We as leaders of life sciences organizations must ensure that our workforce possesses the necessary skills to navigate this evolving space and create working environments that enable our employees to meet the needs of our ever-changing industry. Though not a simple task, by identifying such skills and mindset, incorporating them into our organizations, and adapting as needed, we can foster innovation internally and allow for it to extend to our clients and the communities we serve.

Digital Literacy, Augmented Working and Capabilities that go Beyond AI

Mentioned by Forbes as one of The Top 10 In-Demand Skills for 2030, more than half of jobs will require digital literacy, and professionals that adapt well to advancements in technology and incorporate them into their daily tasks to create value, will be in high demand. And as AI and automation continuously develop across the life sciences industry, “augmented working“, which involves leveraging AI to eliminate repetitive tasks to enable individuals to concentrate on complex and innovative aspects of their roles, is set to become an indispensable skillset. In fact, as AI systems become more complex and sophisticated, thus will human intelligence. And while AI has an unprecedented range of activities, it can only be maximized with human creativity. Therefore, individuals with the ability to come up with new ideas and solutions and aren’t afraid to question the status quo will be instrumental to drive value.

With the increasing amount of information available to us, critical thinking skills, or the ability to identify valuable data and objectively analyze issues and situations, could be one of the most relevant capacities for leaders as they continue to sort through biases and fake news.

Fostering the Right Culture

It’s also vital to encourage a culture of lifelong learning, curiosity, and self-improvement. In this context, individuals should proactively seek new skills and stay updated on trends, particularly in the context of digital transformation processes. This approach aligns with the evolving nature of work and ensures that individuals remain adaptable in the face of constant change.

There is an increasing relevance in terms of sustainable working practices which brings into focus not only our impact on the environment, but also strategies for prioritizing employee well-being. It’s really about creating a healthy working environment to ensure that our people feel good where they are and that they can express their full potential.

Often times, companies are solely focused on the skills that their teams must acquire and often look past the key elements of change management and people management that must be assumed at an organizational level. In order to be truly successful in this space, we must bring our people along for the journey, considering how we can empower them to take us where we need to go. Whether through agile working, ongoing personal growth, or fostering an innovative culture, we can enable individuals to reach this potential.

Smart Working and Emotional Intelligence

Smart working extends beyond having the flexibility to work from wherever we find ourselves, representing a transformative approach which forces us to focus on why and what we need to achieve. It requires us to be 100% clear about the best way to tackle an objective and allows us the flexibility and responsibility of determining whether it will be maximized as a team in-person at the office or individually somewhere else. In any case, we will have to find a way to stay connected to our teams and colleagues.

For some years now, our personal and professional lives have steadily become more blended, necessitating a holistic approach to employee well-being. Further accelerated by the pandemic, successful managers require strong emotional intelligence more now than ever. Thus, it is a pivotal competency for leaders to enable workforces from a professional standpoint while also considering their personal challenges and their lives outside of work. A “work-self” and “personal-self” simply do not exist, and we must see individuals as a whole, eliminating this separation and encouraging personal growth that can flow into both spheres.

Within Healthware, we recognize and expect every member of our team to be changemakers, working together to build future health. Therefore, we strive to be there with them as they navigate the future of work. 

This article is part of the Innovation as Strategy series.

What we have in front of us is another significant leap: ensuring that our people develop the right skillset to navigate this demanding new reality.

Embracing Technological Innovations

In this era of digitalization, the pharma industry is starting to embrace technological innovations: digital platforms powered by AI tools provide opportunities for targeted communication, personalized engagement and data-driven decision-making.

Sales representatives need to be equipped with strong digital literacy and social media skills to effectively reach and communicate with healthcare professionals.

Similarly, the marketing function must leverage advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to gain valuable insights into customer behavior, enabling companies to tailor their marketing strategies and optimize resource allocation.

The medical function can benefit from digital tools and platforms to streamline scientific communication, stay updated with medical literature, and collaborate with healthcare professionals in a more efficient manner.

Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement

As the landscape is shifting towards a more and more patient-driven approach, sales, marketing and medical roles must evolve to effectively engage with new stakeholders such as patients, caregivers, and patient advocacy groups.

Collaborative partnerships with these stakeholders foster trust, improve patient outcomes, and generate valuable feedback for continuous improvement.

The incorporation of patient’s voice and perspective, let pharma companies engage in a more affective way with HCPs and institutions, tailoring strategies and meeting the evolving needs of the healthcare ecosystem.

Navigating Regulatory Challenges

The pharmaceutical industry operates within a highly regulated environment: it is required to comply with evolving guidelines and regulations related to GDPR, evolving media and new product categories whose specific regulatory framework is not clear yet (cfr. DTx).

This is especially true when we consider the new market of Digital Health and Digital Therapeutics: in such a complex arena where EU markets are evolving in a fragmented way, the only current certainty is that we’ll be navigating in turbulent waters still for a long time.

Traditional commercial functions will no longer be successful in such environment and the main skills that are required are related to entrepreneurship and problem solving: representatives from the various functions have to quickly adapt to changes and find creative solutions to complex situations.

Partnerships orchestration

Pharma companies are moving towards a new reality where partnerships are becoming the new-normal.

Partnership with startups for innovative services to be provided to patients along traditional treatments and partnerships with hospitals and institutions to optimize patient’s journeys and experience.

Being able to effectively collaborate across different cultures, being empathetic and accepting of our differences are crucial aspects for being successful in the long run.

Working side by side with corporations and startups, we have observed multiple times how difficult is to find an agreement between companies with a different culture even when they share a common objective. Thus, it’s best to avoid further challenge by coming together under one clear objective.

Adapting to Changing Customer Expectations

Patients are becoming more informed and proactive in their healthcare decisions; HCPs have to cope with new trends and NHC systems profound transformations that are changing their role in the ecosystem. Sales, marketing, and medical representatives must adapt their strategies to meet changing expectations and habits.

This involves fostering patient-centric approaches, providing educational resources to HCPs and patients, and engaging in meaningful conversations that address patients’ needs and concerns.

By building trust and delivering value, pharma companies can foster customer experience enhancing loyalty and driving brand equity and differentiation among patients and HCPs communities.

So, what does this mean for pharma?

Sales, marketing, and medical functions are expected to evolve in response to the dynamic landscape evolution.

The evolution of the “traditional” roles and the investment in the development of new competences and processes aligned with these trends is key for every company: evolving employees skillset and developing new roles is just an element of the needed change management that pharma companies are facing.

A company’s capabilities are just one piece of the equation that pharma companies will continue to face and need to resolve.