The Millennials Won't Save You, but Culture Can

LONDON and LIVERPOOL, England, June 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Digital roll-out success comes down to creating the right culture at work with 29 per cent of UK businesses still not bringing in digital technologies 

Businesses hoping that their digital woes will be solved by a surge in Millennials joining the workforce are in for a shock. New research commissioned by Cisco, in partnership with the Institute of Cultural Capital (ICC), has found that creating a positive digital culture at work and encouraging worker confidence in digital tools are the most important factors in ensuring digital roll-outs are successful.

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Based on a survey of more than 3,000 UK workers, the findings outline the most important factors to determine whether businesses will succeed with digital roll-outs. Research has found that different organisational cultures lead to contrasting rates of digital adoption. Company digital culture ranked far above an employees' IT experience, company size or the sector in which they operate, when determining attitudes to digital roll-outs.

Digital vision vs reality 

British workers are largely optimistic about their experiences with digital technologies, with more than two thirds (67 per cent) stating that digital technology has had a positive impact on the way they work. Yet there is still work to do. A concerning 29 per cent of businesses are still not bringing in digital technologies. Research also revealed a disconnect between what employees and businesses at large thought was a successful digital roll-out.  Around a quarter (26 per cent) of workers suggested a digital technology to leadership that they thought would benefit the organisation, but nothing came of it.

Employee confidence in leadership when it comes to digital technology is also mixed. Whilst a quarter (24 per cent) of workers are confident in the digital vision put forward by senior management, just under half (45 per cent) are undecided and around a fifth (19 per cent) stated that they are actively concerned about their company's digital future. The research also found that 29 per cent of employees believe that their leadership team is struggling to push through new digital ways of working, with the same number stating that culturally their organisation is not ready to embrace digital solutions.

Phil Smith Chief Executive, Cisco UK & Ireland: "There's no doubt that organisations today face a digital double-edged sword. On the one hand new technologies are continuing to re-invent what is possible in the workplace and it is clear business leaders and employees alike understand the potential benefits digital technology can bring. But our research reveals that without first fostering the right culture in the workplace and following a few golden rules when engaging with employees, it's possible for digital roll-outs to go off-track. Employees are craving clear digital leadership to drive the organisation forward and the boardroom must ensure digital delivers on its promise to help drive productivity and organisational effectiveness."

Getting digital culture right 

There are clear lessons to be learnt from those organisations getting digital roll-outs right. Employees that demonstrated the most positive attitudes to digital technology revealed that there are four key areas for businesses to address for success.

1. Clear digital leadership - Demonstrating a clear digital vision is important but so is taking the time to ensure that workers are on board and equipped to undertake the same digital journey. Research found that 40 per cent of workers stated that the digital technology wasn't explained effectively to them by their employers.
   
2. Fostering positive attitudes to digital technology - The more time organisations spend consulting staff, and building a culture that nurtures an acceptance of change, the more effective implementation of digital technology is in the workplace. A concerning 64 per cent of workers stated that they weren't consulted prior to the provision of new digital technologies.
   
3. Limit organisational barriers - Prior to roll-out, organisations must assess their structure to highlight any potential barriers to success. This could include addressing out-of-date internal processes, removing restrictive legacy technology systems, or resolving a pre-existing negative digital culture. Employees do value digital technology, with 58 per cent believing its implementation can make their organisation more productive.
   
4. Good communications - Employees appreciate traditional forms of communication around digital roll-outs. This includes face-to-face interaction, dedicated training on the new tools and a clear articulation of how the new digital technology will impact their role at work. Research found that 57 per cent of employees stated that they would have liked more information on how to use new digital technologies.

Simeon Yates, Director, Institute of Cultural Capital: "The UK is one of the most digitally engaged nations in the world with 87 per cent of the population online. Despite this, there are few nationally representative studies on the uptake of technology by the UK workforce. At a time when digital technologies are bringing disruption to many sectors, our research has found that that digital access at work (71 per cent) is lower than at home. This report has found that the key to successful digital roll-outs are the intangible characteristics of culture and leadership, more so than the tangible factors of having access to the right technology. It consequently means that organisations' ability to become digitally ready is firmly in their own hands."

Notes to Editors 

The survey was commissioned by Cisco in partnership with the Institute of Cultural Capital (ICC), and is based on more than 3,000 UK workers.

Workers' attitudes to digital technologies 

1. They're digitally engaged: 83.6 per cent stated that they have confidence in their home use of digital technologies. They are also inclined to accept digital technologies in the workplace with 45 per cent stating that at least half of their working day is spent using digital technology of some kind. More than two thirds (67 per cent) stated that digital technology has had a positive impact on the way they work, with 56 per cent saying it had made their job quicker and 50 per cent saying it has made their job easier.
   
2. They're pragmatic about digital: Workers have balanced expectations around what technology can do for them. Most (65 per cent) thought that the number of new digital services that had been rolled out in the past two years was 'just about right' and respondents that had experienced between three and five roll-outs were the most positive. They also understand why their employers are implementing these services, with 58 per cent stating it was to make the organisation more productive, 51 per cent to cut costs and 47 per cent to automate tasks.
   
3. They want a dialogue on digital: 64 per cent weren't consulted prior to the provision of new digital technologies and 57 per cent would have liked more information on how to use new digital technologies. 40 per cent stated that the digital technology wasn't explained effectively to them.

About Cisco 

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Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

About the Institute of Cultural Capital 

The Institute of Cultural Capital conducts collaborative and interdisciplinary research that critically examines the role and value of cultural interventions. Established in 2010, this leading centre of cultural policy research is a strategic collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moore's University. Our research is structured around five core themes:

• Cultural Policy
• Cultural Leadership
• Digital Culture
• Cultural Assets and Social Value
• Culture and Collaborative Practice

The institute is led by a core team of internationally acclaimed researchers and draws upon the considerable expertise of partner institutions and a global community of cultural policy experts.  The digital culture strand is led by the Institute Director (Prof. Simeon Yates). Prof Yates work has been on all aspects of the social and cultural impacts of digital technologies, this has included: work on digital inclusion and exclusion; gender and technology use; mobile and online social interaction; and digital arts as well as the organisational challenges of digital technology use in policing.

SOURCE Cisco and Institute of Cultural Capital