The world is witnessing fundamentalshifts with technology disrupting the way we work and live. This pace of changeis unprecedented and all pervasive – from the way we look for cabs to the waywe look for jobs. These disruptions are causing business models to evolverapidly and requiring both organizations and individuals to become smarter andconstantly upgrade, like the smart phones that run our lives. These paradigm shifts are fuelingmore skills deficit in a talent scarce market in India and across the world, leading to disparity between high and low skill jobs. This is aggravated by theadvent of automation which promises higher productivity, lower costs andsweeping changes in jobs, skills and the nature of employment itself in thefuture.
Digital platforms like Uber, Flipkart, Myntra, Practo etc. are already challenging norms of how and where wework, with highly skilled, independent freelancers and a project based workethos becoming the new normal. The flip side is that the pace of skillredundancies has increased manifold with the Telecom and IT sector severelyimpacted.
And while the future remains full of opportunities, theseopportunities demand new skills. The future belongs to organizationsthat can be agile, deliver more value to consumers through differentiation andcustomization and to its employees by fueling their growth anddevelopment. Similarly, for individuals to succeed, the focus is shifting fromthe traditional ’employment’ contract to ’employability’ and hence the constantneed to upskill. Reflecting back on my own workexperience, I realize how the nature of work has evolved and the increase incomplexity has required new skill development: Ten years ago Today Nature of Work 9 am – 6 pm in office Anywhere, anytime Office communication On e-mails On whatsapp, communicators etc. Type of roles Function specific in specific geographies Multi – functional, multi – geographies Career growth Climbing the hierarchical ladder Lattice movements requiring rapid new skill acquisition Success factors Depth of expertise, siloed functioning Depth and breadth of expertise, collaboration, learning agility While upskilling continues to be the need of the hour, there areinherent challenges that organizations and individuals face in the process.
Organizational challenges: Potential for upskilling: Not everyone is equally suited to upskill especially now with today’s multi-generational work force. Organizations need to direct energy and resources to enable upskilling for the right set of individuals. Upskilling is a journey: Upskilling programs have long gestation periods and require a multi-platform approach to display ROI. Business priorities often cause organizations to shift focus away to more pressing, current needs rather than adopt a long-term view to skill enhancement. This leads organizations to make ‘ buy’ vs. ‘ build’ decisions for key skills whereas a long term strategy for upskilling ensures availability of ready talent pool within the organization when required. Performance vs.
development lens: Business performance is of paramount importance in achieving organizational goals and fueling growth. However, staying relevant requires being future ready and learning to do things better as well as do new things. This can only happen if development is a key cornerstone of the talent management strategy of organizations and the culture emphasizes both performance and development. Individual specific challenges: Know thyself: In the absence of robust performance and development frameworks and infrequent feedback from managers, individuals may not be aware of the critical skills required to stay relevant today and tomorrow. Self-help is the best help: Even if individuals become self-aware, many think that it is their Manager’s responsibility to enable their development. While the manager and the organization can enable the same, the onus for development ultimately lies with individuals. Prioritization amidst complexity: In an already complex and rapidly evolving work scene, individuals are finding it increasingly difficult to invest in self- development and skill enhancement to stay ahead. Mode of upskilling programs: Classroom training has lost its relevance and sheen in this age of bite sized learning.
Individuals are drawn to learning and development which they can access anytime, anywhere, on demand. These challenges also offeropportunities for organizations and individuals to get it right. The future, therefore, belongs to those who continue to learn, unlearn and become more.
Andstaying relevant is no longer an option, it is the only way to be!
