In the rapidly-evolving business environment we operate in today, having skilled and adaptable employees is more important than ever for companies to achieve success. Technologies, roles, and required competencies change so swiftly that organizations need powerful new tools just to keep up.
Fortunately, a new category of HR software known as skills management platforms is equipped to tackle the unique workforce management challenges of the digital age….
What Are Skills Management Platforms and Why Do You Need One?
Skills management software encompasses a range of HR applications designed to give organizations better visibility into the competencies of their people. Core features include:
Skills assessments: Employees and managers input skills data through self-evaluations, testing, and feedback surveys. Some systems also infer skills based on credentials, training completions, and past performance patterns using AI algorithms.
Skills mapping: An ontology matches employee skills with related jobs, projects, departments, and compliance requirements. Advanced semantic analysis can recommend secondary skills associated with core competencies.
Gap analysis: Compare current vs required skills across teams and roles. Drill into which positions lack key competencies and how that translates to productivity or turnover risks…..
And additional capabilities like:
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Skills-based task automation – Rules engine assigns tasks and system interactions to employees based on competencies required for resolution. Improves CX and productivity.
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VR/AR-enabled skills transfer – Using virtual/augmented environments and smart glasses, experienced employees can remotely mentor and transfer complex skills to new hires rapidly.
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Real-time coaching – Digital assistants monitor workflows unobtrusively, then provide personalized voice guidance on applying skills the moment learning opportunities present themselves on the job.
Table 1 – Comparison of Leading Skills Platform Vendors by Capability
The Benefits of Adopting Skills Intelligence Technology
Here we explore five compelling benefits driving adoption of dedicated skills analysis programs…..
Emerging Industry Use Cases
While historically adopted by high-tech firms, skills platforms now also enhance major business functions across sectors like:
Retail optimization – Retailers including Home Depot, Best Buy, and Sephora are using skills data to optimize staffing across stores based on demand, map customer journeys to advisors with relevant skills, and offer more personalizedrecommendations.
Contact center engagement – Leading brands integrate skills routing intelligence to match callers with agents best suited to address specific needs. Some platforms even infer caller frustration and guide agents with micro-coaching tips between calls.
Cybersecurity risk reduction – Cybersecurity teams are using skills gaps identified across users and IT staffers to strengthen organizational resilience by assigning the right awareness training programs at scale.
Inclusion and diversity – Institutions like law firms, academic medical centers, and higher education orgs leverage skills analytics to deepen understanding of competency equity gaps holding back minority groups and prescribe measures to nurture development and retention.
Overcoming Common Challenges with Skills Platforms
While benefits can be substantial, skills management initiatives also come with adoption hurdles like change resistance and fragmented data. Here’s proven guidance for smoothing rollout:
Winning over managers and staff
- Incent participation by making skills insights accessible and valuable to employees’ own growth goals
- Tie skills data validation to performance management to underscore relevance
- Position as enabling employees, not controlling them
Motivating continuous skills development
- Leverage principles of microlearning, gamification and peer accountability to drive ongoing engagement
- Automate assignment of fresh training content based on personalization algorithms
- Enable managers to recognize skills growth publicly
Garnering maximum ROI
According to Deloitte’s 2022 Global Human Capital Trends survey of 500+ executives, companies achieving the highest ROI on skills investments ensure tight alignment to broader talent strategy, treat skills data as a vital enterprise asset, and fund centralized teams to drive adoption.
The Future of Work Powered by AI
The combination of skills management platforms and AI promises even more transformative impacts on talent development and organizational design in coming years…..
For example, AI-enabled skills inferences could allow systems to:
- Predict leadership potential based on early career experiences
- Recommend ideal project assignments based on nuanced skills proximity analysis
- Suggest a shortlist of best-fit roles an employee would likely thrive and excel in long-term
As automation and AI assume more workplace responsibilities, roles will be less about fixed activities and more about applying complex human capabilities like creativity, empathy, communication, cultural dexterity and entrepreneurial thinking in diverse situations.
Skills intelligence will provide the visibility for organizations to nurture these irreplaceable talents that drive innovation while leaving routine tasks to machines. But it requires investme
Forward-thinking companies have only scratched the surface of how skills analytics can reinvent productivity and engagement. The organizations who embrace these tools now will have prime talent equipped to dominate the future of work.
