Productivity
'Digital cultures' function in companies on two levels: strong and weak. What's the difference? Strong digital cultures provide training, information access, support from management, and leadership. Weak digital cultures don't.
This Bloomberg article highlights the downside to technology in the workplace:
Endless digital interruptions (e-mail and instant messages) distract workers. It takes their focus away from productive work.
Watered down training for new technology.
Inadequate IT support for tech tools people need to be productive. It's hard to get anything done when the 'system is down.'
A 24/7 virtual workplace facilitated by smartphones and VPN access to the office has created an "always-on" workplace. That dynamic leads to burnout.
Social media diversions like watching viral cat videos (as an antidote to burnout).
Those conclusions come from a Microsoft survey of 20,000 European workers. The poll categorizes "strong" and "weak" based on how productive employees feel. But the wrinkle in the findings is some companies get more out of technology than others.
Strong Digital Culture Requires Vision
In "strong digital cultures," 22 percent of employees feel highly productive. And about 5 percent feel unproductive. In "weak digital cultures," 12 percent of employees feel highly productive. In those companies, 21 percent of employees feel unproductive.
So what's missing in "weak digital cultures?" The answer is found midway through the article. It says that tech pays dividends when "executives conveyed to employees a clear sense of how the technology fits into the company's strategic vision."
So a strong digital culture gets better results from new tools and training because the changes are in the context of the company's vision. That implies that those organizations have a strategic vision. Moreover, the team understands it well enough to progress toward its realization. In short, there is alignment and commitment throughout the company.
"Digital" is not the operative word at work in the study. Both logic and intuition conclude that "strong digital cultures" are also strong cultures -- period. Teams working in a strong culture get more out of every investment than those working in a weaker environment. What's the difference?
Creative Interchange
In strong cultures, leadership is present throughout the organization. There's also a shared vision and a foundation of mutual trust. In that environment, new ideas are welcomed and challenged to build a consensus around new ideas. That ensures real commitment to transformational change. Technology implementations benefit from those same dynamics.
BBC News also published an article highlighting the results of the Microsoft poll. In it, Sir Cary Cooper cuts through the noise to the essence of effective leadership. "Productivity comes from creative interchange," he said. "It does not come from people sitting in front of machines sending e-mails."
His comments are relative to the Microsoft poll. But Cooper touches the root of our current leadership crisis: machines and written words don't foster "creative interchange."
The purpose of leadership is to unite people toward a shared goal, which requires communication. And for the past 20 years, technology has been misappropriated as a communication tool. Digital technology, including e-mail and text messages, is excellent for providing information. But it's been disastrous for communication.
Communication is Leadership's Lever
The Latin origin of the word "communication" means to impart, share, and unite -- "to make common." Communication takes place when a message is sent and a message is received. By that definition, most e-mail, text messages, FB posts, conference calls, and Slack conversations don't qualify as communication.
And sitting in front of screens has certainly reduced creative interchange. Information goes out, but there's no way of knowing if the meaning landed as intended. So it's impossible to fix misunderstandings or otherwise build consensus.
"The art of communication is the language of leadership."
— James Humes
Building shared understanding and emotion is a dynamic process among people. Moreover, effective communication is an interchange between people of ideas and feelings. Sharing information isn't enough. Knowledge without emotion does little to unite people.
The shortcoming of technology is that it only generates efficiencies. E-mail is more efficient than snail mail, but it doesn't make communication more productive. What's the difference between efficiency and productivity?
Do More with the Same
Think of efficiency as a measure of quantity and productivity as a measure of quality. In Michael Mankins' article, Great Companies Obsess Over Productivity, Not Efficiency, he points out that efficiency is about doing the same with less. Productivity is about doing more with the same.
Said another way, efficiency is the pursuit of stagnation. Productivity is the pursuit of growth.
Mankins looks back at the last 30 years and concludes that generating more efficiency out of organizations isn't possible. He equates pursuing incremental efficiencies as attempts to "squeeze blood from a stone." That implies that the coming decade will be about productivity. That takes a growth mindset and engaging a higher percentage of the workforce.
To boost productivity, Mankins prescribes:
Creating alignment between "the firm's purpose" with those of the team;
Developing leadership skills throughout the company. Those include "inspirational capabilities."
Building a "culture of autonomy and accountability."
It's within this formula that Sir Cary and Mr. Mankins meet in violent agreement. Productivity is a creative pursuit that requires leadership skills. It results from tapping into the hearts and minds of people.
Evolve Culture or Get Left Behind
If Michael Mankins is correct, the last thirty years of building success through improving efficiency are behind us. That was the easy part. And it's over. Cultures of cuts, control, and caution (efficiency) won't perform well.
Over the next decade, successful companies will pivot toward growth, creativity, and coordinated action (productivity).
Technology is too often used to be efficient, so it's not the answer. The best screwdriver can't sink a nail. And the best e-mail can't create alignment toward a shared purpose.
Moreover, even capable leaders fail when they aim at the wrong target. And the objectives are changing from more-of-the-same to more-from-the-same. So focus on the right goal: efficiency focuses on getting the same out of people. A culture propelled by productivity inspires people to give more.
Navigating that sea change involves creating relationships, trust, and a sense of purpose. That's the intricate, immersive work of leaders.
Achieving peak performance takes heart and soul. Knowing ours and bringing it out in others is the foundation of personal and professional fulfillment.