New Research Reveals Kind Leadership is a Key Driver of Innovation and Competitive Advantage for U.S. Businesses
​FORT LAUDERDALE, Fl., November 9, 2021 – Research released today by Signature Consultants, a leading IT and professional staffing and solutions provider, uncovered a clear connection between the practice of kind leadership and a company's ability to create an environment which facilitates and supports innovation. In fact, according to the groundbreaking Humankindex Survey of U.S. workers, leading with kindness is the most effective leadership style to drive innovation and competitive advantage in the marketplace.
A key component of the research is an index created to measure and track companies' adoption and practice of kindness, called the Humankindex. Using a range from 1 to 100, the Humankindex calculates the degree to which U.S. companies and their leaders are adopting kindness as a core value and leadership style, as well as the impact on fostering innovation in the workplace using two components:
· Kindness Quotient – the degree a company practices a culture and leadership of kindness and the extent to which it is felt by individual employees.
· Innovation Capability – how well the organization's culture and leadership support and promote an innovative environment and the extent to which it is felt by individual employees.
In its first annual release, the Humankindex for all U.S. companies is 58 and comprised of a Kindness Quotient of 31.5 and Innovation Capability of 26.5. According to U.S. workers, companies are more likely to be considered innovative when elements of kindness exist in the culture and leadership, including:
· 78% more likely if kindness is considered a core value of the organization.
· 3.5X more likely if employees feel a shared sense of purpose between their job and the organization's leadership and goals.
· 28% more likely if the company's leadership style is to "lead with kindness."
On the whole, when companies score higher on elements of the Kindness Quotient, they are 5X more likely to be considered innovative by employees.
"Kind leadership is a principle we have long-believed is not only the right cornerstone for our culture, but also the most effective way to drive success for our business and for those who contribute to it every day," says Mahfuz Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, Signature Consultants and DISYS. "We believe the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified and expedited the potency of kindness in the workplace. With our Humankindex initiative, we now have data-based research to support the premise that linking mission and margin, kindness and knowledge, and profit and principle, can deliver considerable and measurable benefits."
The Humankindex research also examined the degree to which company leaders have embraced kind leadership since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the findings, nearly one-third (30%) of workers say their company's leadership has embraced kindness as a value less so since the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, 76% of workers say their company's leadership has embraced the value of "profits before people" the same or more since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In our reshaped world, kind leadership and values have proved to best inspire trust, inspiration, meaning, and innovation among today's workers," said Ahmed. "Yet, many have overlooked kindness as a powerful leadership quality, often mistaking it with niceness and a weakness. On the contrary, the aggressive, cutthroat 'survival of the fittest' approach has been replaced by a more humanistic approach to leadership and the 'survival of the kindest.' Our research has shown there is power in kindness, strength in kind leadership, and profitability in purpose, perhaps more so than any other time in recent history. As we work to put the pandemic behind us, kind leadership will play a significant role in helping employers win the battle for talent and strive toward innovation. "
About the Humankindex.
The 2021 Humankindex Survey was conducted on behalf of Signature Consultants by national market data services firm, Dynata, between April 19 and April 26, 2021. The survey was administered online to 1,003 full-time (30+ hours per week) workers, ages 18 and older of whom represented a national survey. The margin of error for the national quote is +3%, reported at a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Signature Consultants
About Signature Consultants
Signature Consultants was established in 1997 with a singular focus: to provide clients and consultants with superior staffing solutions. With 29 locations throughout North America, Signature annually deploys thousands of consultants to support, run and manage their clients' technology needs. Signature offers IT staffing, consulting, managed solutions and direct placement services. For more information on the company, please visit https://www.sigconsult.com. Signature Consultants was acquired by Digital Intelligence Systems, LLC (DISYS) in 2021.
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We believe the future belongs to innovators and problem-solvers. It's our job to create connections that inspire success. That's why we've spent 20+ years building strong relationships and bringing together top tech talent and forward-thinking companies. Signature Consultants joined forces with DISYS to offer a more diversified portfolio of services. Through our company's IT staffing, consulting, managed solutions and direct placement services, we deploy thousands of consultants each year to support client's tech needs across the U.S. Signature Consultants is also parent company to Hunter Hollis. Learn more at sigconsult.com.