How To Build a Skills-Based Organization: 10 Steps for HR | AIHR

Many organizations are shifting towards skills-based talent practices. However, research by Deloitte reveals that fewer than one in five organizations have fully embraced these practices. To aid HR practitioners in transitioning their organizations to a more skills-based approach, this article outlines 10 steps for building a skills-based organization. These steps are divided into three categories: 1) Building the business case for skills, 2) Deconstructing work into tasks and skills and determining organizational needs, and 3) Managing the transition and change by incorporating skills into HR practices. While each category is crucial and comes with its own challenges, deconstructing work into tasks and skills (#2) remains an area where many practitioners are still seeking guidance. With this as the backdrop, the article includes an image illustrating the process: start with the work to be done, break it down into tasks, translate those tasks into required skills, automate tasks that can be automated, and assign remaining tasks to employees who possess the necessary skills. As many organizations still use jobs as a framework for organizing work, I am resharing a template I created and which helps practitioners begin the process of analyzing jobs and breaking them down into tasks. The template consists of sections to list roles under consideration, the meaningful tasks associated with those roles, the skills required to carry out those tasks, and employees who likely possess the skills to perform them effectively. Although this worksheet has scalability limitations, it serves as an initial step towards Outlines 10 steps for building a skills-based organization through three focus areas, including deconstructing work into tasks and skills.developing task-based work planning and skills-based talent practices.