What is a skills-based organization?
Most of the companies I work with are currently either transitioning to a skills-based organization (SBO) or considering it. This is not surprising, as prioritizing measurable skills over traditional roles or degrees expands talent pools, increases agility and internal mobility, and ensures organizations are better adapted to the rapid evolution of AI (Cantrell et al., 2022).
However, as companies replace rigid job titles with skills-based models, choose their skills taxonomies, and embark on skills mapping, I can't help but wonder: Is it really enough to focus solely on skills? ?
Just last week, during a presentation to the HR executive committee of one of Europe's largest high-tech companies, this question sparked a few curious glances. The problem is that by not understanding the difference between strengths and skills, and by focusing solely on the latter, companies risk missing what truly fuels engagement, resilience, and innovation. Even worse, they could unintentionally create the conditions conducive to exhaustion and burnout.
Skills vs. Strengths
Skills are abilities, both technical (like coding or data analysis) and interpersonal (like critical thinking or emotional intelligence), that can be learned, developed, and applied to accomplish tasks or achieve goals. Strengths, on the other hand, are innate and authentic qualities that enable superior performance, align with an individual's natural talents, and generate increased energy and engagement when mobilized. Skills and strengths both reflect what we excel at and may even seem very similar, as they both contribute to performance. Yet, a key difference distinguishes them: the energy felt when using one's strengths, an aspect entirely absent when discussing skills.
Why do strengths last longer than skills?
1. Skills expire, strengths evolve
Technical skills, like coding in a soon-to-be-obsolete language, have a limited lifespan. Strengths, like problem-solving and collaboration, thrive in any role or industry. A strategic mindset that is effective today will still be relevant in ten years, even if all the tools used have changed in the meantime.
2. Skills fill gaps, strengths fuel passion
Focusing solely on skills risks placing people in roles where they excel… without necessarily finding meaning in them. Strengths-based roles, on the other hand, align work with what energizes employees. Imagine a data analyst skilled with spreadsheets but truly talented at storytelling: involving them in client-facing projects could reveal unexpected value (a completely intentional Excel pun).
3. The use of skills can lead to fatigue, the use of strengths to fulfillment.
In the long term, the intensive use of acquired skills that are not supported by personal strengths can lead to boredom, fatigue, or even burnout. Conversely, research shows that using strengths at work not only improves performance, but also self-confidence, engagement, job satisfaction, and well-being (Miglianico et al., 2020; Luan et al., 2023).
Integrating skills and strengths
It is important to emphasize that this is not a choice between one or the other. The skills-based organization (SBO) approach has many advantages, but organizations must also consciously and explicitly integrate strengths into their new operating model.
• Map the strengths, not just the skills: Use existing strengths assessment tools, such as digital force mapsto identify employees' natural strengths. This allows for a much more holistic approach to evaluating people as a whole.
• Design roles based on strengths: Beyond the technical and functional skills required for a position, analyze the strengths profiles of top-performing employees. This helps identify the innate qualities and talents that lead to excellence, and emphasizes the expression of strengths rather than a simple inventory of skills.
• Use strengths as a basis for developing skills: Encourage the development of skills related to individual strengths. For example, someone with strong communication skills could benefit from training in persuasive writing, storytelling, or public speaking. Similarly, someone with strong analytical thinking skills would be well-suited to learning data visualization tools (such as Tableau), statistical modeling, or Python programming.
• Incorporate questions about strengths into interviews and annual reviews: Adopt a coaching approach to formulate questions that reveal what people do naturally well and what they energizesUse this information to better match talent with business needs, encourage mobility on projects, and enrich skills mapping and development efforts.
• Train all managers in the understanding and use of strengths Use force maps During your upcoming leadership development workshops, introduce managers to this approach. Then, consider how to integrate strengths into recruitment, onboarding, professional development, and performance management processes.
• Integrate subjective variables into performance evaluation: In addition to monitoring traditional KPIs, include questions about individual engagement and well-being. This helps identify potential imbalances caused by an over-reliance on skills alone.
In summary
Skills matter, of course, but they are only the starting point, not the end goal. It is strengths that allow individuals to truly reach their full potential. By combining skills-based agility with a strengths-centric approach, companies are not simply preparing their organizations for the future; they are creating cultures where employees feel valued, not just utilized. In doing so, they are laying the foundation for sustainable performance, rooted in both engagement and well-being.
Because ultimately, the goal isn't simply to build a team capable of keeping up, it's to build A team that leads the way.
Want to discover your strengths or those of your colleagues? Discover our assessments:
SOLO+ Diagnostic : Allows you to discover your strengths through a fun and self-assessment.
SOLO 360+ Diagnostic : Combine your self-assessment of strengths with feedback from your loved ones who can also help you discover hidden strengths.
TEAMSCOPE Diagnosis: Discover and map your team's strengths in order to enhance them; the RADAR function allows you to highlight certain skills that are not emphasized in some employees.
We have also developed a range of in-house training courses focusing on strengths according to 5 global challenges:
Group strengths assessment
Forces as levers of engagement
Leader by strength
Activating one's strengths in the face of stress
Optimize your team through job crafting
To learn more:
Cantrell, S., Griffiths, M., Jones, R., & Hiipakka, J. (2022). The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce.
Deloitte Insights; Deloitte. Luan, Y., Zhao, G., Xu, L., & Ren, B. (2023). Strengths use in the workplace: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 33(6), 612-617.
Miglianico, M., Dubreuil, P., Miquelon, P., Bakker, A. B., & Martin-Krumm, C. (2020). Strength uses in the workplace: A literature review. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 737-764.
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