Today’s ponderable: What is it about DWG Member Meetings?

Dear Diary

Time and time again, I am reminded about the magic of DWG member meetings. Our spring member meeting in Pittsburgh last month was no exception.

Reflecting back, there is something powerful about stepping inside another organisation’s world, listening carefully and learning through honest dialogue with peers who are grappling with similar challenges. When trust is high, the conversation goes deeper and the learning sticks.

Spending time with our member cohort (current and aspiring) reinforced that the most valuable conversations are not about shiny futures or grand promises, but about the quiet and “brilliantly boring” work of making digital workplaces calmer, clearer, more intelligent yet more humane at scale.

What stood out most?

Firstly, it was the practical nature of the conversations that were grounded in honest peer sharing. Secondly, it spotlighted a clear focus on what it takes to make the digital workplace work at scale and thoughtful discussion about moving from experimentation to execution, particularly in the context of AI and accessibility.

Our live benchmark also spotlighted some important industry signals, including:

• Adoption is no longer the story. AI is everywhere — Copilot, ChatGPT, Glean, Gemini, Claude. Most organisations are already experimenting, rolling things out, and in some cases moving fast. But the real question now isn’t can we adopt AI? It’s how do we prove value?
• Calculating “time saved” is no longer enough. Leaders want to know what that time becomes — more revenue, better service, faster decisions, lower risk, stronger outcomes.
• Governance is evolving too. The more effective models aren’t heavy and centralised — they’re lighter-weight, embedded in the business, and designed to enable progress without losing trust.
• We also heard an uncomfortable truth about intranets: in some organisations, they’re no longer the centre of gravity. People want answers, not just navigation.
• At the same time, deskless and frontline workers remain a major reality check. Mobile, kiosks, signage, and lightweight apps matter — and they expose real gaps in access, measurement, and inclusion.
• My grand takeaway: the challenge now isn’t digital ambition. It’s alignment. Alignment between tools and outcomes, governance and speed, experience and reality.

While that’s all I can share here, the wider set of rich insights and actionable learnings now live in the DWG vault as DWG members shift from sponge mode to impact.

Your ticket to the latest digital workplace signals

Interested in sharing and comparing the shifts are you seeing most clearly in your organisation?

• DWG Members: Register your place for the next in-person member meeting on June 10-11 in London.
• DWG practitioners at large: Apply for a guest place on the DWG website.

Hope to see you there!

–Nancy

Categorised in:   → Diary of a She-E-O