How to attract world-class data talents
So you want to attract world-class data scientists to your factory ?
Recruitment has been an issue for manufacturing for some time now. And among the hardest profiles to recruit are tech or, more specifically, data scientists. Unfortunately, the best of the best talent are way out of your league. There is a global shortage of tech/data talents and the competition is fierce.
There is some good news: there’s a lot of training available today regarding A.I & Data. MOOC are very trendy, and online data classes are everywhere right now.
The real issue is real life experience… There is lots of training, but that isn’t equivalent to experience.
Sorry, but experienced candidates are scarce and unfortunately, most wouldn’t want to work for your company for the following reasons.
Why Industrials struggle to attract data scientists
Two main issues prevent manufacturers from attracting the best talent.
Outdated technological infrastructure
Data talents want to make an impact on your organization, but that’s not easy. We at OSS Ventures talk about this often, but I’ll say it once again: most industrials are stuck in the dark age of data management. Your teams struggle every day with a very deceptive ERP system. This inefficient IT infrastructure leads to “millions” of people spending hours on very complex Excel cathedrals to generate the most important reports. Not to mention, most industrial organizations lack agility and speed. Just think of how long it takes to set up a meeting.
So with an outdated technological infrastructure in place and the knowledge that it would only change at a glacial pace, if at all, most data and tech talents look elsewhere for opportunities.
Unwelcoming culture
IT infrastructure is part of the issue, but company culture contributes to the problem too.
Upon realization that the technology infrastructure needs a major revamp, many executives’ first instinct is to outsource. But leaving a problem for someone else to solve rarely turns out well (or cost-efficient). Outsourcing isn’t necessarily the wrong answer. But if top management doesn’t have a real understanding of their technological infrastructure, it’s unlikely lasting and significant change to the company culture will occur. Appropriate data management in a technically mature company is built into the foundation of its operations. Without knowledge of the situation at hand, management cannot deploy an effective culture that supports great data management.
How to attract world-class data talents, in three steps
1. Educate yourself
Real improvements to IT infrastructure result when executives understand the daily realities of their employees’ lives and thus what areas need improvement.
Take Elon Musk, for example. He educates himself on every industry he enters. Even for SpaceX, he learned rocket science to ensure he had a deep understanding of what would happen in order to reach his objectives.
Self-education is key for executives who want to bring change. Without knowing how things work, it’s impossible to incentivize and motivate your team, or even build the team you need to advance your business. And it’s not rocket science!!! You can start by taking a free, quality online class like this one.
2. Clean house and automate
Take a good look at what reports your company generates. Do all of them deliver real value to the business? Is the data generated of good quality, and could it feed actions and strategy? Kill whatever is not necessary, automate the rest. Taking this step will not only improve the quality of your data, but automating data collection and organization will free up your employees’ time and allow them to concentrate on more valuable tasks than filling out Excel sheets.
3. Be a great leader
What makes work satisfying? The feeling of having made a difference and accomplished something. Hold your employees accountable, and give them opportunities to see and understand the impact they have on the organization.
