A frank, self-critical look at Tech’s pitfalls - and a few tips to tackle some major problems: the weight of collective unconscious in Tech’s mythical story, the difficulty in developing new talent from diverse backgrounds and the near-absence of women.
MOVING BEYOND RHETORIC… TOWARD CONCRETE ACTION!
In 2023, hiring developers remains challenging. This job is booming, profiles are in high demand and the market still struggles to match supply with demand.
Moreover, the field has yet to inspire vocations among more atypical backgrounds and the female population remains underrepresented.
If we want to change this situation - which hurts businesses and society - we must move past attempts to fix the digital problem at school purely by focusing on technology: for example, just loading up middle schools and high schools with gadgets.
Let’s consider other approaches - like teaching “language skills” to code, and thereby inspiring budding developers in the process…
Questions abound: how do we teach programming? Who does the teaching? How do we spark career interest? These are far more relevant issues that we need to address now.
CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE… TO DISCOVER AND REVEAL NEW TALENTS
This is ultimately about humans - their biases, identification needs, individual and collective imaginations, representations, and projections…
It seems logical, then, to bring in the social sciences and humanities: history, sociology, psychology, anthropology, ethnology. The idea is to bring in more unconventional profiles, to tap different learning and life journeys and thereby grow a new generation of developers.
One example is the work of Georges Balandier, who introduced the concept of “techno-imaginary” (the importance of machines in our contemporary imagination, shaped by mythical stories), and of Pascal Plantard - a digital anthropology researcher at Rennes 2 University (and, by the way, let’s not just focus on Paris for our reflections).
Plantard reminds us that techno-imaginaries form the foundational material of representations, fueling and guiding digital practices.
Studying this could help us figure out why young women self-censor. And we can move past “geek shut-in” clichés - because IT projects are often team efforts.
Indeed, research on techno-centrism encourages us to analyze these imaginary narratives, mostly shaped by Anglo-Saxon, male-dominated references. Part of our answer may lie there…
DRAWING ON REALITY… AND GIVING WOMEN THE PLACE THEY DESERVE…
Yet France - and other countries - boast numerous historical success stories and entrepreneurial models in research and industry that could match any Anglo-Saxon achievements (or those of Asia).
Take, for instance, the French company Jeulin, which, from the mid-1980s onward, offered educational solutions featuring touchscreens and robots for teaching computer science. Pascal Plantard highlights how this is rarely remembered.
Somehow, mainstream history remembers only the “great male programmers.” But if we go all the way back to the 1800s, we find Ada Lovelace - Lord Byron’s daughter and a friend of Charles Babbage - who invented the world’s first theoretical software algorithm!
Closer to our time, at Bletchley Park during WWII, pioneering women programmers cracked German codes. Alan Turing wasn’t alone - but he is the one widely featured in a movie…
And Margaret Hamilton was a key figure in the Apollo program, heading the flight software team. The term “software engineering” is hers. We might also mention African American women mathematicians in the US space program, as well as Grace Hopper, who - holding a Ph.D. in math - helped create COBOL in 1959.
…TO REWRITE TECH’S MYTHICAL NARRATIVES!
Though these pioneers were long overshadowed, the tide is gradually turning. That momentum is rewriting the grand mythical narratives and reshaping how we view both individual imagination and collective imagery in tech.
We should keep telling these big stories, much like France did with space exploration via Thomas Pesquet (another man!) and Claudie Haigneré - the first French woman in space - so young women no longer feel excluded from the digital universe.
WORKING LONG-TERM ON THE “EDUCATION, SOCIETY, RECRUITMENT” TRIPTYCH
Along with high-level changes, we must also tackle things at the grassroots. Specifically, our recruitment processes must be as open as possible: engineering schools, universities, short-track degrees like BTS…
The same goes for programming languages and Linux-type environments. That’s how we’ll find “tinkerers,” in the anthropological sense, where innovation is a process of borrowing, modifying or newly recombining existing elements, as paleoanthropologist Pascal Picq suggests.
Finally, let’s revisit how we engage with engineering schools, where faculty often fail to consider industrial concerns.
You see, shaking up the “education-society-recruitment” trio will take a major and extended effort to spark interest in every digital job (not just whatever’s hot right now).
In the end, the best way to train - and hire - more developers and especially women in this field might just be perseverance: picking up the pilgrim’s staff to inform and persuade countless people, for many (more) years to come!
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ACT-ON Belgium partnered with ASML, a global leader in the semiconductor industry, to implement Cornerstone OnDemand as their Learning Management System (LMS).
THE NEED...
- Train both employees and external customers.
- Global platform with central content creation, compliance control, multilingual support, scalability, and integrations.
- Strong post-Go-Live support and LXP integration for engagement.
OUR RESPONSE...
- Supported pre-study and needs analysis for clear requirements.
- Strategic partner during implementation and transition.
- Ongoing post-Go-Live support
- Continuous advisory services in order to keep the platform aligned on evolving needs
- Later assisted in maintaining the LXP for engagement and analytics.
- Set-up of custom build integrations and solutions.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS...
- Clear global strategy.
- Guided implementation aligned with business goals.
- Scalable, compliance-ready system.
- Continuous optimization via ongoing support.
- Personalized and engaging learning with LXP.
A project in Belgium? Contact ACT-ON BELGIUM
A project anywhere else? Contact ACT-ON GROUP
One of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles launched a global transformation initiative to replace its existing training management system with a modern, cloud-based Cornerstone OnDemand solution. In partnership with ACT-ON Germany, the goal is to deploy a harmonized, scalable LMS across 60 markets—ensuring consistency, simplifying local operations, and optimizing global governance.
THE NEED...
The client required a next-generation learning platform that could:
- Replace a fragmented, localized legacy solution.
- Support 56,000 users across 125 countries in sales and customer service.
- Enable decentralized management while enforcing central standards.
- Simplify business processes and reduce administration costs.
- Ensure rapid deployment, scalability, and data integrity.
OUR ANSWER...
ACT-ON Germany proposed a Global Template Rollout model based on best practices from similar automotive industry clients, with:
- A centralized blueprint as the foundation for all market rollouts.
- Clustered deployment (based on language, architecture, or legal needs) to maximize efficiency.
- A T-shirt sizing model to assess complexity and plan rollouts accordingly.
- A phased approach:
- Phase 0: Design and validate global template with pilot countries
- Phase 1: Pilot rollouts in BE and CH to refine toolkit
- Phase 2: Industrialized rollout to remaining clusters using updated toolkit
- Fully documented interface and migration concepts.
- Training & enablement for local Market Responsible teams to manage their own configurations.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS...
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership: standardized implementation reduces rollout and maintenance costs.
- Empowered Local Teams: Market Responsibles trained to manage their own LMS operations.
- Harmonized Processes: a consistent, scalable setup aligned with global learning strategy.
- Faster Time to Value: clustered rollouts and reusable toolkits streamline exécution.
Future-Ready Foundation: platform is designed for long-term maintainability and governance, with the ability to support future localization needs post go-live.
A project in Germany? Contact ACT-ON GERMANY
A project anywhere else? Contact ACT-ON GROUP
Hella is an internationally operating German automotive parts supplier. The company develops and manufactures lighting, electronic components, and systems for the automotive industry. They partnered with ACT-ON Germany to implement a global, scalable solution for performance and compensation management using the Cornerstone platform. This transformation program is designed to harmonize goal setting, salary reviews, bonus processes, and long-term incentives under one streamlined digital experience—enabling strategic talent and rewards management across the enterprise.
THE NEED...
Hella required a unified digital solution to:
- Standardize performance and compensation processes globally.
- Manage goal-setting, performance reviews, and bonus payouts across multiple languages and currencies.
- Support transparent and equitable salary and incentive practices.
- Reduce manual overhead and streamline HR administration.
- Enable long-term strategic workforce planning through structured reporting and data integration.
OUR ANSWER...
ACT-ON Germany proposed a full implementation of Cornerstone’s Performance and Compensation modules, covering:
- Goal Management: Configuration of 2025 target setting and rating workflows in multiple languages.
- Compensation Processes: Setup of STI, LTI, Salary Review, and off-cycle payment flows with configurable templates, adjustment guidelines, custom statements, and reporting.
- Data Integrations: Imports for salary, targets, and ratings; updates to user feeds and salary structures.
- Training & Enablement: Focused training for each process and optional system admin workshops.
- Ongoing Support: Hypercare post-go-live, troubleshooting, and readiness for performance and compensation campaign cycles.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS...
- Global Standardization: Centrally managed templates ensure consistency across all countries.
- Process Transparency: Structured review and bonus cycles enhance fairness and communication.
- Operational Efficiency: Automated data uploads and reporting simplify administration.
- Strategic Insights: Real-time visibility into compensation decisions and performance outcomes.
Scalable Governance: A flexible foundation built on CSOD best practices, ready to grow with business needs.
A project in Germany? Contact ACT-ON GERMANY
A project anywhere else? Contact ACT-ON GROUP
TK Elevator is a manufacturer and service provider of elevators and escalators. To ensure a scalable, agile, and business-aligned HR technology service model, ACT-ON Germany proposes a 100% BizDevOps-based approach to support TK Elevator’s TalentLink platform. This method integrates development, operations, and continuous collaboration to drive faster delivery, higher quality, and ongoing value realization across TalentLink's lifecycle.
THE NEED...
TK Elevator required a service model that could:
- Transition from reactive support to proactive product ownership.
- Enable continuous delivery of new features while maintaining operational stability.
- Introduce structured, iterative planning and resource allocation.
- Align stakeholders across global and local levels through collaborative planning.
- Provide transparency, responsiveness, and speed in issue resolution and platform evolution.
OUR ANSWER...
ACT-ON Germany introduced a BizDevOps Product Delivery Model featuring:
- Sprint-Based Delivery: 2-week sprints with clearly defined Product Backlogs, prioritization, estimation (T-shirt sizing), and review.
- Proxy Product Owner Role: leading daily operations, backlog grooming, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives, and quarterly PI planning.
- Ticket Categorization: stories, bugs, incidents, service requests, and epics, each with defined complexity and SLA tracking.
- Product Increment Planning (PI): quarterly sessions aligning strategy, roadmaps, resource planning, and team reflection.
- First 100 Days Approach: structured onboarding to understand TK Elevator's strategy, systems, and culture; establish velocity; and set up collaborative tooling.
- Governance Model: monthly retrospectives, sprint reviews, and a clear split of responsibility across ACT-ON Germany and TK Elevator teams.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS...
- Agile, Scalable Delivery: Fast, flexible iterations aligned with business priorities.
- Clear Governance & Ownership: Product-focused collaboration supported by dedicated DevOps and Proxy PO roles.
- Operational Resilience: SLA-backed incident handling, support coverage, and proactive backlog management.
- Transparency & Measurable Progress: Regular reviews, planning, and retrospectives to track delivery and improve continuously.
Strong Onboarding & Engagement: Culture-first integration, stakeholder mapping, and rapid velocity ramp-up within 100 days.
A project in Germany? Contact ACT-ON GERMANY
A project anywhere else? Contact ACT-ON GROUP
The world market leader in components for smart cards partnered with ACT-ON GERMANY to implement a state-of-the-art Cornerstone Learning Management System (LMS) as part of the "Digital Go-to-Market Learning Ecosystem". This initiative aims to drive revenue growth and customer engagement through engaging, scalable, and integrated learning solutions tailored to internal and external stakeholders across the globe.
THE NEED...
The client needed a robust LMS to:
- Provide tailored training experiences for sales and marketing (G2M) audiences.
- Offer public and gated learning content for customers and partners.
- Migrate from legacy systems (e.g. SuccessFactors) while preserving historical training data.
- Support technical integrations including SSO (PingIdentity), CRM (Dynamics), and WebEx.
- Build a foundation for scalable training, automation, and insight-driven learning delivery.
OUR ANSWER...
ACT-ON Germany delivered a full-service LMS implementation using its structured methodology:
- Initiate to Go-Live: a phase-based approach including workshops, design validation, testing, and hypercare.
- Modular Setup: Core LMS, Extended Enterprise (EXT), Certification, and Engagement modules tailored to our client's audience.
- Deep Integration: setup of inbound/outbound data feeds via EDGE, SSO with PingIdentity, and connections to platforms like WebEx, MovingImage, and Microsoft Dynamics.
- UX/UI Enhancements: custom Welcome Pages and teaser video access for unregistered users.
- Training & Enablement: admin bootcamps and structured sessions to build internal capacity.
- Innovation Readiness: architecture built to enable AI-powered search plugins and ongoing support through the ACT-ON Germany Integration Platform.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS...
- Seamless Global Access: unified experience for employees, distributors, and customers.
- Future-Proofed Architecture: built for scale, data automation, and API-based integrations.
- High-Impact Learning: engaging and tailored user experiences improve learner uptake and retention.
- Operational Efficiency: automated data flows reduce manual processes and boost accuracy.
- Insight-Driven Growth: reporting 2.0, data lake integrations, and optional dashboards enable data-informed decision-making.
Sustainable Support: post-go-live services, technical help, and a roadmap for continuous enhancement.
A project in Germany? Contact ACT-ON GERMANY
A project anywhere else? Contact ACT-ON GROUP