AI-supported systems for integrated skills-management and skills-development

In the context of digitization and digital transformation the skills requirements in businesses and organizations are changing rapidly. In these circumstances, a shift from a less flexible role-based approach to a more flexible skills-based approach to people management and people development is advantageous. In this chapter, we trace the arguments for this shift and differentiate jobs, tasks, competences and skills. Building on this, we sketch the elements of integrated skills management and development: definition, description, systematization, evaluation, development and validation. We discuss taxonomies of competences and skills as a key starting point and we point out different approaches to skills-management possible: top down, bottom up and mixed. Subsequently, we discuss examples of an emerging breed of AI-supported, dedicated solutions for an integrated approach to the management of competences and skills. We provide a short report on a large company currently piloting one such software solution and conclude that it remains to be seen to what extent the promise of these solutions will be kept.