When Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (“The more things change, the more they stay the same”) he very well might have been talking about digital transformations and the power of people!
The digital-era of work won’t be driven by data or new technologies, it will be driven by the power of people.
As businesses and organisations embark on their digital transformations, more are failing at the transformation than are succeeding – Consultancy UK says “Two thirds of digital transformation projects fail” and Forbes suggests that number is as high as 84%!
Why?
In August 2017, The Boston Consulting Group published an article, Digital-Era Change Runs on People Power. In the article, they detail the four major trends happening in the workplace today as digital forces continue to play a bigger and bigger role in the way we do business.
According to BCG, digital forces are having a direct impact on:
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The need for increased purpose for employees
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The need for speed in the way businesses operate
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The need for inclusiveness in decision making
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The need for transformative behaviour change
In their article, BCG suggest four solutions for “adopting a people-first approach to change”:
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Catalytic leadership, where leaders live and breathe the company’s mission and energise their employees
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Agile ways of working, where employees have more autonomy and innovative thinking is championed
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Engagement, where communications are up-to-date, authentic, collaborative and transparent
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Digital nudges, where technology is used to give timely prompts to guide and support new behaviours
At NKD, we believe “Remarkable things happen when people feel valued, connected and empowered to make a difference”, and this belief is becoming truer and truer, bolder and bolder, stronger and stronger as we move into the digital-era of business.
The best organisations know that people are their most valuable asset!
To succeed in the digital-era of work, businesses and organisations must invest in their people; they must show their people that although machines are getting smarter and ways of working are getting more agile, the power of people is still the greatest asset to the business. In fact, the best organisations have been investing in their people for years, well before the digital-era world of work was on the horizon!
People-centric businesses and organisations understand that at the heart of special and unique customer experiences and sustained profit are engaged and valued employees; people-centric businesses and organisations understand that a purposeful brand identity is the direct result of engaged and valued employees; people-centric businesses and organisations know that “The more things change, the more they stay the same”.
So if your business or organisation is about to embark on a digital transformation, why not read our new microsite, Digital from the inside out, to help you harness the power of your people.