Digital Workplace Transformation and Organisational Performance during Covid-19: A Study on Retail Industry

This research investigates the role of digital workplace transformation in improving organisational performance during Covid-19 in the retail industry. It explores the challenges faced by retail organisations in the absence of digital workplace transformation and the conceptual framework of workplace transformation. The research methodology includes a survey and systematic literature review.

Research Project
Proposal
(Important role of digital workplace transformation in
improving the organisational performance
during the time of Covid 19)
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Overview of the topic..................................................................................................................3
Background of the chosen industry.............................................................................................3
Research rational with justification.............................................................................................3
Project aim and objective.............................................................................................................4
Research question........................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
What is the conceptual framework of work place transformation with the organisation?..........5
What are the challenges faced by retail organisation in absence of digital workplace
transformation during the time of Covid 19?..............................................................................5
What is the important role of digital workplace transformation in improving the organisational
performance during the time of Covid 19?..................................................................................6
INTENDED METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................7
RESOURCES REQUIRED AND ACTION PLAN........................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Overview of the topic
In the recent age where digitalisation is gaining more and more importance it is becoming
very important for the business to adopt this strategy in order to gain competitive edge.
Workplace transformation is the business strategy where a flexible working space is created by
the mangers in order to make smooth working. In the time of Covid 19 pandemic were various
work are done remotely is becoming very necessary for the company to adopt the strategy of
workplace transformation (Meske, 2019). With the help of this strategy company are
accumulating their work, worker and technology all together so that a new working place can be
created for their employee. Workplace transformation helps the business during the tine of
pandemic to run their business and work with more effective and efficient manner. one of the
vital advantage of workplace transformation is it improves business performance and
productivity.
Background of the chosen industry
To undergo the present investigation, the chosen industry is retail sector. A retail industry
is that sector which include all those company which sell goods and services directly to the
ultimate consumer. This industry contributes a lot in developing the economy of the nation.
There are various types of retailing firm such as grocery, convenience, departmental stores,
Supermarket store and many more (Aroles, J., and et. al, 2021). They sale all type of physical
good such as clothing, health care product, books, grocery item and many more. This sector is hit
by the pandemic a lot as they employee millions of people.
Research rational with justification
The main motive behind the present investigation is to carry out deeper information about
the topic workplace transformation. This research also highlight the role played by digital
workplace transformation during the time of Covid 19. The present investigation will also
highlight the challenges organisation will face in the absence of workplace transformation. The
research has great interest in me because it will assist me to gain dual objective which are
personal and professional (Guruprasad and Satyanarayana Murty, 2020). With the respect to the
personal objective I will learn more about workplace transformation and also about the tools
used in research to carry out investigation in systematic manner. on the other hand, with the help
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of professional objective the investigation will helps me to develop a sound professional career
in greater manner.
Project aim and objective
Research aim
To identify the important role of digital workplace transformation in improving the
organisational performance during the time of Covid 19: A study on retail industry
Research objective
• To understand the conceptual framework of work place transformation with the
organisation
• To discern the challenges faced by retail organisation in absence of digital workplace
transformation during the time of Covid 19
• To identify the important role of digital workplace transformation in improving the
organisational performance during the time of Covid 19
Research question
 What is the conceptual framework of work place transformation with the organisation?
 What are the challenges faced by retail organisation in absence of digital workplace
transformation during the time of Covid 19?
 What is the important role of digital workplace transformation in improving the
organisational performance during the time of Covid 19?
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LITERATURE REVIEW
What is the conceptual framework of work place transformation with the organisation?
According to Naim and Lenka (2018), Workplace transformation is defined as the
process of rethinking about the flexible workplace in order to accommodate different types of
work, technology and employees. Workplace transformation is regarded as an essential function
of management culture that helps in bringing changes for improving the performance and
productivity in the competitive environment. With the changing technology and marketing
trends, workplace transformation plays a very important role in the company for increasing the
working efficiency and effectiveness of the business. Bringing effective change in the business
environment helps in redesigning the working culture which results in improved employee
collaboration, improved employee productivity and innovation, increase well- being of
employees, attract talent and reduce operational costs. Transformation in the company helps in
brining new creativity and innovative ideas for designing attractive products in order to gain
more customer base and market share. For attaining high growth and success in the competitive
market it is necessary for the company to adopt to the changing technology in order to sustain in
the market for long period of time (Sousa and Rocha, 2019). It also helps in recognizing that
employees do not always need to work from office some times they want to do work from home
according to their comfortable level or in other remote location which is generally close to their
customers, partners or suppliers. With the use of right technology in the organization helps in
improving the working environment of the workplace so that the employees feel motivated and
inspired to work in achieving the goals and objectives of the business. When employees are
trained about how they need to work in the company helps in providing a high job satisfaction
among them which results in creating a better work life balance between their personal and
professional life. Thus, it is significant to adopt transformation in the company so that they can
achieve competitive advantage over other rival companies that operate in the market.
What are the challenges faced by retail organisation in absence of digital workplace
transformation during the time of Covid 19?
According to Almeida, Santos and Monteiro (2020), Digital transformation helps the
organizations with a great opportunity to re-image the methods their following business run by
using new digital tools and processes. Brining change in he retail industry is never easy and
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come up with several challenges while implementing digital transformation process. Digital
transformation at the workplace is not only about adopting new technologies, software and
processes that are more effective, efficient and automated than the traditional business processes
and practices. This is regarded as an entirely new and innovative of performing the working tasks
in the company by guiding and training employees. As COVID-19 has changed the lifestyle of
the people and because of this the retail organization needs to adopt digital practices for bringing
high sales and growth in the times of pandemic. There are several types of challenges that retail
organizations face while adopting digital transformation in the global pandemic which are
explained below:
 Knowledge of technologies – The major challenge that retail organization might face is
proper knowledge of the new technologies used during COVID-19. As most of the
employees are working from home, it becomes difficult for companies train their staff
properly through digital platforms. It is important for the retail industry to adopt proper
and effective ways to connect employees online and train them with proper guidance and
assistance.
 High competition – Another challenge that retail organization might face is the
challenge of high competition prevailing in the market and which also affects its growth
and profitability (Fletcher and Griffiths, 2020). It is very necessary for all the companies
to become digitalized as people like to shop and purchase items online because of the
spread of the deadly virus in the whole world. In order to fight competition, the
organisation needs to train employees to deliver better customer experience in order to
survive in the pandemic time.
What is the important role of digital workplace transformation in improving the organisational
performance during the time of Covid 19?
According to Sá and Serpa (2020), Digital workplace transformation plays a very crucial
role in improving the business performance and productivity in the time of COVID-19 where
businesses fail to survive. Digital workplace transformation is about bringing new changes and
creativity in the working environment in order to sustain in the competitive market. In the time
of complete lock-down globally, digital transformation helps the company in delivering products
and services by way of online websites for customers. Digital workplace helps in attracting,
engaging, retaining and motivating employees to work in a more creative and innovative manner
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in the times of tough situations. The main aim of adopting digital transformation in the retail
industry is about leveraging technologies for creating value for customers so that they retain with
the company products and services for long period of time. In the times of pandemic where
customers want basic products from the retail store, online platforms helps the customer in
ordering products while staying at home without getting in contact with any person. This helps in
improving the experience of customers as they receive quality goods at their doorsteps without
any difficulty which results in more sales and profitability (Chong and Duan, 2022). With the
surge of pandemic globally has raised the choice of consumer goods which fulfils their basic
needs and wants. Advent of digital technologies in the retail organisation helps employees in
doing their work with more efficiency and effectiveness as they are working from their home. A
digital workplace transformation helps in generating more valuable insights and long term
strategic and effective plans in order to improve the real time decision making for better
performance. The digital workplace is about transforming how employees will collaborate, how
business will support customers for accomplishing the set objectives of the business. Thus,
digital transformation at the workplace enables retail organisation in achieving more growth and
success in the market by improving the knowledge and skills of employees for delivering better
services and good quality products to customers in the pandemic time.
INTENDED METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is one of the crucial chapter in the overall research because it helps in
identifying, analysing and interpreting data in accurate manner. It also helps in attaining aim and
objectives in accurate manner (Eisend and Kuss, 2019). It is divided into various sub components
which are as follow:
Research philosophy: There are two types of research philosophies that are positivism and
interpretivism. As per the investigation positivism philosophy will be choosing so that objective
data can be acquired. It will also help in showing the prevailing trend and pattern in the society.
Research approach: There are two approaches through which theories and hypothesis can
be tested which are inductive and deductive approach. In the present investigation deductive
approach will be using by the researcher to test the existing hypothesis. The another reason is it
will also help in showing the impact of two variables in accurate manner so that true picture can
be accumulating (Daniel, Kumar and Omar, 2018).
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Research strategy: It is a step by step plan which helps in gathering information about
thoughts and idea. Some of the research strategies are survey, focused group, action research,
experimental research etc. In the current investigation survey strategy will be used to gather data
from large population.
Research choice: There are two ways in which data can be gathered and analysed which are
quantitative and qualitative. Under the above investigation quantitative research method will be
use. The reason for selecting this method is data will be in the form on numbers and figures. It is
also one of the cost effective method and requires less time (Lai, 2018).
Time horizon: Time horizon is classified into two frameworks which are cross sectional and
longitudinal. In the present investigation cross sectional time framework will be used to gather
data in shorter time duration. One of the biggest advantage of this time horizon is it will gather
information as per the prevailing scenario.
Data collection: Data collection is the method through which information is collected about
the topic. Primary and secondary are the two data collection method. Primary data will gather
fresh data and secondary data will collect second hand information. In present research both data
collection method will be used. Primary data will use in data analysis part and secondary will use
in literature review. To gather primary data questionnaire will be used and secondary data
through systematic literature review (Davidavičienė, 2018).
Sampling: Probability and non-probability are the two sampling method. In existing
investigation probability sampling will be used to select participants in equal and fair manner.
The sample size will be 30 employees for retail industry (Whicher, Philbin and Aronson, 2018).
RESOURCES REQUIRED AND ACTION PLAN
In the current research the resources which will be used to do the investigation in systematic
manner are general article, funds, questionnaire.
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REFERENCES
Books and journal
Almeida, F., Santos, J.D. and Monteiro, J.A., 2020. The challenges and opportunities in the
digitalization of companies in a post-COVID-19 World. IEEE Engineering Management
Review, 48(3). pp.97-103.
Aroles, J., and et. al, 2021. New ways of working (NWW): Workplace transformation in the
digital age. Information and Organization. 31(4). p.100378.
Chong, J. and Duan, S.X., 2022. Riding on the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in re-thinking
organizational design: a contingency-based approach. Journal of Strategy and Management.
Daniel, B., Kumar, V. and Omar, N., 2018. Postgraduate conception of research methodology:
implications for learning and teaching. International Journal of Research & Method in
Education. 41(2). pp.220-236.
Davidavičienė, V., 2018. Research Methodology: An Introduction. In Modernizing the Academic
Teaching and Research Environment (pp. 1-23). Springer, Cham.
Eisend, M. and Kuss, A., 2019. Research methodology in marketing. Cham, Switzerland:
Springer International Publishing.
Fletcher, G. and Griffiths, M., 2020. Digital transformation during a lockdown. International
Journal of Information Management, 55. p.102185.
Guruprasad, A. and Satyanarayana Murty, Y., 2020. Technology-Driven Workplace
Transformation. In Transforming Organizations Through Flexible Systems
Management (pp. 163-175). Springer, Singapore.
Lai, P.C., 2018. Research methodology for novelty technology. JISTEM-Journal of Information
Systems and Technology Management. 15.
Meske, C., 2019. Digital workplace transformation–on the role of self-determination in the
context of transforming work environments.
Naim, M.F. and Lenka, U., 2018. Development and retention of Generation Y employees: a
conceptual framework. Employee relations.
Sá, M.J. and Serpa, S., 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to foster the
sustainable development of teaching in higher education. Sustainability, 12(20). p.8525.
Sousa, M.J. and Rocha, Á., 2019. Digital learning: Developing skills for digital transformation of
organizations. Future Generation Computer Systems, 91. pp.327-334.
Whicher, D., Philbin, S. and Aronson, N., 2018. An overview of the impact of rare disease
characteristics on research methodology. Orphanet journal of rare diseases. 13(1). pp.1-12.
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