But it’s not just about the jobs and roles. Moving ahead, telcos will need to reconsider the entire way their people and teams are structured, in order to foster a culture of innovation and begin to create their own disruptive momentum.
There are clear indications that telcos are already making these changes, moving towards a significantly streamlined workforce that is built around specialist expertise in new technologies.
Capita’s research supports this, with 93% of HR directors with IT and Telecoms agreeing that within 5 years they would have a core group of high performers, with remaining talent bought in when and where needed. Furthermore, 72% of HR Directors said they would not be increasing permanent staff. This speaks to telcos moving away from hyper-rigid hierarchies towards a more fluid structure. Indeed 87% of HR directors said they were already focusing on developing cross functional teams, which will be fundamental to bringing together the diversity of thought and perspective that is fundamental to innovation.
And this isn’t the only change underway. Whilst the future may feel impossible to predict, many HR Directors are already undertaking a broad range of activities to help reshape and optimise their workforce in line with a more fluid, innovative approach:
Accelerating to deliver on these changes will be critical if telcos are to successfully transform their businesses and take control of the disruption that surrounds them.