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The arrival of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 shook the foundations of the business world and other areas. Above all, it accelerated processes in the rearrangement of how business, innovation and the digital age are viewed.

Today, invariably, those organizations that have survived the onslaught of this health and economic crisis are those that have also strengthened their organizational culture and those that have implemented innovative actions.

We define a good organizational culture as one that is made up of values, norms, climate and good practices that are shared among all members of an organization. Similarly, it also drives productivity, growth, as well as the acquisition and retention of talent.

In addition to culture, there is another very important factor to follow in the businesses of the future: innovation. In this vein, the question to answer is whether with all the technological and digital changes that we are witnessing, how imperative is it for an organization to ride the wave of innovation?

According to the study Panorama of innovation in Mexico and Central America , prepared by the consulting firm KMPG Mexico, 83% of organizations consider that focusing on innovation is the most important aspect to monitor and implement in the immediate future.

In this sense, the proposal is to reflect on five points on how to strengthen the organizational culture, underpinned by innovation with a view to a future if not better, at least if stable and with possibilities of action.

Seize the digital age

Today digital technology is less expensive, making it possible for most organizations to experiment with new ideas and concepts. Artificial intelligence, analytical models, chatbots, virtual reality, reinforce the innovation process. What used to take years to plan, test, and execute can now be accomplished in months, and sometimes even just weeks. It all depends on how much the organization is on track.

Identify leaders

It is important to identify the most capable and advanced in the organization to encourage them to act as mentors to their peers. The recommendation is to further train these leaders to promote employee learning programs. This helps create leadership opportunities, while creating additional mechanisms for the intellectual growth of the workforce. The results will be that former students will become leaders of the future.

With social responsibility

The organizations of the XXI century must incorporate models based on social responsibility, outlined towards economic and environmental sustainability. The suggestion is to try to answer the following questions: what is the contribution of my product or service to measure company results? How does it positively impact society and the environment? How am I going to measure these impacts? How will I make society and consumers aware of them?

The voice of the collaborators

The best strategies arise after knowing the honest opinion of the collaborators. It is even worth using anonymous questionnaires. Experts point out that creating an environment of trust and detecting the skills and strengths of employees are key factors, since we must understand that each talent is different. All of this will help lay the foundation for building development opportunities for people, which will contribute to a better organizational culture.

Seek to be resilient

When change on multiple slopes is constant, resilience is no longer optional. It is about adapting to each obstacle and facing it differently, learning from the past, no matter if it was bad or good, and becoming better and better to face change. It is a skill that requires working and practicing as an organizational culture. Resilient organizations will accept change as a recurring variable, and employees must be prepared for it.

The organizations of the future will evolve as follows:

1. Intentionally design a differentiated customer experience
2. They will constantly innovate in terms of products and services
3. They will have a supply chain that responds quickly and agilely to changes
4. Deliver customer value using an ecosystem of alliances and partners
5. They will have a digitally enabled technological architecture
6. Your workforce will be aligned and empowered with the purpose of the company
7. They will offer their customers the possibility to do business and have interactions in a fluid way (everywhere, through all channels and at all times)
8. They will establish strategies and actions driven by the perspective that the data provides.