How to Build a Strong Company Culture in a Global Organisation with NTT Data



Every organisation has a culture, whether it was intentionally or passively created. A healthy workplace culture is one of the fundamental elements of a successful company. In today’s global landscape, businesses extend their operations across borders and cultivate diverse workforces. Developing and maintaining a strong culture in this context presents some unique challenges. A positive work environment benefits a company in numerous ways, which is why it is essential to build that culture rather than leave it to chance.  

During our insightful conversation filled with personal anecdotes at the 2023 Top Employers Inspire event, Kim Curley, VP of People & Organisation at NTT DATA, shared valuable perspectives and actionable strategies on the art of crafting and nurturing a strong corporate culture. Kim’s role is unique in that she’s responsible for NTT DATA’s internal change management process and for the organisation’s consultancy services in that space, which she called “the personal side of business where all the wonderful messy, human things happen.” Experiencing change from the inside and managing it as a third party for other organisations has given her great insight into how to successfully build a strong culture.  

Crafting a Culture 

Like many companies, NTT DATA re-evaluated its priorities and values during the massive societal and workplace changes brought on by the pandemic. Kim explained, “We had been through a tremendous amount of change in the past three years and we wanted to assess what aspects of our culture had weakened that we needed to strengthen.” Trust, community, and success were the three values identified through their discussions.  

The next step was deciding how to strengthen those values in their workplace culture. Kim shared that the discussion began with a guiding question: “How do we define these values that make us special and make us a place where people want to come work and a place that clients want to hire?” Three strategies emerged as important aspects of crafting their culture.  

1. Involve employees in developing initiatives around the three core values. If culture is not built from the ground up, it will be very difficult to enforce it from the top down.  

1. Create a social accountability contract. Foster a sense of responsibility among employees to embody and uphold the core values. 

1. Anchor to a career coach model. Resources extend beyond hierarchical, mentor-like relationships to help employees develop across the different roles they hold as consultants and over the arc of their careers.  

Download Now: Navigating a Dynamic Workforce 

Overcoming Common Challenges 

Mindset 

Changing people’s mindsets is one of organisations’ most significant challenges when implementing new initiatives. “It takes a tremendous amount of energy not only from the people trying to encourage the change but also from the brave souls trying to make the change. That’s always the hardest part, to be a supporter and to step into that new space,” said Kim. This process was an excellent opportunity to lean on the social accountability contract and encourage employees to support one another as they adapted.  

Silos 

Silos are another familiar challenge companies face, and this challenge becomes even more pronounced when a company operates on a global scale. One of the significant problems posed by silos is their potential to impede the growth of a company-wide culture. To confront this issue head-on, Kim’s team developed a proactive strategy. She described their process, “We look at what our company values mean for each team. What can be done to make these values come to life in our individual geographies, business units, and ways of working?” For example, the community looks very different for a team co-located in the same geographic area with an office space than for a remote team working from different countries. Community is equally essential in both scenarios, though initiatives to cultivate a sense of community will look very different.  

Organisational Hurdles 

Aligning policies and procedures with company culture is essential to NTT DATA’s success. “When you’re trying to change culture, one of the things that will trip you up the fastest is if the organisational elements of your business do not support the cultural change,” Kim said to elaborate on this point. Changes to a company’s infrastructure have far-reaching effects and can either support or hinder how the culture evolves. Therefore, it is critical to be intentional about company policies and structure them in a way that supports the culture.  

Read More: Virtusa’s Talent Digital Transformation 

A Continuous Process 

Kim compared their approach to caring for a garden to summarise how her team fosters a strong company culture. “You have to constantly nurture it to help it grow and be very aware of what you add to it,” she explained. Ultimately, a positive company culture is a constant work in progress. Although building it requires time and effort, the long-lasting benefits are immense. Low turnover rates, boosted productivity, and high morale are all results that help a company achieve success.  

One of the things I enjoyed most about our discussion was hearing about Kim’s personal experience with NTT DATA’s cultural changes and how those changes impacted her daily workflow and her relationships with colleagues. I encourage readers to check out our full conversation for even more insights and a personal perspective on what a strong culture can mean to employees. 

Watch the video on our YouTube channel now!

Artificial Intelligence at Work: How to Enhance the Employee Experience

Increase employee engagement and boost morale by implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. 

 Engaged employees are essential to an organisation’s success. Employee engagement is the emotional investment employees make in their role and organisation. This personal investment is reflected in how employees execute their responsibilities and contribute to company culture. Unsurprisingly, organisations with high engagement outperform those with lower engagement levels.  

Organisations have traditionally struggled with defining and quantifying engagement. Despite sincere efforts and investments of time, effort, and money, achieving high employee engagement can remain an elusive goal that is difficult to measure. Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is changing that. 

AI tools are revolutionising the workplace landscape by changing both employer and employee expectations. The benefit most quickly recognized is increased productivity. However, that’s just the beginning of how AI-power tools can enhance the employee experience. This article will explore other benefits AI can provide for the employee experience like expedited access to support, data-driven insights into employee sentiments, and personalised learning and development opportunities.  

Four Ways AI Enhances the Employee Experience 

1. Increased Productivity 

By automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks, AI tools give employees more time to focus on complex matters. The majority of their energy can be devoted to problem-solving, innovation, critical thinking, and relationship building. For example, AI algorithms can analyse large data sets and generate insights, saving employees numerous hours of data collection and entry. Using AI for this type of task also offers the added benefit of reducing inevitable human errors.  

Streamlining administrative tasks is another way AI can increase employee productivity. Virtual assistants can organise documents and schedule meetings, enabling teams to focus on more meaningful tasks. Algorithms can also analyse team members’ skills and availability to recommend employees for upcoming projects.  

1. Expedited Support 

Chatbots are a valuable resource that can help employees instantly access critical information. These tools can search through the organisation’s repository of knowledge and policies, reducing time spent searching for information or waiting for colleagues to respond. If an answer is not available, the chatbot can alert the appropriate Human Resource (HR) team member to answer the employee’s question. AI chatbots also help HR teams deliver information like policy updates, professional development tools, benefits information, and more.  

In addition to expediting HR services, AI chatbots are an efficient way to collect anonymous feedback. AI can easily synthesise this feedback with data from other sources like performance reviews and exit interviews to generate insights about areas of concern or opportunities for improvement. Regularly monitoring feedback data ensures employees remain engaged and enables organisations to identify potential red flags early. 

1. Data-driven Sentiment Insights 

Employee engagement efforts are traditionally focused on promoting positive morale. Prior to AI-power technologies, organisations had very few ways to gauge employee engagement beyond surveys and other types of self-reported feedback. Through data mining and machine learning, AI tools can analyse and predict employee needs and behaviour.  

Sentiment analytics software offers detailed insights into what impacts employee morale across various themes like compensation, professional development, and benefits. As themes are identified, comments on surveys can be categorised and compiled. Then, comments in each category can be tagged with a sentiment–positive, negative, or neutral–offering the HR team a useful data set to review and act on. Automating the process of compiling and analysing data gives the HR team more time to focus on personal interactions and strategic initiatives.  

1. Personalized Learning and Development Programs 

AI-powered learning platforms offer an unparalleled level of personalisation. Each employee’s skills, pace, and learning methods are assessed by the platform. Based on that information, the platform generates a customised study program for each person, recommending relevant courses and resources.  

As employees advance through their training, the platform continuously adapts to their progress, suggesting new content and challenges to keep them engaged. Such a tailored approach ensures that employees acquire the necessary skills for their role, keeps them motivated, and enables them to effortlessly take ownership of their professional development.  

Organisations using AI-based learning platforms often notice the added benefit of promoting a culture of continuous learning. The platform can automatically generate recommendations for additional opportunities once a study program is complete. Because the platform understands the employee’s preferred learning method and desired skill set, these recommendations are personalised to their needs and preferences, increasing the likelihood that they will continue training.  

Read More:  

Factors to Consider Before Launching AI 

Before introducing any new technology or tools to employees, there’s a lot to consider. With such incredibly powerful AI-based technology available, organisations need to carefully vet platforms to minimise security and privacy risks and develop training resources. Organisations that wait too long to introduce AI-power technology may find that employees are using these tools on their own or that their competitors are already reaping the benefits of this technology. 

To successfully integrate AI-based tools, carefully evaluate how well they will fit employees’ needs. Here are key factors to consider:  

• Ease of Use: Ensure the platform is intuitive and will not require extensive training to use. Assess how well the platform will integrate with other software systems already in place. A positive user experience will expedite adoption across the organisation. 
• Scalability: Tools need to be able to serve employees’ needs today and grow with the organisation. Finding a platform with robust and flexible features will ensure the technology has long-term value and aligns with the organisation’s growth trajectory.  
• Data Analytics: Confirm the selected platform has the ability to capture the desired data. For example, is the motivation primarily to collect data on employee sentiment or provide more personalised professional development opportunities? It may be necessary to launch several tools, rather than expect one platform to meet all of the organisation’s needs. Defining metrics for success will help evaluate the technology’s impact. 
• Internal Trust: The prospect of automating tasks is often associated with the idea that jobs will be eliminated. However, these tools are meant to support employees, not replace them. Organisations can reduce anxiety about job displacement by clearly stating the purpose of launching these tools and implementing reskilling and upskilling programs to equip employees to thrive once these new technologies are in place.  
• Maintenance and Support: Someone in the organisation will have to manage this technology and troubleshoot when issues arise. Identify and properly train that person or team before all employees start using it. Create on-going training opportunities for the support team to ensure the technology scales along with the organisation to fully maximise its capabilities.  

Download Now: World of Work Trends 2024 

Conclusion 

Organisations are still in the early phases of adopting AI-powered tools in the workplace. As a result, the list of benefits and possibilities are constantly expanding. This huge potential means it’s even more important for leadership to have a clear understanding of why the organisation is implementing these tools. Ultimately, any technology is only as effective as the strategy behind it.  

While the implications and applications of these technologies are constantly evolving, one constant is how these tools enhance the employee experience by giving them more time to focus on strategic initiatives. This shift fosters innovation and creates a more enriching work environment. Many employees are pleasantly surprised when they see that introducing AI-based technology in the workplace actually makes it more human.  

Whitepaper | A Step-by-Step Process to Driving ROI and Growth through Effective Wellbeing Practices

Employee wellbeing is not just a trendy buzzword but a critical factor that directly impacts organisational success. 

Employee wellbeing is not just a trendy buzzword but a critical factor that directly impacts organisational success. Over 95% of Certified Top Employers understand wellbeing’s importance as a strategic priority.

While many organisations are working to embrace effective wellbeing practices, they are still weighing up the return-on-investment on these initiatives.  

In our latest whitepaper, A Step-by-Step Process to Driving ROI and Growth through Effective Wellbeing Practices, we are diving into the data around wellbeing with practical actions that businesses can put into practice to get the best out of their people.  

Download the whitepaper for free to discover:  

• How employee wellbeing is critical for the success of an organisation.
• A data-driven approach to making wellbeing decisions that involves three pillars: a holistic strategy that covers the health of body, mind, and spirit; predefined metrics to measure and track wellbeing trends; and regular evaluation of the utilization and satisfaction of wellbeing programs. 
• How to effectively evaluate wellbeing programs with information about how organisations should define objectives, identify root causes of problems and challenges.

Finding Balance: How to Navigate a Global-Local Strategy with Dana Incorporated and JYSK Hungary



Combining global and local strategies is crucial for organisations operating in multiple markets and cultures. While doing this, how can organisations balance the benefits of standardisation and maintain a sense of authenticity in each location?  

We spoke with Zsolt Tánczos, Compensation and Benefits Europe for Dana Incorporated, and Ágnes Nyester, HR Manager for JYSK Hungary, during the 2023 Top Employers Inspire event to learn more about this topic. Both companies have been navigating the global-local balance for years. Dana Incorporated has over 40 000 employees in more than 30 countries, and JYSK has 3 100 stores in 51 countries.  

Through our discussion, we gleaned some practical tips and examples of creating a successful global-local strategy, which I will highlight in this article. Watch the complete discussion for more details about Zsolt and Ágnes’s experiences and actionable plans for replicating their success.  

Integration & Differentiation for Multinational Organisations  

Multinational organisations must decide how much to integrate or differentiate activities and policies across locations. Integration refers to standardising processes, systems, and policies to create efficiency and consistency. Differentiation means customising those aspects of an organisation–processes, systems, and policies–to meet the specific needs of each office.  

As a conceptual retail company, JYSK has carefully considered the balance between integration and differentiation in their offices and stores. Ágnes explained why they chose to integrate their recruitment process, “Whether you are in Hungary or Spain, the recruitment process is the same, which means it’s transparent. This makes the process easy to measure, and progress is trackable from year to year.” If one location achieves notably higher or lower metrics, headquarters can gain insights into what’s happening and adjust accordingly.  

Similarly, this unified approach helps the organisation retain talent. “Our policy is that 80% of open positions need to be filled with internal candidates. This helps us develop our future talents and support existing staff,” Ágnes described the reasoning behind their approach. If it is not possible to fill the position internally, then external candidates may be considered.  

Zsolt gave examples of when differentiation is beneficial. “Local regulations need to be considered. If they aren’t, it can be a very painful situation that will block the entire process,” he explained. For example, he mentioned how data protection rules vary from country to country. Involving local experts and engaging key stakeholders early in the implementation process is essential to successful local operations.  

Limited resources are another standard challenge organisations face on the local level. Zsolt described how this challenge often plays out, “if a local office is told to implement a change, the key questions are really: who and when? Because they might not have enough staff support, or it might be a bad time because they have other projects.” So, considering the dynamic of each office is essential while trying to implement policies across multinational organisations.  

Global-Local Challenges For Multicultural Organisations 

Navigating cultural differences is challenging for international organisations, especially when determining global-local strategies. Ágnes described a time when offices in three countries had the same management team. “We took the collaboration quite seriously. We had cultural training to better understand our different perspectives and motivations. We talked about the business plan and how to make it work in each office, and we met several times to keep things going smoothly,” she explained. Regular communication was the key to their success. Although it sounds simple, having good communication requires intentional effort to bridge cultural divides.  

Zsolt described how fostering relationships between country offices is advantageous. “There were some production problems in our Belgium office. Because there was a good relationship between the Belgium and Hungary offices, we were able to quickly move some employees from one to the other to resolve the issue immediately while working on a more long-term solution,” he said.  

As a multicultural and multinational organisation, Dana Incorporated knew the relocated employees would need help settling into their new environment. Zsolt elaborated, “We supported our colleagues with housing, tips about the local community, and connected them with colleagues through a kind of buddy system to help them have a smooth transition.”  

While developing a global-local strategy, organisations must remember it’s a balancing act. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Considering local dynamics helps avoid operational issues and creates a positive, efficient work environment, ultimately giving organisations a competitive advantage. 

Artificial Intelligence and Talent Acquisition

How AI is Transforming the Recruitment Process in 2024 

The talent market is more competitive than ever. Organisations are finding it more challenging to get the best candidates for the role, and prospective employees find the hiring process more arduous than it was years before. The difficulties in the talent acquisition process are due to several factors, including the lasting effects of the pandemic, younger generations entering the market, and more significant global shifts in recruitment from law changes, among others. 

Despite these challenges, the recruitment industry has only recently moved away from established ways of working, as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are beginning to enter the game. While artificial intelligence and machine learning may still be new for many people, more and more organisations are investing in artificial intelligence systems and other digital tools to stay ahead of the market and leverage the tools to streamline their operations. 

It is no wonder that AI is beginning to reshape the talent acquisition landscape. HR teams must be aware of many challenges when integrating AI into their recruitment strategy.

Download Now: World of Work Trends 2024 

How can AI be used in talent acquisition? 

Some of the areas where AI is transforming the talent acquisition process or will soon be implemented in talent acquisition strategies include: 

• Candidate Sourcing: HR teams can utilise AI tools to search through online job boards, professional networking sites, and social media platforms to identify potential candidates based on specified criteria. These tools can assess candidates’ online profiles and professional backgrounds to identify potential candidates. 
• Resume Screening and Candidate Matching: AI-powered applicant tracking systems (ATS) and talent acquisition software (TAS) can analyse resumes and job descriptions to identify relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications. By leveraging natural language processing algorithms, ATS platforms match candidates to job requirements, enabling recruiters to focus on the most suitable applicants. 
• Candidate Assessment and Screening: AI assessment tools are starting to administer psychometric tests, cognitive assessments, and job simulations to evaluate candidates’ competencies, personality traits, and job fit. These assessments give the recruiter objective insights into candidates’ abilities and suitability for specific roles, helping them identify top performers more effectively. 
• Predictive Analytics: AI analytics can analyse historical recruitment data and performance metrics to identify patterns, trends, and predictors of successful hires. By leveraging predictive analytics, a hiring manager can potentially forecast talent needs, optimise sourcing strategies, and make data-driven decisions to improve hiring outcomes. 
• Reporting:  AI tools can generate reports about candidates for internal senior leadership and legal teams. Those reports can analyse the success of recruiting campaigns to a broader team, streamlining the talent acquisition process. 

Read Now: Winning the Battles for Talent 

Benefits of Implementing AI in the Talent Recruitment Process 

The benefits that can come to an organisation that decides to implement AI in its talent acquisition process include the following: 

• Improvement in the Time Needed to Hire New Employees: Using AI tools for recruitment can expedite the recruitment process, shortening time-to-fill positions and ensuring that critical roles are filled promptly, minimising productivity losses and revenue impact. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making: AI analytics tools offer hiring managers valuable insights into recruitment trends, candidate behaviours, and performance metrics, enabling them to make informed decisions, optimise recruitment strategies, and forecast future talent needs. 
• Efficiency: AI can streamline time-consuming tasks for a talent acquisition team, such as resume screening, candidate sourcing, and initial assessments, significantly reducing the time and effort required to identify suitable candidates. 
• Competitive Advantage: By embracing AI in the recruiting process, organisations can gain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining top talent, stay ahead of competitors, and position themselves as innovative employers in the marketplace. 
• Enhanced Candidate Quality: AI-driven algorithms can identify candidates whose qualifications match job requirements, leading to higher-quality candidate pools and improved hiring outcomes. 

Read More: How Generative AI is Impacting Personalised Learning and Development 

The Challenges of Implementing AI Tools in the Recruitment Process 

Implementing AI in talent acquisition is challenging, especially as the technology is still relatively new. Some of these challenges include: 

• Ethical Considerations: AI raises ethical dilemmas related to using candidate data, algorithmic decision-making, and the potential impact on employment opportunities and socio-economic disparities. Organisations must navigate ethical considerations, uphold principles of fairness and integrity, and prioritise ethical AI practices to build trust and credibility in their recruitment processes. 
• Overreliance on Technology: While AI streamlines recruitment processes and enhances efficiency, an overreliance on technology may need more attention to human judgment, intuition, and empathy in assessing candidate suitability and cultural fit. Hiring managers and recruitment teams must balance technological innovation and human-centred decision-making to achieve optimal recruitment outcomes. 
• Candidate Bias: Despite efforts to mitigate bias, AI algorithms may inadvertently perpetuate or even exacerbate biases in the data used for training the models. AI systems may inadvertently discriminate against certain demographic groups without careful monitoring and intervention, leading to fairness concerns and potential legal repercussions. 
• Data Privacy and Security: AI recruitment platforms rely on vast amounts of candidate data, raising concerns about privacy and security. Organisations must ensure compliance with data protection regulations, implement robust security measures, and establish transparent data handling practices to safeguard candidate information from unauthorised access or misuse. 

Read More: The Journey to Become a Top Employer 

Final Thoughts 

The possibilities of utilising AI tools and leveraging them for the talent acquisition process can help hiring managers streamline recruitment processes, enhance candidate experiences, and make more informed decisions, ultimately driving organisational success and competitiveness in the talent marketplace. However, organisations need to balance the benefits of AI with ethical considerations, transparency, and human-centred principles to ensure fair, inclusive, and responsible recruitment practices. 

Paradigm Shifts: Agile HR Practices and Skills-Based Organisations

To close the 2023 Top Employers Inspire event, I sat down with my colleague Quinton van Es, Director of Research & Insights for Top Employers Institute, to discuss two closely linked topics –the funadamental shifts in HR practices and the rise in skills-based organisations. These ideas are reaching a tipping point in business practices and creating paradigm shifts.

At Top Employers Institute, we certify organisations based on best practices, which requires us to look ahead at developing industry trends and consider those that are proven successful. Agile HR practices and skills-based organisations are becoming more mainstream when there are many disruptions and uncertainties. From a business perspective, now more than ever, organisations need to be resilient, adaptive, and human-centric. We discussed how these two practices are enabling organisations to do just that.

From the basic tenets of each to the more significant industry implications to our personal experiences with each principle, our discussion covered a lot of ground. In this article, I’ll summarise the highlights of our conversation. You can watch our discussion in full at the end of the article.

What Are Agile HR Practices?

Working agile has long been established as a best practice for IT where rapid innovation was a necessity. Gradually, the ability to quickly adapt has become a strategic imperative for organisations, causing agile practices to spill over into other areas and functions. In HR, operations are moving away from a rules- and planning-based approach toward a simpler model based on feedback.

Organisations can struggle with agile HR operations because many things, like payroll, feel fixed–there is no trial and error. However, the application is more of a big-picture consideration. Quinton explained, “When it comes to working agile, we are used to seeing these principles applied to projects. In the context of operating models, a lot of organisations are more agile than they realise because they already have a continuous feedback loop in place.” The essence of this approach is about regularly receiving and responding to feedback rather than specific tasks.

There are considerable variations in how organisations apply agile principles to their HR operations. Quinton gave examples, “some organisations focus on the mindset and values. Other organisations are taking a more methodological approach and just implement scrum.” Each approach has its pros and cons. There is no one solution, which is part of what makes this paradigm shift so interesting.

Skills-based Organisations

Historically, jobs were the dominating structure for work. Job descriptions and titles defined who did what and how their work was managed and evaluated. This approach is falling out of favour because it hinders many organisational objectives, including growth, innovation, agility, and the ability to offer employees a positive work culture.

“A job-based approach is very linear and predictive but it’s also a reductive view of work and the individual. In contrast, skills-based organisations zoom in on specific skills and the whole person to consider how an employee’s talents may best be applied. It’s a more human-centric approach,” Quinton said to highlight why this paradigm shift is happening. Another reason it’s gaining popularity is that it offers a great deal of flexibility and adaptability.

As jobs shift from being the primary construct for work to being one of many factors, organisations must adapt their HR practices. HR writes job descriptions, sets compensation, and manages performance reviews–all tasks based on defined jobs. Skills-based organisations thoroughly shake up this model, reimagining employee management, which is partly why agile HR practices and skills-based organisations are often closely linked.

Benefits of Shifting

Working agile means iterations happen quickly–things are done slightly better each time. Employees do not have to wait long to see their feedback in action. Additionally, employees get used to adapting and a certain level of ambiguity. This model fosters a culture of continuous improvement and creates better engagement.

A human-centric skills-based approach supports employee well-being. It considers the whole individual, not just their education and experience. As a result, organisations can tap into larger talent pools, and current employees have a greater sense of mobility. “A famous example here is Google,” explained Quinton, “They acknowledged that they made a mistake by just relying on credentials because performance dropped. They figured out that they needed to consider motivation and individual skills more than specific credentials.”

Advice for Getting Starting  

Starting small always helps ease the transition–it creates less of a shock to the system. “Why not put someone from IT that’s used to working agile on the HR project team and see what comes from that,” Quinton suggested.

It is also helpful to identify your value proposition. A clear understanding of your business case for making these changes will justify the required resources. A valuable next step could be a readiness assessment. This process will let you see if your organisation is ready to move into that domain and identify potential challenges.

From my experience during transitions, the art of letting go is essential for leadership. As you guide your organisation through significant operational changes, accepting uncertainty is a requirement. If you don’t, progress is seriously inhibited.

I invite you to watch our complete discussion to hear more examples of how organisations that are Certified Top Employers put these principles into action. The applications are quite varied and continuously evolving, making agile HR operations and a skills-based approach to work exciting trends to follow.