A Better Measure of Skills Gaps

Decision makers are measuring skills when managing change and capturing value in the

process. They are recognizing the value of metrics for fueling improvement. What gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed gets better. Skills inventory management strategies are giving managers and employees the ability to verify the skills needed to ensure success, pinpoint skills gaps before they compromise the initiative, and improve skills to meet changing needs. Online Measurement System Pinpoints Skills Gaps That Could Affect an Initiative While many new initiatives make strategic sense at the executive level, companies have struggled to find ways to ensure that those initiatives survive the challenges of execution. Namely, they have sought effective tools for gauging skills requirements and for measuring and comparing the skills of current employees against those requirements.

A skills inventory management system, backed by objective skills metrics, gives decision makers the data they need. How does it work? The process is simple. A skills inventory begins with a skills measurement system that enables employees to access online skills assessments through the com-pany intranet. When a company implements a new technology, for example, managers may have their employees take a test for skills related to that technology. The online system delivers scores immediately, with results that show whether the company has the skills for that new initiative, or whether there is a skills gap that needs to be addressed before the initiative is launched.