LIZ FISHER

Building on ACCA's 2021 report, Professional accountants at the heart of sustainable organisations - which identified the core capabilities that professional accountants will need - a new report, Developing the skills of the sustainable business and finance professional, looks at what needs to happen to ensure these capabilities are developed successfully.

The new report addresses this question from the perspective of educators, learners and employers. It talks of "the educator's problem that we should all care about": since we have all experienced learning and development in one form or another, we should each have a view on the outcomes from learning because they can have an impact for generations to come.

One of the key questions that educators face, it points out, is how to develop the sustainable business and finance professional's capabilities, particularly when many roles of the future are yet to be defined, and in circumstances where different roles may require different combinations of capabilities.

The report stresses that developing sustainable business and finance professionals is a collaborative exercise. Educators are having to respond to changing learning needs as the capabilities that professional accountants need become more varied.

However, the report points out that there is no single learning and development solution - and the expectation of longer working lives is increasing the lifelong learner population and the diversity of learning needs. "Learning ecosystems present a way forward to host and deliver a variety of learning and development interventions, creating flexibility for learners on when, how and what kind of learning happens," it concludes.

The human touch

The report, which draws on engagement with more than 800 learners, employers and educators around the world, argues that professional accountants need specific human capabilities in order to be effective. These include:

Capabilities needed to be effective

• collaboration - engaging effectively with stakeholders, communicating clearly, being inclusive and influencing with impact

• digital - proficiently and ethically using existing and emerging data technologies, capabilities, practices and strategies

• drive - being determined, motivating and developing oneself and others to achieve stretching goals, being curious and open to new approaches and acting with integrity

• ethics - acting in accordance with fundamental principles of professional and personal ethical behaviour; ensuring the use of appropriate ethical frameworks and compliance with laws and regulations

• expertise - drawing on knowledge and experience, applying technical expertise

• insight - how one thinks and operates at the individual level in the organisation: accurately analysing information, generating new ideas, making clear decisions, organising work, focusing on key priorities and achieving timely results

• sustainability - drawing on knowledge and experience, applying technical expertise

Research by McKinsey co