According to an Oxford Economics report sponsored by SAP, there’s a disconnect between senior leaders of Canadian businesses and non-senior employees when it comes to satisfaction with a company’s use of digital technology.
The study, which included 4,100 leaders and employees across 21 countries, found that 85 percent of leaders in Canada believe they and their peers use technology effectively to get an edge in the market. However, only 33 percent of their employees feel the same. At the same time, 78 percent of leaders said management is equipped to facilitate digital transformation, while only 41 percent of employees agreed with that statement.
In comparison, the US sees less optimism from business leaders, with 64 percent believing they are equipped for digital transformation, and 61 percent of employees in agreement.
“If leaders in Canada are content with their business’s digital readiness—but employees aren’t—it could be that many senior management teams do not appreciate what digital transformation takes, to the frustration or concern of their employees,” said Edward Cone, deputy director of thought leadership at Oxford Economics, “Conversely, leaders in Canada might have created solid digital transformation plans but not effectively communicated them to their employees, leaving them in the dark about the company’s future direction.”
Interestingly, ninety-one percent of employees in Canada noted that they believe their business’ decisions are data-driven, while just 39 percent of leaders agreed. In the US, 48 percent of leaders and 49 percent of employees felt that decisions are driven by data.
Globally, the outlook was more positive, with 55 percent of leaders and 62 percent of employees feeling that their decisions are data-driven.
As for the demographics of the study, three percent of the senior leaders surveyed in Canada were millennials, a lower proportion than the overall sample (17 percent). Globally, 37 percent of millennial leaders say senior management is using technology well, while the figure rises to 60 percent for non-millennial leaders.
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