Integrated Capability Development

Article by Bersin and Bersin Associates

One of the biggest challenges facing companies is a shortage of up-to-date, technical and professional skills. It takes years to develop leaders and functional experts. This year we must focus on building a 'global supply chain' for capabilities - spot your employees aps before they appear and develop peole over time to deepen their skills where needed.


The pace of technology change accelerates each year, creating even more demand for highly educated people. Research shows that 30 percent of all new jobs in the next 10 years will require a college degree— distancing the earnings potential of college grads from those without a college education. Will businesses wait for these gaps to be filled? Not likely—they tell us that they need stronger technical capabilities, and are investing heavily in deep specialization programs, technical training, apprenticeships, and partnerships with universities.

Learning as a Supply Chain Problem: Capability Development Not Training How do we address this challenge? Our research shows that most companies cannot possibly address these issues by focusing solely on short-term training—the problem is one of building a "supply chain of skills."


In 2014, your company will likely be unable to hire into these gaps, so we challenge you to rename your "L&D department" to the "capability development organization"—and start to look at skills development as a multiyear, continuous program that brings content, programs, and management practices together. Happy Reading Folks!