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The Challenges and Trends of the Future
01 de December de 2021
They say that, in order to really know a story, you need to have been there… or at least heard about it first hand. We wanted to know about the current market challenges and which business trends are guiding us towards the future. So, we went to the biggest active talent concentration we could find: EAE’s Annual Alumni Reunion. Leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, recruiters… The greatest talents that work around the globe got together at a venue that matched their importance: The Palau de la Música Catalana. No one better than them to tell us about what’s going on and what’s about to come.
The Current Challenges
Nilda Rojas. Former Executive MBA student and Client Success Manager at NTT Ltd.
There are a great number of ongoing challenges. Clients have been forced to work from home and we’ve had to face great projects on risk management, collaboration environments, VPN management, etc. On the other hand, we are also facing a global semiconductors crisis. There’s a chip shortage, which increases their price. But, in any case, the greatest challenge today is cybersecurity. We’re living in a globalised world where people work from home and we’re facing different risk points distributed around the whole world.
David Marín. Former Executive MBA student and CEO in the retail industry
The biggest challenge we’re facing today is the changes that the pandemic brought to the market. These two years have basically been years of survival for the retail industry. Now we’re starting to come out of this situation and all our hopes are set on 2022. We hope that it will be a year of normalisation that will allow us to get back on the projects that came to a standstill in 2020.
Miguel Mateos. Former Executive MBA student and Commercial Director at Thermabead Ibérica.
The biggest challenge, or problem, that we’re facing at the moment is the supply of materials. There’s a shortage of commodities, which in turn increases their price. The biggest problems in our industry are always related to shortage. But not all news are bad — we’re expecting a booming market soon, since we’re expecting a European funds placement.
Where are we heading?
Alberto. Former Executive MBA student and Account Executive at a tech start-up.
Right now, consumers’ opinions are very impactful. I think we’re going to keep on betting strong on user experience by product or consumer. For example, in the food industry —which my company is a part of— we need to provide information on the sustainable production of food, we need to know where the ingredients come from, if they’re from around here or imported, etc. We need to find a balance between what consumers want and sustainability.
Laura Bolaños. Former MBA student and e-Commerce Consultant at eComJungle.
Currently, there are different ongoing trends that can help us understand where the digital business future is headed. First, we’re experiencing the boom of the mobile-first approach: the shopping experience needs to be as rewarding as possible when users go on their smartphone or tablet. The second current trend is related to proximity marketing. For example, if users come near one of our shops, we can throw an ad to their phone, or watch, in order to attract them. And the last trend is live shopping, which has broken sales records in China. This technique consists in showing products to the users through live streams where they get to interact and ask questions while being offered the possibility to make a purchase without leaving the platform.
Bea Sedano. Former MBA student, Current student of theMaster in HR Management and Head of Talent Management at a cybersecurity company.
We’re part of a sector that’s moving forwards at a rapid pace and each day we need profiles that barely exist or have just entered the marketplace. This is one of the biggest challenges we’re facing. On the other hand, on-boarding and talent retention techniques are two trends in companies that are becoming more and more sophisticated. Talent is currently acquired from anywhere in the world, which lets other companies come and take our workers, offering them salaries we can’t match. This is why it becomes crucial to offer employees something else, foster a company culture and values, and carry out a lot of team building in order for workers to feel part of the organisation.
Profiles that will find success in the future
Cristopher Salazar.Former MBA student and Content Moderator at TELUS International.
The Content Moderator profile that will stand out in the future won’t be just curricular. One must find a balance between experience and education; that’s the true road towards wisdom. We can have a lot of experience, but we must always keep our knowledge updated and, after this is accomplished, put it in practice.
Marisela Henriquez. Former student of the Master in HR Management and Team Leader at Amazon.
The team leaders of the future find themselves at the same level as the rest of their team. It shouldn’t be like working with someone who’s above us; team leaders should be one of us, just that they should have the knowledge we need for the tasks at hand. Leaders are not above anyone else, they have to work with the rest of the workers and do it better than anyone, being an example and teaching others. Also, leaders have the obligation of making their workers feel supported and listened to. It’s important to let them know that, whatever they could they need, there’s always someone that’s going to be there for them.
Talent has spoken, in the present and future tense, from now on. We’ve taken notes on everything we’ve learned at The Palau de la Música last Friday and we’re leaving them here for you.
Notes on the challenges and trends for 2022:
Cybersecurity
Shortage and Sustainable Production
Social Responsibility
Company Culture
A Shift in the Leadership Paradigm