The value of human capital in the digital age

Digital technologies are forcing companies in every industry to rethink the way they communicate with their customers and create products or services to serve their needs. Stewarding a company into the digital era takes unique skills. Most companies are hiring someone, most commonly a Chief Digital Officer, to spearhead this change.

While titles and responsibilities vary, one thing is clear – the challenges digital leaders face demand a unique skill set in order to bridge the expertise and knowledge developed in companies that are born digital with the strategic needs and management and cultural challenges of ones that must go digital. This paper outlines the leadership characteristics that are crucial for digital executives to possess, based on the Lominger framework of competencies Korn/Ferry has shown are proven to correlate with higher performance. Among the most important for digital executives: creating the new and different, communicating effectively, managing diverse relationships, and demonstrating personal flexibility.