A global trading company was re-evaluating its market strategy. The key questions were: Which markets are expected to grow, and which are likely to slow down? Operating in growth markets with a focus on expanding the customer base and introducing new products and services differs significantly from operating in more mature markets, where operational efficiency is paramount. As a result, the company faced new challenges, particularly for its IT departments worldwide. How could they adapt? Emixa stepped in to support the global IT management team.
Aligning IT Competencies with a Global Trading Strategy
The new market strategy presented the global IT department with several challenges. As the business embraced a differentiated strategy, IT needed to align itself accordingly. But where should they begin? One thing was clear: the current IT team’s skillsets were insufficient to meet the diverse range of requirements. The key question was: What profiles would the company need to move forward? Our consultants collaborated with the IT and HR management teams to address this issue.
Profiling Digital Leadership with Precision
To tackle this, our consultants introduced the concept of ‘archetypes’ to help differentiate IT needs across the organisation's global operations. This approach took into account factors such as organisational structure, the existing IT landscape, the level of global or local collaboration, and the specific labour market conditions in each country. Together, we defined five leadership profiles, each with distinct sets of experience, knowledge, and skills, providing clarity on both current and future digital needs.
Our consultants then partnered with a psychological assessment firm to develop a thorough self-assessment tool called the Digital Needs Assessment (DNA). This tool combined psychological insights with an evaluation of specific digital competencies. The IT management team participated in this assessment, and the anonymised results were collated, offering a clear snapshot of the team's existing leadership skills, experiences, and knowledge. The findings helped identify which skills could be developed through coaching, training (internally or externally), or hiring.
Subsequently, our consultants held one-on-one sessions with each of the 24 IT managers. These discussions delved into their personal assessment results, exploring individual development goals. This process informed the creation of personalised development plans, addressing both the technical ('hard') and interpersonal ('soft') skills required to tackle the new challenges.
From Assessment to Development: Building Future-Ready Terms
The five leadership profiles proved instrumental in visualising the new IT roles required to support the company’s strategic direction. The comprehensive and respectful self-assessment process gave the IT management team valuable insights into their team’s strengths and areas for improvement. Armed with a clear plan for closing the skills gap, the company has made significant progress on its digital transformation journey.
