Smart leaders are turning to their teams to grow in-house digital skills and stay competitive – Emma-Claire Kavanagh shows you how  

The digital skills gap is reportedly costing the UK economy as much as £63bn a year in lost revenue, according to a recent report by the Prince’s Trust, and our research at BIE shows that maintaining digital knowledge is a top people-priority for business leaders over the next five years.   

A reverse-mentoring strategy can be an effective way to share technical know-how among the whole team

Hiring tech talent externally can be an additional cost, and often comes with its own challenges. So smart leaders are increasingly looking to their existing teams and helping them to grow the digital skills the business needs in-house; in the process keeping their people – and their businesses – ahead of the curve.  

Here are three paths to consider:  

1) Reverse-mentoring: Gen Z to the fore  

Generation Z has grown up digitally native, equipped with strong technical skills from a young age. Senior leaders are increasingly recognising this fact, and there is evidence to show that many have been seeking advice and input from their wider workforce in our report. Begin to put some structure around this process, and you soon see a reverse-mentoring strategy emerging which can be an effective way to share technical know-how among the whole team. 

This could look like ‘flipping’ existing mentoring partnerships – the more experienced seeking advice and opinions from their younger counterparts as part of existing support sessions.  

Or encourage multi-generational project teams, where technical tasks are delegated to the younger members, allowing them to shine while also helping to impart know-how to the rest of the group.  

For reverse mentoring to really work you need to water the roots and focus on building a culture in which young, tech-savvy people will thrive. Start by encouraging discussions between all seniority levels, ask younger team members to share ideas and welcome them into higher-level meetings.  

This sort of inclusion will not only make Gen Z feel valued and seen, but it will also bring the benefits of demographic and cognitive diversity to the whole business. After all, a cross-section of lived experiences is key to building authentic culture in which skills are shared and celebrated, and before you know it, the workforce is organically upskilled. 
  

2) Training programmes: Learn or leave  

While you’re busy championing inter-generational skill-sharing, don’t scrimp on your formal development programmes. Technology is constantly changing, and your team, including the digital natives, will want to keep on top of formal qualifications that are recognised by the industry. 

In times of business uncertainty, it can be tempting to view training as an area that can be trimmed. But it’s important that budget-holders shift their thinking and start to view training as an investment, especially in times of fast-paced digital change. Development programmes not only improve the capabilities of the people running your business, but they can also be used strategically to support employee retention and reduce staff turnover. If people aren’t learning, there’s a danger that self-motivated staff will simply leave.  

Have an open conversation with your team and find out which tools are making headway in your industry and where they feel they need to upskill. These conversations will allow you to create personalised development programmes that align with the goals of your employees.  

Don’t be afraid to think more creatively – with an array of new digital tools and AI available, why not explore these technologies to build out-of-the-box strategies to upskill your team? You’ll find people become far more motivated when a different approach is taken to learning. 

To make real impact it’s important you give your team the opportunity to use the skills they’re developing on live projects where possible. Theory is important but real-world experience is crucial when it comes to digital skills.  

A final tip is to send out regular feedback surveys to your team to assess its success and any weaknesses. This way you’ll be able to continuously improve your strategy to drive more value for the business and your team. If you’re still not sure where to start though, it might help to get some short-term specialist help.  

3) Bridge the gap: Interim expertise   

For a short-term hit of expertise, consider bringing in an interim expert who can analyse your entire organisation, make recommendations and even implement the training, too. Many organisations are planning to invest in more interim talent over the next five years, so it’s important for C-suite leaders to understand how to manage an interim placement and extract their full value.  

Before hiring interim support, identify exactly where your digital skills gaps are and what areas your team want to improve. This could mean going back to basics with digital, or at the other end of the spectrum, looking at how your team can use AI to improve efficiencies.  

Once you have identified the right candidate you’ll want to gain as much value from them as possible. Be clear about the interim’s goals and expectations so they can really hit the ground running: 

• What exactly do you want them to do?  

• Are there particular digital tools you want to focus on?  

• Do you want to run simulation sessions to show new tools in action?  

Asking yourself questions like this and being clear on your answers will be critical. Regular feedback surveys should then become a focus of your check-ins with your interim. Respectfully communicate any areas of improvements and work with the interim to continue to develop the strategy. A strong candidate will be comfortable with upskilling your existing teams and transferring their own knowledge, so that the business no longer relies on them post-placement.  

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Emma-Claire Kavanagh is Managing Director, People & Culture Leadership Practice, at BIE