Global Business Services (GBS) organizations have positioned themselves as valuable partners of the enterprise, driving enterprises’ top priorities and aligning with overarching objectives. Currently, GBS organizations are evolving to become global talent hubs that house deep-domain expertise and next-generation skills for enterprises. However, with the pace of technology adoption intensifying, it’s becoming more challenging to find talent that can fill next-generation positions.
GBS organizations need a robust, futuristic skilling strategy and will want to take steps to hire talent and educate, train, upskill, and reskill their current workforce to fill these necessary roles. The below image illustrates talent-related issues that are arising for GBS organizations.
Getting on the right path with a future-ready workforce
To deliver maximum value, GBS organizations should begin to strategize how to bring in next-generation talent and deliver development opportunities to advance current employees’ abilities and skills. With future-ready talent, GBS organizations will bring even more value to the table, encouraging enterprises to view them as operating units with increased leadership contributions and less as helpers. Having the right talent could also lead to expanding into additional areas in which GBS can be more involved and entrenched with enterprise strategy and decision-making.
Further, skilled talent will provide a competitive advantage for GBS organizations, with the most success coming from those that have invested heavily in their employees’ skills and competencies. Enhancing skills within the workforce will be key to augmenting strengths and differentiators for the GBS model in 2021 and beyond.
Talent strategy focus areas
There are a few specific areas where GBS organizations can adapt when it comes to acquiring talent and advancing current workforce skills, including:
- Enhancing brand perception in the talent market
- Utilizing out-of-the-box talent acquisition methods
- Offering learning and development (L&D) and talent reskilling and upskilling
GBS organizations that are proactive with their talent strategies, open to adopting new tactics, and not tethered to traditional methods are among those that may see the most success.
Enhancing brand perception in the talent market
With access to high-skill capabilities being a top priority for GBS organizations in 2021, there are expected changes to GBS talent-related performance metrics, including a higher bar for quickly finding and hiring talent. Turning to non-traditional methods to catch attention is becoming more common. One of the most effective approaches is a stronger social media presence to boost brand awareness and to be viewed as a desirable place to work. Hiring strategies now include being active in niche group conversations on social media and using hashtags to get in front of the right crowds.
Out-of-the-box talent acquisition methods
GBS organizations are searching out a variety of ways to find talent. Some have found success by hiring talent with specific skills from alternative and adjacent industries. There is also a different approach when it comes to reaching junior-level talent. Organizations are partnering with educational institutions, not just to offer internships, but to co-develop classes and implement projects like campus ambassador programs and hackathons. This gives the student an opportunity to get to know the organization and develop relationships with employees. One other method of attaining niche talent is through acquihiring, where a company will acquire another company, primarily for the skills of the staff.
L&D and talent reskilling and upskilling
As GBS organizations strive to deliver higher-value and multi-function services, they will not only need to find the talent, but work to keep that talent. This could be carried out by incorporating career paths and L&D opportunities, so talent stays trained and relevant on new skills. Many organizations are developing in-house learning for employees through gamification-based programs, making learning fun and improving employee engagement. Another method taking shape is peer-to-peer learning, where employees can come together to be innovative and learn from each other.
By creating a culture of learning, investing in talent, and helping the workforce to continually develop skills, GBS organizations can create a cycle of upskilling and reskilling, which could ultimately close the talent shortage gap for good.
The 2021 Pinnacle Model study for skilling strategies in GBS organizations
To discover more about talent and skilling strategies within GBS organizations, Everest Group and The Conference Board have developed the 2021 Pinnacle Model study. The research accumulated from the study will narrow down future skilling and talent strategies and provide valuable insights around best-in-class, or Pinnacle, skilling strategies in leading GBS organizations based on our proprietary Pinnacle Model framework.
How will this research help you?
By contributing to this study, you will learn how your peers – and the best of the best – are designing and implementing their skilling strategies. We will share a complimentary summary analysis of the survey results highlighting how your organization compares against peer groups with respect to capabilities created and business outcomes achieved.
