People-first organisations

What are people first organisations and why are they important? What the heck does this have to do with digital product strategy, design and code anyway?

In a world where organisations are often focused on money and growth at all costs, the idea of a "people-first" organisation can seem like a utopian dream. But it’s not, such organisations exist, and they're thriving.

At the heart of a people-first organisation is a simple but radical idea: that the well-being and flourishing of the people should be the primary focus of the organisation. This means prioritising not only their physical and financial needs, but also their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. In other words, people could actually enjoy the thing that they spend 34% of their waking hours doing and get paid for it too. We believe that this is something worth dedicating our working life to and it is why elsewhere exists.

Finding the balance between creating impact and generating profit can be challenging, but it's certainly achievable with careful planning, a strategic approach, and the assistance of design and technology. By leveraging these tools, organisations can successfully pursue both goals without sacrificing one for the other.

Below we have outlined the strategies truly people-first organisations follow. To achieve a people-first culture, it's crucial to consistently follow all of these strategies in harmony, with support from those inside the organisation. While people-first organisations may not always execute these strategies perfectly, they strive to do so and are transparent about their successes and failures.

Strategy 1: Honestly focus on purpose

One of the most important ways to balance impact and profit is to ensure that an organisation's purpose and mission are clear and aligned with the stakeholders values. This means identifying what matters most to the organisation and the impact it wants to create, and then designing the business model and operations around those goals. By staying true to the purpose, an organisation can create a sense of shared value that benefits both itself and those around it.

Provides clarity and direction: A clear purpose helps to define the organisation's direction and focus its efforts on what matters most. By setting a purpose that is centred on people, the organisation can create a shared vision that inspires and motivates its employees and stakeholders.
Enhances employee engagement and retention: When employees understand and believe in the organisation's purpose, they are more engaged and committed to their work. This can improve job satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates, which are essential for creating a people-first culture.
Builds a positive reputation: Focusing on purpose can help the organisation to build a positive reputation and brand image that resonates with its customers and stakeholders. This can increase customer loyalty, attract top talent, and create opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.
Encourages innovation and creativity: A purpose-driven organisation that prioritises its people can encourage innovation and creativity by inspiring employees to think outside the box and explore new ideas. This can help the organisation to stay relevant and adapt to changing market conditions.
Fosters social responsibility: A people-first organisation that is focused on purpose is more likely to consider its impact on the community and the environment. This can lead to a more socially responsible business model that prioritises sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.

Strategy 2: Relentlessly do what’s right for people

As the name suggests, people-first organisations prioritise the needs of their people. While many people tend to equate this approach with a customer-first mentality, the reality is that customers are just one part of the equation.

To truly embrace a people-first ethos, organisations must consider the needs of everyone they interact with. This includes empathising with and understanding the needs of employees, customers, suppliers, partners, and anyone else with whom the business regularly engages, with particular focus on thsoe in the community that are true believers.

While this may sound like a daunting task, the effort is well worth it. A relentless focus on people creates a more sustainable and successful business overall, and can provide the following specific benefits to each group of people within the organisation.

Employees

Empathising with employees and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of an organisation in several ways:

Increased employee engagement and motivation: When employees feel that their needs and goals are valued by the organisation, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work. This, in turn, can lead to higher productivity, better customer service, and improved business outcomes.
Improved retention rates: When employees feel that their needs and goals are being met, they are more likely to stay with the organisation over the long term. This can help to reduce turnover and the associated costs of recruiting and training new employees.
Enhanced organisational culture: By empathising with employees and focusing on their needs and goals, organisations can create a more positive and supportive culture. This can lead to improved collaboration, better communication, and a stronger sense of shared purpose among employees.
Increased innovation: When employees feel that their ideas and perspectives are valued, they are more likely to contribute innovative solutions to the organisation's challenges. This can help to help the organisation to improve how it operates and its ability to achieve its purpose

Customers

Empathising with customers and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of a people-first organisation in several ways:

Increased customer loyalty and satisfaction: When customers feel that their needs and goals are understood and valued, they are more likely to remain loyal to the organisation and recommend its products or services to others. This enables the organisation to be more profitable and further their work toward their purpose
Improved brand reputation: By prioritising customer needs and goals, organisations can create a positive reputation. This can help to attract new customers and retain existing ones, often without the need for costly sales and marketing efforts
Enhanced customer experience: By empathising with customers and understanding their needs, organisations can create a more personalised and effective customer experience. This can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as reduce customer complaints and negative feedback.
Increased innovation: When organisations focus on understanding customer needs and goals, they are more likely to develop innovative products or services that meet those needs. This can help to differentiate the organisation from its competitors and progress towards their impact more quickly

Suppliers and other partners

Empathising with suppliers and partners and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of a people-first organisation in several ways:

Improved relationships and collaboration: When organisations prioritise the needs and goals of their suppliers and partners, it can lead to stronger relationships and more effective collaboration. This can help to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency.
Increased trust and loyalty: By empathising with suppliers and partners and valuing their needs and goals, organisations can build trust and loyalty. This can help to establish long-term partnerships that are mutually beneficial and promote shared success.
Enhanced reputation and brand recognition: When organisations prioritise the needs of their suppliers and partners, it can help to create a positive reputation in the marketplace as a fair and ethical company. This can help to attract new suppliers and partners, as well as improve brand recognition and awareness.

Strategy 3: Pragmatically measure intended impact

To ensure that an organisation is creating a meaningful impact, it's important to measure its progress and outcomes. This means setting clear goals, tracking its performance, and using qualitative and quantitative data to make informed decisions about how to improve your impact over time. Doing this will help in the following ways.

Assessing progress: Measuring impact helps an organisation assess its progress towards achieving its people-first goals. It provides a way to track and analyse the effectiveness of the organisation's efforts in creating a positive impact on people's lives.
Identifying areas for improvement: Measuring impact also helps an organisation identify areas where it can improve its people-first approach. By analysing data, the organisation can identify gaps, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity and take steps to improve its practices.
Enhancing accountability: Measuring impact enhances an organisation's accountability to its stakeholders, including its employees, customers, and the wider community. It demonstrates that the organisation is committed to its people-first values and that it is actively working to achieve its goals.
Encouraging transparency: Measuring impact promotes transparency by providing an open and honest account of an organisation's efforts towards being people first. It shows that the organisation is willing to be transparent about its successes and failures and to learn from them.
Building trust: Finally, measuring impact can help an organisation build trust with its stakeholders. When an organisation can demonstrate that it is making a positive impact on people's lives, it enhances its reputation and helps to build trust with employees, customers, and the wider community.

Strategy 4: Prioritise Sustainability

To achieve both impact and profit over the long term, it's important to prioritise sustainability in your business operations. This means considering the environmental, social, and economic impact of your decisions and taking steps to minimise negative effects. By prioritising sustainability, you can create a more resilient business model that is better equipped to weather changes in the market and society.

Cost savings: Sustainable practices can often lead to cost savings, such as reducing energy and water consumption, minimising waste and material use, and implementing more efficient processes. These cost savings can increase profitability and improve the bottom line of the business.
Positive brand reputation: Customers and stakeholders are increasingly interested in supporting environmentally responsible businesses. By prioritising sustainability, a business can establish a positive brand reputation and attract customers who are willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products and services.
Employee satisfaction: Prioritising sustainability can also enhance employee satisfaction and motivation. Employees are more likely to feel good about working for a company that prioritises environmental and social responsibility. This can lead to increased employee engagement, retention, and productivity.
Improved regulatory compliance: As sustainability becomes increasingly important, governments and regulatory bodies are implementing more strict regulations and laws related to environmental protection and social responsibility. Prioritising sustainability can help businesses stay ahead of these regulations and ensure compliance, reducing the risk of fines and legal issues.
Risk management: Prioritising sustainability can also help businesses manage and reduce risks associated with environmental and social issues. By identifying and addressing potential environmental or social impacts, businesses can avoid costly lawsuits, reputational damage, and other risks.

Strategy 5: Thoughtful use cutting edge technology

Technology has the potential to solve complex problems, improve processes, and transform industries. It can also create new opportunities for individuals and businesses, and enhance our daily lives. As new technologies are invented they force us to rethink our current ways of doing things and ask, is there a better way?

However it is important for people-first organisations to use technology thoughtfully and considerately, taking into account the potential risks and downsides. This includes being mindful of data privacy, ensuring equitable access to technology, and providing training and support for employees to use technology effectively and safely

We believe that people first technology can improve things in the following ways:

Improve efficiency: Remove boring and repetitive tasks so people can focus on high value tasks like relationship building, creativity and strategic thinking
Increase quality of life: Improve people's quality of life through their mental and physical health, their search to understand their purpose and quest for knowledge
Facilitate equitable value exchange: Enable new ways to share and exchange value and therefore become less reliant on money and have an improved sense of our worth to others
Connect global communities: Connect with people anywhere that share the same purpose, belief and values
Level the playing field: Where societal systems have created imbalances in a person's ability to fulfil their purpose, technology can help them to get past

Strategy 6: Embrace design process and mindset

We are firm believers in the design process as the way to help people to consider what is best and most meaningful for those around them.

Design principles and processes are key to creating a people-first approach. Design encourages the following behaviours

Encourage empathy: Understanding the needs and desires of the people is essential to designing for them. By conducting research and applying empathy to their needs, we can create solutions that are tailored to their needs.
Constant Iteration: Iterative processes allow people first organisations to be more flexible and agile to the needs of their people and external factors. By listening to feedback and testing and iterating on everything with an organisation, you can improve the quality, efficiency, and impact of the organisation.
Increased Inclusivity: People first organisations must consider the diverse needs of their people, including those with disabilities, cultural differences, and different levels of technological proficiency..
Honest feedback and reflection: People first organisations must give and receive feedback to and from their customers, employees and partners, allowing clear communication how behaviours are affecting everyone's work towards their purpose
Visuals Matter: An image is worth a thousand words. Design can help people first organisations to use visual methods to communicate themselves more effectively.

PreviousIntroduction NextBuilding, nurturing and championing

Last updated 5 months ago

People-first organisations

What are people first organisations and why are they important? What the heck does this have to do with digital product strategy, design and code anyway?

Strategy 1: Honestly focus on purpose

Provides clarity and direction: A clear purpose helps to define the organisation's direction and focus its efforts on what matters most. By setting a purpose that is centred on people, the organisation can create a shared vision that inspires and motivates its employees and stakeholders.
Enhances employee engagement and retention: When employees understand and believe in the organisation's purpose, they are more engaged and committed to their work. This can improve job satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates, which are essential for creating a people-first culture.
Builds a positive reputation: Focusing on purpose can help the organisation to build a positive reputation and brand image that resonates with its customers and stakeholders. This can increase customer loyalty, attract top talent, and create opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.
Encourages innovation and creativity: A purpose-driven organisation that prioritises its people can encourage innovation and creativity by inspiring employees to think outside the box and explore new ideas. This can help the organisation to stay relevant and adapt to changing market conditions.
Fosters social responsibility: A people-first organisation that is focused on purpose is more likely to consider its impact on the community and the environment. This can lead to a more socially responsible business model that prioritises sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.

Strategy 2: Relentlessly do what’s right for people

Employees

Empathising with employees and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of an organisation in several ways:

Increased employee engagement and motivation: When employees feel that their needs and goals are valued by the organisation, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work. This, in turn, can lead to higher productivity, better customer service, and improved business outcomes.
Improved retention rates: When employees feel that their needs and goals are being met, they are more likely to stay with the organisation over the long term. This can help to reduce turnover and the associated costs of recruiting and training new employees.
Enhanced organisational culture: By empathising with employees and focusing on their needs and goals, organisations can create a more positive and supportive culture. This can lead to improved collaboration, better communication, and a stronger sense of shared purpose among employees.
Increased innovation: When employees feel that their ideas and perspectives are valued, they are more likely to contribute innovative solutions to the organisation's challenges. This can help to help the organisation to improve how it operates and its ability to achieve its purpose

Customers

Empathising with customers and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of a people-first organisation in several ways:

Increased customer loyalty and satisfaction: When customers feel that their needs and goals are understood and valued, they are more likely to remain loyal to the organisation and recommend its products or services to others. This enables the organisation to be more profitable and further their work toward their purpose
Improved brand reputation: By prioritising customer needs and goals, organisations can create a positive reputation. This can help to attract new customers and retain existing ones, often without the need for costly sales and marketing efforts
Enhanced customer experience: By empathising with customers and understanding their needs, organisations can create a more personalised and effective customer experience. This can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as reduce customer complaints and negative feedback.
Increased innovation: When organisations focus on understanding customer needs and goals, they are more likely to develop innovative products or services that meet those needs. This can help to differentiate the organisation from its competitors and progress towards their impact more quickly

Suppliers and other partners

Empathising with suppliers and partners and focusing on their needs and goals can benefit the success of a people-first organisation in several ways:

Improved relationships and collaboration: When organisations prioritise the needs and goals of their suppliers and partners, it can lead to stronger relationships and more effective collaboration. This can help to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency.
Increased trust and loyalty: By empathising with suppliers and partners and valuing their needs and goals, organisations can build trust and loyalty. This can help to establish long-term partnerships that are mutually beneficial and promote shared success.
Enhanced reputation and brand recognition: When organisations prioritise the needs of their suppliers and partners, it can help to create a positive reputation in the marketplace as a fair and ethical company. This can help to attract new suppliers and partners, as well as improve brand recognition and awareness.

Strategy 3: Pragmatically measure intended impact

Assessing progress: Measuring impact helps an organisation assess its progress towards achieving its people-first goals. It provides a way to track and analyse the effectiveness of the organisation's efforts in creating a positive impact on people's lives.
Identifying areas for improvement: Measuring impact also helps an organisation identify areas where it can improve its people-first approach. By analysing data, the organisation can identify gaps, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity and take steps to improve its practices.
Enhancing accountability: Measuring impact enhances an organisation's accountability to its stakeholders, including its employees, customers, and the wider community. It demonstrates that the organisation is committed to its people-first values and that it is actively working to achieve its goals.
Encouraging transparency: Measuring impact promotes transparency by providing an open and honest account of an organisation's efforts towards being people first. It shows that the organisation is willing to be transparent about its successes and failures and to learn from them.
Building trust: Finally, measuring impact can help an organisation build trust with its stakeholders. When an organisation can demonstrate that it is making a positive impact on people's lives, it enhances its reputation and helps to build trust with employees, customers, and the wider community.

Strategy 4: Prioritise Sustainability

Cost savings: Sustainable practices can often lead to cost savings, such as reducing energy and water consumption, minimising waste and material use, and implementing more efficient processes. These cost savings can increase profitability and improve the bottom line of the business.
Positive brand reputation: Customers and stakeholders are increasingly interested in supporting environmentally responsible businesses. By prioritising sustainability, a business can establish a positive brand reputation and attract customers who are willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products and services.
Employee satisfaction: Prioritising sustainability can also enhance employee satisfaction and motivation. Employees are more likely to feel good about working for a company that prioritises environmental and social responsibility. This can lead to increased employee engagement, retention, and productivity.
Improved regulatory compliance: As sustainability becomes increasingly important, governments and regulatory bodies are implementing more strict regulations and laws related to environmental protection and social responsibility. Prioritising sustainability can help businesses stay ahead of these regulations and ensure compliance, reducing the risk of fines and legal issues.
Risk management: Prioritising sustainability can also help businesses manage and reduce risks associated with environmental and social issues. By identifying and addressing potential environmental or social impacts, businesses can avoid costly lawsuits, reputational damage, and other risks.

Strategy 5: Thoughtful use cutting edge technology

We believe that people first technology can improve things in the following ways:

Improve efficiency: Remove boring and repetitive tasks so people can focus on high value tasks like relationship building, creativity and strategic thinking
Increase quality of life: Improve people's quality of life through their mental and physical health, their search to understand their purpose and quest for knowledge
Facilitate equitable value exchange: Enable new ways to share and exchange value and therefore become less reliant on money and have an improved sense of our worth to others
Connect global communities: Connect with people anywhere that share the same purpose, belief and values
Level the playing field: Where societal systems have created imbalances in a person's ability to fulfil their purpose, technology can help them to get past

Strategy 6: Embrace design process and mindset

We are firm believers in the design process as the way to help people to consider what is best and most meaningful for those around them.

Design principles and processes are key to creating a people-first approach. Design encourages the following behaviours

Encourage empathy: Understanding the needs and desires of the people is essential to designing for them. By conducting research and applying empathy to their needs, we can create solutions that are tailored to their needs.
Constant Iteration: Iterative processes allow people first organisations to be more flexible and agile to the needs of their people and external factors. By listening to feedback and testing and iterating on everything with an organisation, you can improve the quality, efficiency, and impact of the organisation.
Increased Inclusivity: People first organisations must consider the diverse needs of their people, including those with disabilities, cultural differences, and different levels of technological proficiency..
Honest feedback and reflection: People first organisations must give and receive feedback to and from their customers, employees and partners, allowing clear communication how behaviours are affecting everyone's work towards their purpose
Visuals Matter: An image is worth a thousand words. Design can help people first organisations to use visual methods to communicate themselves more effectively.

PreviousIntroduction NextBuilding, nurturing and championing

Last updated 5 months ago