Five key skills for corporate growth
Developing digital know-how across teams for future success
In any business, you want the most experienced, knowledgeable people doing what they do best. That’s the premise behind the standard functional org chart.
But when it comes to digital and related skills, companies should aim to ensure that functional teams — not just the IT folks — have the know-how they need to use technologies like robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and data visualization to solve the business problems they face every day. The same goes for innovative approaches like agile project management and design thinking.
Complete the form below to read the full article
Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)
By submitting your email address, you acknowledge that you have read the Privacy Statement.
$15.7 trillion in global economic growth will come from artificial intelligence by 2030. Those who upskill their workforce now can benefit most.
Skills that create tech-savvy, innovative leaders
1. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
RPA software — essentially, bots — saves time and improves accuracy by automating time-consuming rules-based office tasks. It works with your existing systems and processes.
Applications across departments:
Data cleansing and normalization
Data replication
Portal queries
Data extraction
Data reconciliation
Price comparison
Benefits of upskilling in RPA:
Fewer human errors
Increased productivity from existing talent
Faster service delivery
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can be used to automate tasks that require human cognition, such as fraud detection or creating maintenance schedules for aircraft, cars, or other physical assets. AI tools support and improve human decision-making in everything from capital project oversight to customer retention to go-to-market strategies for new products.
Applications across departments:
Customer or prospect behavior prediction
Product, service, or treatment recommendations
Fraud detection and cybersecurity
Automated, personalized ad targeting
Online customer support
Actuarial modeling
Benefits of upskilling in AI:
Faster, better decision-making and new insights
Increased productivity
Increased resilience (through threat sensing and disruption mitigation)
AI augments human decision-making on everything from capital project oversight to customer retention to go-to-market strategies for new products.
3. Data visualization
Humans process visual representations more easily than spreadsheets, and data visualization conveys complex concepts and calls out patterns in data.
Applications across departments:
Delivering data more efficiently
Assisting decision-making
Showing trends over time
Communicating information in a universal way
Surfacing market opportunities
Benefits of upskilling in data visualization:
Better insights derived more quickly
Data pattern and trend identification
Better use of data to inform business strategy
4. Agile project management
Agile project management helps organizations develop new products or services in a flexible and interactive way, shortening development cycles and increasing speed to market.
Applications across departments:
Ensuring quality
Improving management of smaller projects within departments
Improving performance of larger projects managed by the PMO
Enabling cross-functional collaboration
Keeping up with the fast pace of change
Improving relationships with stakeholders
Benefits of upskilling in agile project management:
Faster time to market
Better communication among teams
Better models for continuous improvement
Agile project management helps organizations develop new products or services in a flexible and interactive way, shortening development cycles and increasing speed to market.
5. Design thinking
Design thinking is an approach to product design that prioritizes users, taking an iterative approach that encourages improvement through testing and incorporating user feedback. It is not, however, limited to product design and can be applied to problem-solving, collaboration, and decision-making.
Applications across departments:
Improving ability to see root problems
Building on insights to serve human needs
Creating customer-centered solutions
Imagining, co-creating, and prototyping new products, services, strategies and business models
Benefits of upskilling in design thinking:
Better understanding of the user experience
Fewer unnecessary deliverables created
Higher user adoption
Building a learning culture for everyone
Improving capabilities across an organization means upskilling everyone regardless of department or function. Developing talent can help improve your organizational capabilities — especially in the five key areas for corporate growth: RPA, AI, data visualization, agile project management and design thinking. Upskilling in these areas can help establish a culture of innovation, productivity and a continuous learning mindset.