People are the real drivers of change.
If we want to lead companies and organizations into the future of work, we must prepare people to develop their mindset for the change in the way of working.
There is no point in only considering digital tools and factual technical skills which are embedded in new digital generations.
At the same time, it would be misleading just to focus on classical digital transformation processes (procedures, systems, rules etc.) promoted by big multinational companies.
All these elements do not represent a tangible feature of agile work, as the mindset is the real enabler of such dramatic change.
Therefore, it is vital to enhance this digital mindset which applies across different roles, seniority and expertise.
Why does the workplace have to become a mindset?
Digital is an enabler for company wide transformation and innovation, but it is not enough to design the best digital strategy if people are not ready to go digital: people need to be guided in learning digital strategic thinking as a trigger for agile transformation.
Hybrid workplace, unique digital mindset.
So far, organisations have mostly invested in optimising technology, tools and processes for remote working, without considering all those people who feel productive only in the office or struggle to be productive, regardless of the technological tools they can benefit from.
According to some studies (*), the number of people feeling they are not productive either in the office or anywhere else has increased by 75%.
Any company should aim to enable people to work and be productive regardless of the physical place where they are used to working.
Does a hybrid working model guarantee good productivity, both on site and remotely?
Today, effective hybrid working models require that people have access to right tools and processes, wherever they choose to work.
Key figures (*) demonstrate that:
- +37% of the people feel they are productive anywhere
- +10% of the people feel they are productive on site
- +75% of the people feel they are not productive everywhere
In recent years, digital has made its way into our personal and professional lives, to the point of becoming essential.
Remote working is just a taste of the most common and autonomous ways of working.
Leaders’ responsibility
Responsibility to create a good working environment belongs to leaders. They are expected to set fair KPIs and targets, as well as to apply a balanced control and accountability.
They should resort to a digital mindset assessment not to evaluate their resources, but to support them and to help them improve.
True agile work management should combine in the Manager-Coworker relationship both goal-setting capabilities and individual autonomy, as well as remote leadership and performance evaluation.
Leaders are expected to map and analyse the digital maturity of organisations and to assess people in order to increase digital awareness and develop digital aptitudes.
Indeed, digital transformation does not only refer to the implementation or adoption of technological solutions.
It is also the process of ensuring growth, focusing on the evolution towards a truly innovative business environment.
The future of work or the “next normal” should be based on organisational models that “release energy” by using the digital mindset assessment as a laboratory and accelerator for greater mental and social fluidity.
Just to give some evident examples, Human Value and Giunti Psychometrics have jointly developed FUTURIFY, a People and Organisation strategy solution focused on people digital mindset assessment. The goals are to increase digital awareness and develop digital aptitudes. At the same time, they have also developed a methodology to map and analyse the digital maturity of organisations.
(*)Sources
Accenture – Future of work Study, 2022
Accenture – Life Trends, 2023
Gartner – HR Trends, 2023
Article written by Fabio Ciarapica, Partner CFR Global Executive Search Italy
Photo source: Pixabay