Talent Transformation Is on Everyone’s Agenda, Yet Employees Are Left Alone

In the Human Kapital Strategic Talent Analysis survey, we asked 340 professionals: “How is your current or most recent employer preparing you for the future of work and the talent transformation process?”

The responses tell a clear story: only 15.6% say their employer is systematically preparing them for this process. The remaining 84.4% have either been left to manage on their own, received no preparation, or simply been introduced to new tools.

Artificial intelligence and next-generation skills are prominent on organizations’ strategic agendas. From the employee perspective, however, this transformation has yet to become systematic in most organizations and is largely left to individual effort.

The overall picture: individual responsibility is the most common approach

The four response options can be viewed as a maturity ladder. At the bottom are organizations that provide no preparation; at the top are those that manage the transformation strategically.

The most common response was, “The transformation is my responsibility, and I’m moving it forward through my own efforts” (35.6%). The next most common was, “My organization has made no meaningful preparations in this area” (30.6%). Together, these responses account for 66.2% of participants.

A closer look: a two-tier structure

The responses are not evenly distributed across the four options (χ²(3) = 37.8, p < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons reveal a clear pattern:

• The five-point difference between “expects individual initiative” (35.6%) and “traditional and inadequate” (30.6%) is not statistically significant (p = 0.26).
• The 2.6-point difference between “technology-focused” (18.2%) and “strategic and development-oriented” (15.6%) is also not significant (p = 0.40).
• By contrast, the differences between the lower two groups and the upper two groups are significant (p < 0.001). For example, there is a 20-point gap between the individual-initiative and strategic approaches.

These findings show that participants fall into two main tiers:

• Lower tier (66.2%): Organizations that either provide no institutional preparation or leave responsibility to employees. These two groups are statistically similar in size. In both cases, the organization is not taking an active role in the transformation.
• Upper tier (33.8%): Organizations that are taking steps toward transformation. Yet in more than half of this tier, investment is focused primarily on technology, while investment in people remains limited.

For every participant who says their organization is preparing them strategically, 5.4 participants are not receiving systematic support. The share reporting a strategic approach (15.6%) does not reach even one quarter and is statistically significantly below that level (binomial test, p < 0.001).

Four organizational profiles and the risks they carry

1. Organizations that expect individual initiative (35.6%). The organization leaves the transformation to employees. Employees learn using their own time and money. The risk for the organization: its most motivated talent may move to employers that support their development.

2. Traditional and inadequate organizations (30.6%). Transformation is not on the organization’s agenda. Employees see no direction for the future. The risk for the organization: skills gaps grow quietly, weakening its competitiveness.

3. Technology-focused organizations (18.2%). The organization buys tools and digitizes processes. Employees have the tools but do not know how to use them. The risk for the organization: returns on investment remain low, and the tools are not used effectively.

4. Strategic and development-oriented organizations (15.6%). The organization anticipates needs and provides concrete programs and resources. Employees feel they are being prepared for future roles. The risk for the organization: the talent it develops may become a target for competitors.

The most common profile—organizations that expect individual initiative—also carries the highest risk. Employees who continue to develop in these organizations are often the most motivated and open to learning. Without institutional support, the value created by their development may end up benefiting other organizations.

The technology-focused profile points to a transformation that is moving in the right direction but remains incomplete. Acquiring new technology alone does not amount to transformation. Transformation happens when the ways of working change for the employees who use that technology.

Four priorities for organizations

1. Treat transformation as an organizational responsibility. The most common response—“I’m moving forward through my own efforts”—points to a gap in management. Creating role-based skills maps and including dedicated learning time in work plans are among the key steps to closing that gap.
2. Support technology investments with skills development. Some 18.2% of participants say their organizations have introduced new tools, but the training support alongside them is limited. Planning skills development budgets together with technology budgets can improve the return on investment.
3. Assess the organization’s current position through employees’ eyes. Asking employees the same question internally can reveal the gap between management’s perception and employees’ experience, while providing a sound starting point for transformation.
4. Turn the strategic approach into measurable targets. Participants describe a strategic organization as one that anticipates needs and provides concrete programs and resources. Indicators such as the share of employees with development plans, training hours per employee, and the rate of internal appointments to new roles can help track progress.

Final thoughts

Although talent transformation is presented as a priority in corporate messaging, employees’ experiences tell a different story. Two out of every three employees lack organizational support in this process. Five out of every six are not receiving systematic development support. In the future of work, success will depend not only on investment in technology, but also on investment in people.

We would be glad to hear your experiences and perspectives on the support employees receive during transformation in the comments.