Skills-Powered – Our maturity framework for getting the right skills

Senior HR and business leaders in growing or transforming companies need confidence that they can build the right workforce, both now and in the future. Whether working out how to deliver future business growth, responding to disruption, or improving operations, skills can play a key role in unlocking business value.

But it can often be difficult to know where to start, or what to prioritise next. A more skills-powered approach can seem daunting. That’s why at Simply we have built a skills-powered maturity framework, and what this article is all about.

What does being ‘skills-powered’ mean?

The core concept of a skills-based organizations focuses on shifting emphasis from traditional job roles to prioritizing the skills employees need and have. Part of this is often a step away from traditional, rigid job descriptions and embracing more flexible approach to hiring, developing and deploying talent. This is often driven by a goal for agility as businesses aim to stay competitive by aligning their workforce's skills with demands that evolve quicker than ever. The theory says that, by emphasizing skills over roles, organizations can adapt more quickly, improve employee development and stimulate the best people with more dynamic opportunities. They can only achieve this with the data to help make informed decisions.

The rub is that most companies are just not able to throw jobs away because they are important parts of how organisations are set up to function, today. They are typically how we pay people, how people describe and express their contribution and fundamental to how much of the technology works. Even if they could be taken away, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can achieve the utopian, full scale opportunity that ‘skills-based organisations’ promise. A more skills-based approach brings new data, and requires culture and mindset shifts to embrace the new ways of working.

In practise, this can mean a new operating model affecting systems and processes. It may not be something that’s practical in the next couple of years, so an interim state – a journey – is inevitable. What we hear is that most are looking for a pragmatic route forward.

There is huge value in using more skills data to help make decisions and processes more effective. We call this rightskilling. By being more ‘skills-powered’ you can unlock value from skills without all the disruption necessary to achieve the ‘full blown SBO’.

How far and how fast?

So, two key questions present themselves. How far do we need to go? How fast do we need to get there?

The skills-powered maturity framework is designed to help you understand the landscape and these choices. With the right guidance, this process doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. A clear plan and expert help can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth.

Introducing the skills-powered maturity framework

The framework covers five areas, designed to help you identify the parts that matter most to you, your stakeholders and organization. The framework was developed with Simply customers over time, based on their practical experience on their journeys to becoming more skills-powered.

Let’s explore the five areas in turn:

1. Needs

All skills work should start with the business goal in mind. Do not pass go if you are not solving a clear business problem that a defined individual or group care about strongly. Also important is highlighting the compelling need for change to leaders, managers and employees. case for change, combined with the creation of a clear business case and budget to support the transformation. The better able you can articulate the needs, the easier the rest of the journey becomes as you can pinpoint the specific priorities.

2. Blockers

There will be blockers, as with any transformative piece of work. The model sets out some common themes which prevent progress, such as a lack of clarity around the skills required or an inability to prioritize skills gaps. It’s important to recognise that any journey is unique, so your business context and company-specific challenges like internal politics or resistance to change are important considerations. We recommend identifying blockers early and put in place targeted interventions to overcome them as part of a rounded plan.

3. Enablers

The good news is that there are loads of enablers that can help drive progress. These tried and tested areas help support transformation. These include strong business sponsorship, employee engagement and transparent communication. Effective use of data, technology integration and robust governance also play a central role. Each of the enablers is an opportunity to build on your unique organisational and team strengths and help mitigate some of the blockers you face. Use forums and processes you already have, where you can.

4. Processes

Click to read about global fintech Finastra's skills journey.

We in HR love a process. But, what’s covered in the framework is broader too, articulating different use cases and ‘jobs to be done’ where skills can play a role. Not all of these will be aligned to your priorities, and leaving them working how they do today, or with slight refinements can be just fine. At Simply, we are advocates of joining up the ‘top down’ benefits with the ‘bottom up’ benefits. For example, you can make progress on your overall ‘future skills’ strategy in parallel with opening up new opportunities through integrating a greater degree of skills-based sourcing, assessment and hiring into your talent acquisition approach. Don’t let perfect join-up be the enemy of progress.

5. Results

It begins and ends with results. These activities are part of making sure your skills-powered approach is measured and improved over time. It won’t be perfect straight away, so this discipline is critical. Fancy frameworks and great data don’t generate business value themselves, so facilitating decision making and stimulating employees to grow and activate their skills really matters. We recommend tracking both the financial and non-financial results. This can be a great opportunity to partner with People Analytics colleagues to connect skills to the broader decision-making apparatus of the business.

Achieving the ‘right’ level of maturity

The framework is in essence a maturity model which very quickly allows us – and you – to gauge where you are on your skills journey against where you want to be.  It helps you to be clear on your needs and align your business goals with employee skill development and talent acquisition. Our expert team and partners can help you work out your blockers and enablers so you can get results, quickly, piloting skills in a specific area of your business. After, you can scale-up your data, processes and technology with confidence.

The framework is regularly evolving, with new learning and considerations added often. Whether you are contemplating your skills journey, have just set out, or are motoring ahead, we’d love to hear from you on what resonates most and what we’re missing.

To sum it up: with clarity on the right capabilities, jobs, and skills, HR leaders can drive intentional skill development, faster transformation, and better people decisions. We call this Rightskilling, and the maturity framework can help you get to the right maturity, faster.