Microsoft Viva
Microsoft Viva is the latest major addition to the Microsoft 365 platform. It is Microsoft’s answer to the current developments in remote work e.g., in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to address the following dimensions of a successful people-powered Modern Workplace: Communications, Growth & Development, Wellbeing, Communities, Knowledge, Insights and Company Resources.
Basically, Microsoft Viva is an organizing layer for employee experiences which is integrated into Microsoft Teams and offers personalized actionable insights. To do so Microsoft Viva includes four initial modules:
1. Viva Connections
The Viva Connections Module targets to keep the entire organization engaged and informed. It is integrated into existing tools and offers personalized insights. In addition, the module aims to overcome boundaries that usually exist between different departments and employees. For example, firstline and white-collar workers. Viva Connections will be available for desktop in the first half of 2021 and for mobile in summer 2021. Additional features will roll out over the course of 2022.
2. Viva Insights
The Viva Insights Module aims to give personalized insights and recommendations to improve the individual working style. At its heart, the Viva Insights module is an App which can be integrated into Microsoft Teams. It uses data from email items, calendar items, OneDrive and SharePoint. In addition, it offers data driven visibility on how work patterns affect wellbeing, productivity, and business performance. Finally, it should also offer the integration with other data driven tools to address complex challenges.
Viva Insights also includes specific features to help you to identify slots to book your Focus Time. So, it offers (as of today) a similar feature stack like MyAnalytics. Viva Insights is already available as App for Microsoft Teams.
3. Viva Topics
The Viva Topics Module aims to turn content into usable knowledge using AI. This includes curated topic pages that are automatically generated and updated by AI. In addition, this module can deliver relevant topic cards in the apps regular used by your employees.
Let us get more concrete how Viva Topics collect the relevant information for your individual topic pages. The Viva Topics Module is based on Microsoft Graph and AI:
So basically, Microsoft is using existing technologies and enhances them with additional capabilities. In this case topic identifications. Microsoft Viva Topics is already available as a user-based add-on for Microsoft 365 plans for commercial customers.
4. Viva Learning
As you can easily derivate from its name, the Viva Learning Module is all about integrated learning in Microsoft Teams, simplifying the learning experience and increasing the transparency of the progress of your employees. As of today, there is no release date indicated by Microsoft for the Viva Learning Module, it is only possible to sign up for updates. Since LinkedIn learning is also mentioned in the module description, my assumption is that Viva Learning is a more advanced or modified version of LinkedIn Learning - but this is not confirmed.
Final thoughts
We are living in times where we, as human beings, are the limiting factor regarding how much information can be processed in Modern Workplace environments. The approach to use data and AI to filter relevant information, generate recommendations and give valuable insights - and thus reduce the information that reaches us every day - is a good starting point. However the key challenge will be how effective Microsoft Viva can provide the right information at the right time.
Microsoft Viva is addressing the need to manage the challenge of information overflow in Modern Workplace environments, by using data driven recommendations and AI. To achieve this, Microsoft is combining technologies based on Microsoft Graph and AI into the Viva platform. However, as of today, the feature set is limited since not all modules are released yet. The time will tell how effective the Viva platform can be incorporated into the Modern Workplace to support employees with information processing, enabling focus on relevant information and thus improve the overall efficiency of the Modern Workplace based on Microsoft 365.