4 Ways CEOs Can Foster Digital Engagement in Their Workforce

Generative AI is rapidly evolving from workplace novelty to an unavoidable tool. Yet the most accurate measure of Gen AI’s impact on a company’s success still lies in its people. Ultimately, it is humans — not the technology itself — who have the power to unleash AI’s full potential.

Engagement is far from a new workforce metric. Data confirms that engaged employees perform better, have higher retention rates, and generate more revenue per person than their disengaged peers. But in today’s world, being “engaged” is no longer enough – employees must also be “digitally engaged.”

Digitally engaged employees not only take pride in what and how they work, but they also lead with natural curiosity. They don’t simply show up to clock in and do the bare minimum; instead, they willingly explore, experiment, and push their own limits, whether it’s the way they do their job or how they maximize their productivity. They proactively seek learning and development opportunities to gain the skills necessary to thrive, both in their current role and in future roles that AI will undoubtedly shape. They are willing to make mistakes, knowing that progress trumps perfection.

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It is these digitally engaged employees who are creating the playbook for leveraging Gen AI to yield meaningful individual, team, and ultimately, organizational gains. They are learning from and teaching their colleagues, driving collaboration, and improving their own performance and productivity. As they become superusers of Gen AI, they will help the company move beyond browser behavior and simple search to uncover more effective prompts, discover new use cases, and refine processes. They are building the roadmap to the workforce of 2030, which is on track to be entirely transformed by AI.

For business leaders, the takeaway is clear: curiosity – not technical aptitude – is the most desirable characteristic of the modern workforce. Curiosity sustains engagement, and engagement fuels curiosity. However, hiring for curiosity isn’t the single action. While individual employees’ natural attributes help determine their digital engagement level, it also hinges on the environment they work in. The following are four simple steps CEOs can take to ensure their organization fosters digital engagement:

1. Lead by example

CEOs must first follow the mantra of building individual skills. Simply put, if a leader isn’t continuously blocking out time to develop new skills, they can’t expect their teams to do so.

2. Curate curiosity

Create a culture where failing fast is not only welcome – it’s encouraged and rewarded. Make it safe for employees at all levels and roles to experiment as they learn what works and what doesn’t. Provide employees with the tools, training, and clearly defined guidelines to enable them to chart the path forward in real time. And importantly, encourage employees to communicate their learnings and collaborate with colleagues to help spread best practices – innovation does not happen in a vacuum.

3. Identify the digitally engaged superstars

In reality, everyone within an organization should be thinking about and experimenting with emerging technology like Gen AI at work – from receptionist to executive, summer intern to most tenured. Still, CEOs must have a pulse on the employees who are most digitally engaged within their organization. Once this class of forward-thinking employees is identified, leaders should focus on retaining, training, and elevating them.

4. Make gains measurable

Rather than trying to boil the ocean, leaders should pinpoint one unique metric they’d like to move at a time. Perhaps there’s a lengthy process that could be streamlined, or a workflow that needs refreshing. CEOs can then apply intentional energy to these processes to gradually make progress across the organization in a meaningful, measurable way.

As we move from AI transition to AI transformation, digitally engaged employees will be the most critical asset for any business. These individuals are poised to become the operators of workplace 2030 and beyond; meanwhile, the disengaged, disinterested, and unwilling to adapt will self-select from AI-dominant workplaces. The CEOs who can nurture employees’ curiosity and tap into their innovation will future-proof their organization not only to withstand but thrive in continued change.

This story first appeared in Inc.

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