On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Sterling Parker, Senior Vice President of Global Solutions and Services at Ivanti.
Sterling is a recognised leader in workplace technology and digital transformation, with deep expertise in helping organizations of all sizes – from global enterprises to fast-growing startups – navigate the evolving world of work.
In this episode, we dive into the findings of Ivanti’s latest report, which gives insights into how leaders can build workplaces that are not only more efficient but also more human, flexible, and future-ready.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Ivanti’s latest “Technology at Work” report reveals a striking insight: while 73% of office workers and 83% of IT professionals consider flexible working “high value” or “essential,” only 23% of employees say their current job is highly flexible - highlighting a major flexibility gap that organisations must address to attract and retain top talent. The study also explores the widening flexibility gap, the rise of shadow AI, and the critical balance between optimising technology and empowering people.
Leaders need to hear the feedback from their teams. In terms of what’s preventing them – whether it’s perception or reality – from having flexibility in their day-to-day job. If you’re trying to address something without first hearing what your team demands in terms of flexibility, then you will have a hard time marrying the demand to the business objectives. That’s a delicate balance.
If you’re not defining what success looks like for an individual, how are you going to be able to measure, as you pivot to more flexible work, whether or not that is really leading to the outcomes you need as a business to continue to invest in that flexibility?
To redefine flexibility, it comes down to the mutual benefits involved in how individuals define ‘flexibility’. From what I’ve seen, it happens at a team level, especially when you’re working on different objectives.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Lack of investment from businesses is leading to this 23% feeling like they don’t have any flexibility.’
‘There’s real cost in time spent with family, there’s real cost in the commute, and people weigh those options.’
Since COVID, individuals are more willing to leave businesses for flexibility. Refusing to adapt will increase the likelihood of losing skilled employees, which will cost the business. ’
‘When top talent leaves, or isn’t being attracted, then you’re going to have an innovation stagnation.’
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Sterling Parker is the Senior Vice President of Global Solutions and Services at Ivanti, where he leads the company’s worldwide support, services, and solutions strategy. With a deep background in IT operations and customer experience, Sterling is responsible for ensuring that Ivanti’s clients—ranging from large enterprises to small businesses—can securely and efficiently manage their digital workplaces in an era defined by rapid technological change and evolving workforce expectations.
Discover more about Ivanti’s most recent report here.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
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