In a constantly changing business environment, there is one reality that organizations across industries are acknowledging - every business must be a digital business to stay relevant. By the end of this year, two-thirds of CEOs leading global 2000 companies would have digital transformation at the heart of their business strategy. For software services companies, this means that it is time to make the crucial move from traditional IT services to digital IT services, and enable clients to stay on top of their game. But what does it take to help your clients stay ahead of the curve?
First, it takes vision to make the leap. This means that the natural resistance to change and lack of motivation to learn and adapt should be addressed in an organization-wide move, to equip and train one’s people to keep pace and feel confident across various levels and teams. At Mphasis, we believe that our workforce needs to be ready to embrace the change before being able to help clients with it. And to prepare for this, we are working on a talent transformation program that will enable our workforce to help our clients build future-ready organizations.
A fundamental shift in approach
In a business scenario where the buzzwords are cloud, automation, data-led analytics, IoT, and mobility, the solutions expected from IT service providers as well as the nature of their delivery, are undergoing a significant change. To be truly useful and create sustainable value, technology service providers must skill their workforce through training modules that build competencies and don’t just introduce employees to concepts. To ensure a balanced approach to building a competency, which combines knowledge and skills, certifications and on-the-job learning become essential practice grounds.
Translating this to reality, Mphasis has envisioned a program that will support our employees to develop the skills needed to help our clients build digital businesses. To begin with, Mphasis is addressing this need by launching 10-15 new training platforms mapped to different skills, competency levels, and geographies. Employees will be trained in digital IT services skills, including cloud, automation, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). What makes the training modules unique is that diverse methodologies are being employed for effectiveness. For instance, storytelling and theater are being used as mediums to train employees in soft skills, and competency boards are being used for others.
We believe that when employees gain an in-depth understanding of their subject as well as how to apply it, they are better placed to move on to a digital business.
A skill-based vision
What will not work anymore is a compensation-led or process-driven program; instead, it is a competency-based talent model that is the need of the hour. This is the most significant change for employees in anticipating their growth since they are assessed and rewarded for competency through competency building, not just compensation.
It makes me proud that Mphasis is leading the change in the software services industry with this skill-based vision and move. We realize that career paths, hierarchy, grading of performance, incentive plans—all of this should be transformed together in the organization structure, to maintain a sustainable talent program. We are also digitizing the talent platform that aggregates and maintains this framework to ensure an end-to-end view, and carries out the change seamlessly.
I believe training must foster a learning culture and create a solution-centric mindset for employees, whereby they orient themselves to constantly develop solutions that help clients excel in the digital economy. This is key as the digital economy is complex and new technologies keep emerging. Having an outcome-focused workforce is a win-win situation for it benefits both the organization and its employees. It has the potential to keep employees better engaged and strengthen their individual career development roadmaps. This is a great motivator and morale booster for them as they are in control of their self-development and get new opportunities for job mobility even through change.
Mphasis is working with its employees to lead the change within the industry, together. Re-orienting the talent paradigm means injecting new capabilities and creativity to what we can deliver to clients on their digital journeys.
This point of view article has been shared by Srikanth Karra, Chief Human Resources Officer, Mphasis and originally published on TJinsite, the knowledge and research unit of TimesJobs.com, India’s leading job portal, owned by Times Business Solutions Limited. It conducts regular research on recruitment trends, compensatory valuations, employee satisfaction, and recruiter expectations. TJinsite leverages its vast database and structured & unstructured market data to offer syndicated reports and customized content to various industries and the HR fraternity. Click here to read the article.