Building a human-centred, digital-first culture

The face of business is ever-changing and even more so in our post-COVID era.

While every company cares about profits, focusing on revenue alone isn’t enough anymore. In fact, in a study by McKinsey, it is reported that 70 percent of Gen Z consumers try to only purchase products from companies they consider ethical. This young generation points to the future of business.

Organisations are learning how important it is to be authentic and ethical. And a large part of that is being human-centred, yet digitally savvy.  

What is a human-centred, digital-first culture?

While it might seem like these two traits could be competing characteristics, they can actually go together quite well. A good attempt at making sense of this concept begins with understanding these two elements.  

A digital-first culture

Digital-first culture is a principle that embraces and encourages the use of digital technology to realise the goals of a business. It emphasises dexterity in transforming to meet the needs of your customers and the demands of the general market. 

The essence of a digital first culture lies in the fact that industries are ever-advancing. Evolution, which lies at the heart of digital-ready work culture, is a surefire way to ensure your brand progresses and holds its own against competitors.

Notable traits of a digital first culture include:

• Implementation of digital tools to complete tasks efficiently and streamline communication
• Availability of digital communication for customers to make purchases and receive support 
• Providing digital content to help clients and educate the community 
• Regular assessment of the business’s processes to leverage the best available technology
• Savviness of employees at using digital technology and comfortability at adapting to ever-changing systems  

A digital-ready organisation enjoys a boost in collaboration and transparency as team silos, delays and misunderstandings are reduced. Enhanced data collection helps to assess business processes and improve operations. 

A human-centred culture

A human-centred culture is simply one that concentrates on people.

This organisational mindset encompasses listening intentionally to employees’ and customers’ expectations and pain points, and ultimately generating and implementing human-centric solutions. Additionally, it humanises the process of managing, leading and growing employees, users, customers and the community at large.

Human-centred culture trades the obsolete authoritative template for a more aware leadership culture that cares about the purpose, growth, safety and general well-being of employees. Some hallmarks of human-centred work culture are:

• Investment in and care for the experience of employees, users, customers, shareholders and the general community
• Empowerment of employees, suppliers and stakeholders for better user and customer outcomes
• A diverse and inclusive workforce
• Prioritising the creation of better human experiences
• Recognising and appreciating the fundamental human need behind a solution

In a nutshell, a human-centred, digital-first culture can be defined as an organisational approach that focuses on its people, internally and externally, while practising a digital-first approach to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the market. 

It’s a framework that places humans at the centre of innovation.                

How to build a human-centred, digital first culture

Here are tips on how to build and foster people-oriented digital-ready work culture.  

1. Prioritise vision, purpose and leadership

If you see it, then you’ve got it!

Building a people-centric digital-ready culture in traditional organisations begins with a vision and purpose. They imbue the company with the drive to make radical changes and navigate any challenges it faces 

A clear vision and purpose ensure alignment of the entire team, which is key to implementing transformative ideas. 

Equally important is the C-suite. Company leaders have a tremendous impact on every aspect of an organisation’s affairs. Ensure your company leaders embody and demonstrate the human-centred digital first culture. 

If they don’t lead by example, it will be difficult for the employees to follow suit. How, then, can you effectively change the company culture?   

2. Be devoted to people

To build a human-centred digital first culture in traditional organisations, it’s important to understand that everything revolves around people. This includes employees, shareholders, suppliers, users, customers and the general community. Your company’s decisions and processes should be geared towards attending to their concerns.

This includes your own people in the organisation. It’s important they are in alignment with your organisation’s vision and purpose. 

Show you are invested in them by providing growth opportunities, transparent company policies and support or training when adopting new technologies. 

For your clients and community, it’s important to remember they too are people and not just revenues. A Salesforce study reveals that 66% of consumers expect customers to understand their needs and expectations. Put yourself in their shoes. How can you make things easier for them? 

People matter.      

3. Insist on technology, collaboration and communication

Human-centred, digital-first culture denotes proper connection to one another and enhancement of a company’s various processes.  

Technology, collaboration and communication are key elements in this. With the right tech stack, your team will be equipped to operate efficiently. 

But, at the same time, all the software in the world can’t change a company’s culture if the employees don’t operate as one. An organisation comprises people with varying skill sets and ideologies. Collaboration makes it possible for them to operate as one in spite of those differences. It erases silos, trust issues and conflicting priorities.

Thus, you face more support from your employees and less resistance to change. 

Maintain communications with your customers and users as well. Make the most of surveys and shared user feedback to get a better idea of what people think about your products and services. It can help drive innovation and changes.  

4. Encourage creativity, learning and recognition

Ingenuity, experimentation and observation are other key elements to creating a human-centred, digital-first company culture. It’s important to support creativity in your employees. 

Let your team know that failing fast and forward is just another way to learn. Nurturing creativity demonstrates that you trust your employees’ intelligence. 

If they come up with groundbreaking inventions, your organisation will reap as well! You don’t want to suffer the same fate as Kodak for neglecting their employee Steven Sasson’s idea of the digital camera. 

And remember to provide recognition for a job well done. Humans have a need to feel seen and heard, particularly when they make accomplishments and push boundaries. (Check out these ideas for creating an engaging employee recognition program.) 

5. Support equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Finally, to make human-centred, digital-first culture a reality in your organisation, the company policies should encourage a diverse workforce, an inclusive environment as well as equitable development opportunities and pay. There should be no bias or prejudice of any sort. This will keep your employees happy and productive. 

A human-centred, digital-first culture is neither a buzzword nor a trend. This concept is here to stay. Put your people first, and adopt technology that supports happy stakeholders, constant innovation and agility in your industry. Your people, inside and out of your organisation, will thank you.