CAMPAIGN
We help you rethink work, jobs, and skills and guide you through key considerations for implementing a skills-based organisation.
Skills unlock a whole world of possibilities.
By focusing directly on skills themselves rather than on how they have been acquired, a skills-first approach has the potential to democratise access to economic opportunities and pathways to good jobs for many more people than traditional approaches have done. World Economic Forum (2023)
What exactly is a skills-based organisation?
In the headlines, industry discussion and even government manifestos – everyone is talking about skills.
The way people think about work, jobs and skills has changed over the last few years, with many organisations opting for a skills-based approach. But what does this mean?
In a skills-based organisation (SBO), your skills define the work you do rather than your job title.
Work is broken down into tasks and projects that are matched to employees with the right experience and capabilities instead of worrying about whose job it is.
%
of current work being performed falls outside of people’s core job descriptions*
*Deloitte
Unpacking the skills needed for each piece of work allows different people to contribute, creating a more fluid talent environment. For example, someone with design skills can be allocated – or opt in – to a project from a different division.
To adopt this agile way of working, businesses need to adapt their structure and processes, as well as their organisational mindset, people management, and employee experience offering.
Interactive workshop: Skills and ladders
What are the benefits?
For the employees, they include:
Greater variety on the type of work you do
Opportunities to gain experience in a more diverse range of work
An infrastructure built to boost your development and progression
Merit-based opportunities and internal mobility
For the employer, they include:
Bolstering your EX by providing career development opportunities
Improving quality of hiring via filling skills gaps and shortening time
Increasing productivity
Agility in how you use your talent to meet new requirements or market demands
What’s the catch?
Building a skills-based organisation isn’t without its challenges.
It’s complex to implement and can be costly, particularly if it doesn’t bring the return on investment you are imagining. It’s also not right for every business.
That’s why getting the foundations right and aligning your skills strategy to your wider business strategy are important. You shouldn’t take it on because it’s trending, but rather because it can help you meet the business outcome you are looking for.
Each chapter of this campaign will walk you through the key considerations in the skills space, shedding light on how to navigate the cultural change, practical set up and overcome the common blockers.
1.
How to set up your skills-based organisation
VIDEO: How can your organisation become skills-powered?
We kick off by discussing the campaign’s goals and the considerations around skills-based organisations.
LIVE: How can organisations become skills-powered?
Jeff Schwartz from Gloat looks at the 'what' the 'why' and 'how' when it comes to becoming a skills-powered organisation.
BLOG: The foundations of a skills-based organisation
What are the key foundations you need to get started? See our simple breakdown in this article.
INFOGRAPHIC: The foundations of a skills-based organisation
We summarise the key foundations for a skills-based organisation in this helpful infographic.
BLOG: Your quick-start guide to building a skills-based organisation
An overview of practical usecases for skills approaches.
INFOGRAPHIC: Your quick-start guide to building a skills-based organisation
Your quick-start guide to launching a skills-based organisation—in one powerful infographic.
2.
How to create a skills strategy to boost business success
LIVE: What if you don't need a skills strategy?
Our second live stream explores why organisations aim to become skills-powered, key questions to ask before starting, and practical insights from Craige Heaney, VP of Talent Organisational Development at Pandora.
PODCAST: What is the role of leadership in enabling skills-based organisations?
Chris and Chris Horton along with guest Anthony Nash, co-founder of Leadership Success, explore the role of leadership in enabling skills-based organisations.
PODCAST: What if skills could directly boost your business’s bottom line?
We discuss the importance of skills in driving business performance with our guest, Craige Heaney, VP of Talent and Organisational Effectiveness at Pandora.
BLOG: Tackling potential skills crises
With economic challenges intensifying, it's more important than ever to tackle the skills crisis head-on. We outline a blueprint for organisational success.
PODCAST: How is recruitment evolving toward a skills-based future?
Our guests discuss how businesses and recruiters are rethinking their approaches to talent acquisition and workforce management.
PODCAST: How can organisations leverage a skills-based approach to bridge skill gaps?
The focus of the podcast is skills-based organisations (SBOs) and how companies can utilise a skills-focused approach to bridge skill gaps.
LIVE: How to choose the right skills strategy for your business?
BLOG: Using a skills strategy to boost business success
We will be discussing how to choose the right skills solution, according to your business context and goals.
BLOG: What do we mean by skills?
What's the difference between a skill and a competency? We break it all down with a simple yet powerful formula; check it out.
PODCAST: How can skills-based strategies empower your workforce?
We speak with our guest about skills-based organisations potential to redefine traditional HR practices and empower employees along the way.
3.
How to smoothly implement a skills-based organisation
PODCAST: How can a skills-based approach shape a more inclusive and adaptable future of work?
Chris and Pavan Bilkhoo speak to Tom Larter, CEO of WithYouWithMe discussing the organisation’s innovative approach to combatting underemployment.
PODCAST: How will AI impact organisations becoming skills-powered?
Chris and our in-house AI experts, Charlie Frost and Aaron Lynch, chat with Ben Williams, Founder and Managing Director of Sten10, as they discuss the impact of AI on organisations attempting to become skills-powered.
BLOG: The cultural transformation of moving to a skills-based organisation
We focus on the individual’s experience with change, exploring both the motivators and challenges employees face when transitioning to a skills-first approach.
BLOG: Can employees embrace the shift to a skills-based organisation? Individual impacts of moving to a SBO
We focus on the individual’s experience with change, exploring both the motivators and challenges employees face when transitioning to a skills-first approach.
PODCAST: What is the role of a super-powered people manager in a skills-based organisation?
We focus on the individual’s experience with change, exploring both the motivators and challenges employees face when transitioning to a skills-first approach.
Join the conversation!
Be the first one to know about becoming skills-powered! Sign up below to get exclusive updates on becoming skills-powered — delivered straight to your inbox as soon as they are released!
Is the future of work skills-based?
Whether you’re sceptical, considering it, or already on board, we want to hear from you!