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.