According to LinkedIn’s 2023 workplace learning report, 83% of organizations want to build a more people-centric culture. This is probably because a people-centric culture has been shown to have mutual benefits for both organizations and employees—with higher job satisfaction, better overall performance, higher rates of workplace collaboration, and higher employee retention on the list.
But the modern workplace is currently seeing a significant realignment, and culture has been hard to build as a result. So how can both employees and employers create a middle ground where the workplace can be harmonious once again?
The answer is authenticity. When authenticity is fostered, the people who embody each role in an organization can do their best work with confidence and collaboration. Let’s take a look at why authenticity is so important in the modern workplace, and how data on human capabilities can help companies achieve a people-centric culture through it.
Catalyzing confidence
In the new era of remote work, people cannot socially connect to their peers or leaders in the same ways as we have grown accustomed to. Even for those who like to work remotely, this change of environment has resulted in relationship gaps within organizations’ cultures. This is a schism that is especially being seen between employers and employees and their understanding of one another.
As it turns out, confidence plays a crucial role in an employee’s journey toward fulfillment in the workplace, with 70% of people attributing part of their career success to self-confidence. Sometimes assumed to be a fixed trait, confidence is actually a soft skill that can be molded over time.
This is where data on human skills comes into play, a company needs to know the exact assets that each individual worker is wielding. By integrating objective, skill-based assessment tactics, a company can facilitate a fair and data-driven approach to understanding the skills that their employees bring to the table.Armed with this knowledge, companies can then use this information to build up their employees’ confidence. As it turns out, confidence can actually serve as an accelerator for the multitude of other skills that an employee offers. Studies have shown that many foundational workplace skills, including work ethic, are driven by confidence.
For what employees may be lacking, companies can help build higher confidence through developmental workshops, relationship-building activities, or organization-wide training. An approach backed by human-driven data helps tap into a talent pool’s unique set of assets while finding ways to boost their confidence. This can ultimately improve worker morale which will by proxy construct a more people-centric culture.
Being yourself, and doing a better job because of it
According to McKinsey, a sense of purpose-driven work provided to employees is the leading driver of performance and productivity.
Data on human capabilities can be a powerful tool in the pursuit of authenticity in the workplace. Employers can use this data to identify each employee’s strengths and areas for growth, enabling targeted professional development and support. When employees are empowered to work in alignment with their natural talents and passions, in turn, they are not only more authentic but more productive.
Furthermore, when companies focus on individuals’ capabilities over rigid job descriptions, they promote inclusivity and mitigate bias—a huge catalyst to building a healthy, people-centric culture. Helping employees understand the value of being themselves at work helps an organization do the very important job of constructing an empowering cultural narrative.
So how can organizations start to build up this authenticity in the workplace? The best way is leading by example.
Authentic leadership wields the power to reshape an organization’s culture and elevate its overall performance. Through interactions with peers, mentors, and leaders, employees can gain insights that help validate their knowledge and develop a sense of competence that leads to their own authenticity. When workers have access to the tools they need to lean into the skills that make them unique contributors at an organization, their sense of purpose blooms.
Workplace culture’s holy grail
The quest for a people-centric culture in the modern workplace demands a reimagining of traditional approaches. If authenticity and confidence are the cornerstones upon which such a culture is built—data on human capabilities serves as the scaffolding that supports this foundation.
Data can facilitate effective team dynamics by pairing individuals based on complementary skills and personalities. It can also build a culture that makes individuals feel like they are contributing to a collective effort.
With a sense of purpose firmly secured within the workforce, companies can weather the challenges of the contemporary workplace while also setting themselves on a path to sustained success and growth.
