Working to a common cause and having fun are key to success says expert

Business leaders who create meaningful work and adapt to technology are most likely to survive the digital revolution, says an Imperial academic.

Professor Nelson Phillips, the Abu Dhabi Chamber Chair in Strategy and Innovation and Associate Dean of Faculty and Research at Imperial College Business School, was speaking at the first Imperial Business in the City lecture. His was the first of a new series of talks held in the City of London, designed to showcase Imperial’s expertise in tackling big business challenges, to industry leaders.

Addressing an audience of senior industry figures and alumni, Professor Phillips talked about how the digital revolution has led to huge changes in how people communicate, both at work and leisure. He highlighted the challenges business leaders face, including how to share their vision in the age of social media and how companies can adapt to meet the demands of how different generations use technology, from the older ‘baby boomers’ to the ‘Generation Y’ and beyond.

Professor Phillips argued that businesses need to change their approach to accommodate the technological habits of the different generations – for example young people prefer to communicate via text message, whereas older generations prefer to communicate using the telephone or e-mail. “You need to be a different type of leader to survive the digital business revolution,” he said.  Employees working for big companies need to feel their contribution makes a difference to making them feel inspired and engaged with the company culture.

“Businesses that work towards a common cause and allow for small, autonomous teams to grow, will succeed by retaining happy and motivated staff of all ages. We now have a wealth of technological tools from e-mail to social media that can help companies and individuals to thrive. The most successful businesses will be those who continue to challenge staff by providing meaningful, yet fun and stimulating work.”

Reflecting on the event, Professor Phillips said: “The digital revolution has led to profound changes in how we work and organise our lives and is a subject that almost everyone has an opinion about. I was delighted to engage in discussion with such a diverse audience who comprised almost all the key demographic groups highlighted in my presentation. I was impressed delighted with the response to the event and look forward to similar success at future talks.”

The series of talks has been arranged by Professor George Yip, Associate Dean for Executive Programmes at Imperial College Business School. Professor Yip said: “I was delighted to see such a positive reaction to Professor Phillips’ presentation and the thought-provoking discussions between industry leaders and academics in our first Imperial Business in the City talk. The digital revolution presents many challenges to businesses and the talk was a great opportunity to highlight the research and teaching that Imperial College Business School is doing in this space.”

The talks will take place six times a year in, or very near, the City of London. The events are open to all and pitched at director level or senior executives. Future lectures are planned for 12 July, 29 September and 17 November 2016.