3 Ways to Modernize Your Cloud Investment

UNLEASH World 2023 recently brought together insightful speakers who shed light on various aspects of the journey towards business excellence. During a boardroom presentation about upskilling and reskilling workers to foster organizational success, senior HR leaders shared personal stories of how modernizing their approach to investment in cloud technologies can make an impact.

Day One Mentality for Long-Term Success

To foster success within an organization you must start by investing in your people. Talent transformation, the process of developing and evolving the skills, capabilities, and potential of an organization’s workforce to align with the changing needs of the business and industry, is something organizations must consider when working to make investments in the cloud count. To start, leaders must stress the importance of cultivating a “day one” mentality amongst their workforces. This mindset encourages people to embrace adaptability and innovation as core principles. In a world where change is constant and technology is evolving quickly, adopting this approach can set the stage for long-term success. This success can be found by aligning the right learning programs for an organization with their outlined business strategies.

The Power of Reskilling Within a Company

Stellantis’ transformation journey was a focal point of the discussion. The organization, a constellation of 14 iconic automotive brands and two mobility arms, is investing in internal training to enhance the skills of its employees, covering areas like software development, data science, and product management. Simultaneously, the company is actively hiring individuals with an external motivation to reskill and learn new technologies, with a vision to foster a tech-savvy corporate culture. The focus of the upskilling initiative encompasses customer centricity, machine learning, agile practices, and project management. A keen emphasis lies in identifying the strengths of new hires and providing tailored training to boost engagement and satisfaction. Companies are measuring the online program’s success by evaluating learners’ performance in their roles after one year and assessing overall customer satisfaction.

Within the tech industry specifically, it was noted that reskilling and upskilling employees to keep up with rapidly changing technology was a difficult task. The focus on artificial intelligence (AI) as a key area of growth underlined the importance of investing in existing employees rather than primarily hiring externally. A company’s workforce already possesses knowledge of the business, and this makes them valuable assets in the long run. Internal stakeholder alignment and top management sponsorship can aid in making sure everyone is working in the right direction toward the same objective.

Having effective technological tools was identified as an essential factor in supporting talent and performance management for companies reskilling their employees. Additionally, the importance of preparing a catalog and offering part-time training to help individuals through the completion of their online reskilling and upskilling courses is essential. Though the process of reskilling and upskilling employees can be difficult and lengthy, having a workforce that is skilled and efficient will foster an organization’s overall success in any field.

Balancing Internal and External Talent

The speaker from Stellantis noted there is importance of striking a balance between internal and external talent acquisition. Defining key performance indicators (KPIs) and integrating AI and electrification into the business model were essential components in finding this balance. Selecting the right candidates, creating new roles, and remaining open to new opportunities and business ventures are some of the challenges being addressed during the talent acquisition process. Organizations should aim to foster a culture of continuous learning and mobility within the company, ensuring that early career development and continuous learning remain at the forefront for new and existing employees.

New talent can be good to help fill the cloud skills gap within an organization, but leaders should not overlook the potential of the people already existing within their workforce. By reskilling and upskilling new and existing talent, organizations can maximize their total cloud investment.

Key Takeaways:

There is an ever-present challenge for industry leaders managing a workforce in an era dominated by cloud and AI technologies. These advancements demand continuous learning and upskilling to retain top talent. The consensus among executives in the boardroom discussion is that the problematic pattern of workers quitting their jobs often and rapidly is a primary concern.

The path to business success involves a combination of adaptability, innovation, and people-centric investments. From embracing a “day one” mentality to navigating workforce transformation through reskilling and upskilling, these discussions provide valuable insights into how organizations can thrive in a technological world. The common thread among these insights is the recognition that people, their skills, and their willingness to learn are central to achieving long-term business excellence.