OneOffice skills critical for survival continue to be under-invested

• Digital Fluency – the ability to drive the seamless interplay between business and technology – is recognized as the most urgent business skill to ramp up in today’s pandemic-accelerated rush-to transformation.
• But investment in Digital Fluency is lagging behind – ranking only third in the priorities of business leaders surveyed.
• With partners Cognizant, we asked a sample of 501 executives across global 2000 enterprises, how they were prioritizing investments in core skills identified as critical to the modern enterprise. Their 18-24 month outlook takes us to mid-2022. To explore the skills further, reference the HFS Point of View: Skills Driving the OneOffice Organization.
• Digital Fluency is exemplified by the ability to understand digital tools and create new ways to serve customer, employee, and partner needs; by understanding how and why digital technology impacts across every functional area of the organization; and, in examining the business model, strategy, and operations in the context of digital technology.
• Yet only 13% of those responding could say Digital Fluency was attracting the priority for funding to match the urgency they recognize. ‘Initiative’ and ‘Problem-Solving’ scored higher in this regard – 23% and 19% respectively.

The HFS Bottomline. Digital Fluency and Appetite For Change (investment priority 1 for just 12%) are recognized among the most urgent requirements for business survival but that urgency is less reflected by investment priorities.

As this gap in skills begins to dawn, investment will follow – leading to a rise in demand for relevant talent and training in the next 18-24 months. Moving now, to address what’s coming, offers business leaders the opportunity to close the gap before the market really hots up.