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Achieving digital transformation through better workforce intelligence

Firstup

May 10, 2024

Thomas Davies, CEO & Founder of Temporall — a data analytics technology company — has a very simple mission: to bring clarity to leaders. During his breakout session at Attune titled, Harness the power of workforce intelligence, Thomas discussed how workforce intelligence can help businesses to achieve true digital transformation.

Davies likened the leadership task of trying to gain insights and deliver organizational impact simultaneously to trying to rewire a plane while flying it — pretty near impossible! With 70% of digital transformations falling short of their objectives, there is a need for a deeper understanding of what is necessary to deliver an incredible digital experience both internally and externally.

Getting this right is essential as Thomas says, the competitive chasm that is created between companies that get it right, to those that don’t, can be catastrophic.

Gather data, organize and move quickly

One of the key factors that will determine those who prosper going forward is the ability to make informed business decisions quickly.

“The ability to gather, organize, interpret, and act on data and analytics will be the defining competitive differentiator of our lifetimes. Companies that embrace it will have an edge.
— McKinsey Quarterly: Reimagining the post-pandemic organization

The pressure on leaders to be able to react quickly, for businesses to be agile, and to rapidly adapt to ever-changing market circumstances is substantial. When we reflect on how long the business world had to prepare for events such as Y2K, or even the .com crash, compared with the recent pandemic, it’s staggering.

Things now move so quickly that it is simply untenable to rely on traditional data collection techniques, which are usually already out of date by the time they are reported. The organizational clock speed has accelerated exponentially and will only continue to do so.

This calls for a change in the way we think about gathering and using data. If leaders are to be able to make insightful, robust decisions at a rapid pace, there is imperative to have insightful, robust – and current—data at our fingertips. Working with this data needs to be embedded into the fabric of the business.

Set priorities that will have an impact

Of course, even with this level of enhanced data, we can’t use all of it and there is still a need to hone in on the priorities that will have the biggest impact on the bottom line. So what should leaders be focusing on to operate in a way that meets the needs of customers, organizations, and people in a hyper-transient world?

Alignment

According to Temporall’s recent research, the number one priority for 56% of executive leaders was alignment. While alignment means different things to different people – for leaders it may be having all employees aligned with vision and strategy and for those further down the organization it is likely to be about connection to the organization itself, other people, and teams, there is no denying that having everyone working towards the same objective is a cornerstone of business success.

Engagement

70% of the leaders surveyed stated that internal communications and engagement were a priority for 2021. This comes as no surprise, but one of the big takeaways was that companies that communicate with tone and compassion have a direct correlation to preventing isolation and burnout.

Investment

Over a third also stated that they would be prioritizing investment in the workforce. Of course, all businesses want to be able to attract, retain, and develop an excellent workforce. But the role of managers in this cannot be underestimated, and Temporall found that in a time when it is more important than ever for managers to display a deep empathy towards their team, they have started to default to an outdated task management approach as a result of it being more difficult to pick up on cues when managing a remote or dispersed workforce.

Embrace the digital employee experience

All of these findings strongly tie in with the ethos at Firstup — embracing Digital Employee Experience (DEX) to ensure that every employee feels connected, valued, and understood by using personalized communications that meet them where they are.

This is not just about making sure employees understand the latest mission statement. It’s about building solid foundations on which a business can grow and prosper – one which has an aligned, motivated, and connected workforce at its core. It’s about building a culture that doesn’t just ‘cope’ with change, but that drives it. While this may be tough, it is essential. The importance of taking the time to get this right must not be underestimated.

We are now at a juncture where connection must form the bedrock of every single business decision we make. Connections with people, with the business, and connections between data. Enhanced connectivity in all areas is what will enable businesses to operate at the speed required and to identify priorities with confidence – delivering tangible business outcomes.

“by 2023, 75% of the G2000 will make a commitment to providing technical parity to a workforce that is hybrid by design rather than by circumstance.”
— IDCFutureScape: Worldwide Future of Work 2021 Predictions