How Do I Create Effective Skill Matrices for Executives and Managers Across Different Departments?

Good Morning, All! I have been given a task to work on Skill Matrices for Executives & Managers. As per my knowledge, Skill Matrices are to be prepared for Operators, Workers, and accordingly, training needs can be assessed. I am a little confused about how to frame a Skill Matrix for the aforementioned categories of staff/employees, how to formulate a questionnaire, and how to complete the task.

Skill Matrices for Various Value Streams

Executives or managers are from various value streams like KOSPO, Marketing, Production, Sales, Stores, SCM, Purchase, Finance, Accounts, HR, Maintenance, and Quality.

Any information or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks & Regards,
Mnl

Developing a Skill Matrix: Key Considerations

Good to note that you are going to develop the skill matrix; however, there lies a catch too. What was once a skills inventory is now a skills matrix. It is an old concept from the era of personnel management. I say this because today's business practices demand end results and do not just restrict themselves to drawing the matrix and filling in the blanks.

Today's businesses concentrate on the end result. You need to identify the costs associated with each department and then make a skill matrix. Following are the examples:

- Head SCM: Skills required to reduce or maintain Inventory Carrying Cost at a certain level.
- Marketing Head: Skills required to reduce or maintain Marketing Cost at a certain level.

There are many companies that just stop at building the skills. These companies do not check whether the skills possessed by individuals are translated into meeting the department's goals. The training department organizes skill-based training programs but is unable to show whether they resulted in concrete benefits. I hope you do not fall into this trap.

Final Comments and Questions

What is your designation? What is your qualification? Do you have knowledge of each department to make a skills matrix for each department? Even if some member of this forum helps you or you download something from Google, will you be able to verify the correctness as well as the applicability of information to your company or industry? What needs to be retained and what needs to be discarded? Do you have the competence to filter the information? Going further, suppose the skills matrix is made, but then who has the competence to measure the skills? What is the guarantee that either you or that person will be able to uncover the mask of inefficiency and assess the right skills?

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Skill Matrices for Executives & Managers

Employees possess both soft or behavioral skill sets and technical or functional skill matrices. Behavioral skill sets like decision-making, strategy and direction, learning and agility, team collaboration, and entrepreneurial skills help us perform better in groups. For instance, an HR Manager might be required to be at level 4 (very good) out of 5 (excellent) in team collaboration. If, after assessment, they are found to be at level 3, they need to bridge the gap within a given time.

Similarly, a role holder's functional skill sets should be provided by their immediate superior and will vary from role to role. For example, an HR manager's skill set in training others should be at level 4, indicating they know the content, are equipped with methodologies, and can train others as an expert. Level 1 indicates no knowledge or skill.

Skill Matrices for Operators and Workers

In this case, an operator is expected to exhibit discipline, regularity, obedience, and honesty as prime soft skill sets. If there are gaps in specific measures, corrections should be made with feedback or through behavioral training. For technical skills, training needs should be identified. After assessment from L1 to L5, a spider graph, also known as a radar graph, should be drawn to identify level differences and execute a training plan for correction. For example, if a fitter is assessed at level 2 in pump repair jobs, train them to level 3 and ensure they reach level 4 within 6-8 months. This will improve repetitive pump failures, maintenance hours, the cost of new pumps, and overtime wages.

I hope this provides a fair idea about this subject. Feel free to write or ask for clarification if needed.

Regards,
RDS Yadav