Digitalization is it, but how do we build key digital skills?

TO help people be ready for the digital workplace of the future, leaders must help people develop digital skills that enable people to collaborate more effectively as work continues to be done in a hybrid model.

The goal is to help people become selfsufficient. What is needed is “democratizing expertise” to help people work smarter and provide more fulfillment at work.

To let the organization know what is possible with technology, companies will have to invest in proof of concepts and do demonstrations with the systems they already have in place.

Another action is to find people who can translate what technology can do in a language business people will understand. This requires finding people with drive and ambition, because getting everybody on board is going to be tricky.

In order to attract and retain the best talent in an inherently flexible labor market, the organization must have a compelling employee value proposition.

We must run a thread of digital connectivity through the goals of the individual, the team, and the organization, as this creates equal opportunity and visibility. We must create a workplace that is differentiated, supporting an equitable and distributed employee experience of the future.

Leaders must also help employees to establish and strengthen the ties to a community that is relevant to their work and their personal lives. This requires supporting employees’ desire to become increasingly technical, while also providing empathetic, formal training to people who need to progress in their roles.

The most valuable player in the digital workplace of the future is going to be focused on the needs of the business, as well as the ability to deliver on two strategic imperatives: digital business transformation and the recruiting, retaining and reskilling of a work force during unprecedented talent conditions. Under these circumstances, organizations are going to need digital savviness and humancentered skills.

We have to recognize that they are at “a pivotal intersection for a leap of faith to the next change…. Remember, you must deliver for the employee and for the organization as a whole.”

Let’s bear in mind that the world has changed. So public and corporate leadership must change too. Major structural changes such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution and climate change are now disrupting all industries and power centers. Technologies like blockchain are replacing centralized and hierarchical organizations with decentralized, autonomous entities. At the same time, social, economic and digital inequalities are increasing.

But many executives are already thinking and acting like pioneers of a new governance era. These include business leaders who champion environmental, social and governance metrics , and some politicians who push boundaries. Above all, however, young people are demanding a better future.

We need leaders who are exploring largely uncharted territory, acting as trailblazers and championing concrete action to combat climate change and social injustice.

In the end, it all comes down to people and values, in the private sector and in government. We need to shape a future that works for all of us by putting people first and empowering them.

The focus on people will drive digital transformation as companies think through returns to the office and what a hybrid workplace will look like.

What are we supposed to be involved in these days? Digitalization and innovation? To get there, we are asking ourselves how we can improve planning, forecasting, budgeting, run simulations, run plans and analytics in a very visual and intuitive manner. W hat tools are available? Are we making those tools available to the private and government organization? And more importantly: are we training our important asset, our people, adequately?

Luckily, detailed training is available for companies, for industry sectors and subsectors, and for government offices.