Cinderellas must evolve into princesses of digital revolution
THE biggest leadership challenge for human resources departments is to drive the human side of digital advancement, according to Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report.
HR executives across industries are lagging in adopting new technologies.
This could be because they have the dual role of dealing with their own disruption, while supporting disruption in the departments they serve.
The evolving role of the employee
There is a strong drive away from being a cog in the corporate wheel to individual job satisfaction and a shift from inputs to outputs.
There is a strong move towards remote work which requires access to cloudbased systems, shared information, collaborative technologies with a focus on results and delivery, rather than timesheets and attendance.
The growing millennial workforce comprises first-generation digital citizens who are looking for quicker results and technology that enables performance feedback in real time.
According to Deloitte, these employees are becoming the first consumer of the employer’s brand and as such the relationship dynamic is shifting to one that merges work and life with hyper-connected employees.
Because of the rapid emergence of new technologies, there are jobs that have never been part of the organisational structure.
Education systems will be required to equip workers of the future with the skills they need.
Digital Leadership
Digital leaders pave the way for digital transformation with an integrated approach to organisational design and the change management interventions required to guide the organisation through this pioneering territory.
Unfortunately most of our current leaders are distinctly uncomfortable with technology.
They have not embraced it to any meaningful degree in their own lives and work. Key leadership skills require a visionary mind set to develop solutions, for innovation and disruption, to champion digital initiatives and the ability to lead digital teams.
Today’s leadership development programmes should focus on building flexibility, adaptability, promoting individual work styles and being comfortable giving their team the freedom to innovate and fail forward.
Complex problem-solving, cognitive flexibility, creativity, emotional intelligence and service orientation are just a few of the critical skills needed to thrive in this world.
As organisational structures get flatter, self-leadership has become a priority.
Remote employees require the autonomy and mastery to make decisions in the moment or to have access to the necessary analytics, data and decision-makers in real time.
South African-born American business magnate Elon Musk advocates removing the chain of command and liberating people to speak to whoever they need to, to achieve the best results.
Connection is both a digital and human requirement. In the digital environment, communication has become more transparent, democratic and driven by collaborative input.
Leaders should have the skill to communicate effectively across face-to-face and digital channels.
Connective communication is shifting from top-down, one-way to agile conversation, utilising a full range of digital tools available to organisations.
As people are recognised as an increasingly important source of capital, they need to move from being the Cinderella of the organisation to the princess of the ball to take their strategic place at the table.