S
Soundbites | Catalyst
From ‘T-shaped’ to ‘poly-technic’ professionals:
developing the ‘many-skilled’ advisers of the future
F
or those seeking
to acquire and
manage talent in
the global world
of professional services,
the context is increasingly
challenging. There has been
a fundamental shift in what
represents value to clients –
in terms of the nature of the
professional service itself and
how it is delivered.
Disruption and change,
driven by increasing client
demands of ‘more for less’,
has led to new types of
service providers entering
the market, meaning
greater competition and
price pressure. There has
also been a reinvention
of the very nature of the
traditional professional
service firm, with a
‘blurring’ of the boundaries
between the different types
of enterprise.
In light of this, Saïd
Business School carried out
practitioner research over
the past year with partner
organisation Meridian
West to consider the talent
management impact for
the sector, exploring which
talent strategies will lead to
competitive advantage.
Career pathways
With firms evolving their
business structures, career
journeys are becoming
less linear. New career
pathways are opening up;
for example, with firms
offering moves into new
technology. In other words,
we’re starting to see career
lattice-style pathways with
alexandermannsolutions.com
20
more optionality – coming
at a good time to address the
next generation’s desire for
varied career destinations.
New mindsets
With these new pathways
come needs for new skill sets
and mindsets. Clients see
‘value’ in the future coming
from advisers who deliver
more than the pure technical
expertise and knowledge
often accessed at the press
of a button.
Instead, clients see ‘great’
advisers as those who spot
global industry trends,
partner and collaborate
around complex business
problems, who are data
aware, and know how
technology can drive
efficiency. Clients want
advisers who are curious and
problem solve, possessing
coaching skill sets of ‘asking’
as well as ‘telling’, especially
as their business challenges
no longer have ready-made
answers. This represents
a shift: away from the
old ‘T-shaped’ career
pathways, with early phases
developing deep expertise
before a later expansion of
focus, to a ‘poly-technic’ or
‘many-skilled’ professional,
whose career, mindset and
skill set are broader from
the outset.
To add client value, future
professionals must see their
identity as more fluid: less
defined by their technical
expertise, open to moving
through a number of career
roles and, to flourish in these
different roles, committed
ongoing learners.
A board’s talent ‘to-do
list’ should include three
key actions. First, build
your talent agenda around
gaining intelligence
on future, value-added
skill-sets: from client
feedback and areas of
the firm focusing on the
‘far future’.
Second, re-focus learning
and development teams
on ‘curating’ rich learning
resources to help staff
through lattice career
transitions.
Third, focus your firm’s
development activity on
experiential ‘ learning
by doing ’ opportunities
which will not only engage
staff, but also build the
agile mindsets and skill
sets needed in a rapidly
changing marketplace.
A future career journey for professionals
'Markets and industry
strategy' advisory group
Phase F
Nigel Spencer
is senior client
director at
Saïd Business
School,
specialising
in leadership
development
within the
professional
service sector.
Phase E Client solutions centre
Phase D Management
experience
Phase C
Client-knowledge tools development
Data analytics team
Practice area and expertise
development
Phase B
Phase A
Facilitating client discussions
Degree 'apprenticeship'
including time in the firm