Cape Town, 22 May 2018
Influencers exist in every company, across industries and generations. Simply put, they are the individuals who ignite new conversations, champion innovative approaches to solving problems, and even influence shifts in organisational structures to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape, says Inga Davids, a Business Consultant at Saratoga.
With the world moving at an accelerated pace: think self-landing rockets, self-driving cars and Sophia the humanoid, advancements in technology create constant changes in countless industries. As we step further into this technology-driven age, this evolving world calls for new types of influencers and leaders.
Enter the millennial consultant: a generation famous for asking the question 'why'.
"Why are we improving existing technologies instead of leveraging new technologies?" "Why can't we introduce a new methodology?" "Why don't we think about the social impact?"
Often these questions are greeted with the response: "We've always done it this way, and there is no need to change". This is an answer that simply leads to more probing questions from millennial consultants.
As technology changes and evolves, so does the role of the consultant in organisations, with millennial consultants sparking new conversations and ultimately influencing the future of organisations.
Here are just some of the ways in which millennials are already influencing companies:
Future focused
Millennials have grown up alongside technology, and this means they've experienced a broad range of technological developments over the years. Think VHS to Netflix. Technology is an integral part of life for millennials, and this has given them a great understanding of how technology works. It should be no surprise that in the workplace millennials are expecting to work with the latest technologies and for organisations to evolve along with technology. According to a recent Microsoft survey, 93% of respondents said whether an organisation is using latest technologies was an important factor in choosing an employer. This has seen companies reconsider the way they've thought about technology, not just as a means to get work done, but instead using technology to enable employees to do their best work and to make more of an impact on the organisation and the world at large.
Meaningful work
The world of work has been shaped by those before us, with the previous generation defined by the pursuit of financial stability, long hours of work and the getting that corner office. The 2017 Deloitte Millennial Survey found that 76% of millennials surveyed believe businesses are a force for positive social impact. Millennials are seeking purposeful and meaningful work which aligns to their career paths, interests and skills. Failing to incorporate a social consciousness into their organisations, may see companies fail to attract and retain the most motivated of millennial hires. This change in staff motivation has already seen companies create environments where the focus is not simply on work, but on work that matters.
Transparent discussions
The most established organisational structure sees decisions being made at the very top level of management, and then filtering these decisions down throughout the organisation. Many millennial professionals are challenging this structure and are looking to be part of organisations where staff at any level can access information within the organisation, and can confidently contribute to conversations across staff and management levels. As a result, companies are starting to allow for distributed decision making, involving many more staff in the process. This also sees organisations making a shift towards building cultures of transparency that give staff more insight into the decision-making process and opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways. Companies that have started to embrace a more open structure are able to have more open and honest discussions, leading to stronger engagement among staff.
Microsoft. Apple. Amazon. Companies like these and others around the world are striving for organisational excellence, and revolutionising their respective industries by adapting to new technologies and embracing the contributions of millennial professionals. It's time to listen, time to encourage millennials to join the discussions within your organisation and to leverage their fresh perspectives. Without these millennial influencers, companies and industries will run the risk of stagnating and being left behind in the technological and business evolution.
Inga Davids is a Business Consultant at Saratoga and will be presenting her talk 'Netflix, Coffee and Leadership. Preparing for tomorrow's millennial leaders' at the Business Analyst World Conference taking place in Toronto Canada from 4 to 7 June 2018.
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