Businesses today rely on data far more than corporations in similar positions at any other point in history. Today, management is expected to be equipped with a vision to guide the company while simultaneously relying on data to make business decisions.
With so many changes facing the average corporation today, it’s easy to assume that the whole leadership handbook must be rewritten to continually motivate employees. That’s not true.
An essential component of ensuring that modern leadership styles don’t collapse in on themselves is to involve them in the process. The digital age is supposed to inspire leadership based on culture, communication, technology, and data. The following is an overview of ways digital leadership can help staff perform better at their assigned roles.
It Inspires Effective Communication
One of the biggest issues most workplaces face is ineffective communication. Ineffective communication is characterized primarily by the lack of understanding between departments or teams. According to research by Harvard Business Review, companies that communicate effectively had a 47% higher return to shareholders over a five-year period.
The proliferation of social media tools means that nobody has an excuse for not communicating with their team members. Platforms such as Slack have all but ensured that employees don’t need to leave their posts to deliver important messages. A cooperative employee can’t miss out on a message passed down to them via such a channel.
Digital Leadership Fosters The Development Of A Solid Company Vision
A company’s vision has historically been one of the most essential components in governing any leadership style. The tech industry is one of the fastest-changing sections in the world, so digital leadership emphasizes the need for change within organizations.
Digital leadership encourages management to focus on market trends and as a result, make impactful business decisions and solve difficult problems. It can achieve this by focusing its efforts on things that are likely to be relevant in solving these problems in the future.
Employees are generally more productive when management has clear plans for the future and takes actions that reflect a purpose to achieve those goals. Rather than prioritize output, the decisions made by management should attempt balancing employee satisfaction and productivity.
It Encourages Digital Literacy
Notwithstanding the benefits of new technology that can potentially improve a company’s inner workings, most companies are slow to adopt change.
In huge corporations, this can be attributed to the slow communication process from the bottom to the top. Oftentimes, management wants to maintain the status quo, so the communication process may be hampered out of self-interest.
In contrast, digital leadership encourages employees to adopt new technology from the top-down. If the leadership is already familiar with the technology and uses it regularly, then employees will have an easier time transitioning.
This is especially important to consider since digital literacy is rated as one of the most important skills management can have, according to a survey by MIT. A leader that’s not familiar with emerging trends will not only struggle to grasp the importance that lies within them but will also fail to help employees reach a higher potential.
It Helps To Develop The Ability To Delegate
One of the most positive outcomes of the digital revolution is that delegation has become both easier and more important. Consider a marketing company that’s overloaded with orders for content. Rather than giving employees more work than they can handle to meet deadlines, it’s often easier to outsource and pay for papers.
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Falling into the trap of micromanaging employees and processes that occur within an organization is an easy temptation to distract management. As a leader, a skill that you must possess is recognizing your limitations. Delegate things you aren’t good at and make the decision to outsource work to avoid giving employees too many responsibilities.
Decisions That Affect Employees Are Based On Performance
To increase employee productivity, every decision should be a collaborative process. The first step is to prepare a plan. To do so, you need to measure every employee’s current productivity. This will serve as a baseline to ensure that the strategies you follow have a positive impact on performance.
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Alternatively, measure performance and productivity at both the team and individual level to get deeper insight into employee performance. You then have the perfect starting point for implementing productivity-inspiring policies.
It Encourages Leadership To Provide Feedback
A ‘thank you’ or ‘good job’ can go a long way toward promoting employee morale and performance. It doesn’t necessarily have to be done in person, but people tend to appreciate it more when it is. When people feel like their efforts are appreciated, they feel empowered and motivated to do even more.
Keep in mind that some employees appreciate some forms of feedback more than others. For instance, some people might appreciate a text more than a phone call, while for others, a raise is the ultimate token of appreciation. Lastly, give honest feedback to avoid creating a negative feedback loop.
Conclusion
The digital revolution has dramatically changed the way modern leadership is approached. It’s up to management to take the mantle when it comes to making business decisions that encourage the adoption of new technology and other digital-oriented goals. The direct consequence of this is improved employee performance.
