Key words: energy saving and manager training. In times of energy crisis, companies try to cope with the dizzying increase in bills by working on the culture of saving on the energy front, with solutions that range from quantifying energy balances to the reshaping of spaces and working hours; from the implementation of monitoring systems for the prediction of consumption, to their analysis to identify possible savings margins. In short, lights on only where necessary.
This is one of the distinctive features that emerged from the Notice 1/2022 of Fondirigenti – the interprofessional fund for managerial training of Confindustria and Federmanager – dedicated to the “resilient transition.” Presented last May and intended for companies adhering to the fund, the ‘Notice was built with the aim of strengthening the managerial skills necessary to face the major transitions underway, focusing on five strategic assets: environmental and social sustainability; digital transition; risk and crisis management; skills for change; skills of young leaders.
What emerges, in general, is that faced with a picture of growing uncertainty, 6 out of 10 companies aim to strengthen the skills of their management in managing change, in defining new processes and organizational models, in dealing with innovative tools crisis situations. As for the drivers of change, sustainability and digitalization are confirmed at the center of company policies, with paths designed to train managers capable of supporting process transformation strategies from a ‘green’ and digital perspective, especially with reference to dynamics environment and supplies with respect to the energy crisis, through the use of data in the company and a growing attention to cybersecurity.
In addition to the energy issue, change skills are in high demand by companies. The focus is represented by the dissemination of a results-oriented corporate culture, aimed at flexibility and the enhancement of new skills and soft skills, with three key words that recur in the training plans: leadership, change management and agile working. The initiatives are aimed at acquiring skills to manage unexpected events and / or support organizational, technological or market repositioning changes. Particular attention is paid to the issue of smart working and the ability of managers to exercise their digital leadership, motivate the team remotely, enhance performance, recognize and promote the well-being of people as a key element in the growth of the organization. Sustainability is confirmed at the fore among the selected areas, such as the theme of Diversity & Inclusion, the digital transition and risk management between the energy, financial, supply chain and cybersecurity crisis. Finally, great interest in the skills of young leaders.
“The photograph of the plans presented highlights a path of raising the quality of the proposals that has been built over the years, thanks also to the constant promotion and assistance of Fondirigenti – explains the general manager Massimo Sabatini – the plans have improved in terms of content and customization, with unconventional themes and solutions consistent with the corporate context, and capable of effectively contributing to the growth of corporate competitiveness “. In fact, 85% of the proposals obtained an eligibility score by reaching the eligibility threshold, so much so that the Board of Directors of the Fund decided to increase the allocation from the initial 7 million up to almost 10 million euros. “Precisely to reward the high quality of the interventions, we decided to increase the financial endowment of the Notice – underlines the president of Fondirigenti, Carlo Poledrini – These results are a sign of the growing attention of companies to the growth of managerial capital, which is confirmed as one of the main enabling factors of competitiveness and development “.
The Notice made it possible to involve territories and companies with greater delays in terms of managerialization in growth paths. Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Lombardy are confirmed as the best performers in terms of approved plans, but the regions of the South have recorded positive performances in terms of evaluation as well as small businesses, which have particularly appreciated the possibility offered by the notice to aggregate to facing common training needs. From the series: in the face of the crisis, whatever it may be, unity is always strength.