What are drones? And how can they be used now and in the future. By using drones the border could be monitored automatically, post packages could be delivered to recipients using a straight line distance route, cities and fire departments could pre-install drones in every neighborhood to guide their brigades and monitor the situation. Furthermore, drones will be doing many different jobs soon.

From manual processes to new technology

It is year 2020, and we are facing a global pandemic. When entering to public spaces, we should wear a face mask and, if only possible, reduce our social contacts to a minimum. Whether we like it or not, we are driven to utilize various technology – do online shopping for groceries; order ready-made meals from local restaurants; exercise in front of a PC screen; book an e-doctor appointment, and constantly monitor our smart phone for COVID exposure alerts.

Digitalization is already enabling many things to be consumed without leaving our home. But the back-office processes enabling these B2C services are getting busier all the time. In many cases, these processes still require manual steps – for example, in the form of collect and deliver, or collect and grab yourself. Collectors fill in food baskets in grocery stores, and then couriers drive these packages up to the door of our house where they drop them off, often without visible contacts. What if there would be a way to streamline these manual processes with a new technology even further? With drones, maybe?

What are drones?

Drone, or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is an aircraft without a human pilot inside. It can be remotely piloted or totally autonomous, and be equipped with various other gadgets needed to perform the mission it is designed for. The most common gadget is still being a high-resolution camera known from those leisure drones available from various electronic stores. But that’s not all.

There are also commercial drones which are equipped to complete different kinds of use cases and tasks, from lifting and delivery to very specific scenarios such as possibly acting as a mobile cellular network base station in emergency areas. The technology and regulation are starting to mature for long distance BVLOS (Beyond the Visible Line of Sight) operations, which will enable significantly more use cases for drones.

How can drones be used?

But the future perspective for using drones could be even wider, if we stretch from the private sector services into the needs of the public sector. There are plenty of actors in governmental and municipality sector which might benefit from using drones. For example

• customs and border forces could monitor the border automatically or from the operations centers, without sending the troops to patrol on the border zone
• postal offices could deliver packages to recipients using a straight line distance route, without worrying about traffic jams
• cities and fire departments could pre-install drones in every neighborhood to guide their brigades and monitor the situation already on their way to the emergency site.

There are also multiple other opportunities.

Drone software for public sector use

My Master’s thesis focused on conducting a market analysis of the drone industry in the European public sector context. It was done to support an initiative to develop a drone software for public sector use. Based on the findings, it seems that the business environment is becoming more favorable for emerging technologies and completing those tasks that previously seemed fantastic and far-away, but recently have become vital for the Western society to keep running during the pandemic times in order to support our everyday lives.

This change is helped by European wide drone regulation being developed by EU in order to support these new possibilities, as well as the population ageing, and urbanization driving more people to the cities, which brings more pressure on services and the customers closer to these services to be consumed.

At the same time, based on CompTIA research from the US market, drone operators are beginning to purchase the drone management-as-a-service (over building the solution from different components by themselves), which might reduce the time-to-market in Europe. This is what we can see as the firm signs of development in this industry, and these signs are only accelerating.

Now and in the future

Now after completing my studies, it is nice to realize that are we going to see drones doing different job already soon – delivering our medicine form pharmacies, police monitoring mass events and crowd behavior, and central kitchens delivering food to the elderly or handicapped to their homes? There are lots of possibilities, but this time is right for the emerging technologies. So let’s to look into the sky, unless it is something more hidden from our sight.

About the author

Samuli Kipponen is a fresh MBA graduate from Master´s Programme in Business Informatics at Metropolia UAS. Samuli completed his Master´s thesis project for the Innovation Hub at Metropolia UAS focusing on Smart Mobility that started an initiative to develop a drone software for public sector use. The outcome of Samuli´s study is the market analysis for applying for funding for the drone software initiative.

References
Kipponen, S. (2020). Defining the Market Potential of Industry Specific Drone
Software. [PDF] Master´s thesis. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

CompTIA 2019. The Drone Market: Insights from Customers and Providers. [Online]
(Accessed 10th of November 2020)

European Commission 2020a. Unmanned Aircraft. [Online]
(Accessed 7th of October 2020)

Ericsson 2020. Ericsson mobile network-on-a-drone PoC could transform emergency response. [Online] (Accessed 13th of January 2021)

Tarvitseeko tulevaisuudessa omistaa omaa autoa ollenkaan? Älykkään liikkumisen kehittäminen voi johtaa yksityisautoilusta luopumiseen kaupungeissa. Tällainen kehitys voisi hillitä ilmastonmuutosta. Samalla se toisi kustannussäästöjä ja lisäisi liikkumisen turvallisuutta.

Miten älykäs liikkuminen muuttaa elämäämme?

Älykäs liikkuminen (eng. Smart Mobility) on mullistamassa tapamme käyttää liikennevälineitä. Tulevaisuudessa on lähes mahdotonta välttyä Älykkään liikkumisen vaikutuksilta elämäämme. Helsinki on tällä hetkellä yksi kuumimmista Älykkään liikkumisen kehittämispaikoista. Helsingissä on muun muassa perustettu ensimmäinen toimiva MaaS (Mobility as a Service) operaattori, MaaS Global. (1) Helsingin kaupunki on linjannut, että vuoteen 2025 mennessä on tarpeetonta omistaa henkilökohtaista ajoneuvoa. Tarkoituksena on, että yksityisautoilun korvaavat vaihtoehdot ovat niin houkuttelevia, että matkustajat käyttävät mieluummin niitä. (2)
Älykkään liikkumisen kehittämistä tukee huolestuttava ilmastonmuutoksen suunta sekä voimakas urbanisoituminen (1). Asiantuntijat ovat esittäneet useita arvioita liikenteen määrän kasvusta tulevaisuudessa. Alla on yksi esitetyistä arvioista, joka on konsultointiyritys Oliver Wymanin tuottama analyysi. Kuviosta 1 huomataan, että matkustajamäärät kasvavat tasaisella tahdilla aina analyysin loppuun asti, vuoteen 2040. (3)

FABULOS-projektilla älykkäämpää liikkumista

Älykkään liikkumisen osalta on käynnistetty useita projekteja, kuten FABULOS. FABULOS (Future Automated Bus Urban Level Operation Systems) -projekti tähtää siihen, että tulevaisuudessa autonomiset bussit toimivat osana julkista liikennettä. Projekti käynnistyi vuonna 2018 ja päättyy vuoden 2020 lopussa. FABULOS saa rahoitusta Euroopan Unionin Horisontti 2020-ohjelmasta. (4)

Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu valittiin FABULOS-projektin tekniseksi kumppaniksi (5). Yksi projektin osa-alue oli Älykkään liikkumisen markkinan analysointi. Tähän perehdyin opinnäytetyössäni, jossa tutkin FABULOS-projektissa mukana olleita toimijoita. Tavoitteena oli kartoittaa Älykkään Liikkumiseen markkinatilannetta sekä toimijoiden näkemyksiä siitä.

Tutkimukseen osallistui toimijoita, niin tarjonta- kuin kysyntäpuolelta. Tarjontapuolella oli yrityksiä suurimmaksi osaksi Euroopasta. Näiden yritysten valikoimissa on autonomisia ajoneuvoja ja/tai niihin liittyviä ohjelmistoja. Kysyntäpuoli koostui eurooppalaisten kaupunkien julkisen liikenteen operaattoreista. Tietoja FABULOS-projektiin osallistuneilta kerättiin kyselylomakkeella. (6)

Älykkään liikkumisen markkinatilanne

Kysely osoitti, että Älykkään liikkumisen markkina on kypsyydeltään alkuvaiheessa ja tarjontapuolella on paljon start-up yrityksiä. Yritysten liikevaihto sekä julkisen liikenteen operaattoreiden Älykkään liikkumisen projekteihin budjetoimat euromääräiset summat vahvistavat, että markkinan koko on tällä hetkellä pienehkö. Markkinan tulevaisuus näyttää valoisalta – suurin osa toimijoista pitää investointitason samana tai panostaa lisää Älykkään liikkumisen kehitykseen. Markkinoille on tullut uusia yrityksiä. Tämä pitää kilpailutilannetta yllä ja tukee päätelmää markkinoiden kasvusta tulevaisuudessa. (6)

Kartoitin myös toimijoiden näkemyksiä Älykkäästä liikkumisesta suhteutettuna toisiinsa ja vallitsevaan markkinatilanteeseen. Toimijat halusivat nähdä yksityisautoista vapaita kaupunkeja, jotka on suunniteltu uudenlaista teknologiaa hyödyntäen. Älykkään liikkumisen kannalta toimijat pitivät tärkeimpinä asioina kustannussäästöjä yhteisöille, älykkäitä liikennejärjestelmiä, saasteiden vähenemistä sekä terveyttä ja turvallisuutta edistävää teknologiaa. Tarjontapuolella oli huoli, että varhaiset omaksujat joutuvat kantamaan taloudellisen riskin. Sama huoli toistui kysyntäpuolelle siten, että heidän tulisi kantaa taloudellista riskiä yritysten puolesta. (6)

Opiskelijana osana projektia

Tutkimus oli osa konseptia, jossa Metropolia tarjoaa opiskelijoille mahdollisuuden tehdä opinnäytetyö toimeksiantajalle. Samalla opiskelija tuottaa tietoa tilaajaorganisaatiolle. Tutkimusta oli mielenkiintoista tehdä tällä konseptilla. Toivon, että tällä toimintatavalla tullaan jatkossakin tuottamaan tutkimustietoa Metropolian kumppaneille.

Kirjoittaja

Eero Tuuliainen, Tradenomi (ylempi) AMK 2020, toimii opiskelija-assistenttina Ajoneuvo- ja konetekniikan osaamisalueella Metropoliassa.

Lähteet:

1. All roads lead to smart mobility. [Online] (2020).

2. Deloitte. (2015). Reducing congestion and fostering faster, greener, and cheaper transportation options. [Online article]

3. Oliver Wyman. (2018). Mobility 2040 – The quest for Smart Mobility. [PDF]

4. Forum Virium. (2018). https://forumvirium.fi/fabulos-tuo-robottibussit-helsinkiin/. [Online]

5. Metropolia – Älykäs Liikkuminen. [Online] (2020).

6. Tuuliainen, E. (2020). Smart Mobility Market Analysis – Case FABULOS. [PDF] Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Master of Business Administration, Supply Chain Management. Master’s Thesis.

Self-direction is a concept that has long existed in the business landscape, and its effect in teams has been a research subject for a long time. But what kind of framework is needed to support individual employee’s self-direction? Using an IT unit as an example, I am describing what kind of self-direction practices support the employee’s self-direction and what kind of issues hindered self-directed working. Furthermore, I will introduce how self-direction improves the daily work quality.

Why are we talking about self-direction?

There is not a common interpretation on what the self-direction means specifically, but on a general understanding it goes as follows; a person’s ability to perform without external guidance & control (Martela and Jarenko, 2017).

The research subject is new because changes have happened in the world of business; technology has advanced to become knowledge-intensive and dynamic, allowing industries to innovate solutions previously unable to have been developed (Muthusamy at al., 2005). Work life has changed because of modernized thinking, which is leading organizations to meet new challenges in employee satisfaction. The emergence of measurement of self-direction is currently not on companies’ priority lists, as there is a lack of tools and promotion for doing this. However, this is the topic of the near future (Koutonen, 2020).

Past research about the concept has led to opening a few questions:

• What business and individual based information is essential for enabling self-direction in a company?
• Are individual or company performance used as the model for organizational operation?
• Is individual information relevant for the company, and will it have effect between company chains?
• What practices support self-direction?
• What tools are required to support self-direction? (Koutonen, 2020.)

Self-direction is one emerging concept in the changing work industry. New generations want to experience work as meaningful (Kiskonen, 2018). Organizations have difficulties in predicting or measuring an employee’s attitude towards own work and what possible consequences might occur (Lal, 2008); the lack of knowledge about self-direction could affect negatively on organizational strategies if not taken into account during re-evaluation of these.

To know what information affects individual work performance, meaningfulness and evaluation is valuable when improving strategies, or when creating new ones. The information can lead to employees performing their jobs more self-directed and successfully. Organizations can utilize this information for company success by knowing how and what relevant business information visibility could help and motivate an employee to perform the job more self-directed and successfully, and if information visibility will affect self-direction’s usage and enrichment. So, how does an organization find out this, at least on the first look, non-tangible information?

Subordinates, speak up! Management, take notes.

The conceptual framework I built for my thesis (there were no existing ones to be found) aimed to find out how to assess current self-direction practices in an organization or unit by tackling multiple topics that eventually formed the basis for developing a self-direction supportive framework. Analysis of current values helped establishing a scope for the framework, current best practices established the themes, and current solutions established what utilization capabilities the framework could be used for.

The conceptual framework helped developing the questions to evaluate a subject area’s (in my case, an IT unit) current self-direction practices. For example, two major factors in practicing self-direction were discussed from the individual employee’s perspective: what organization model, and what leadership model, do you identify following?

Utilizing the conceptual framework to evaluate current self-direction practices will definitely vary depending on the research subject, but following areas were identified in the IT unit I analyzed: self-direction, autonomy, creative thinking, and independent decision-making in daily work is highly supported, while self-directed working is hindered by an overall lack of responsibility, documentation, workflows, and CRM transparency. In addition, guidelines for practicing additional voluntary self-direction supportive organizational thinking is missing.

After so much research, it was uplifting to allow the employee to talk. As the results in the Thesis study demonstrated, what might be defined in the organization may not be what the employee perceives. Managers: allow the employee to identify how things work according to how one perceives it, not according to company guidelines. It might save much trouble to not assume that everything is clearly communicated and followed.

What to do with the established strengths and weaknesses?

Having an open mind about what kind of a framework should be developed, and eventually implemented, certainly benefits from having an S&Ws-analysis based on honest answers. As my IT unit current state analysis revealed, promoting self-direction should be further a focus area, while reacting to changes in the business environment should be an area for improvement. With clear evidence, developing a voluntary self-direction supportive change enablement framework was rapidly decided between company management and myself.

My Master’s Thesis (Koutonen, 2020) demonstrates the development of the change enablement framework in detail, as with clear motivations for reasoning its existence. The framework has not yet been implemented in the IT unit, but is expected to be done in 2021, Q1.

If implemented, the change enablement framework could improve the daily work quality and business environment in the IT unit. Scattered practices have always existed in roles and responsibilities, documentation, workflows, and internal and customer business environment transparency. The framework could help in creating a cohesive and professional working environment in the IT unit, which leads to more self-directed capabilities in own working.

By developing and following a self-direction supportive framework, an organization could re-evaluate organizational strategies with visible outcomes of the implemented framework and utilize the information for company success by evaluating how and what information visibility could help and motivate the employee to perform own job more self-directed and successfully.

Self-direction is a concept that has long existed in the business landscape, and its effect in teams has been a research subject for a long time. I hope that my Master’s Thesis study will be one of many research subjects about the concept’s effect from an individual’s perspective in a team.

About the author

Olli Koutonen works as an IT Consultant for an IT-house that specializes in providing customers technical environments in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. He has over five years of experience in multi-language customer-oriented services in the IT industry, from customer service & management positions to specialized consulting services.

References

Denis, J-L., Langley, A. and Sergi, V. (2012). Leadership in the Plural. The Academy of Management Annals, Vol. 6, No. 1. 211-283. [online] [Accessed 1 June 2020]

Kiskonen, L. (2018). Itseohjautuvuus Työhyvinvoinnin Tukena: Varhaiskasvattajien Näkemyksiä Itseohjautuvuudesta Osana Työtään. [PDF] Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Department of Social Services, Myllypuro. Bachelor’s Thesis. [Accessed 18 November 2019]

Koutonen, O. (2020). Developing a Framework Supporting the Employee’s Self-direction in the Information Technology Unit. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Department of Business Informatics, Myllypuro. Master’s Thesis.
Lal, H. (2008). Organizational Excellence Through Total Quality Management: A Practical Approach. ISBN: 978-81-224-2643-4. New Age International Publishers.

Martela, F. and Jarenko. K. (2017). Itseohjautuvuus: Miten Organisoitua Tulevaisuudessa? ISBN: 978-952-14-3041-1. Alma Talent.

Muthusamy, S., Wheeler, J. and Simmons, B. (2005). Self-managing Work Teams: Enhancing Organizational Innovativeness. Organization Development Journal, Vol. 23, Iss. 3.