To flourish, a Digital Culture needs high performers with the freedom to make key decisions and work in their own way. There’s super-slick collaboration across cities, countries and continents. There’s continual experimentation and learning from successes and stories. And there’s a feeling of community and shared purpose.
Our previous article dug deeper into the key themes of a Digital Culture. And when they come together, productivity rockets, engagement soars, and loyalty blooms.
But Digital Culture is the key to solving another major challenge facing business leaders today: getting and keeping a diverse mix of the best people.
A Digital Culture drives diversity
Diversity in your people. Diversity in their thinking. And diversity in their experiences.
Using your Digital Culture to bulldoze the barriers to entry and progression, levelling the playing field and diversifying your workplace isn’t just the right thing to do from an equal opportunities’ standpoint. There’s an ever-growing body of research highlighting the performance benefits that more diverse teams bring, too.
The 2018 McKinsey report, “Delivering through Diversity”, is one of the most conclusive. It looks at 1,000 companies across 12 countries, and finds gender, ethnic and cultural diversity to be correlated with stronger profitability and value creation – especially in senior management roles.
But it also shows women and minorities remain underrepresented in these exact positions, making now the opportune moment to diversify through your Digital Culture. And reap the rewards.
A strong Digital Culture is a talent magnet
Especially when it comes to the ‘digital natives’ – the Millennials and Generation Z members that have been using computers and the Internet for as long as they can remember; advancing and accelerating with the times.
They’re taking control of the job market, already accounting for almost 40% of the workforce – a figure that will rise to 60% in the next decade. And they’re shaping it for all five generations in the workplace.
Flexible working isn’t a bonus. It’s an expectation.
High performers want the autonomy to get things done their way, regular feedback on their outputs to keep them on track and motivated, and the opportunity to collaborate, create and learn at speed. All of which are made slicker by a healthy Digital Culture.
But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s only the younger sections of the workforce with these aspirations. It’s everyone. Generation X and the baby boomers are wholeheartedly embracing apps, tools and the flexibility they bring. And attracting and retaining talent from all five generations rests on your ability to create an environment that supports their work-life balance, connects them to their peers, and engages them in a shared purpose.
You don’t need to be in the room, to be in the know
That’s the Digital Culture mindset. And while we can’t emphasise enough how little impact tools and apps will have without the belief, people and hunger needed to bring a Digital Culture to life, they’re important enablers of true flexibility. And they break down the geographical walls between you and a more diverse, more effective team.
Take collaboration tools, for instance. You’ll find loads of different, powerful options out there. We chose Microsoft Teams. And now, because of its instant messaging, livestreaming feature and integrated high-quality audio and video calls, our people don’t need to step foot in our offices to collaborate with each other and produce incredible work.
And in truth, if they prefer working that way and feel it makes them more productive, we don’t want them to anyway. No hard feelings.
If we’ve struck a culture chord and you’d like to swap some ideas – or find out how our electrifying people can slicken and sure-fire your success – get in touch with Ben Eason, our Head of Business Relationships, at bene@cooperparry.com
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