11 March 2025
By Jana Blankenhagen
Jana Blankenhagen
Chief Human Resources Manager
A scenario all too familiar: It's Monday morning and, as usual, you're sitting at your laptop with your first coffee of the week, trying to get an overview of what's on the agenda for today and the next few days before the first workday really gets going.
As always, the day begins with a quick check of the unread e-mails in the mail program. Then you open Microsoft Teams, for example, to take a look at upcoming meetings and get an overview of all projects and tasks in the countless Planner boards. Next, you log in to the specialist applications to check your other tasks and follow-ups, e.g., in the document management system or enterprise resource planning tool, and check whether all workflows are running correctly or whether there is an urgent to-do. The last thing to do is to quickly check who of your colleagues will be there and what appointments they have, who you can reach when and how between your own appointments to clarify the most important things—or simply to ask whether everything is OK or how the last weekend was.
Before the workday has even properly started, it already feels like you're juggling a chaotic mix of balls—different in size, feel, and color. Each ball has its own character, much like the diversity of people around you. In the world of everyday office life, transferred from sports to technology, a term like software diversity describes it well for me.
In my interpretation, software diversity describes the multitude of different software solutions that are used simultaneously in a company. These solutions include software systems in the following categories and examples:
In practice, this means that office workers often switch between many different systems to complete tasks, manage information or communicate.
This variety of software solutions leads to a major problem: the fragmentation of information and processes across several tools, which in turn leads to increased fragmentation of working time. Employees lose valuable time by constantly switching between different tools. Important information is spread across various programs, which makes it difficult to maintain an overview and reduces efficiency. There is also a risk that tasks or deadlines are overlooked because they are "hidden" in one of the numerous systems.
There are various studies and reports that look at the number of software systems and tools that the average office worker uses on a daily basis. According to a report by Industry Dive in May 2023, office workers use an average of around eleven different software tools per day to get their work done.
Another report in the Harvard Business Review describes how office workers switch between applications on average about 1,200 times a day. This adds up to around four hours per week that are needed for reorientation after switching between applications.
The associated fragmentation of information and processes, as well as the differences in the operation of each individual software, not only require increased attention during use, but also increase stress and workload, because each software is structured differently, looks different and leads to a different user experience overall. Software is inherently diverse—and rightly so, as it must meet a wide range of technical requirements: an e-mail client is different from ERP software. Working with them generates different thoughts and emotions:
"Where can I find the document again?", "When was that e-mail sent? I can’t seem to find it quickly in Outlook.", "If only I didn't have to keep jumping between all these different programs!"
What would it be like if you sat down at your computer in the morning and your personal AI assistant opened up? The virtual assistant immediately shows you a complete overview of all the topics that need attention during the course of the day. They are prepared and arranged in a logical sequence because the AI has already
As you work your way through the day, you realize how much more relaxed you are. The constant stress of keeping track of all the different conversations, appointments, tools and information is a thing of the past. Instead of getting bogged down, you can focus on the essentials: your actual work and, above all, the people you work with.
Over time, you also notice that the AI assistant not only organizes the day better, but also learns from your own working habits. If you regularly work on a project, the AI automatically compiles all the necessary programs and documents before you even need them. It also gets to know your preferred working hours and suggests that you complete smaller tasks at times when you are less productive. This way you can get the "really" important things done in the productive hours.
It quickly becomes clear that this automation and individualization requires complex system integration and the right interfaces in all systems. These are often missing, but would enable AI to seamlessly link data and processes from different tools and platforms. More on this later.
This is precisely where the use of artificial intelligence has great potential, but is also one of the biggest challenges. A well-integrated AI could be able to seamlessly connect all of an employee's software applications, enabling a more efficient workflow. It would consolidate all relevant data and digital documents from various specialist applications, highlight key priorities, and support efficient day planning. It would dynamically adapt the plan when new tasks arise or priorities change. By minimizing redundant and inefficient switching between a multitude of software applications, AI reduces the associated mental strain and improves productivity.
However, the challenge lies in the connectivity of the systems, as different applications often have incompatible interfaces and data formats. Smooth integration therefore requires not only technical adjustments, but also close cooperation between software providers in order to create standardized data interfaces.
AI learns to support us in dealing with the variety of software tools by analyzing usage data and recognizing patterns in our working behavior. The AI is able to:
The ability of artificial intelligence to learn and adapt is an important criterion for its successful use. The AI would have to learn how each individual employee works in order to make meaningful suggestions and plans. This learning process can be complex, as different working styles and priorities need to be taken into account. In addition, work processes and software systems change over time. AI must be able to continuously learn and adapt in order to remain effective in the long term. This requires a high degree of flexibility and continuous development.
Does everything work seamlessly when cross-system AI is integrated into a platform that serves as the foundation for all your software systems?
No! Of course, there will be colleagues who will be skeptical. Some fear losing control over their work. But if you do it right, you quickly realize that the AI is merely supportive. As a human, you always have the final say and can reject recommendations or adjust the assistant's settings. In addition to the natural skepticism towards new things, there are other issues that are challenging but can be mastered with the right approach.
There are a number of technical, organizational and ethical challenges in the development of such an AI that integrates all tools and simplifies software diversity in everyday working life:
By reducing the need to constantly switch between different programs, there’s more time for creative and strategic tasks, as well as meaningful collaboration with colleagues. And even those who are initially skeptical will slowly begin to appreciate the benefits of AI. The entire company benefits from a clearer, less fragmented working environment thanks to AI.
At the end of a financial year, when you look back on your own work, you realize that this change means more than just a new technology. It has fundamentally improved the way of working and helped to focus on the essentials again.
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