The Long but Rewarding Journey to Becoming a Skills-Driven Organization
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The Long but Rewarding Journey to Becoming a Skills-Driven Organization

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CEO Insight Minute: Should Your Firm Become a Skills-Driven Organization?

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CEO Insight Minute: Should Your Firm Become a Skills-Driven Organization?

Becoming a skills-driven organization takes time and resources but can lead to greater workforce agility and resilience in the face of rapid change.

Becoming a skills-driven organization (SDO) can lead to greater workforce agility and resilience in the face of rapid change. A focus on skills advances precision in human capital management (HCM) and can lead to better hiring, more focused learning, robust internal talent marketplaces, and accurate workforce planning. Leaders must champion such efforts to achieve these benefits, and the organizational culture must support a new way of thinking about people and work.

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™

Becoming a skills-driven organization (SDO) can lead to greater workforce agility and resilience in the face of rapid change. A focus on skills advances precision in human capital management (HCM) and can lead to better hiring, more focused learning, robust internal talent marketplaces, and accurate workforce planning. Leaders must champion such efforts to achieve these benefits, and the organizational culture must support a new way of thinking about people and work.

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™

  • Becoming a skills-driven organization is not for every organization. Before moving to a skills-driven approach, assess whether your organization would benefit from a focus on skills, the problems you hope to solve, and your readiness to begin the transition. Consider alignment between talent and business priorities, internal culture and mindsets, and digital maturity.
  • The skills-driven journey can take several years, so it is essential to proceed carefully and keep it simple. Pioneering skills-driven organizations have identified several success factors including building a compelling case for change, taking an incremental approach, and keeping it simple. Leverage the experience of others by adopting these strategies for your own journey.
  • Automation is needed to reduce the administrative burden associated with becoming an SDO. Technology can help identify, build, validate, and maintain skills profiles and taxonomies. Algorithms in learning experience platforms (LXPs), talent marketplaces, recruiting systems, and other platforms require the granular data provided by skills. Focus on building the skills data needed to take advantage of tech such as advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).

Authors

Allan Schweyer

Allan Schweyer Allan Schweyer

Principal Researcher, Human Capital
The Conference Board

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Barbara J. Lombardo, PhD

Barbara J. Lombardo, PhD Barbara J. Lombardo, PhD

Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, Human Cap…
The Conference Board

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Matt Rosenbaum

Matt Rosenbaum Matt Rosenbaum

Principal Researcher, Human Capital
The Conference Board

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Peter Sheppard

Peter Sheppard Peter Sheppard

Head of Global L&D Ecosystem
Ericsson

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