The Next Revolution is here...

There are two powerful trends impacting us:  

First one is ,“the rise of social enterprise” as showcased by 2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends. The report says “Organizations are no longer assessed based only on traditional metrics such as financial performance, or even the quality of their products or services. Rather, organizations today are increasingly judged on the basis of their relationships with their workers, their customers, and their communities, as well as their impact on society at large—transforming them from business enterprises into social enterprises.”

And the second one is at our homes. The rise of millennials and digital natives, who as a workforce, believes in flexibility and a sense of purpose, more than the assets they own, and titles they carry. They are a global community which thrives on social connections and embraces digital devices as an extension of their human form. 

The obvious question is “why should we bother?” “How does it impact us”? Let’s explore a few themes: 

Right to do business:In recent past, we have seen many movements where people would like to associate with and buy products of companies, who behave as responsible citizens and are committed to make a difference to the world, we live in. As our societies evolve further, the desire to leave a planet habitable for generations, is taking over the desire to own assets. This changes the way we operate ….from profits to “people, profit and planet” as coined by John Elkington. It makes us responsible citizens and holds us accountable to our efforts and impact broader than counting investor profits. This also determines our Right to do business. At Diageo, we believe in “Celebrating life, every day, everywhere-in the community and for the community. Operating in a responsible and sustainable way every day, everywhere means that we can support our communities, protect and preserve natural resources and ensure alcohol plays a positive role in society”. This powerful purpose is a rallying cry to energize our employees and the communities around us. It really helps us to articulate the “why ?”

Employee Value Proposition(EVP): While it is a simple concept and an employee centric approach, the manifestation is huge. To build an impactful EVP, one needs to look at all aspects of workforce plan and integrate these efforts around a common theme- from how we are organized to how we operate to how we build careers to how we reward employees? While the Power of Purpose inspires employees, it’s the environment, which connects employees to organization. As the “social enterprise” nurtures itself and more and more millennials come to the workforce, one needs to build:

• a culture, which embraces diversity of thought and nurtures innovation
• a structure, which is fluid and dynamic, almost, like an amoeba
• processes, which are serving an outcome 
• leadership, which drives strength by being vulnerable. Helping and empowering teams to succeed….Servant leadership 

Global vs Local: It’s such an interesting debate at this stage. While globalization moved at a breath neck speed and we all felt “The World is flat”, we have seen an interesting trend now….more and more protectionism, questions on “real value”, limited mobility and many more. While, this debate may never end, there is a uniqueness to the current situation. As they say, millennials are millennials, wherever they are in the world. While every individual is different and unique, as a generation you would agree that sharing and connecting is a fundamental value for the millennials and they are driven by common themes of social commitment and sense of purpose. So whatever people may say, the world will continue to become smaller and smaller and we will truly be a global village soon. Respecting and appreciating cultures and being able to connect across geographical boundaries will differentiate the workforce of the future.

Its not where we are today but where we will be in the future…the rate of change is unbelievable. It will be futile for us to believe that this change will impact only certain industries or organizations. The change may come in different forms and shapes, but it’s inevitable. It’s not what we do tomorrow, but what we start doing today…Are you In?