Ask nearly any company in the world what their secret to success is or what their most important asset is and without even having to think, they will reply “Our Employees.” And, while that would seem to be a very logical belief, in application it is only partially true. “Company leaders are quick to say that their employees are their most important asset and yet a close look at their organizations reveals a totally different story,” says Jonathan Ledwidge, author of The Human Asset Manifesto. “In reality the most valued employees tend to be older male employees that are most like the current company leadership – and that is a real mistake,” according to Ledwidge who says “Companies that want to succeed in today’s rapidly changing marketplace must embrace women and younger employees to have a chance of succeeding.”

According to Ledwidge, Social Harmony should be the goal of every company. Ledwidge defines Social Harmony as a symbiotic existence of employees of all types, ages and genders within the working environment, in order to achieve excellence and gain a competitive advantage. Ledwidge points out that one of the most critical divides in any organization is the one between what psychologists refer to as Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives. Digital Immigrants are older employees who did not grow up with technology and so constantly grapple with utilizing, adapting and incorporating it into their lives. Digital Natives are the Gen X and Gen Y employees who grew up with technology and thus naturally incorporate it into their lives.

Ledwidge is quick to point out that both sets of employees are necessary to the vitality of organizations as the Digital Immigrants have much of the warehoused knowledge of the organization and processes and have the strongest opportunity to bring to reality the ideas and solutions offered by the Digital Natives.

Ledwidge says that the key to managing the two groups and to managing the largest consumer, women, is. . .women. “Studies have shown that women naturally have a more collaborative and social approach to people and are thus more suitable to the 21st century business environment – one where teamwork and Social Harmony are prerequisites for success. Organizations that allow women to express themselves as women, releasing them from the confines of the male dominated perspective, will increase their levels of collaboration, teamwork and engagement,” says Ledwidge.

The Human Asset Manifesto examines themes from the Industrial Revolution through to Lean Production and the IT Revolution, providing a human and social perspective into why people are the most valuable asset within organizations. However, it asserts that the only way that organizations can demonstrate that they truly believe this is to make the development of people, people skills, and teams the primary responsibility of every manager, as well as the basis on which they are recognized, promoted and rewarded. The Human Asset Manifesto also provides a framework within which organizations can through Social Harmony leverage both their internal and external human assets, in order to achieve excellence and competitive advantage.

Jonathan Ledwidge was born in London but grew up in his parents’ native Jamaica. He studied Physics and Chemistry at the University of West Indies before joining Price Waterhouse. Jonathan has worked in the City of London for over 18 years in a number of global investment banks, including Continental, CIBC Capital Markets, and ABN AMRO. His roles included developing and implementing business strategies, transformational change, as well as devising methods for improving the productivity of sales and origination teams. Jonathan holds an MBA from Cass Business School in London. His first book, A Mannequin for President, is a critique on US Presidential politics. Currently he is Managing Partner at THAPartners.