On Thursday, March 24th, the EU Parliament held its last debate on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and decided how strongly to bring Big Tech to heel. The EU’s intentions to ‘ensure fair and open digital markets’ have always been good, but there have been many points in the negotiations where the outcome could have been toothless - in particular around the interoperability obligation.

Conversations are the lifeblood of every business, customer relationship, and community. So it's no surprise that many of the web and mobile apps we use daily now have conversational functionality. We all expect to be able to chat with our favorite companies, organizations, and communities at any time, anywhere. In-app chat is no longer a nice-to-have addition to the app - it's an expected part of the user experience.

Instant messaging is by far one of the best inventions of humanity. We bet that many young people will agree with this statement. This technology enables us to stay in touch with literally anyone in real time despite the distance. And it’s especially important for students. With the help of messengers, students can chat with their family and friends. At the same time, they can connect with their classmates and teachers to create collaborative learning opportunities.

Failure to meet deadlines, long email threads, disputes during meetings, poorly planned projects, missing files, delayed feedback, you name it. How about meetings where people are talking to each other and thinking they are discussing the same thing, but it is obvious that they don’t? Rings a bell? Of course, it does. We’ve all been there. Team communication isn’t always as effective as we’d want it to be, and it has a direct impact on every area of an organization.

Business instant messaging is not a nice-to-have addition to the workplace anymore. Instead, it is an integral communication practice for companies of all sizes. Remote and hybrid work models are becoming more prevalent. With the rise of digital workplaces, everybody needs a quick, efficient, and familiar way to communicate. Business instant messaging is exactly that.

As companies around the world design the next phase of work, one thing is becoming clear: the hybrid model is here to stay. Though distributed work is not a new concept, more companies than ever before are redefining these blended ways of working to prioritize inclusion and equity. Within this shift, there’s potential to reimagine the work environment as a place that fosters collaboration like never before and unlock a new, more effective way forward.

When managing a team, the first thing to get straight is that what's valid for individual assignments is also applicable for group projects. In other words, you will have to define the objectives, understand the tasks, and proceed with setting clear expectations. That said, in group work, you will have to face other complexities. Whether it is for a student project or handling a team in the office, you can try to implement the following practices to ensure the best outcome.