Step up Search for Talented People in the Digital Age, Says Gartner

60 percent of organisations are ill-equipped to build workforce of the future

UK, Egham, May 14, 2007 —

As many as 60 percent of IT organisations will under-perform as they fail to attract and retain the employees they will need to succeed in the digital age, according to Gartner, Inc. Few organisations are prepared for the new levels of competition, spurred by globalisation and new work-related rules in their search for and retention of talented employees.

Driven by rapid advances in technology, globalisation, major changes in work demographics and more innovative and open approaches to business practices, new rules are emerging that will dramatically change the workforce and the role of management and IT over the next 10 years. 

At the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2007: Emerging Trends, being held 20-23 May, in Barcelona, Gartner analysts will examine how organisations build an IT workforce that can adapt to their businesses rapidly changing nature of work.

“The search for talented employees continues to become more difficult and nothing companies have done in the past will suffice,” said Diane Morello, vice-president and Gartner fellow. “The workplace of the future will require more imagination, more commitment and more cutting-edge action than most enterprises have faced before. Doing nothing is not an option, nor is mildly incremental improvement. Talented people fuel growth, innovation and excellence.”

Leaders will capitalise on individualised work patterns, such as the right to work from home and shifting social dynamics, like the tendency to communicate and learn through blogs and social networks. In addition, organisations will increasingly need to be prepared to source new talented employees globally as opposed to just locally, as talented people crosses borders, boundaries and organisations. Those that fail to do so will find themselves at a significant disadvantage.

As a result, Gartner predicts that by 2015, people will spend more than 80 percent of their time working collaboratively, often across ten or more virtual teams. Communication and marketing about work engagements, employment opportunities and new jobs will spread primarily virally through peer networks. By 2015, more than half of the Fortune 2000 enterprises will have multi-sourced workforces that span the globe.

Traditionally, businesses decided which technology-based services, software and equipment their employees required. In this situation, the company “pushed” the devices, software, learning tools, and work environment to their employees. A “pull” approach will emerge, whereby the next-generation of workers, namely, digital natives, will behave as consumers, assuming a high degree of individualised control over their work, peers, resources, and workplace. In this situation, employees use more of their own devices, software/web tools, and various methods to collaborate in doing their job.

“In our parents' and grandparents' generations, a person typically worked many years for one company. The combination of global communication, personal devices, location-independent technologies and weakening employment security have introduced new employment options for digital natives, which will come fully into play in the next five to ten years,” added Ms Morello. 

According to Gartner, six new rules are emerging that will govern the workplace of the future.

Gartner’s ‘new rules’ for the workforce of the future

1. The quality of peers will matter.
2. The competition for qualified IT talent will be global.
3. The employment model will change shape.
4. No two people will approach work in the same way.
5. Talented people will move around.
6. The gap between leaders and followers will widen.

“Although the rate and scope of work-related change will vary, no organisation will be immune,” concluded Ms Morello. “All organisations must get into a competitive condition.  We predict that recruiting, engaging and refreshing the most talented employees and the most relevant workforce will lie at the very heart of future business success.”

 

Contacts:


Laurence Goasduff
Gartner
+ 44 1784 267 195
laurence.goasduff@gartner.com

Carina Forsling
Gartner
+46 8 624 6324
carina.forsling@gartner.com


About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.