AdaptabilityAnd Cross-Skilling Define The ‘Agile’ Enterprise T he ongoing momentum towards recruiting and developing new skill sets is continuing. Enterprises were already on a digital journey, the speed of which has only increased through the experience of the pandemic of 2020. The ability to drive more value to the business will depend on specific skills, most of which are not yet available to the extent required, SSON surveys confirm. These are primarily around automation, data analytics, customer centricity, and knowledge-based services; other priorities will likely include adaptive and design thinking, innovation and creativity, and problem-solving – all of which important in remote environments and in the absence of traditional structures. At American Fidelity, a lot of effort has gone into building a homegrown automation team. “It’s a testament to the quality of our colleagues that our automation initiative has been so successful,” says Bohn. “We wanted to ensure that a large segment of our employees was being trained, and that the capability did not just sit with one particular team. Our efforts as a result of our AF Automate initiative have been very successful so far, certainly in part because our business includes a lot of technology-savvy actuaries and finance experts. Many of these volunteered their time to support the projects and played a significant role in the widespread adoption of automation.” Another factor that has played well to American Fidelity’s talent requirements is the close relationship that has been formed with local universities. These mutually beneficial relationships have enabled the company to develop a strong pipeline through its intern program, many of which continue to full-time positions. “This has been particularly significant for IT and actuarial roles,” explains Wood. “In fact our partnership with the University of Central Oklahoma has led to them launching an actuarial degree to ensure we have a ready supply of talent. We also support that through scholarships,” she adds. “We bring in around 50 interns a year, and disperse these throughout our operations – IT, data, actuarial. In my own area – Business Continuity – we managed to fill a recent job this way. It’s a critical strategy to ensure we develop a robust talent pipeline.” One initiative that has been particularly successful for American Fidelity is the cyber security team it set up within a matter of months in Oklahoma City. “We recognized cyber security as a critical area for expansion two years ago, and determined to develop a team quickly,” explains Bohn. “We were looking for a particular skill set, based around controls and technology. We managed to fill our positions fairly easily – I believe our culture, as well as our competitive remuneration, had a lot to do with this.”
While culture is a critical differentiator, the local talent pool is very much defined by the caliber of jobs available. What characterizes Oklahoma
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