Have we got your attention with our feisty headline? We hope so!
We do really mean it though; talent must take priority over tech, it’s the only way to future-proof your business. And talent, particularly for in-house roles, is in seemingly short supply right now, with many favouring the freelance life. Why go in-house when you can work where and when you want? Enjoy multiple pieces of work rather than just one job?
In-house employees have deep knowledge of the company’s operations, processes, and culture. Consultants, on the other hand, bring external expertise, fresh perspectives, and experience from working with various organisations. We really believe that this blend of internal and external expertise can lead to more comprehensive and innovative solutions.
The blend of In-house employees and consultants (who we call Optimisers) also leads to accelerated learning, as employees can learn new skills, methodologies, and best practices from a consulting team. Conversely, our consultants quickly gain a nuanced understanding of the company’s unique challenges and context by working closely with in-house staff. This mutual learning drives faster progress and better outcomes, and this balance between external expertise and internal understanding leads to more effective and sustainable change.
Take digital transformation, for example, an ever-increasing imperative for organisations now and in the future. It’s something we work to support many clients with, lending our expertise to an in-house team, together creating a brilliant blend of talent with a great breadth of both skill and commitment to a cause. Given the number of businesses undertaking digital transformation in recent years, with a huge amount of them falling short, perhaps the focus is all wrong? Often importance is placed largely on the tech, and not the people behind the transformation. Talent is what’s needed to realise the full potential of technology.
Talent shortages constrain the ability to deliver value: shortages and the inability to find the right skills are major constraints for companies trying to derive value from their digital initiatives. We found a Deloitte article that stated that “46% say limited skills, capacity, or ability of the technology function was a constraint in delivering value from these initiatives.” Technology is important, yes, but cultivating the right talent and culture is imperative. And it’s where smart/tasking can really support those businesses grappling with shortages.
Niall Anderson says: “Talent will be the differentiating factor between any kind of transformation being deemed a success or a failure, and, as we well know, attaining and retaining talent, and shifting culture are both the biggest challenge and greatest investment in any digital transformation – the technology comes second.”
In many circumstances the clients we work with know exactly what they need but they don’t have the internal resources to go beyond that. We can help. It’s what smart/tasking is all about with our three services smart/consult, smart/hands and smart/task all supporting internal teams in different ways. smart/consult supports you with guidance and expertise, smart/hands provides skilled individuals to help deliver on projects, and smart/task supplies you with talent to take responsibility for business tasks so you can focus on what’s important. We position ourselves as strategic partners that seamlessly integrate ourselves, becoming an extension of your team. Get in touch to find out more.
