Employee reskilling in the South-African short-term insurance industry with the implementation of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted the short-term insurance industry in South Africa and it is evidenced by organisations implementing automation, robotics and artificial intelligence in their operations. The challenge faced by insurance organisations is the skills required for the future are not readily available in the market. The organisations have the opportunity of creating those required future skills and capabilities with their existing resources through the process of reskilling. It was important to establish factors that influence the success of employee reskilling, which must be considered when organisations establish reskilling plans as part of their future strategy. A critical literature review was conducted to look at what is already available in support of talent management and employee reskilling, and various factors were established as key for the organisations. Semi-structured Interviews were conducted with 13 leaders that assume senior roles within the insurance industry as heads of business units and senior managers in human capital management and development areas. This engagement provided an in depth understanding into factors that are considered by leaders to be key in the success of reskilling. The study found that factors that influence reskilling include culture, structure of the organisation, talent identification and management, psychological barriers and career management as influential in the success of employee reskilling. The study provides recommendations for leaders to influence the reskilling process positively.