Businesses want to embrace new technologies and ways of working. So the pressure is on for IT departments to deliver tech transformation. But how are teams progressing with this challenge and what needs to change by 2020?

IT leaders think their departments are four years behind their most innovative competitors. In fact, they think 29% of their teams need to be replaced in order to achieve digital transformation. That’s according to the latest report from Experis, Tomorrow’s Tech Teams.

And yet, 71% of IT workers feel that their skills and knowledge aren’t being fully utilised by their organisations. Most think this is due to a lack of investment and up-to-date training. It’s clear that there is a disconnect emerging between IT leaders and IT workers.

Developing skills for tech transformation

Geoff Smith, Managing Director at Experis Europe, commented: “Traditionally, the IT department was the practical powerhouse tasked with maintaining infrastructure, but now it is evolving to become more strategic.

“Yet, this research suggests they aren’t in a fit state to facilitate this change. IT leaders think they lack the relevant team skills, but workers believe they aren’t given the opportunity to demonstrate their talent. This should be a wake-up call for UK businesses. They need to establish the capability of their IT department.”

Geoff continued: “Organisations must review and restructure their IT teams to enable innovation. This starts with greater investment in the right training that is tailored to employees and business requirements, while creating a culture that supports personal development.

“It’s also important to realise the potential of existing IT teams and encourage individuals to think creatively about projects that will impact the bottom line – whether it’s designing and implementing the latest mobile app or delivering cloud services. Hiring additional professionals who can either immediately fill the skills gap or are capable of acquiring new skills should also be considered.

“All this will enable tech teams to become more productive, strategic and results-driven in order to drive IT transformation. Failure to do so could result in project failure.”