Cultural change at insurance companies
On behalf of the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) and in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen, researchers from SFUVET have identified new trends in the insurance industry which will have an impact on the sector and vocational education and training in the near future: individualisation, health society, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and digital eco-systems. But what does this mean for the skills that professionals in the insurance industry will need to develop and improve?
The analysis shows that future skills requirements can be grouped into five transversally relevant skills categories:
- agile working methods,
- collaboration and networking skills,
- a customer-oriented approach,
- competence with digital tools,
- a responsible and value-oriented mindset.
Five specific recommendations have been derived to enable the implementation of this study’s findings both within companies and in broader educational and training structures. The consistent development of the transversally relevant skills requires a change of culture within insurance companies. This calls for appropriate change management and a process which starts with the recruitment and induction of new staff to determine and specify skills development requirements and to identify adapted development pathways at individual level. Platforms for open exchange between employees at all levels is a key element here to enable regular reflection on personal skills development with other colleagues. This is vitally important because effective skills can only be acquired and developed in actual professional work situations.