THE LEARNING NEVER STOPS – EVEN FOR SENIOR LEADERS
A number of recent local surveys have found that New Zealand’s talent mismatch is growing and that finding skilled employees is of real concern to New Zealand leaders. And it seems that in today’s climate everyone is constantly having to upskill themselves, no matter how senior you might be.
A number of recent local surveys have found that New Zealand’s talent mismatch is growing and that finding skilled employees is of real concern to New Zealand leaders. And it seems that in today’s climate everyone is constantly having to upskill themselves, no matter how senior you might be.
Continuous learning has probably never been more important as change continues to dominate leaders’ business lives. Technological developments like AI and big data, along with growing technological risk, mean that however senior a leader might be, there is always more to learn.
Take boards of directors as an example. They too are on a constant learning cycle because as the business world evolves holding a governance role means directors need to ensure they fully understand every risk the business might face going into the future.
The Institute of Directors says in a recent media release that with many board directors saying they are not getting comprehensive cybersecurity reporting, its new guide on cybersecurity is a wake-up call on the information boards need.
In partnership with cybersecurity consultancy, Aura Information Security, the institute has just released Reporting cybersecurity to boards aimed at helping organisations combat cyber risk. It sets out principles on reporting to boards, key questions to help identify and develop metrics and sample dashboards. The guide is publicly available and it is intended to inform and inspire organisations to improve cybersecurity reporting to boards.
Institute of Directors chief executive Kirsten Patterson says that everyone knows that cybersecurity is a critical risk that can cause serious damage to an organisation.
“Not only are cyber-attacks hugely disruptive, they have the potential to cause significant financial, competitive and reputational damage.
“Many boards have had cybersecurity on the agenda for some time. But directors are telling us that they are not getting sufficient information about cyber risks and incidents, or the actions they have and should be taking to address these.
“This is a problem and it is critical that cybersecurity reporting improves. Directors need comprehensive reports in order to assure themselves that key assets are being protected.”
Aura Information Security general manager Peter Bailey says that cyber risk is just like any other business risk and requires ongoing board-level attention and responsibility.
“The number of online attacks impacting New Zealand businesses is growing – both in number and complexity. In order to provide effective oversight, boards need to have access to regular high-level holistic reporting on cyber risks and the state of their organisation’s cybersecurity programme.”
APPLYING THE LEARNING
Continuous learning is also at the centre of what the Southern Institute of Technology is offering in its Master of Applied Management.
Paulette Halstead, the programme manager of the Post Graduate Business School at SIT, says the Master of Applied Management has been going just on two years now and has 57 mainly international students enrolled for the onsite course in Invercargill and more than 100, mainly domestic students, undertaking the course through distance learning.
Halstead says the master’s degree encompasses areas such as business analysis, globalisation and international management along with strategic management, strategic marketing and project management. It is a researchbased programme so students can go on to complete a PhD if they so wish.
Students tend to be more mature, many with strong business experience, who want to upskill or take on more senior roles.
People in business looking towards further education are seeking to broaden their skillset."