Sneak preview of our pre-publication article discusses an approach CIO's can take to resolve their Talent Crisis.

The layoffs from global IT sourcing produced a false sense of reality for CIOs that IT labor is abundant.  The reality for at least the next twenty (20) years is that talent for critical IT positions will be scarce. 

For instance:

• Trends show that foreign-born, U.S.-educated workers begin returning home shortly after gaining valuable work experience. 

• 18% of the IT workforce is rapidly approaching retirement age while growth in technology graduates declines. 

• Low unemployment in parts of the European Union (E.U.) is exacerbating an already shallow IT talent pool in the U.K., Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.

• In Asia, Indian IT service providers are attracting all available talent, leaving CIOs with insufficient staff to develop and run mission critical systems. 

• CIOs in the Middle East are witnessing demand for certain IT engineering positions exceed industry norms by 300% to 400%.

Compounding the CIOs talent shortage is a segment of the IT department’s workforce which will never be able to adapt and re-skill for today’s evolving technologies. 

This shortage and inadaptability are creating a Talent Crisis resulting in CIOs being unable to deliver best-in-class business capabilities using leading technologies.   

To address the Crisis, CIOs need a more evolved approach than the prevalent Skill or Talent Gap Analysis.  What they are looking for is an approach that helps them quickly determine the most critical IT positions so planning for those positions can begin immediately.  We call this approach the Next Generation Enterprise (NGE) IT Workforce Plan. 

The NGE approach to workforce planning is really a business strategy that the CIO uses while constructing or, in some cases, reconstructing a global IT talent supply chain.  While the NGE approach employs rigor to facilitate thoroughness and consistency it uses flexibility principles to fit many situations.  The approach includes four (4) elements that are critical to creating a workforce and five (5) steps, from Establishing a Case for Action to Developing the Implementation Plan.

With NGE Workforce Planning, CIOs have a tool to expand their planning horizon as they acquire, develop and maintain a critical business asset…the IT worker.

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For the entire article and/or more information, please contact talent@ngenera.com

About the Authors:  

Tom Casey is an expert in the development of organizational transformation strategies for rapidly growing multinational or transitioning organizations.  He has consulted in over twenty (20) countries and virtually every economic sector. 

Tim Donahue is an organizational effectiveness consultant who works with executives in Fortune 500 and public sector organizations to develop and deliver programs to drive business performance.

Eric Seubert is a workforce planning and labor market consultant who advises executives on global labor trends and their impact on business economics.  Eric uses automation, education, employee experience, inter-and intra-enterprise collaboration, talent management, and global talent acquisition to not only address talent shortages, but also transform workforces into a competitive advantage.

Talent Readiness blog provides a forum for discussion talent readiness in light of significant business challenges.