How organizations in Singapore can lead the next wave of innovation amid a global battle for talent | So Good News

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Abhilash Purusotaman, Regional Vice President and General Manager Asia, AppDynamics

As economies around the world recover from the global pandemic, organizations across all sectors are looking to rapidly expand their digital transformation programs to secure a competitive advantage. The next era of innovation is gaining momentum as businesses seek to reimagine their applications and enable new hybrid work models in response to rapidly changing customer needs.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the need to attract, retain and motivate top IT talent has never been more important. Organizations cannot achieve their innovation goals without a sufficient number of highly skilled technologists. The battle for top international talent has intensified in Singapore in recent months as the city-state reopens its economy ahead of regional rivals such as Hong Kong and Shanghai. While good for overall economic growth, the large number of international firms relocating to Singapore is further straining an already stretched labor market.

In fact, digital skills shortages are a significant challenge for businesses in virtually every country – and recent trends like the Great Resignation only serve to make a bad situation worse. A Gartner survey published last year found that IT managers worldwide now identify the skills shortage as the most important barrier to adoption of emerging technologies in every IT domain – computing infrastructure and platform services, networking, security, digital workplace, IT automation and storage, and database. showed that he will consider.

In March, Singapore’s Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information Tan Kiat Howe identified a significant skills gap in the industry. In his speech, 19,000 technology roles were unfilled in the economy, particularly in software creation and development. In recognition of this, and to ensure that Singapore can compete effectively in the global race for top talent, the government has even introduced a new Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass program to attract high-earning tech professionals.

The battle for tech talent is now almost impossibly fierce. Governments are not alone in promoting new talent policies, but organizations are also developing broad-based engagement and training strategies, focusing on their existing IT talent as well as broader digital upskilling programs for the wider workforce.

Cisco AppDynamics’ latest research, the Transformation Agents 2022 report, reveals the benefits for organizations that can create an environment where technologists can develop their skills and accelerate their careers to become Transformation Agents – elite technologists with the skills, vision and vision. striving to effect sustainable transformation and leave a positive and lasting legacy.

The study not only reveals the individual contributions Transformation Agents make to the organization in terms of driving innovation and delivering seamless digital experiences for customers and employees, but also the impact these elite technologists have on those around them. They can train, motivate and inspire other technologists to raise their game and perform at a higher level – indeed, 85 percent of technologists surveyed worldwide say they want to work alongside Transformation Agents.

It is clear, therefore, that organizations must do everything possible to retain, motivate and reward Transformation Agents and support other technologists on their journey to this summit of the IT profession. Currently, only 10 percent of global technologists are working at this elite level, but the study found that 88 percent of technologists believe that the pandemic has accelerated the need for more technologists to become agents of transformation.

To nurture IT talent, employers must provide their technologists with the right support, culture and resources to perform at their highest level. They must focus on creating an inspiring and inclusive culture and ensuring their technologists have access to budgets that are flexible and relevant to the areas and initiatives that have the greatest impact on the business. They need to show technologists that the organization has a clear vision, with technology at its core.

Most importantly, IT and business leaders must ensure that technologists have access to the tools they need to manage and optimize IT availability and performance so they can deliver the seamless digital experience that customers and employees now demand at all times. 90 percent of technologists in Singapore say that having control over all technical areas of their IT stack is fundamental to sustainable transformation and innovation in their organization.

Overall, there is an overwhelming sense of optimism and positivity among technologists after two very difficult years. They are eager to get back to the forefront and take a proactive and strategic approach to innovation. In fact, 94 percent of technologists in Singapore believe that what it means to be a technologist has changed, and that all sectors are taking responsibility for their own development. This reflects an important recognition of the need to learn new skills and adopt new approaches, especially as the shift to cloud technologies brings greater complexity to a dynamic and fragmented IT environment.

Despite the intensifying battle for global talent, organizations in Singapore should not overlook the tech talent they may already have at home. Employers who can create the right environment for technologists to develop and grow will not only go a long way in addressing current and future IT skills challenges, but they will also position themselves to be ahead in the next era of innovation. They must act quickly to take advantage of the current mood in the IT department to ensure that their technologists have the support, leadership and resources they need to achieve their best results, wherever they are. the pinnacle of his profession.