The Transformative Powers of Citizen Development in Shared Services

Citizen development is the process of enabling non-IT-trained employees to create and modify software applications using low-code or no-code development tools. In an era where low-code technologies are more accessible, and the majority of the workforce is digital, it has become easier for businesses to provide their employees with the resources they need to improve their tech knowledge. However, one hurdle to realizing a high citizen development rate is the ability to cultivate a culture where innovation and collaboration are sought. 
 
In order to understand how businesses should work with their employees to stay ahead of the curve in the new digital world, SSON turned to Julio Viquez, Senior Manager of Intelligent Automation CoE and the BPM & RPA CoE Costa Rica Site Leader for VMware. In his roles, Julio manages the development, architecture, and maintenance of intelligent automation on cloud and on-premises platforms and coaching and mentoring infrastructure teams in Costa Rica. Julio will give a full presentation on citizen development at SSOW LATAM in San Jose, Costa Rica, this October. But before the event, SSON editorial sat down with Julio to get a sneak preview of his session.

Why is it necessary for businesses to have a technologically savvy workforce today?

Julio: In today's business landscape, having a technologically savvy workforce is essential for several reasons, but especially these three: 

1. Embracing digital transformation becomes smoother with employees who can adapt to technological changes and automation.
2. A tech-savvy workforce is crucial for ensuring cybersecurity and managing risks in an increasingly technology-dependent world.
3. A tech-savvy workforce enables businesses to meet evolving customer expectations. Leveraging technology, they can provide efficient and personalized customer experiences.

This means a technologically savvy workforce is no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses to thrive, adapt to changes, and remain competitive in the dynamic digital age. 

How do you inspire employees to want to improve their technology skills?

Julio: As one of the leaders of an Intelligent Automation Team, we seek to inspire employees to improve their technical skills through a combination of motivation and support. First, we want to make sure that we communicate the importance of continuous learning and stay relevant in a very fast pace evolving technological industry. We use the awareness as a manner to emphasize the value of upskilling in personal and professional highlight the opportunities it brings for career advantages.

Second, in order to foster a culture of learning, we encourage employees to set personalized development goals and to leverage as much as possible a diverse set of training resources such as online courses, workshops, webinars, mentorship programs, etc.

Lastly, we have a gamification system for Recognizing and rewarding employees for their efforts to improve their technology skills which helps to drive the motivation for learning and up-skilling. We try to acknowledge their achievements publicly, both within the team and the organization, to create a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Besides all this, our leadership team also leads by example, actively engaging in our own continuous learning journey and demonstrating a genuine passion for technology.

How have new technologies such as ChatGPT enabled employees to improve their technology skills quicker than in the past?

Julio: We are still in the discovery phase of technologies such as Gen AI, LLMs, and ChatGPT. But we already started the journey of upskilling our personnel on some of the trendy technologies. People are very interested in prompt engineering and similar techniques, while the most advanced personnel is learning about guardrails, Vector DBs, and training models. Definitely, there is more to come in the next days, weeks, months, and years.

What are some tips you would give to a manager struggling to create a culture of innovation and collaboration on their team?

Julio: I would recommend always start by having open and honest communication. Highlight the importance and value of an innovative and collaborative culture/environment. Encourage team members to share ideas openly and create a safe environment where everyone's contributions are valued. Emphasize the organization's commitment to innovation and collaboration and highlight success stories that resulted from such a culture. 
 
Encourage experimentation and risk-taking while providing a safe-to-fail environment. When employees feel that they can take calculated risks without fear of harsh consequences, they are more likely to explore new ideas and approaches. 
 
At last, implement feedback and close-the-loop mechanisms to gather insights from and to the team on how to improve the culture further. This will help them unlock the full potential of their group and team, drive and foster creativity, which will then deliver impactful results for the organization.