Business leaders understand that the workplace is never going to return to the way it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote and hybrid schedules are here to stay for a large portion of the workforce, and teams are widely distributed throughout the globe, leveraging talent wherever it might be. The same is true for clients and business partners.
According to Jamie McMahon, Chief Digital Officer of LineZero, these developments constitute opportunities rather than problems. “We are at a crossroads,” he says. “Companies that leverage corporate Metaverse ecosystems will surge to the fore, while those that fail to do so will fall by the wayside.”
What are corporate Metaverse ecosystems?
The conventional workplace revolves around the Internet, with employees connecting via video conferencing applications and cloud-based software like Google Docs. Corporate Metaverse ecosystems take these developments a step further.
“While I say ‘Metaverse,’ I really mean a whole host of virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed-reality solutions,” McMahon says. “I’m using the term as a convenient catchall. What’s important is to envision ways of gathering people in next-generation digital environments regardless of where they might be on the physical plane.”
Virtual Reality (VR) can involve headsets that provide users with compelling visual stimulation, allowing them to feel like they’ve stepped through the computer screen into a whole new world. In this way, they concentrate their attention on the immersive environment of digital reality rather than on their actual surroundings. While this premise long belonged to the province of science fiction novels, VR technology now actually exists and is commercially available.
In Mixed Reality (MR), which is less immersive than virtual reality, electronic features are layered on top of the physical world, thereby expanding users’ experience. For instance, some historic sights, such as the Conciergerie and World War II bunker in Paris, give electronic tablets to visitors that enable them to relive the past while exploring the space. These approaches can be interactive or include game-like activities, encouraging people to engage with and understand their physical reality in previously inaccessible ways.
Augmented Reality (AR), which is even less immersive and interactive than MR, simply adds electronic stimulation to physical reality. For example, think of those funny filters that Snapchat and other social media platforms allow you to put on your selfies.
“A corporate Metaverse ecosystem would use these technologies to create highly engaging virtual or partially virtual gathering places,” McMahon explains. “This technology has the power to sweep people away, which gives it the ability to help people communicate and work together better than ever before.”
The advantages of corporate Metaverse ecosystems
Companies that fail to innovate risk becoming obsolete. For this reason alone, McMahon believes business leaders should educate themselves about the advantages of incorporating virtual, mixed, and augmented reality technology.
“First and foremost, these technologies make the customer experience more meaningful and fun,” he points out. “For instance, Ikea has created an app that lets customers upload 3D images of their rooms and populate them with merchandise, from sofas and chairs to lamps and accessories. This allows people to visualize the difference their purchases would make much more accurately and effectively.”
According to McMahon, another benefit of corporate Metaverse ecosystems is that it promotes collaboration among team members and business partners. “Everyone knows a lot of people multitask during meetings held over video conferencing platforms,” he says, “but due to the immersive nature of virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, people tend to be more present and engaged.”
Indeed, a University of Kansas study shows that students experience lessons in AR as more engaging than traditional educational videos. In another, students’ motivation increases as well. These findings bode well for the performance of team members in business or other professional organizational contexts. Notably, Microsoft’s research associated MR with a 22 percent boost in test scores.
For McMahon, employees’ ability to collaborate promises to drive innovation. “These new digital environments are exciting places to be,” he notes, “because they can unleash people’s creativity in ways that more traditional forms of technology can’t.”
The results of a recent study published in the academic journal Computers & Industrial Engineering agree with McMahon’s sentiment. When researchers incorporated MR solutions into mining businesses, they found that it provides a “human-centered collaboration experience” that “improve[s] the quality, increase[s] the efficiency, and reduce[s] the costs” of these companies.
The future of work is going to be fun
“When it comes to establishing your own corporate Metaverse ecosystem, don’t try to do it all at once,” McMahon advises. “Just start somewhere and pick one thing. For most businesses, the easiest way to start is with new employee onboarding and training, and you don’t need to do it alone. Experts in this technology can help.”
VR, AR, and MR promise to encourage collaboration, creativity, and innovation on a whole new level. Paradoxically enough, these technologies bring out the best in being human, enabling people to connect and bond across large distances.
“Don’t get left behind,” McMahon says. “This is the future of work, and it’s going to be a ton of fun!”
Published by: Aly Cinco
