When the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic became apparent in March of 2020, most organizations responded in two ways: by having employees begin working remotely and finding ways to cut spending. While this cost-cutting occurred across the board — Gartner research revealed that 93% of midsize organizations cut costs — the strategies varied: 49% put hiring freezes in place, 27% conducted significant layoffs, 35% cut all training, and 27% froze all promotions.
How to Build Digital Dexterity Into Your Workforce
As we move to the next phase of the pandemic, more than 90% of midsize organizations are planning to migrate to a hybrid work structure for at least some of their employees. A hybrid work environment accentuates the importance of technology investments. With employees toggling back and forth between the office and working from home, investments in new meeting solutions, collaboration and communication services, and personal productivity tools will be critical to driving employee performance. Yet many of these investments will fail to generate substantial business impact. The missing ingredient of most digital transformation initiatives is a sustained and successful focus on improving employees’ and leaders’ digital dexterity: the ambition and ability to use technology for better business outcomes. The authors present the key steps organizations can take to begin shaping employees’ digital ambitions and abilities.