GAIA and MIK develop a methodology to help technology companies anticipate and plan their talent needs
GAIA and MIK develop a methodology to help technology companies anticipate and plan their talent needs
GAIA and MIK develop a methodology to help technology companies anticipate and plan their talent needs
The GAIA AKTIBATU project concludes with a methodology validated in a real business environment that enables technology companies to identify in advance the critical capabilities they will need to address challenges such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation and generational renewal, among others
Artificial intelligence, digitalisation, the emergence of new business models, generational renewal and the growing difficulty of finding certain professional profiles are transforming the talent needs of technology companies. In this context, the GAIA Cluster and Mondragon Unibertsitatea, through MIK, its Business Innovation Technology Centre, have developed GAIA AKTIBATU, a project that enables organisations to anticipate the capabilities, competencies and professional profiles they will need to successfully navigate their future development.
Developed within the framework of the Talentua Ernatu programme of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the project concludes with the validation of a practical methodology that connects business strategy with talent planning. Its objective is to help organisations identify in advance which capabilities and positions will become critical, anticipate retirements, analyse career plans, identify future talent acquisition needs and decide how to respond through internal training, new recruitment or collaborative arrangements.
To achieve this, the GAIA Cluster contributed its knowledge of the technology ecosystem and the needs of its member companies, while MIK designed and developed the methodology by combining academic research, internationally recognised methodologies and the experience gained throughout the project itself. The result is a model specifically adapted to the reality of technology companies and designed to continue being tested in new business environments.
According to MIK, one of the main strengths of GAIA AKTIBATU lies in having developed a methodology that enables companies to align their business strategy with their talent strategy: “Talent planning can no longer be limited to filling vacancies. Companies need to anticipate the capabilities required by their business strategy and decide in advance how to develop, attract or complement them. When talent is planned from a strategic perspective, it becomes a genuine driver of competitiveness, innovation and business sustainability,” they explain.
Unlike other approaches—which focus solely on forecasting how many people will be needed—the model incorporates a competency-based perspective that enables organisations to identify which knowledge, skills and capabilities will be strategically important in the medium and long term. In this way, companies can anticipate shortages of specific professional profiles, prioritise the development of critical competencies and make decisions with greater room for manoeuvre.
Furthermore, rather than being conceived as a standardised tool, the methodology is implemented through a specialised advisory process led by MIK’s talent specialisation team. Based on the analysis of aspects such as expected retirements, talent onboarding processes, career development plans, existing competencies and the organisation’s future needs, among others, each company receives its own diagnosis together with a tailored action plan containing specific measures that can either be implemented immediately or planned for the medium term.
Pilot experience at ATE
The methodology was tested in a real business environment with the participation of ATE Informática, S.A., a member company of the GAIA Cluster. This allowed its practical application to be validated and valuable lessons to be drawn for its future implementation in other technology companies.
ATE Informática, S.A. forms part of a Basque business group specialising in consulting and advisory services for companies in areas such as digital transformation, business management, human resources and legal services. With a team of 75 consultants, it serves more than 1,700 clients from its five offices located in Donostia-San Sebastián (2), Beasain, Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Mexico City. Specifically, ATE Informática, S.A. is the division specialising in digital transformation consulting, leveraging its expertise, experience and the capabilities provided by its ERP, app and AI solutions, among others.
During the project, the company’s most critical positions were identified, together with the technical, methodological and personal competencies associated with each of them. The main talent gaps requiring attention over the coming years were also identified. In addition, future professional profiles were defined, along with criteria for deciding when it is more appropriate to develop capabilities internally through reskilling and upskilling, recruit new talent or rely on external collaboration.
According to ATE Informática, S.A., the project enabled the company to adopt a more strategic and long-term approach to talent management by identifying competencies that will be decisive for its future development in areas such as artificial intelligence, data governance and security, innovation, customer relationships, continuous learning and change management.
The pilot experience also highlighted both the organisation’s strengths and its opportunities for improvement: “AKTIBATU has enabled us to confirm that many of our talent attraction and retention practices were already in place, but that we had been developing them naturally rather than as part of a structured strategy. We now have a broader, longer-term perspective that will help us strengthen our processes and continue evolving,” company representatives explain.
According to the GAIA Cluster, beyond the pilot experience carried out with ATE Informática, S.A., “GAIA AKTIBATU lays the foundations for extending this methodology to other technology companies. Designed to be implemented through a specialised advisory process, the methodology culminates in an action plan tailored to the reality of each organisation, helping companies anticipate their talent needs and translate that analysis into concrete measures that strengthen their competitiveness—something our sector greatly needs at the present time.”
The project promoters aim to continue testing and refining this methodology in new business environments so that a growing number of Basque technology companies can incorporate strategic talent planning as a key element of their long-term development.