This document discusses how IT roles and skills will need to change by 2020 to support digital transformation. It notes that traditional IT mindsets focused on processes, risk avoidance, and working in silos will need to shift to more adaptive, collaborative mindsets. The skills most in demand include relationship building, learning agility, creativity, and business acumen. IT staff will need more versatile technical skills and experience across different areas. Teams will also need to integrate IT and business staff to work more fluidly across functions. To develop these skills, companies should offer experience-based career paths, foster openness to change, and invest in competency development beyond traditional training.

1. Driving Talent
Change for
the Digital
Enterprise

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What It Professionals Will Be Doing In 2020
Activities of IT Staff in 2020
Illustrative
Jordan, with
peers from
marketing,
product
development,
and sales,
evangelizes a
machine learning
solution to
business leaders.
Omar consults
with R&D leaders
and coaches
peers in R&D
on vendor
management
risks.
Maria in mobile
development
brokers a new
relationship with
a fintech vendor.
Samir draws
on his skills in
applications
and UI/UX and
delivers a self-
service API
for call center
employees.
Source: CEB analysis.

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Adaptive Mindset
A set of attitudes and behaviors
that make an individual, a function or
an organization open to change and
experimentation, flexible to collaborate
in new ways, and able to learn from
failures and continuously improve.
Defining an Adaptive Mindset for Digitization

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The Challenges with Existing Mindsets
IT Employee Behavioral Profiles
Percentage of Employees
n = 934 IT employees.
Source: CEB 2014 Climate of Openness Diagnostic.
Process-Centric
Mind-Set
0%
50%
100%
Risk-Averse
Mind-Set
Siloed
Mind-Set
Ninety four
percent of IT
employees fit
at least one of
these profiles.
87%
68%
40%

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Wanted: More Versatile IT Staff
Examples of
Versatile Player
Roles
■ DevOps Engineer
■ Solution
Architect
■ Full-Stack
Developer
■ Security Service
Manager
■ Data Products
Manager
Change in the Mix of IT Staff
Percent Change in IT Job Descriptions Seeking Versatile and Targeted Players,
2012–2014 Versus 2014–2016
n = 200 job listings (2012–2014); 197 job listings (2014–2016).
Source: CEB analysis.
Note: This is a random sampling that was analyzed and categorized manually. It is not a comprehensive analysis but the results indicate that generalists
may be on the rise.
Versatile Player
■ Provide expertise
and experience in 1–2
technical areas.
■ Provide knowledge,
experience, and exposure
to a wide variety of
related areas in IT.
Targeted Player
■ Provide significant
expertise and experience
in 1–2 technical areas.
■ Concentrate on providing
value to 1 area in IT.
∆ = +19%
2012-2014 2014-2016
0
100
200
131
69
115
82

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Digitization Widens Competency Gaps
Growth in Demand and Current Internal Scarcity of Key IT Competencies
Percent Change in Requests
2012–2014 Versus 2014–2016
Percent of Current IT
Employees Below Proficient
Influence +92% 54%
Relationship
Management
+40% 50%
Teamwork +31% 33%
Learning Agility +31% 43%
Business Results
Orientation
+29% 36%
Creativity +28% 42%
n = 1,765,843 IT job listings (2012–2014); 2,633,527 IT job listings (2014–2016); 2,957 CEB IT Talent Assessments.
Source: CEB analysis; CEB 2013–2015 IT Talent Assessment.
Note: “Proficient” is defined as scoring a 3 on the competency on a 5-point scale. Employees defined as “at least” proficient if they score 3, 4, or 5.
Not Proficient Proficient

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Emphasize Experience-Based Growth
Position-Based Model
Promotion-
Focused
Lateral Moves Driven
by Dissatisfaction
■ Career paths focused on
specific positions (e.g., project
manager, senior project
manager, project lead).
■ Employees are promoted
within a functional or
organizational silo.
■ Career paths focused on gaining
experiences and skills (e.g., managing
a program budget, leading a cross-
functional team).
■ Employees move between different
parts of the organization to best apply
their skills.
Source: CEB analysis. Source: CEB analysis.
Experience-Based Model
Supports
Cross-
Functional
Moves
Experience-
Focused
Lateral Moves Driven by
Organizational Needs
and Employee Aspiration

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From Traditional Teams to Fusion Teams
Team Boundaries
■ Teams form within
functions.
■ Teams form across functions,
business lines, and enterprise
boundaries.
Source of Technical
Expertise
■ Technical skills are
provided by IT staff
exclusively
■ Technical skills from across the
enterprise are integrated.
Delivery Structure
■ Project delivery requires
hand-offs between teams.
■ Work is integrated across
the delivery lifecycle and an
iterative approach is common.
Reporting Lines
■ IT staff report to IT leaders,
business staff report to
business leaders.
■ Reporting lines are mixed.
Source: CEB analysis.
Traditional Teams Fusion Teams

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IT Talent Priorities for 2020
INCLUSION
Invest in
Diversity
CAREER PATHS
Create Experience-
Based Careers
COMPETENCIES
Focus on Collaboration
and Engagement
MINDSET
Foster a Climate
of Openness
SKILLS
Recruit for
Technical Versatility
TEAM STRUCTURE
Build Fusion
Teams
Source: CEB analysis.
Seek staff with the
ability to adapt and
work in more versatile
technology roles.
Mix delivery teams with
IT and staff from other
functions to embrace
Agile at scale.
Prepare staff to flex
modes of working and
collaborate directly
with business partners.
Promote appropriate
risk-taking and
adaptability to digital
business models.
Offer new pathways
that give staff
experiences for
growth.
Strengthen retention
and development for
women and other
underrepresented groups.

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IT Is Paying a High Price for Lack of Preparation
Only 25%
57%
80% 79%
IT understands that it must invest
in employee development…
…but traditional classroom training and
e-learning solutions are incomplete.
of business leaders rate
the IT function as effective
at applying IT capabilities
to business needs.
of employees expect
learning to be more bite
sized, or on demand.
of organizations do
not provide training
or coaching in critical
competencies.
of employees expect
the majority of learning
to happen outside of
the classroom.
Companies must invest in effective development efforts that not only
build the correct capabilities in the classroom, but also enable adoption
and retention through critical ongoing refresh and application activities.

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