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A leader’s guide to building digital trust—and growth

Harmony Internal - McKinsey

A trusted relationship ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

  Edited by Rama Ramaswami
  Senior Editor, New York

World events today may not give much cause for optimism, but businesses can take comfort in at least one thing: research shows that they are the most trusted institution. People also view societal leadership as a core business function. All the more reason, then, for organizations to invest in building digital trust—the confidence of customers, employees, and stakeholders that their online interactions are secure, their data is protected and used ethically, and the digital products and services they use are trustworthy. “The stakes for companies could not be higher,” say McKinsey’s Kayvaun Rowshankish and others in this article on data management traps to avoid. “Organizations that fail to walk the walk on data ethics risk losing their customers’ trust and destroying value.”

Often shadowed by tracking technologies, consumers are highly wary of how brands use their personal information; many will buy only from companies that have a reputation for protecting consumer data. Organizations that lead in digital trust—defined as those companies with employees who follow codified data, AI, and general ethics policies and that engage in cybersecurity best practices—are more likely than others to see annual growth rates of at least 10 percent on their top and bottom lines, according to research by McKinsey’s Alex Singla, Kate Smaje, and colleagues. But while nearly 90 percent of companies believe that they are somewhat effective at mitigating digital risks, 57 percent have suffered at least one data breach in the past three years. This is where digital-trust leaders come out ahead: 41 percent have experienced an adverse event in the past three years, compared with 53 percent of all other institutions. “Achieving digital trust is a major strategic imperative and a huge business differentiator,” says McKinsey’s Jim Boehm.

“A cyberattack tends to elevate and exacerbate tensions that already exist within an organization,” says McKinsey’s Wolf Richter in this podcast on how boards of directors can help shore up their organizations’ digital trust. “The board’s responsibility is to make sure that the executive team has a plan, is prepared, and is preparing the whole organization for the eventuality of an attack.” That means targeting particular vulnerabilities—such as field-service agents and customer service representatives—and balancing cybersecurity investments with investments in other parts of the business. “If I was a board member, I would ask which assets or parts of the organization the cybersecurity team and the leadership team focus their attention on,” Richter says. “The more specific they are in targeting initiatives toward specific systems, infrastructures, processes, and people, the better I would feel as a director.”

Lead with digital trust.

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by "McKinsey Leading Off" <publishing@email.mckinsey.com> - 02:28 - 17 Oct 2022