cisco-Commissioned Survey Shows How Young Execs Feel about Video in the Workplace by UCStrategies Staff
A global study conducted by Redshift Research and sponsored by Cisco revealed how management-track leaders aged 34 years and under view the impact of business-class video in the workplace. The survey of over 1,300 respondents showed that 61 percent of young executives see an increased dependency on video in the next five to 10 years. In addition, 70 percent of those who aim to manage teams with 51 or more members claimed that they would depend more heavily on video as their careers progress.
Eighty-seven percent of the polled young executives said that they would choose a video-enabled employer over an organization that has not invested in video communications, because a video-enabled company “cares about using technology to fuel business growth,” according to the results of the survey.
“It seems like Gen Y leaders are on the right track,” wrote Angie Mistretta, director of TelePresence Solutions Marketing at Cisco, in a corporate blog post discussing the findings of the study. “The workplace is dynamic. In order to keep up with its constant evolution, we have to implement technologies that improve our business processes and empower employees with tools that help them advance their own careers.”
The 2013 Cisco Global Young Executives' Video Attitudes Survey also found out that 94 percent of those organizations with less than 400 employees see video as a way to overcome language barriers in a marketplace that is becoming increasingly global.
The young executives said that being able to read visual cues, to “be there” without the need to travel, and to share content in real time are the top three benefits derived from video. As for video’s top three benefits to an organization, the respondents indicated the following: reduced travel costs, ability to build rapport, and improvement on the telecommuting experience.
Fifty-four percent of the polled young executives expressed interest in customizing their video experience, including quickly editing a video from a meeting then sharing it through social media tools and allowing late-comers to privately watch or scan the earlier content of an ongoing meeting.
Fifty-three percent of respondents also considered themselves as future “power users” who would use video for 50 to 100 percent of their non-face-to-face communications.
The quality of the video in a business conversation is also underscored in the study. Low-quality video would be acceptable in internal meetings for 25 percent of respondents, in a meeting with a customer for 12 percent of the respondents, and in critical communications, such as CEO and board discussions, for 10 percent of the respondents.
“Today's leaders are often tech enthusiasts,” said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president and general manager of the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco. “Tomorrow's leaders are increasingly tech dependent and video is no exception to the rule. The next generation of leaders is realizing that using video makes them more productive, helps companies reduce costs, and even plays a role in attracting the best talent available. They understand why video can be better than being there.”
The countries involved in the survey include Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In the first quarter of 2013, worldwide enterprise videoconferencing and telepresence equipment revenue reached $563.4 million, a drop of 13.2 percent year over year and 21.9 percent quarter over quarter – the worst result for the segment since the second quarter of 2010, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). The findings of the new Cisco-commissioned study should come as good news for partners in the video conferencing and telepresence space. (KOM) Link. Link.