首席人力资源官如何提升员工的数字敏捷性+How+CHROs+Can+Promote+Employees+Digital+Dexterity

HowCHROs

CanPromote

Employees’

Digital

Dexterity

ByAlexMontgomery

ExcerptFromGartnerHRLeadersMonthlyMarch2023

Inarapidlychangingtechnologylandscape,organizations

mustensurethatemployeescancapitalizeonevolvingdigital

toolsandopportunities.Tobuildworkforcedigitaldexterity,CHROsshouldupskillemployeestoworkdigitallywhile

fosteringtheirambitiontobuilddigitalbusinesses.

Intoday’sdynamicworkenvironment,upskillingemployeestomeetevolvingdigitalopportunitiesremainsacriticalpriorityfororganizations.

Accordingtoourresearch,only24%ofworkershaveahighdegreeofreadinesstoadoptnew,

technologicallydrivenwaysofworking.1Tomeetthischallenge,leadersseektofosterdigital

dexterity—namely,workers’abilityandambitiontosucceedbyleveragingexistingandemergingtechnologies.Theydosoforgoodreason:

91%ofemployeessayimprovingtheirdigitaldexterityimprovestheirworkeffectiveness.2

Despiteongoinginvestment,however,

thecurrentstateofworkforcedexterityis

discouraging.Eighty-threepercentofcorporateleadersdonotfeeltheyhavemadesignificant

headwayondigitalbusinesstransformation,3

eventhough81%ofemployeessaytheyhave

thetechnologytheyneedtoworkeffectively.2

Organizationsmustexplorenewdigitaldexteritystrategiestofuture-prooftheirpeople,and

CHROsshouldtakeaprominentrole.Thoughorganizationsmaytraditionallyviewdigital

dexterityeffortsastheresponsibilityofIT,HRalsooverseeswhetherittakesrootincompany

Figure1:FeedingtheAIEngineWithSkillsData

culturedevelopment,talentandperformancemanagementpractices.

HeadsofHRmaychoosetorelyonamore

conventionalroadmapforemployeeupskilling

thatinvolvesrespondingtotalentneedsthroughskillsspecializationandtechnicaltraining.But,onitsown,thisapproachwilllikelyfailtoanticipate

thefullrangeofcompetenciesemployeeswill

needtoadvanceintheircareers.Infact,upskillingreactivelyleavesHRbehindthespeedofbusiness,withemployeesapplyingonly54%ofthenew

skillstheylearn.4

Todrivedigitaldexterity,CHROsshouldinsteadbuildemployees’abilityandambitiontowork

digitallyandbuilddigitalbusinesses(see

Figure1).Byupskillingemployeestobeadaptiveandenablingcross-functionalcollaboration,

CHROscanensureworkershavetheability

toworkdigitallyandimproveoutcomeswiththerighttechnologies.CHROsshoulddrive

workforceambitiontobuilddigitalbusinessesbyfosteringworkers’beliefindigitaldexterityaskeytoemployees’individualgoalsandtheorganization’sbroaderpriorities.

WorkingDigitallyBuildingDigitalBusinesses

Ambition

AmbitiontoWorkDigitally

•Believesintechnology’sabilitytoaugmentpersonaltasksandactivities

•Willingtotakeonnewrolestosupportdigitizationplans

•Viewsdataandtechnologyproficiencyascriticaltocareeradvancement

AmbitiontoBuildDigitalBusinesses

•Considersdigitalizationtobecriticaltocompanyeffectiveness

•Innovatesandtakesrisksinpursuitofdigitalopportunities

Ability

AbilitytoWorkDigitally

•Adaptstoworkoninitiativeswith

unclearandchangingrequirements

•Worksiterativelytoimproveoutcomes

•Canworkfromanywhere,withtherighttechnologies

AbilitytoBuildDigitalBusinesses

•Collaboratesacrosssenioritylevels

tosetcompanydigitalizationdirection

•Surfacesdigitalizationopportunitiestoimprovedepartment/functionoperations

•Obtainstechnologiesindependentlytosucceedonthejob

n=3,481employeesfromallindustriesandfunctions;1,227enterpriseleaders

Source:2018GartnerDigitalDexteritySurvey;Q219GartnerGlobalLaborMarketSurvey

2ExcerptFromGartnerHRLeadersMonthlyMay2023HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

Figure2:KeyDriversandImpactofEmployees’DigitalDexterity

SystemsThinking

Understandstheinternalandexternalrelationshipsbetween

4.2x

technologyandprocesses

Fusion

Collaboration

Collaborates

effectivelywithemployees

ofdiverse

perspectives

4.7x

andexperiences

PoliticalSavviness

Buildsand

influences

stakeholder

networks

5.6x

internallyandexternally

r>

Adaptability

Demonstrates

anopennesstonewand

7.3x

iterativewaysofworking

G

BusinessAcumen

Demonstratesawarenessofthebroader

internalandexternal

9.9x

businesscontext

Source:Gartner

DriveWorkforceDigitalAbility

Tocultivateemployees’abilitytoworkdigitally,CHROsmusthelptheirworkforcebecome

adaptive,agileandpreparedtodeliverbusinessoutcomesinashiftingtechnologicallandscape.Agileemployeesmusthavetheskillsneeded

tomaximizeavailabledigitaltoolsandfurther

companyinitiatives.Buttheymustalsoembracechange,adjustingtonewworkenvironments

whilecapitalizingonemergingtechnologies.

CHROsshouldcreateanadaptiveanddigitallyableworkforce.Theseopportunitiesinclude:

•Workingdigitallybyupskillingemployeestosucceedonchallenginginitiativeswithevolvingrequirementswhilesurfacingnewdigitalopportunities

•Buildingdigitalbusinessesbyenablingcross-functionalcollaborationanditerativework

throughfusionteams.

UpskillEmployeestoWorkDigitally

Indrivingdigitalability,headsofHRmustnarrowinonthecrucialkeycompetenciesforpreparingemployeesforanincreasinglydigitalfuture.Ourresearchidentifiesfivecriticalcompetencies

thatbuildworkforcedigitaldexterity,including:systemsthinking,fusioncollaboration,political

savviness,adaptabilityandbusinessacumen.Theseskillscaneachincreasethelikelihoodofanemployeehavinghighdigitaldexterity

fourfold(seeFigure2).

CHROscansupportbuildingthese

competenciesacrosstheemployeepopulationbyencouragingteamstoidentifyproject

opportunitiesthatwillupskillemployeesbeyondtheircurrentroles.Thesefuture-focused

opportunitiesforgrowthinvolveaccessto

digitalexperience,traininganddeliverythat

maynotfallunderanemployee’straditional

responsibilitiesbutinsteadallowworkersto

surfacenewworkskillsthatcanguidetheir

careerdevelopment.Doingsowillnotonly

promoteorganizationalupskillingdirectives—addressinggapsbymatchingcompanyneeds

tounseentalent—butwillalsohelpemployees,themselves,becomemoreagileandadaptive.

EnableCross-FunctionalCollaborationtoBuildDigitalBusinesses

CHROsshouldpromoteworkers’adaptivitybyprioritizingcross-functionalworkflows

andfusionteamstoaccomplishbusinessdeliverablesandsetthecompany’sdigitaldexteritydirection.

3ExcerptFromGartnerHRLeadersMonthlyMay2023HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

CaseinPoint:

CitizenDataScientistCertification

Seagate

Seagate,aU.S.-baseddatastoragecompany,createdanupskillingprogramthatshows

howorganizationscanfuture-proofby

matchingemployeeswithopportunities

beyondtheirroles.Realizingitcouldnot

meetitsdatasciencetalentneedsthroughhiringalone,Seagatedevelopedadata

sciencecertificationprogramtoidentifyandtrainnonexperttalentwithinthecompany.

Theprogramisopentoemployeesacrossallfunctionsandrolesandallowsworkerstocustomizetheirdatalearningjourneytomatchtheirpersonalcareerinterests.

Tocreatethisupskillingprogram,Seagaterecastdatascienceasaskillsprofile

availabletoallemployeesratherthan

simplyafixedrolewithintheorganization.

L&Dleadersthenpartneredinternallywithadvancedanalyticsleaderstocreateaskillsprogramtobuilddatasciencecapabilitiesgloballywithintheorganization.

BeyondthetalentimplicationsforSeagate’sdatasciencehiring,companyleadershavefoundthattheprogramempowerscertifiedemployeestobringadatalensandfresh

analyticalperspectivetotheirownteams.Traitsofcertifiedemployeesincluded:

Contextualizedvisionoftheorganization

•Provenapplicationofanalytictechniquestobusinessproblems

•Appetiteforwhatmattersrelativetoimpactandbusinesspriorities

•ConnectionswithinITandthebusinessatmultiplelevels

•Uniqueperspectiveofindividualbusinessarea

•Curiositytoexploreandlearn

•Ableto“gotobat”tojustifybusinessvalue

•Hands-oninvolvementinmultipleanalyticareasandactivities

Inasurveyofthosewhohavecompletedtheprogram,atleast78%ofrespondentsreportedtheystartedapplyingthenewknowledgeandskillstotheirworkrightaway.

4ExcerptFromGartnerHRLeadersMonthlyMay2023

Afusionteamisamultidisciplinaryteamthatblendstechnologyor

analyticsandbusinessdomain

expertiseandsharesaccountability

forbusinessandtechnologyoutcomes.

Fusionteamsassembletechnologistsand

contributorsfromthroughouttheorganization—employeesfromdiversebackgroundsand

functions—toworktogetheranddrawuponavarietyofperspectivesandareasofexpertise(seeFigure3).Theyworkonawiderangeof

businesscapabilitiesandchallenges.Forexample,asalesfusionteammaydrawuponmarketing

professionalsandworkerswithtechnicalexpertiseonuserexperiencetomeetcustomerservice

needsfordigitalsalesplatforms.

Figure3:TraditionalVersusFusionTeams

FusionTeams

TraditionalTeams

Team

Boundaries

SourceofTechnicalExpertise

DeliveryStructure

ReportingLines

Teamsformwithinfunctions.

TechnicalskillsareprovidedbyITstaffexclusively.

Projectdelivery

requireshandoffsbetweenteams.

ITstaffreporttoITleaders;businessstaffreportto

businessleaders.

Teamsformacrossfunctions,businesslinesandenterpriseboundaries.

Technicalskillsfromacrosstheenterpriseareintegrated.

Workisintegrated

acrossthedeliverylifecycleandaniterativeapproachiscommon.

Reportinglinesaremixed.

Source:Gartner

HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

Across-functionalapproachyieldsmore

adaptiveworkflows,andasparticipants,agileemployeesseethevalueofupskillingand

takefreshperspectivesbacktotheirteam.Inthisway,CHROscanfostertheabilitytobuilddigitalbusinessesbyputtingemployeesinacollaborativeenvironmentforupskillingon

thejobandlearningthroughexperience.

FosterWorkforceDigitalAmbition

Todrivedigitalambition,CHROsmustcapitalizeonopportunitiestobuildemployees’emotionalengagementwithandbeliefindigitaldexteritystrategies.Thesetwoopportunitiesinclude:

•Viewingdataandtechnologyproficiencyascriticaltocareeradvancement

•Buildingdigitalbusinessesbyshowingdigital

dexteritytobecriticaltocompanyeffectiveness

ViewDataandTechnologyProficiencyasCriticaltoCareerAdvancement

CHROs’organizationwidediscoursearound

digitaldexterityshouldframetheimportanceofdataandtechnologyproficiencyaccordingtoworkers’needsandgoalsinsideandoutsidework.Employeesaremorelikelytoemotionallyattachtodexterityefforts—andultimately

becomedigitallyambitious—iftheyseethoseeffortsasessentialtotheirpersonalandcareerdevelopment.

Ifemployeesunderstandwhatdigitaldexterity

meansfortheirultimatecareersuccessand

personalgrowth,theyaremorelikelytodeveloptheambitiontousetheskillstheylearnthroughorganizationalinitiatives.CHROsshouldrespond

bycastingdigitaldexterityinlightoftheneedtodeveloptheirworkforceaspeople,not

justworkers.

5ExcerptFromGartnerHRLeadersMonthlyMay2023

HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

CaseinPoint:

CareerFrameworktoDeveloptheI&OWorkforceoftheFuture

EY

Inachangingbusinessandtechnology

environmentthatmakesitdifficultfor

organizationstokeeptheirworkforcecompetitive,EY’scustomizablecareerroadmapprogramallowsemployeestopivotmoreeasilytonewskillsthe

businessrequires.Akeyfeatureofthisprogramisskillstransparency—employees’visibility

intofutureorganizationalskillspriorities,as

wellastheirabilitytobuildpersonalizedcareer

developmentpaths.EYleadersrecognizedthat,

duetomissinginformationorsiloedlearning

goals,employeesoftenstruggledtomakeoptimaldecisionsfortheirskillsgrowth.

Tobuildtransparencyintotheorganization’supskillingefforts,EYdoesnotonlygive

employeesasenseofhowthebusiness’s

skillsprioritiesareexpectedtoevolveinthenearfuture.Rather,leadersalsoprioritize

employees’understandingoftheirpersonal

skillsprofile—howtheirparticularskillsgaps

anddevelopmentneedsstackupwithchangingorganizationalneeds(seeFigure4).Leadersalso

providepersonalizedguidancesoemployeescancontinuouslyimprove,transformand

stayrelevant.

Astheycrafttheirupskillingjourney,employeesareencouragedtopursuecross-functional

opportunitiesinsteadofbeingtiedtospecifictechnicalexpertiseorshort-termgoals.

Capitalizingonorganizationalvisibilityaround

internalcareeroptionsandassociatedskills

requirements,employeesusetheirpersonal

skillsprofiletoproactivelyidentifyhowtheycanself-prepareforpotentialroles.Byincreasing

workforceadaptabilityanddesiretoupskill,EY’stransparentcareerpathingframeworkhasseenasteadyincreaseinemployeeengagement

from77%to87%.

Figure4:Self-DeterminedCareerandSkillDevelopmentPaths

Illustrative

CommunicateallpotentialITrolesandskill

requirementsto

enableself-drivenandversatile

developmentplanning

CloseAlignment

StretchOpportunities

SystemsDesign

Consultancy

Solutions

Architecture

Business

Domain

Knowledge

Product

LifeCycle

Management

MyCurrentProficiencyLevel

SkillProficiencyGapsforPotentialRoles

JobFamily:ITEngineering

TechnicalSpecialist

Low

Low

Low

Low

N/A

Cloud

HostingEngineer

Moderate

Low

Low

Low

N/A

EngineeringTechnical

Lead

Moderate

Moderate

Low

Moderate

N/A

JobFamily:ITDigitalProductManagement

Senior

ProductManager

Low

Moderate

Low

High

High

Source:AdaptedFromEY

6ExcerptfromGartnerBusinessQuarterly3Q20HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

TBS

CaseinPoint:

OnboardingExperienceforEmotionalInvestment

TakedaBusinessSolutions

TBS,theglobalbusinessservicesarm

ofTakeda,apharmaceuticalscompany

basedinJapan,implementedaninnovativeapproachtoremoteonboardingduringthe

COVID-19pandemicthatdemonstrateshow

organizationscanshapeemployees’emotional

incentivestofosterdigitalambition.TBS

leadersrealizedthattheirremoteonboardingprogramwasnoteffectivelyconnecting

newhirestotheorganization,harmingthe

employeeexperienceandexacerbating

issueswithretention.Toaddressthisgap,

leadersfamiliarizenewhireswiththepersonalexperiencesofTBS’scustomers,implement

role-playingexercisesintoonboardingand

createopportunitiestospeakdirectlywith

patients.ThesechangesallowedemployeestobetterunderstandhowTBS’sproductsandserviceshelppeopleinatangibleway.

Inoneexercise,newhiresatTBSwere

assignedaconditionexperiencedbyareal

Takedapatienttosimulatewhatitmightbeliketolivewiththatcondition.Thisbuiltnewhires’empathyandtheirsenseoftheimportance

ofTakeda’smission.Tomaintainnewhires’

emotionalinvestmentandempathy,Takeda

alsoevolveditsgoal-settingprocessesfrom

beingsolelyoutcomes-basedandtoward

beingmission-based.ThisevolutionreinforcesconnectednesstocoretenetsofTakeda’s

culture,suchaspursuingdata-basedand

digitalsolutions(seeFigure5).Asaresultofthesechanges,newhiresreportedgreater

familiaritywiththepatientjourneyduetotherevampedonboardingformat.

7ExcerptfromGartnerBusinessQuarterly3Q20

ShowDigitalDexterity

toBeCriticaltoCompanyEffectiveness

Tobetterdefinedigitaldexterityasan

organizationwidegoal,CHROsshouldcapitalizeonopportunitiestobuildemployees’emotionalinvestmentindigitaldexterityefforts.This

connectedness,inturn,promotesemployees’motivationtoapplytechnologicalsolutionstocomplexworkproblems.Whenemployeesareshownhowdigitaldexterityliesattheheartof

organizationalpriorities,theyrealizeactingwith

digitalambitionforworkersmeansfulfillinggoals

thatmattertothem,companyinitiativesandclients.

Buildingmissionintogoalscreates

sustainable

commitment.

Figure5:Mission-BasedGoalSetting

Company

Imperatives

EmployeeGoals

Identifyandactontwowaystoimprovepatientexperience.

Networkwithonenewco-workerpermonth.

Movethreeprocessesonlinetosavewaste.

Createdata-

drivensolutions.

Patient

People

Planet

DataandDigital

NewHireManager

•Managersandnewhiresworktogethertosetnew-hireindividualgoalsdirectlylinkedtoelements

ofthemission.

•Newhiresconnectexecutionofthemissiontotheirowneverydaytasks.

•Teamsregularlymakethemissiontopofmindbyfeaturingpatientstoriesbeforemeetings.

Source:AdaptedFromTBS

HowCHROsCanPromoteEmployees’DigitalDexterity

Conclusion

Despitethesignificantinvestmentsorganizations

havemadetofuture-prooftheworkforce,employeedigitaldexterityremainscriticallylow.Forthemost

part,employeeshavethetechnologicaltoolsthey

needtodotheirjobs.However,theylacktheabilityandambitiontomaximizethedigitalopportunities

theyencounter.Togiveemployeesthesupporttheyneed,CHROsmustbuilddigitalability

throughadaptiveupskillingandcross-functionalcollaboration,allwhilefosteringemployees’

ambitiontobuilddigitalbusinessesforindividualandcompanywideeffectiveness.

1The2021GartnerUserInfluenceonSoftwareDecisionsSurveywas

conductedtounderstandhowusersviewtechnologyandtheircomfortwithit.Italsohelpedunderstandhowtheymightadvocateforsoftwareorpossiblysubvert“corporateefforts”andtheirroleinthegrowth

fromtrialtopurchaseandfromworkgroupusagetousageacrossthedepartmentorenterprise.Theresearchwasconductedonlinefrom

AprilthroughJune2020,among4,953respondentsinorganizations

withatleast100employeesintheU.S.(35%),France(23%),Germany

(22%)andSingapore(20%).Industriessurveyedincludemanufacturingandnaturalresources,bankingandsecurities,retail,government,

insurance,healthcare,communications,media,services,education,

utilities,technology,andtransportation.Respondentswererequiredtobefull-timeusersorstaff(notmanagers)whousetechnologyproductsandservicesfortheirday-to-daywork.Theywerealsorequiredtonot

beinvendormanagementorprocurement.ThesurveywasdevelopedcollaborativelybyateamofGartneranalysts,andwasreviewed,testedandadministeredbyGartner’sResearchDataandAnalyticsteam.

Disclaimer:Resultsofthisstudydonotrepresentglobalfindingsorthemarketasawhole,butdoreflectthesentimentsoftherespondentsandcompaniessurveyed.

2FutureofWorkReinvented:ImplementationtoDriveTalentand

BusinessOutcomes:Thisstudywasconductedtopinpointreal-

worldpostpandemichybridworkdesignandimplementation

leadingpracticesthatdrivecommontalentandbusinessoutcomes.TheresearchwasconductedonlineduringJune2022among412

respondentsfromNA,EMEAandAPAC.Of401,250respondents

areatemployeelevel(entrylevel/midlevelnonmanagers/individual

contributors)while151areleaders(directorsandabove).Respondentswerescreenedforthenatureoftheirworkasonlyknowledge

workerswerescreenedforthesurvey.Thesurveywasdeveloped

collaborativelybyateamofGartne