To launch its ALC technologies, SymPlace will initially focus on developing B2B applications, aiming at productivity, effectiveness, diversity and inclusion in the hybrid workplace, within and across organisational boundaries, by accelerating and facilitating collaboration. The quick financial payoffs will help to scale up the company and enable the development of other more long-term applications. Also, the effectiveness of better working benefits in all spheres of life.

Covid has accelerated a trend where people work with a mix of time and activities at the office, “remote presence” and remote working. This has created a whole range of new challenges. When to meet? How to meet? How to track progress? How to take effective decisions? … We already have mentioned above how ALC might change meetings and interactions around meetings. We have also already shared elsewhere our vision of dramatically reducing the overload related to emails / messaging / communication has further increased, with many people having to shift through hundreds of emails every day… and waiting for other to respond, always uncertain if their message has been read, processed, will receive a response. The resulting stress is huge for many people, and the impact on productivity wasteful. It is increasingly critical to get rid of this unproductive workload and reducing the stress will free energy and resources, for other more productive and more motivating tasks, or simply to free time for activities other than work.

But ALC holds a much larger potential for (much) more productive collaboration at the workplace, notably as it allows to combine long-term with short-term symFlos. Collaboration flows become increasingly complex as multinational organisations (corporations, NGOs, international institutions…) grow vertically and horizontally, notably by networking with each other, They bring together large varied sets of expertise, which offers the potential for great achievements, but creates the challenge of finding the right expert for the right task, and orchestrating the work of people who may not be used to work together, have different backgrounds and come with different collaboration habits. By offering the potential of finding, reusing and adapting symFlo templates, which are structured to cope with these challenges. As the mutual experience of working together grows and trust builds up, practices can evolve, with the support of ALC.

Some examples of future symBots and symFlos:

• Managing the flow from an idea for a new product / service / market… to an exploratory proposal which is collaboratively discussed… to a first decision to invest seed money to explore … to a review of the seed phase … to a strategic decision and a budgeted plan… to ….
• Recruiting as well internal experts as new employees or freelance consultants, with symFlos spotting experts, checking their interest and availability, organise an exchange, clarify conditions, collect commitments, organise the work, support corresponding transactions, follow up on results, reward results and performance…
• Carrying out internal audits and strategic decision-making processes in an inclusive manner, respecting the diversity and anonymity of participants during the information collection process.
• Developing scenarios to deal with uncertainty, taking complex collaborative multi-criteria decisions, monitoring their impact over time, and adapting scenarios, decisions and monitoring as reality unfolds and the picture of uncertainty changes. For instance, for major decisions, a symFlo could collect information about initial assumptions and forecasts concerning the business context and the results to be achieved. The symFlo would then regularly monitor reality versus plans, and trigger reviews of the original decisions in case of major divergences. It could retroactively identify which combination of criteria had the best predictive and / or which experts has the best intuitions.
• Developing and maintaining commercial relationships, as agile and comprehensive collaborative flows, including commercial and financial transactions.
• Facilitating time-based and / or service- and / or project contracts where tasks are accepted, on the basis of previously (explicitly or implicitly) agreed time budgets, and which are validated and paid at predefined milestones.

We also asked chatGPT for some suggestions…

Author: ok, now let's focus on ALC at work and in business... Could you please propose some transformative symBots / symFlos?

ChatGPT: Certainly! Here are some examples of transformative symBots and symFlos in the context of Augmented Learning Collaboration (ALC) at work and in business:

• Project Management SymBot: This symBot assists teams in project management by providing tools for task tracking, scheduling, and resource allocation. It facilitates collaboration by enabling real-time communication, progress updates, and shared document management. The symBot can also offer insights on project metrics and provide recommendations for optimizing workflow and productivity.
• Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration SymFlo: This symFlo template establishes a knowledge sharing platform within organizations, allowing employees to share expertise, best practices, and resources. It promotes collaboration by providing discussion forums, document repositories, and a searchable knowledge base. The symBot associated with this symFlo facilitates content curation, categorization, and recommendations to encourage collaboration and continuous learning.
• Virtual Meeting and Collaboration SymBot: This symBot enhances virtual meetings by providing features such as agenda management, participant coordination, and collaborative note-taking. It offers real-time transcription, language translation, and integration with productivity tools. The symBot fosters collaboration and engagement during virtual meetings, ensuring effective communication and decision-making.
• Talent Acquisition and Onboarding SymFlo: This symFlo template streamlines the talent acquisition process, from recruitment to onboarding. It incorporates features such as candidate screening, interview scheduling, and onboarding checklists. The symBot associated with this symFlo can automate repetitive tasks, provide pre-employment training materials, and facilitate a smooth transition for new hires, promoting collaboration and efficiency in the hiring process.
• Employee Wellness and Engagement SymBot: This symBot focuses on employee wellness and engagement by providing personalized well-being recommendations, stress management tools, and fitness tracking capabilities. It encourages collaboration through team challenges, virtual wellness events, and social recognition features. The symBot fosters a positive work environment and promotes inter-human collaboration around employee well-being.
• Sales Enablement SymFlo: This symFlo template supports sales teams by providing access to sales resources, customer insights, and product information. It offers collaboration features for sharing sales strategies, tracking customer interactions, and coordinating sales activities. The symBot associated with this symFlo can provide sales analytics, lead qualification assistance, and personalized sales coaching, enhancing collaboration and sales effectiveness.
• Cross-Functional Project Collaboration SymBot: This symBot facilitates collaboration across departments and teams for cross-functional projects. It provides a platform for seamless communication, document sharing, and task coordination. The symBot assists in aligning goals, resolving conflicts, and promoting effective collaboration among diverse stakeholders, ensuring smooth project execution.

These examples demonstrate how symBots and symFlos in ALC can transform work and business environments by enhancing collaboration, productivity, and employee engagement. By integrating intelligent technologies and fostering collaborative practices, ALC promotes effective teamwork, knowledge sharing, and streamlined processes, ultimately driving organizational success.

Inversely, SymPlace’s initial focus on B2B applications will help to focus on making ALC efficient and effective itself. Users need compelling reasons to change their habits and practices. Efficiency and effectiveness are the primary ones.

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