Focused on their employer brand to convey an image to their customers and employees, many companies choose communication. IBM (nearly 300,000 employees worldwide) did another by appointing Alex Bauer (30 years at Accenture), general director of IBM Consulting France, in 2021. Its roadmap: the repositioning of consulting in IBM’s core business, essentially recognized for its technological expertise.
The French entity must find its place in an ultra-competitive ecosystem: “it’s as if we were positioning a new brand. IBM has in its DNA the triptych of innovation, technology and skills for business challenges”, indicates the CEO. First point of a three-pronged strategy: not to multiply customers but “to have a privileged relationship with them, more intimacy based on the proximity of the relationship”. We need to build competent teams to seek out high-level leaders.
“The second point is differentiation: it is a specific approach based on innovation which requires technological experts (enterprise architects, experts specialized in fields such as data, AI, even experts in our R & D ( IBM Research). The third point is excellence in the execution of our projects. This can, for example, involve the implementation of large platforms, particularly with AI”, indicates the CEO.
The profiles of these several thousand employees are “diverse”: university backgrounds, business schools and engineers. They are architects, data scientists, specialized in Cloud and AI, experts by industry (banking and insurance, distribution and luxury sector, industrial sector), in digital transformation, HR. For what missions? “Mainly integration projects but also the operationalization of a digital transformation strategy, relying on the most relevant cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum [mécanique quantique pour résoudre des problèmes complexes plus rapidement que sur des ordinateurs classiques, NDLR] or the Hybrid Cloud. We were pioneers in AI 20 years ago and today we are pioneers in quantum.”
His clients ask him to control the entire chain. “We work in an ecosystem but with experts and support on each project,” indicates the boss of IBM Consulting France. “The pyramid is constantly renewed, which offers career mobility. The organization is pyramidal but the interactions are horizontal for the projects.”
“Training is essential”
It remains to convince the candidates. “IBM comes in second place in terms of attractiveness to young graduates. It is a company which has a DNA, which is well positioned in technologies, on an international level. Furthermore, we work with the largest companies, so we are at the heart of the transformation”, analyzes Alex Bauer. A group certainly known, but which has been somewhat forgotten, overtaken by Gafam, Netflix or entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. “I think our culture is avant-garde and we have become attractive again,” defends the CEO.
Thus, IBM created an academy. “Before, there were multiple organizations that could limit career progression. Today we offer agile career paths across the company so that they benefit everyone. Training is essential in view to maintain the employability and relevance of our employees”. Even young people leaving school go there “because they need support in a world where new technologies are constantly evolving and regulations are changing”.
Another argument: mentoring. “It is part of the HR support process.” A mentor who listens to employees, guiding them in their careers “so that they feel motivated and valued”. Each “people manager” manages 6/7 people, must advise and be available. “The manager must be an example and have a role model so that ‘it cascades'”. In addition, as part of the transformation of the HR function, IBM has implemented new processes with AI and “chatbots, virtual assistants, to streamline communication with employees”.
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