Culture is critical

Transitioning to the Future of Work and the Workplace: Embracing Digital Culture, Tools, and Approaches, DELOITTE

Our survey showed that C-level executives across geographies and varying company sizes have a shared vision of the future of work. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of those surveyed believe that company culture, especially transparency in internal communications, will have a critically important impact on their organization’s ability to realize its mission and vision.

Our own research by Bersin at Deloitte has shown that culture is a perennial top concern of executives, and the growing interest in employee engagement is part of the same focus on how to build a sense of belonging in a workforce that is increasingly dispersed, global, and mobile. The larger the company, our results show, the more important this issue becomes.

Another piece of research reflects the importance of the way people feel at work, with a majority of respondents prioritizing the importance of feeling welcome and included at work. Engaging people in the organization, making them feel part of something special, and having a network that enables them to realize their ambitions are factors leaders are increasingly paying attention to as they struggle to balance the demands of growing the top and bottom lines while needing to attract and retain the best talent possible.

Surprisingly, in contrast, only 14 percent of our respondents felt that culture has no, little, or a neutral impact on their ability to realize their vision and mission. This is skewed to smaller companies, where scale may not yet have focused attention on this need, but the response suggests that as they grow, they will need to address it. These companies should be aware there is a downstream effect to waiting, as research has shown a lack of leadership participation in developing a strong corporate network, whether via technology or other interactions, can lower levels of employee engagement.

LESSON #1: Pay attention to culture, help ensure leaders actively participate in its development and dissemination.