Technological change requires new skills

‘Make learning part of the daily workflow.’

Organizations want to move forward. In fact, they have to—because technological developments are evolving at an incredible pace. But how do you bring people along in all these changes? That’s a question learning consultant Anja Zijlstra from Capgemini Academy is often asked.

‘You have to make time for adoption – otherwise, the day-to-day will always take over.’

The question of how people learn has been a common thread throughout Anja Zijlstra’s career. Since 2017, she has been guiding organizations in learning and development journeys. Where she previously focused mainly on colleagues within Capgemini, since 2025 she has been designing learning solutions for clients of Capgemini Academy.

In her role as a learning consultant, Anja focuses on how people learn and change. Together with fellow professionals, she explores what, for example, the introduction of a new software system means for an organization. She looks at what such a change requires from people—and how to support them in that process. ‘As for adoption, you need to make time for it—otherwise, day-to-day operations will always take over.’

With all your experience in learning and development: what do organizations struggle with most when it comes to technological change?

‘The overarching theme right now is the scale of change. There’s simply a lot happening at the same time. AI is, of course, a major development impacting many organizations and their people. But there’s more. Many clients are dealing with sustainable IT, redesigning processes, and working in a more data-driven way. And on top of that, roles are changing faster than ever.’  

What do you mean by that?

‘Take a business analyst, for example. A few years ago, their focus was mainly on understanding the impact and connections between systems—maintaining oversight and aligning people and departments. But as systems have become more complex, business analysts are now expected to have technical knowledge as well. In some cases, they’re even expected to solve technical challenges themselves instead of just coordinating between different parties. That requires a different skill set. And you see shifts like this across many roles.’ 

What does that mean for organizations?

‘It means you need to guide people through that broadening of their role. In theory, you could replace people with others who already have the exact right skills—but that’s expensive and difficult. Where do you even find those professionals? And isn’t it more valuable to invest in your own talent?’  

‘On top of that, many colleagues are simply indispensable. Over the years, systems have become incredibly complex, and their knowledge is essential. So the real question is: how do you help employees combine their existing skills with new ones? That’s what we call upskilling.’ 

Upskilling… it sounds promising. Is it really as manageable in practice as it sounds?

‘Yes, it is. To some extent, change is timeless—organizations don’t have to reinvent everything. It’s quite universal that you’ll have a group of employees who think: ‘This is interesting, I want to explore this.’ Those are your frontrunners. And then there’s a group that is more hesitant, wanting to first understand what it means for their own work.’ 

‘You need to acknowledge that dynamic. For example, by making your frontrunners visible and giving them a role as champions within teams. They can show others what embracing change actually delivers and can have a huge impact. There are several patterns like this.’ 

I sense a “but” coming…

‘Yes,’ Anja laughs. ‘We just talked about how the pace of innovation might be higher than ever. That pattern of frontrunners and more hesitant colleagues hasn’t changed. But in the past, organizations often dealt with one major transformation at a time. Now, multiple changes are happening simultaneously—while daily operations continue as usual. Everyone still has projects, deadlines, and clients demanding attention.’ 

What’s the result?

‘It puts pressure on that sense of manageability. You can set up upskilling programs, create learning paths, offer certifications. But if you don’t explicitly organize how new behaviors are embedded into daily work, it remains something people do ‘on the side.’ And that simply doesn’t work.’ 

Go on… 

‘First, you need to ensure your frontrunners have the space to keep innovating. Otherwise, they’ll just get caught up in their regular work as well. At the same time, you need to focus on the large middle group—the group that ultimately makes the difference in an organization. They need not only space, but also direction and clarity. Without that, change will fall short of expectations.’

How can leaders make sure that space actually exists?

‘It starts with making it truly important. If an organization says learning and development matter, but people are only evaluated based on projects and deadlines, then operations will always win. Upskilling will fall behind.’ 

‘Learning, change, and adoption need to be organized explicitly. That means making time for it, but also setting clear expectations. What do you expect from people? And what can they expect from the organization? Once that’s clear, learning becomes part of the job instead of something extra.’ 

Can you make that more practical?

‘It starts with not limiting learning to training sessions or programs, but embedding it into daily work. Training is a good starting point, but what really matters is applying new knowledge in practice. Teams need the opportunity to work with new technologies, to experiment, and to discover what works—and what doesn’t—in their own context.’ 

‘That also means people need to feel safe making mistakes. Within reason, of course. But if everything has to be perfect from the start, people will be less inclined to experiment. And that experimentation is exactly what helps new ways of working stick.’ 

Any other tips?

‘Yes. It helps to give certain people within teams a champion role—we mentioned them earlier. These are often the colleagues who are naturally curious about new developments. They can demonstrate what’s possible and help others apply new ways of working in practice.’ 

‘I also believe learning is becoming less of something you organize occasionally and more of something continuous. That means investing in an environment where people keep developing and where curiosity is encouraged.’ 

What does this mean for the way you approach a learning journey with a client?

‘We usually start with a session involving different stakeholders. That helps us understand the different groups within an organization. Not everyone plays the same role in a transformation. Some people will work with it daily, others much less. Some need awareness, while others need to develop new skills.’ 

‘Once that’s clear, you can determine which interventions are needed. For one group, training works well. For another, it might be a workshop, coaching, or something embedded in the team itself. It really depends on what people need in their day-to-day work.’ 

And how do you track whether the change actually sticks?

‘There are several ways. For example, by making it part of regular team conversations. During a daily stand-up or periodic meeting, you can simply ask: ‘How is the use of this new tool or way of working going?’ 

Wouldn’t it be better to measure it?

‘Many organizations already measure a lot—employee satisfaction, engagement, and so on. You could send another survey, but there’s a limit to that. People don’t necessarily get more enthusiastic about it.’ 

‘I’m very much focused on practice. As a leader, walk the floor. See whether teams are actually using new tools. Whether new ways of working are really being applied.’ 

The ultimate challenge is…

‘Not just introducing the right technologies, but making sure people can actually move along with them. And no matter how big the developments are, change often comes down to small things. It doesn’t have to be grand or overwhelming.’ 

‘The key is to keep reinforcing it. One training or one intervention is rarely enough. Keep the conversation going, and keep people sharing experiences. That’s how change eventually becomes part of how people work. It takes time—quick rollouts rarely stick.’ 

Curious about the possibilities of upskilling and adoption for your organization?

The rapid pace of technological advancement means IT roles are constantly evolving, and digital skills can quickly become outdated. At the same time, there is a significant shortage of IT professionals in the job market. So how do you prepare your organization for digital transformation? Our advice: invest in the digital talent of your current workforce with SkillIT from Capgemini Academy.