The word hybrid is defined as anything that is a mixture of two or more things. A hybrid accounting professional is someone who holds relevant multi-skillset and experiences that are capable of molding the individual to be adaptable to the ever changing business and technological world. One question to ask would be, what will the hybrid accounting professional of the future look like?
It is with great certainty that the industry will demand hybrid accountants with high level of accounting knowledge and in-depth awareness of the business environment with a strong core in Information Technology. These hybrid accountants are expected to get more involved in the decision making processes in relation to the operational aspects of the company.
Technology changes the manner on how accounting tasks can be performed, such as by cloud based accounting software which is ever changing with the constant improvements in the software dynamics and compliance updates that enable the software to perform more and more tasks. An example would be how softcopy documents such as a PDF file can be attached alongside a transaction line record in an accounting software. However, some companies will still continue to use Hybrid accounting software such as ABSS accounting software before moving to cloud and this depends on their business requirements.
The technological changes and industry demands will set the standard and expectations required from hybrid accountants. Using the data collected in the accounting software, analytical and soft skills such as data analysis , data presentation and trends to management and stakeholders and looking for improvements in systems and processes are what is expected for a hybrid accountant. Being technical savvy, whether it is social media, digital marketing, software knowledge and competency are valuable skills that will differentiate hybrid accountants from ‘number crunching accountants’
