The 51风流sponsorship covers operational costs, robotics sets given to teams as well as team and tournament support.

The programme focuses on young students for the transfer of engineering skills and teamwork through the collaborative creation of problem-solving robots built with LEGO庐 Mindstorms庐.

According to Dr Johannes de Vries, Technologist and Programme Manager at the Department of Electrical Engineering, the FIRST Lego League mission is to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders. This is done by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programmes that build science, engineering, and technology skills, inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

SAP鈥檚 support allows the South African branch of the international FIRST LEGO League program to co-ordinate local teams, supply the necessary LEGO materials and expose local teams to international competition.

鈥淎nnually, FIRST LEGO League hosts competitions for teams from all over the world, giving them the chance to showcase the problem-solving skills they have learned,鈥� explained de Vries.

鈥�51风流is a premier example of how businesses can work with universities to enable an abundant future in Science and Engineering for learners and students,鈥� concluded de Vries.

This article first appeared on the Tshwane University of Technology website:

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Office workers, freed from the confines of corporate headquarters, now perform their tasks, meet with colleagues and customers, and maintain high levels of productivity all from their homes using cloud and other online collaboration tools.

For many industries, including IT, banking and other financial services, it is highly unlikely that workers will return to the office in the same way as before, even if current efforts at vaccinating against COVID-19 are wildly successful.

New hybrid work model beckons

Organisations that have made progress on their digital transformation journeys and have implemented the latest technologies, systems and processes to enable remote work will simply have no need to go back to how things were. In fact, most will likely continue on a trajectory of fewer face-to-face engagements, less commuting, and less need for incurring the expense of fancy offices and beautiful foyers.

Instead, organisations are likely to develop and refine hybrid working models, with a mix of office and remote work based on each organisation’s needs and the employee’s personal productivity requirements.

The shift to hybrid work models will require that organisations develop new strategies for employee engagement to ensure teams are operating effectively and that often-scarce talent can be motivated and retained.

The growing importance of EX

To achieve this, organisations will need to ensure they can deliver a consistently positive employee experience (EX).

In commissioned by SAP, Qualtrics and EY, the number of HR decision-makers that said EX is the most important aspect of their HR strategy had nearly tripled over the past two years, with EX budgets almost doubling over the same period.

Aspects such as learning, development and training, diversity and inclusion, and an open culture that encourages every employee to bring their authentic selves to the workplace all contribute to the employee experience.

It is vital that EX is not relegated to only the HR department or used as a tool to drive greater levels of productivity. Instead, it needs to be embedded in the company culture, driven by leadership across the organisation, and shaped by continuous employee feedback.

The matter of employee feedback will be critical to organisations as they shift toward a hybrid work model. The Forrester study found that 71% of organisations find it challenging to gather real-time information about the employee experience.

Experience management tools that help track employee sentiment and feedback and provide HR departments and company leaders with real-time insights will be critical to efforts at building consistent, positive employee experiences.

Culture takes centre stage

Eight out of ten (81%) employees in the Forrester study believe creating and sustaining a positive culture is the most important aspect to creating a good EX. It is therefore vital that organisations take time to clearly define their culture, and take into account the changing world, likely long-term economic downturn and the effect of the ongoing pandemic on employee wellbeing.

Organisational strategies will need to incorporate three key areas into their cultures to effectively support the new hybrid workforce:

Trust

The new realities require that organisations build trust within their teams. Companies will need to create opportunities to set expectations with employees, and then consistently and continuously deliver on those expectations.

Transparency

Top-down decision-making doesn’t work when centralisation doesn’t exist. The new world of work will require decision-making to be decentralised, which naturally requires knowledge and access to information. A clearly-defined value system can also guide decision-making even when team members are cut off from managers or executives.

Teamwork

The past year of remote work has revealed the importance of teams having access to other teams that have different skills, networks or abilities. This requires that internal silos are broken down and teamwork is prioritised. Organisations should foster a shared sense of victory to encourage teams to work together toward common goals. Teamwork can help build greater cohesion, improve decision-making and alleviate or limit unethical behaviour.

By establishing clear, regular lines of communication, and gaining access to real-time insights into employee experiences, organisations can ensure every employee works toward a common goal that contributes to the organisation’s success. Organisations that define their culture on the premise that every employee wants to work and wants to achieve something of value will be best placed to guide their teams through the ongoing disruption.

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About SAP

SAP鈥檚 strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an SAP庐 system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers鈥� businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51风流helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want 鈥� without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, 51风流helps the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. For more information, visit

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Unleashing the creativity and potential of every employee

At SAP, there are several programs that develop talent, while bringing SAP鈥檚 purpose to life and creating social impact. One of those programs is the 51风流Social Sabbatical Program, an award-winning CSR portfolio. Another example is , SAP鈥檚 flagship social intrapreneurship initiative that drives innovation and gives employees the permission, time, technology, and mentorship to turn their passion for making a difference into sustainable, income generating ventures. Founded by Adaire Fox-Martin, Executive Board Member, 51风流SE Customer Success, the 1BLives initiative is SAP鈥檚 social innovation platform that aspires to help improve the lives of one billion people.

From social entrepreneurs scaling their ventures, to large corporates re-examining their supply chains, through to governmental bodies looking to support wider social change 鈥� by finding challenges and potential solutions 51风流supports the winning ideas of their employees with investment funds of those who seek to make a positive difference in the world. 51风流One Billion Lives is about unleashing the creativity of every employee to generate social impact around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To put the previous outcomes into perspective: Until now, One Billion Lives has improved the protection of over 23 million people from natural disasters, improved the results of cancer treatments for over 60 percent of the cancer population in India and is gearing to eliminate child labor in cobalt mines. Life changing, isn鈥檛 it?

Times of change present limitless opportunities

The 51风流One Billion Lives Initiative is open to employees across the globe and organized by global teams in collaboration with regional program managers. Each year regional teams plan and execute ideation workshops across their respective regions where colleagues meet and jointly ideate. The planning for the 2020 edition of the program was ongoing when suddenly the world changed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The new reality forced the organizing teams to shift this program to a virtual format. What seemed to be a challenge back then turned into an opportunity of a lifetime.

Undoubtedly, there are many benefits of meeting face-to-face but so there are of virtual collaboration. SAP鈥檚 EMEA South region spans from the South of Europe, over the entire African continent to the Middle East, making it the most diverse region in all of SAP. Some colleagues work in cross-regional roles and teams, others don鈥檛. By turning SAP鈥檚 flagship social intrapreneurship initiative into a virtual one, SAP鈥檚 EMEA South region provided its over 5.000 employees the unique opportunity to collaborate and co-create for social impact 鈥� together with peers, who they have never met before. A sense of community across the program participants was created: colleagues wished each other happy Easter, happy orthodox Easter and Ramadan Kareem. Participants learned new local expressions and most importantly they learned a lot from each other.

When looking at the success of innovation in teams and organizations, diversity is a key differentiator and a catalyst for innovative outcomes. Hence, in addition to the unique value for individuals the new format also led to a higher innovation outcome. The result: within just a few weeks the teams of dedicated colleagues have crafted innovative solutions for social challenges, operating at startup speed in addition to their day-to-day jobs. Diversity matters: to make a positive difference for individuals and for one billion people out there.

鈥淭he situation around the pandemic made us pause and remember what we had already known but not taken into consideration in the context of One Billion Lives: there is a direct link between innovation and diversity,鈥� said Marita Mitschein, Senior Vice President – Digital Skills, 51风流Southern Europe, Africa and Middle East, and Managing Director of the 51风流Training and Development Institute. 鈥淭he new normal forced us to adjust what has always been working well. And those changes impacted the experience of the One Billion Lives program in a positive way.鈥�

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