Moving from friction to flow: How IT leaders can architect the work experience

Work is harder than it needs to be. And businesses are feeling the strain. Friction has quietly become the default, in turn negatively impacting individual productivity, team collaboration, and business performance. The data confirms what many already feel: Only 20% of knowledge workers report a healthy relationship with work, meaning the wide majority do not, according to HP’s 2025 Work Relationship Index. What’s more, the sharpest decline is among business leaders themselves, according to the study.

Yet IT and business leaders have an opportunity to move beyond simply managing devices. Instead, human-centered design principles and digital employee experience solutions can help architect a positive experience of work, from focused productivity at the desk to seamless collaboration in the meeting room.