Insights - Viblio

What makes corporate restructuring projects so difficult?

Mattia Sedani — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:40:06 +0000

In today’s relentlessly shifting market, agility and continuous evolution are no longer optional for businesses; they are imperatives, frequently driven by transformative projects. The cost of inaction is steep: erosion of competitive edge, and in extreme cases, outright failure.

Alarmingly, statistics reveal that the majority of these crucial transformation efforts fall short. Tony Saldanha, drawing from research by McKinsey and PwC, highlights that a staggering 70% of such initiatives fail to deliver, even with substantial financial backing.

Why do so many transformation initiatives falter?

While numerous factors contribute to their failure, two stand out:

1. Strategic Alignment: The Cornerstone of Successful Transformation

Strategic alignment involves harmonizing business strategies with the necessary resources, processes, and skills. It ensures operational activities align with strategic plans, driving long-term success through a shared understanding of purpose.

In “Why Digital Transformations Fail,” Tony Saldanha identifies five essential pillars for successful digital transformation:

Clear Strategy: A well-defined vision and robust strategy are paramount. For further insight, consider “Made to Stick” by the Heath brothers.
Stakeholder Engagement: Active participation from all stakeholders, including employees and customers, is critical. Delaying engagement creates a culture of passive commentary rather than proactive contribution.
Methodical Execution: Disciplined execution prevents resource waste. Incremental daily improvements (1%) outweigh attempts at immediate, drastic change.
Internal Skill Development: Investing in skills, particularly by aligning with individual motivations, accelerates transformation significantly compared to purely top-down approaches.
Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation: Transformation is an ongoing process requiring constant evaluation and adjustments.

In my 15 years of experience as a strategic consultant, I’ve witnessed firsthand transformation projects fail due to a lack of alignment (point 2) and skill development (point 4).

A lack of synergy between the change strategy and its translation of ‘meaning’ at all levels of the organization creates brakes, sometimes invisible, that slow down or stop the transformation.
In other words, if you fail to bridge the gap between the ‘why‘ of the transformation and the ‘how‘ people need to act and grow to achieve it, the risk of failure doubles.

2. Develop Soft Skills, not just Hard Skills, consistent with the challenges of transformation.

Recent MIT research highlights that investing in the development of soft skills leads to significant returns on investment.
So, how do you build skills for a successful transformation?

Balance technological investments with management skill development: Always accompany the implementation of new technologies with a review of their interaction flows with all impacted personnel, not just those directly affected. The development of broad management skills is often underestimated.
Develop soft skills in more technical professionals: Enhance the communication, empathy, and collaboration skills of more technical teams to facilitate integration and change management within the organization at all levels, not only in those roles where soft skills are more prominent.
Promote continuous learning: Adopt a culture of continuous learning, encouraging employees to expand their skills and stay updated on new technologies. Learning and Development (L&D) professionals play a key role in fostering an environment where employees actively seek opportunities to broaden their skills; often, budgets for these activities are perceived as costs.
Training and upskilling for everyone: Offer targeted training programs and coaching activities to impart the essential knowledge and skills needed to operate before, during, and after transformation, not only towards populations that are trained recurrently, such as talents, managers, etc.
Foster an innovative organizational culture: Adopt an organizational culture open to change and curious about new developments, through programs chosen by employees themselves.
Transparent and widespread communication: Support transparent and widespread communication within the company.
Employee listening and engagement: Overcome resistance to change through a participatory approach that involves employees, including in the identification and implementation of solutions.

Conclusion

Transformations often fail due to the failure to achieve strategic alignment across all personnel, at their respective operational levels, with adequate skills, and through clear communication of purpose.

A disconnect between the change strategy and its effective transmission of ‘meaning’ at all organizational levels can create impediments that impede or halt transformation.

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Upskilling: Why do managers champion it while employees resist It?

viblio — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The workplace landscape continuously evolves, but one truth endures: a well-trained employee is priceless. However, despite the buzz around upskilling and reskilling, a widening gap exists between management’s enthusiasm and employees’ actual response.

The Manager's Perspective: An Essential Investment

For business leaders, developing people’s skills is a strategic imperative for several key reasons:

Adapt to Survive

According to Europe’s Digital Decade: Digital Targets 2030, over 90% of companies must achieve minimum levels of digital intensity within a few years, requiring mandatory investment in resources and skills that Europe deems essential. Yet companies already struggle to find personnel with suitable skills to implement competitiveness-enhancing projects (skill mismatch), let alone meet European regulations.

The challenge is significant. A 2023 survey by Local Area Network (LAN) found that when companies cannot find workers with suitable skills for projects, 16% abandon them entirely, 11% outsource them, while 38.9% attempt to quickly retrain existing staff.

Cost Control

Training staff internally and moving them into key roles has proven highly effective in many documented cases.

IBM demonstrated this with a notable initiative where employees facing restructuring could choose between severance pay or transitioning to new roles with weekly training in their free time—effectively sharing retraining costs. This approach yielded multiple benefits: increased productivity, better employee adaptation, lower turnover, and training cost savings of more than double the investment.

For more information, you can read the article in Harvard Business Review.

Soft Skills Training

A study conducted by MIT Sloan and other universities across five factories of Shahi Exports Private Limited, a leading Indian garment manufacturer, highlighted the significant impact of soft skills in the workplace. The study found that a 12-month soft skills training program, encompassing communication, problem-solving, time and stress management, yielded a remarkable 250% return on investment within just eight months of its completion. Surprisingly, these soft skills proved valuable even in seemingly repetitive roles like those on textile assembly lines, leading to notable improvements in productivity, efficiency, and employee retention.

This finding is further corroborated by research from the Stanford Research Institute International, which emphasizes the crucial role of soft skills in long-term career success, estimating their contribution to be around 75%, compared to 25% for hard skills. While this echoes the Pareto principle, it’s important to remember that technical skills remain essential and can significantly impact an individual’s success.

What Do Employees Really Think?

The outlook is bleak:

Training Yes, But When and How?

The common saying “Time spent on training equals time not working” reflects a real concern. Companies typically dedicate 102.6 hours—over 12 working days—to employee training. Workers report this as excessive given their daily productivity targets and work priorities. Data from The Industry Report available here.

Lack of relevance or correspondence with the workers' interests.

NTUC LearningHub‘s report Workforce Learning in Workplace Transformation reveals that 40% of employees find corporate training programs inadequate. Key complaints include: Limited Range of Topics Covered (40%), Boredom and Conventional Training Approach (37%), and Low Relevance of Topics for Career Development (18%). The OECD‘s Education at a Glance report shows workers spend roughly 9 days yearly seeking external learning opportunities relevant to their interests and daily challenges—a growing trend since 2020 that companies aren’t tracking.

Fear of Automation.

Despite upskilling efforts, employees fear being replaced by automation and AI, a concern that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2018 CEDEFOP report revealed that this fear affected 30% of the European workforce.

Poor Internal Mobility, High Disengagement, and Isolation.

Gallup’s State of Global Workforce research shows employee satisfaction peaked in 2020 before plummeting during the pandemic and remaining low. The findings are troubling: one in five workers experiences daily loneliness, rising to 25% among remote workers under 35.

Stress, sadness, anxiety, anger, and worry have reached their highest levels since Gallup’s surveys began in 1935.

Europe shows the world’s lowest engagement at 13% (versus 23% globally). Italy mirrors this trend, with just 8% of employees actively engaged—better only than France’s 7%.

Conclusion

These challenges demand a fundamental rethinking of skill development and employee well-being. It’s not just about technology, costs, and productivity—it’s about reimagining the very essence of Human Resources management.

Effective upskilling and reskilling programs require a structured and targeted approach. Viblio utilizes a database of over 3,000 international roles to analyze each employee’s position, assessing both hard and soft skills, and incorporating personality traits identified through a video interview.

This comprehensive analysis facilitates the creation of personalized training paths and a unique learning experience, effectively addressing individual skill gaps and maximizing employee potential.

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Performance management: Improving performance through targeted training

viblio — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 09:11:22 +0000

Performance Management is a strategic process that helps companies optimize employee performance and achieve specific business goals. While it includes performance evaluation, its scope extends beyond assessment to focus on continuous skill development through targeted training.

The Importance of Targeted Training.

Targeted training is crucial for addressing skill gaps and ensuring employees have the tools to meet their role’s challenges. In today’s rapidly changing workplace, companies must invest in developing their human resources to maintain a competitive edge. Here are the key advantages of targeted training:

1. Skill Development

Targeted training enables employees to acquire specific skills essential for their work. This enhances their efficiency and prepares them for more complex tasks and increased responsibilities.

2. Incresed Motivation

When companies invest in employee training, they demonstrate their belief in their staff’s potential and professional growth. This investment leads to higher motivation and commitment as employees feel genuinely valued.

3. Improved Retention

Organizations offering robust training and development opportunities retain talent more effectively. When employees see their company actively supporting their professional growth, they’re more likely to build their careers internally.

4. Adaptation to Change

In today’s dynamic work environment, adaptability is essential. Targeted training keeps employees current with emerging trends and technologies, positioning the company to tackle future challenges effectively.

How to Implement a Targeted Training Strategy?

Targeted training enables employees to acquire specific skills essential for their work. This enhances their efficiency and prepares them for more complex tasks and increased responsibilities. Here are the key steps:

1. Training Needs Analysis

Begin with a thorough analysis of training requirements. This process should incorporate manager interviews, employee feedback surveys, and performance data review to pinpoint areas needing improvement.

2. Goal Setting

Setting clear, measurable objectives is vital for effective training. These goals must align with business strategies while remaining specific to individual employees and teams.

3. Development of Personalized Training Plans

After establishing objectives, create tailored training plans that accommodate different learning styles. While some employees thrive with online courses, others may excel through hands-on sessions or mentoring relationships.

4. Training Implementation

Implementation requires careful planning. Ensure employees have both time and resources to engage in training programs while maintaining their core responsibilities. Unlock your team’s potential with effective training strategies.

5. Monitoring and Feedback

Regular progress monitoring is essential to assess training effectiveness. Through consistent feedback mechanisms, managers can fine-tune training programs to address evolving needs.

Viblio as a Performance Management Tool

Viblio seamlessly integrates targeted training into performance management processes, enabling companies to enhance their development initiatives.

Managers can create customized learning paths for each employee through Viblio, precisely matching individual needs and goals. The platform’s extensive training library offers flexible content that adapts to diverse learning requirements across the organization.

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Talk with our experts and discover how to create personalised growth paths, integrate Viblio into your systems, and make the most of your team’s skills.

Conclusion

Targeted training forms the cornerstone of effective Performance Management. When organizations invest in developing employee skills, they strengthen both individual capabilities and overall company success.

Through platforms like Viblio, organizations can enhance employee performance and reach their strategic goals with greater precision and efficiency.

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Talent retention: The key to business success

viblio — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:11:22 +0000

Talent retention is vital for companies aiming to keep their best professionals and ensure long-term success. This article explores the concept of talent retention and its importance for organizations. We’ll examine effective retention strategies, methods to measure their success, and how a positive work environment shapes employee loyalty. We’ll also uncover key practices for building a corporate culture that nurtures talent.

What is talent retention and why is it essential for companies?

Talent retention is a company’s ability to keep its best professionals for the long term.

It’s crucial because losing talented employees directly impacts organizational efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness. When top performers leave, they take valuable skills, knowledge, and experience with them. High turnover also leads to significant costs in training and onboarding new hires.

Companies can retain top talent through professional development opportunities, meaningful recognition, an engaging work environment, and a culture that values employee contributions.

Regular assessment of these retention initiatives helps measure their success and guides improvements.

Simply put, investing in talent retention is essential for long-term business success.

What strategies can ensure the retention of top professionals?

Companies can implement several effective strategies to retain their best talent.

The foundation starts with robust professional development through ongoing training and clear career advancement paths. A positive workplace where employees feel valued and motivated is equally important.

This environment stems from a culture promoting work-life balance and team collaboration. Recognition through merit-based rewards and incentives plays a vital role. Open, transparent communication ensures employees feel heard and involved in company decisions.

Regular monitoring through satisfaction surveys and turnover analysis helps track these initiatives’ effectiveness.

How to measure the effectiveness of talent retention policies?

Companies can use several key metrics to evaluate their retention efforts.

The turnover rate—measuring how many employees leave in a given period—serves as a primary indicator.

High turnover may signal ineffective retention policies. Employee satisfaction surveys provide direct feedback and highlight areas needing improvement.

Other valuable metrics include average employment duration and the number of internal growth opportunities offered.

Regular analysis of these measurements helps companies refine their retention strategies for better results.

Why does a positive work environment influence staff retention?

A positive work environment dramatically impacts employee retention.

When people feel appreciated, they’re more likely to stay. Such an environment creates belonging and strengthens corporate culture. Motivated, satisfied employees show greater commitment to their work.

Good workplace dynamics foster collaboration and effective communication, creating mutual support among team members. This reduces stress and enhances well-being, making the company an attractive place to work.

Creating a positive environment is therefore crucial for keeping top talent.

The secrets to creating a corporate culture that promotes retention

Building a retention-focused culture requires several key elements.

Investment in training and professional growth comes first, offering clear paths for career advancement.

A positive environment where employees feel valued needs consistent nurturing. This includes balancing work and life demands, providing competitive benefits, and recognizing excellence.

Transparent communication and constructive feedback must flow freely. Regular monitoring of turnover rates and employee satisfaction helps measure success.

Only a comprehensive, thoughtful approach can create a culture that truly retains top talent.

A tool to integrate into your retention strategy is Viblio.

The platform provides content from major providers in circulation, offering a diverse and constantly expanding ecosystem. This allows talent within the company to stay updated and improve their skills while feeling valued within the company.

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Upskilling and Reskilling: The key to the future of work

viblio — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 09:11:22 +0000

In today’s workplace, continuous learning and skill development are essential. Upskilling and reskilling have emerged as key concepts attracting growing attention. But what do these terms really mean? How do they differ? And how are companies and professionals actually developing their capabilities?

This article explores how to enhance employee talent within organizations and presents practical strategies for embedding continuous learning in your team.

Understanding Upskilling and Reskilling in Today's Workplace.

Upskilling and reskilling are two fundamental concepts in today’s workplace. Upskilling focuses on enhancing existing skills—enabling workers to gain new knowledge and abilities to keep pace with emerging technologies and market demands. Reskilling, in contrast, involves a complete professional transformation, equipping workers with the skills needed to transition into entirely new roles.

These complementary approaches are vital for maintaining competitiveness in our rapidly changing work environment. Companies and professionals are preparing for future challenges through internal training programs, online courses, and partnerships with educational institutions. Such initiatives help both organizations and employees better navigate current and future workforce demands.

What are the differences between upskilling and reskilling?

In today’s workplace, it’s crucial to understand the distinction between these two approaches to professional development. Upskilling enhances existing capabilities through training courses, workshops, and development programs—building upon your current skill set. Reskilling, on the other hand, involves a complete professional transformation to adapt to market changes or technological advances. It requires learning an entirely new set of skills different from your previous expertise. For example, when an accountant transitions to IT, they must acquire a completely different skill set for their new role. Understanding this distinction is vital for adapting to workplace changes and maintaining long-term employability.

Examples of How Companies and Professionals Are Growing Their Skills.

The modern workplace demands continuous learning, and both companies and professionals are stepping up to the challenge. Companies are investing heavily in internal training programs, equipping their employees with the skills needed to navigate emerging technologies and methodologies. These programs utilize a variety of methods, including online courses, workshops, and conference attendance. Accenture, for example, has committed over $800 million to upskill 150,000 employees in areas like artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Individuals are also taking ownership of their professional development. Online learning platforms, specialized courses, and digital communities are empowering professionals to proactively acquire new skills and knowledge. LinkedIn Learning, for instance, saw a surge in usage during the pandemic as individuals sought to adapt to the changing job market.

Furthermore, companies are fostering a culture of continuous learning through mentorship and coaching programs. IBM, for one, has paired employees with experienced leaders to facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development.

These initiatives represent a crucial investment in the future. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, continuous learning is no longer optional – it’s essential for both organizations and individuals to remain competitive and thrive.

Why is it essential to update workforce skills today?

In today’s work environment, continuous skill development is indispensable. Technologies and work methods evolve at an unprecedented pace—making some skills obsolete while demanding new ones. Upskilling and reskilling have become vital for maintaining professional competitiveness.

Upskilling enhances existing abilities, while reskilling involves acquiring entirely new skills for different roles. For instance, a programmer might upskill by learning a new programming language, while an administrative employee could reskill by transitioning into digital marketing. Keeping pace with these changes is essential for maintaining employability and capturing the best professional opportunities.

With Viblio, you’ll have access to a personalized learning path based on your role, skills, and aptitudes. Thanks to powerful artificial intelligence algorithms, Viblio understands you both professionally and personally, offering targeted, quality educational content to develop new skills and keep you consistently updated.

How to Implement Effective Continuous Learning Strategies in Your Team.

Developing an effective continuous learning program requires a clear, structured approach. Start by identifying the key competencies your team needs to tackle both current and future industry challenges. Then assess each team member’s individual needs to create personalized training plans that address specific skill gaps.

Create an engaging learning environment by blending different training methods—online courses, internal workshops, and mentoring. Build a company culture that celebrates continuous learning by recognizing achievements and fostering knowledge sharing among team members. Regular monitoring and adjustment of training strategies ensure your program stays effective. Remember: investing in your team’s ongoing development is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced market.

Viblio’s algorithms analyze your role through a database of over 3,000 international roles, examine your competencies (both hard and soft skills), and assess your personality traits through a video interview to create a tailored learning path and unique learning experience.

Try Viblio for free or if you’re a company, request our Demo and start focusing on developing your team’s skills.

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Insights - Viblio

What makes corporate restructuring projects so difficult?

Why do so many transformation initiatives falter?

1. Strategic Alignment: The Cornerstone of Successful Transformation

2. Develop Soft Skills, not just Hard Skills, consistent with the challenges of transformation.

Conclusion

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Did you like our article?

Related content

Upskilling: Why do managers champion it while employees resist It?

The Manager's Perspective: An Essential Investment

Adapt to Survive

Cost Control

Soft Skills Training

What Do Employees Really Think?

Training Yes, But When and How?

Lack of relevance or correspondence with the workers' interests.

Fear of Automation.

Poor Internal Mobility, High Disengagement, and Isolation.

Conclusion

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Did you like our article?

Related content

Performance management: Improving performance through targeted training

The Importance of Targeted Training.

1. Skill Development

2. Incresed Motivation

3. Improved Retention

4. Adaptation to Change

How to Implement a Targeted Training Strategy?

1. Training Needs Analysis

2. Goal Setting

3. Development of Personalized Training Plans

4. Training Implementation

5. Monitoring and Feedback

Viblio as a Performance Management Tool

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Conclusion

Did you like our article?

Related content

Talent retention: The key to business success

What is talent retention and why is it essential for companies?

What strategies can ensure the retention of top professionals?

How to measure the effectiveness of talent retention policies?

Why does a positive work environment influence staff retention?

The secrets to creating a corporate culture that promotes retention

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Did you like our article?

Related content

Upskilling and Reskilling: The key to the future of work

Understanding Upskilling and Reskilling in Today's Workplace.

What are the differences between upskilling and reskilling?

Examples of How Companies and Professionals Are Growing Their Skills.

Why is it essential to update workforce skills today?

How to Implement Effective Continuous Learning Strategies in Your Team.

Book your personalised Viblio demo

Did you like our article?

Related content