Make Smarter Business Decisions: Know What Employees Can Do - HR's Tools for Recovery - identifying and using employee skills

Workforce, Nov, 2001 by Samuel Greengard

At that point, it's up to HR and other departments to design processes that can nurture the desired skills. For example, the organization might compile a list of specific job-skill requirements that recruiters can use for hiring, or develop a list of questions to be used during the interviewing process to find the right people. An organization might also construct a system that provides feedback to managers and employees about the skills and competencies that individual people, departments, and the company as a whole have available.

At Virtual Inc., Ralbovsky has worked hard to develop a matrix that allows her to hire and train for the organization's specific and constantly changing needs. Because the company's clients have diverse requirements--some are consortiums and organizations that require specific management services and others are high-tech companies looking for marketing assistance--a "cookie-cutter approach simply won't work," she says. "We have to constantly assess how we can satisfy a client." Ralbovsky initially developed the skills and competencies list by consulting with senior staff, and she continues to tweak and refine the process.

Because the company is small, she is able to maintain the list on paper. At staff meetings and through written communication to employees, she emphasizes important traits such as effective communication skills and the ability to work on a team, build strong interpersonal relationships, solve problems, and resolve conflicts. She also has designed a performance-review process to help supervisors and managers evaluate employees on their level of proficiency for various skills and competencies.

Leveraging the power of skills and competencies

Once an enterprise has developed a system for measuring skills and competencies, it can put the data into action and realize an array of benefits. For example, many companies now offer corporate universities or e-learning programs with dozens, if not hundreds, of different classes. Employees can venture online and instantly know which courses, skills, and competencies are required to receive a promotion or to change job tracks within the organization. It's then possible to sign up for the appropriate course online and know one's standing at any given moment.

At the same time, the company can track job skills and overall learning and know which employees, teams, and departments are up to speed and which need additional training or instruction. The organization can also determine whether training, succession planning, and other initiatives are on target and then tweak hiring and compensation to fit current needs. "Today, organizations must adjust their business strategies on a near real-time basis," says Lisa Tesvich, director of PricewaterhouseCoopers' Unifi Network. "Without the right information, it's impossible to stay in touch with internal needs and those of clients or customers."

At Ford Financial, which has about 20,000 employees scattered across the globe, core leadership training is an essential piece of the skills-and-competencies puzzle. The division of Ford Motor Company has constructed a sophisticated skill- and competency-based learning program, which is available through the company intranet. Employees can view information about various jobs within the firm and determine which skills and competencies they must master to achieve their goals. At that point, it's possible to focus learning appropriately, says Barbara Stebbins, manager of corporate learning and development at Ford Financial in Dearborn, Michigan.