Becoming a digital-first organisation is about so much more than just investing in new technology. It’s about shifting the culture and mindset of the organisation. It’s about challenging the norm and changing the very fundamentals of how the business operates. And it’s about blending human strengths with digital know-how, to futureproof both individuals and organisations alike.

Business transformation isn’t easy, nor is it straightforward. Change has to start at the top, and leaders need to lead differently than they ever have before. With real entrepreneurial spirit, leaders must foster innovation, manage courageous decisions, and be open to change. Most of all, they need to take calculated risks, knowing that they may not always succeed. Failure is a possibility, but success will never happen unless you take the leap regardless.

Earlier this year, Jonas Prising (ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO) and tech entrepreneur will.i.am discussed the importance of leaders taking risks at the Fireside Challenge that we hosted at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. Take a look at a few of the highlights:

During any period of transformation, effective leadership can be the difference between success and failure. Organizations at every stage of the transformation journey will need to identify, nurture and develop their existing and future leaders to amplify what’s humanly possible in a digital world.

Learn more in our whitepaper From C-Suite to the Digital Suite: How to Lead through Digital Transformation.

As technology becomes ever-more sophisticated, we can expect to see new skills emerge and grow in importance. At the same time, skills that demand a premium today may become less important, as automation and robotics continues to replace routine tasks.

While no one can be sure exactly what the future holds, we do know the biggest impact will be felt by women. They’re already underrepresented in industries that anticipate the greatest job growth: engineering, technology, architecture and mathematics. They’re also overrepresented in sectors most threatened by digitisation, automation and robotics, such as office and administration positions. If the current trajectory continues, women could face three million job losses and only half a million gains. That means more than five jobs lost for every job gained.

The data is clear: when women participate in the workforce to their full potential, businesses benefit from better decision making and better financial results. And, in a world that’s challenged by demographic change and talent shortages, it’s critical that businesses draw in those that are not fully participating in the workforce.

Businesses are still a long way from achieving gender parity, though. To make real progress, more needs to be done to support women in their careers. That’s why we asked women what works for them – how they think employers can better support their career development. Take a look at our infographic to find out more:

Click here to view the full infographic

Gender parity isn’t just the right thing to do – it makes clear business sense. But it’s not easy and there is no quick fix. If organisations are serious about gender parity, they must go beyond programmes and change the culture. It’s time to put words into action.

Building on what leaders told us and on our own commitment and experience, we have identified seven practical steps that will accelerate organisations from circular conversations around awareness to the tipping point that will help them achieve gender parity.

Download our whitepaper Seven Steps to Conscious Inclusion: A Practical Guide to Accelerating More Women Into Leadership to find out more.

Gone are the days of choosing a profession as a teenager, and progressing through that single career path until retirement. Digitisation of the workplace means that the jobs that are around today may not be around forever. People need to continually adapt and evolve their skills, if they want to remain employable and successful. And it’s important that employers support and encourage this too, to ensure they continue to have a right-skilled workforce.

With this in mind, the defining challenge that faces leaders is this: how do we help workers to futureproof themselves in a changing world of work? We need to create clear career paths from education to employment, to help people move from this job to the next. We need accelerated reskilling programmes, with faster, shorter bursts of on-the-job, experiential training. And we must shift more people from declining to growth industries – turning textile workers into composite materials technicians, coal miners into coders, and more.

This was the topic of conversation at the Fireside Challenge event that ManpowerGroup hosted at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting earlier this year. Our Chairman and CEO Jonas Prising was joined by tech entrepreneur will.i.am. Together, they explored how businesses can develop the skills they need. Watch this short video to see some of the highlights from the discussion:

We cannot slow the rate of technological advance. However, we can invest in employees’ skills to increase the resilience of both people and organisations. With the right skills mix, people will augment – rather than compete – with technology. Businesses have a critical role to play in empowering their workforce to succeed.

Download our whitepaper Robots Need Not Apply: Human Solutions in the Skills Revolution to learn more.

You don’t know you’re living in the dark ages until the next era comes along and tells you. That’s the nature of development. When something new comes along, the way people were previously living and working can suddenly seem incredibly archaic.

It goes without saying that technology is steadily transforming the world of work. It’s certainly not the first time that we’ve seen significant change in the workplace. However the difference now is that it’s happening at an extraordinary pace and no one can be entirely sure what the future holds. People talk about technology removing jobs, machines replacing workers, and some people even speculate that there might be a world without any work at all. These are exaggerations, but it does beg the question: what role will humans play in tomorrow’s work?

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting earlier this year, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jonas Prising and tech entrepreneur will.i.am discussed the role of humans in tomorrow’s world of work, and the prospect of a jobless future. Take a look at a short video excerpt:

As leaders, helping people to upskill and futureproof themselves is the defining challenge of our time. This is what we call the Skills Revolution. In this digital world, success won’t always require a university degree. Instead, it will heavily rely on curiosity and having an appetite for continuous skills development. Learn more, we invite you to download our whitepaper:
Robots Need Not Apply: Human Solutions in the Skills Revolution.

Workforces around the world have become fragmented. Often, permanent workers are managed separately – and differently – to their non-permanent counterparts, despite working side-by-side. However, as alternative ways of working continue to grow in prominence, organisations that lack an integrated, holistic talent strategy may struggle to engage the right workers at the right time and at the right cost.

This is one of the reasons why many organisations are starting the journey to Total Talent Management, uniting the entire workforce in a fully comprehensive talent management programme, delivered by a single provider. They recognise that securing the best talent, and managing them in the most effective way, is more important than internal definitions, labels and reporting lines. So much so that when we interviewed a selection of senior HR professionals, nearly 90% agreed that future workforce strategies will call for enterprise-wide implementation, regardless of employment status.

Yet, Total Talent Management cannot be implemented overnight. Often, there are a number of internal challenges that need to be managed long before implementation can even begin. How can organisations begin to embed this mindset into their organisation, and start to embrace a truly blended working population? We’ve shared five areas that can help organisations as they start their Total Talent Management journey.

5 steps towards an integrated approach to talent

1. Break the silos between HR and Procurement
   For many organisations, there is a disconnect between HR and Procurement, with both operating in distinct silos from one another with different and competing goals. Organisations can realise untapped value and reduced risk when HR and Procurement collaborate on an integrated talent strategy. It means that employers can focus on engaging the right person with the right skills, regardless of how they need to be employed.
2. Understand current workforce realities
   Employers often take it for granted that they have an accurate understanding of their workforce size and composition. Yet, our research found that as many as 80% lack a reliable estimate of who is really working for them. Before Total Talent Management can be implemented, organisations need to develop a clear picture of their organisation; the types of workers already engaged; and the specific skills required. Strategic decision-making can only begin when the entire workforce is being considered.
3. Educate leaders on how and why to optimise a blended workforce
   In implementing Total Talent Management, numerous stakeholders across the business will need to accept, adopt and implement new processes. Consequently, HR must create awareness amongst the c-suite of the benefits of this approach and talk in commercial terms regarding the business case. As well as giving tactical input and fixing issues where required, they ideally also need to be part of the decision-making committee and provide strategic direction.
4. Review technology and data priorities
   As workforce composition becomes more complex, organisations will need to adopt more precise strategies that are aligned to real-time business needs. This will involve augmenting and aligning existing talent sources and platforms, to enable better, faster decision-making and greater transparency. To achieve this, significant investment in technology and data will be required.
5. Balance short and long-term priorities
   The complex environment HR operates within may limit the time leaders have available to focus on implementing Total Talent Management. They need to keep the business running smoothly with one hand, while preparing for a different and uncertain future with the other. However, while immediate issues must be addressed, they must be mindful of the potential long-term risks to their organisation if they do not prioritise taking a more joined-up approach to talent.

For more information on Total Talent Management and the benefits this approach could realise for your organisation, please visit: manpowergroupsolutions.co.uk/total-talent-management

This article first appeared in the eighth edition of The Human Age Newspaper.

Change can cause friction. It can impact decisions, hamper progress and disengage people in the workplace. During any period of change, leaders must drive the right behaviours and lead from the front. And with technology continuing to transform the world of work, this has never been more important than it is right now.

Businesses are at different stages on their digital journey. Some are determining strategic importance; others are working out who should be in charge of digital change; and some are just firing up to follow the crowd. No matter where companies are on their transformation journey, the path ahead is clear: organisations must be more agile than ever before and they need deliver in the short-term, while adapting for the long-term.

Against this backdrop, at the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Annual Meeting, ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising and tech entrepreneur will.i.am challenged traditional ideas of effective leadership and explored what is required to lead through digital workforce transformation. Take a look at the below YouTube video to watch the full panel.

In the digital age, leaders must encourage a culture of measured innovation and experimentation within clear parameters. They must learn fast, break down silos and champion seamless collaboration.

To learn more, download our whitepaper:From C-Suite to Digital Suite – How to Lead Through Digital Transformation.

Developments in digitisation, automation, and AI are changing the world around us. And the workplace is set to rapidly evolve too.

Whether you lead a team, or want to take the next step up, digitisation will affect you. In management or leadership of any kind, having the right skills will be vital for the digital era. Yet they aren’t necessarily the ones you might expect.

Are you ready for the digital era?

Today, more than 90% of employers expect digitisation to affect them. 75% of business leaders believe they will need brand-new skills. And, by 2020, up to 30% of industry revenues will come from new business models.

In today’s world, technology and the workplace are changing constantly. For individuals looking to get ahead, the ability and willingness to adapt to a digital environment is going to be the key.

Are you ready to lead?

The term ‘leadership’ is often thought of as the preserve of senior management. But the truth is: anyone can be a leader.

The characteristics of most successful leaders today are about being:

• Adaptable: accepting of change, ambiguity and uncertainty
• Motivated: and with the drive to be successful
• Resilient: and being tenacious
• Sharp: by being intellectually bright and ready to take the initiative
• Learnability: a willingness to learn new things and upskill
• Curiosity: the willingness to ask “why” and challenge how and why things are done.

Curiosity and learnability are going to be vital given the rapid emergence of new skills. Yet to become an effective in the digital age, leaders will need other traits too.

Traits like the ability to spot talent; encouraging learnability in others; accelerating performance and ‘daring to lead’.

To discover more and find out what your top skills are, take our test: