There is a need to create a thriving and adaptable organisation that can excel in this digital world. But what does that mean and what does it take to deliver?
At the heart is a thriving workforce: one that is diverse and adaptable, investing in talent and encouraging collaboration and movement across business units and geographies. Sustained by an inclusive and growthfocused culture, organisations get the best out of their diverse workforce and inspire growth and development. These workforces encourage thinking beyond the traditional employment deal and focus on the whole person agenda – what energises people and how they can support employees’ physical, financial and emotional wellbeing.
Thriving individuals feel they are growing and contributing with challenging and engaging work, developing skills and experiences that will tangibly benefit their career. They can see how their contribution is impacting the success of the company.
They are connected and empowered, able to access the knowledge and people they need to form teams that deliver. Thriving individuals feel healthy and energised enjoying their work for which they feel they are fairly rewarded and which enables them to balance work with health and lifestyle needs.
What underpins success of these thriving organisations?
- A future-focused people strategy: anchored in data to provide accurate predictions of future needs; and integrated to bring together the full talent and HR programmes into one comprehensive plan. Above all, these strategies are focused on individuals – providing policies that matter to them so they can truly thrive and be productive.
- A compelling value proposition: something which only two in five workers say their company has. The new proposition addresses compensation and benefits but then differentiates around providing tools to help employees manage their health, wealth and career in a way that is personalised, flexible and addresses their individual needs.
- A thriving work environment: employee experience is driven by day-to-day interactions and relationships. At the heart of a thriving organisation are leaders who have critical new skills around digital leadership, global mindset, design thinking – and build capabilities in the core “human areas” of leadership, enabling them to truly connect with their workforce. Employees also need the ability to drive their career forward, leveraging technology and career frameworks to help navigate their options but also coached by managers who understand their skills and aspirations.
- A data-driven lab mindset: that encourages experimentation, design thinking, risk taking and a climate of continuous learning. Staffed with people who are interested in learning, with access to readily available data that informs options and predicts trends.
Digitisation, diversity and disruption are shaping the next decade of work. Companies that lead will be those that put people at the heart of their business. They will equip and coach managers to connect with their teams, provide challenging work and clear career paths and embed leading edge HR policies that support the employees’ physical, emotional, financial and social wellbeing. Surviving digital disruption relies on connection with people.