Three Characteristics of Digital Workforce

Digital organizations are always on, interdependent and hyper-connected, people are always the most important asset in any organization before, today, and future. However, compared to a traditional workforce, the digital workforce is a new breed - the super Connected generation with a multitude of varieties - multi-generations, multi-cultures, and multi devices.
Growth Mindset: Digital is the age of abundance of information and clicks away knowledge, it means the shortened knowledge life cycle and fierce talent competition.s In the industrial era, fixed mindsets are okay to survive because the business and world are slow to change. However, at the age of digitalization with increasing velocity and rapid changes, a growth, even an accelerated mind is strategic imperative to adapt to changes, enjoys new thinking. As changes are expedited for both individual and business, neither business nor life is linear these days, the capabilities to adapt to unpredictable, ride above the learning curve are critical to making continuous improvement and smooth digital transformation.  At the organizational level, the digital business environment is dynamic and uncertain, growth and innovation are heavily dependent on having the right people with growth mind in the right places at the right time. Therefore, it’s also strategic to build a positive environment and culture of learning where people can develop and learn more rapidly and dare to be different. That is the power of digital workforce.
Connect-wise: Digital also means hyperconnectivity. Social platforms provide unprecedented opportunities for people all over the world to share, brainstorm, and co-creative knowledge.  Driven by strategic necessity, digital technologies, and cultural progress, the digital workforce today are divergent in many ways, share a natural affinity for new perspectives, innovations, and collective wisdom. However, being connect-wise means to discern the trend or fad, seek business values before taking business initiatives, the goal of such business connectivity is to unify the best of the best, shift the old way of thinking, and accelerate innovation via broad-based communication and collaboration.

Change/innovation capability: Either at the individual or organizational level, change capability becomes a key differentiator between digital leaders and laggards. Develop change capability in those who’ll help drive and deliver changes, also, consider the capability or ability of those impacted by the change to handle its impacts. That being said, recognize your change agents and change champions, because they will serve the organization with more energy and determination. But also identify the “change resistors,” if someone is “resisting” change, what’s that all about? Are they perhaps only get used to “certainty,” or “stability,” or is there something else? Or they may just try to alert sponsors to poorly thought-out change plan, and they have better ideas? Change is not for its own sake, People work best and remain engaged and satisfied when work empowers and enables them to be fully who they are. Therefore, it’s critical to build up a transformational workforce with the collective capability to adapt to changes.
Digital organizations today need to redefine themselves where talent can develop and learn more rapidly than anywhere else. Digitalization has erased the line between business brand and talent brand, as they are two sides of the same coin now. So businesses must be alert to the digital dynamic environment, adapt their workforce planning and development strategies to ensure their digital workforce is engaged, innovative and transformative. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu