How to add a 360 without turning it into an average
A 360 improves an assessment when it preserves what each source observed, from which relationship, and within what limits; averaging first destroys that information.
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Articles about organizational intelligence, measurement, and human systems.
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Developing a skill does not always increase organizational capability
Even when someone develops a skill, the organization may retain the same constraint if the opportunity, support, or authority to apply it is missing.
When a critical capability depends too heavily on one person
Consider an unexpected absence: a capability is fragile when its absence interrupts a critical outcome and no alternative has demonstrated that it can restore that outcome in time.
How to design a calibration session that does not turn into a negotiation over scores
How do you keep a calibration session from turning into a negotiation over scores? Bring evidence, context, and criteria into the conversation before the number.
Work without Jobs and the missing link between skills and work
Work without Jobs proposes looking beyond the job as a whole and brings into view a layer that skill architectures often overlook: the work that needs to be organized.
Adoption begins when the model changes a decision
Even when usage is high, a model may not yet have been adopted: the decisive evidence appears when it changes a real decision and that change can be reconstructed.
When to create a new role and when to redesign an existing one
Should the organization create a new role or redistribute the work? The answer depends on the stability, distinctiveness, and accountability of the missing contribution.
From a skills gap to a capability gap: individual development is not always what is missing
Before recommending training in response to a gap, compare four possible sources: individual proficiency, team coverage, interfaces, and the operating model.
Lateral mobility can be development without being a promotion
Even without a change in hierarchy, lateral mobility can develop judgment by changing the problems, relationships, and decisions a person faces.
Not observed, not applicable, and insufficient evidence do not mean the same thing
What does a space without a conclusion actually mean? It may indicate an absence of observation, an expectation outside the role, or insufficient evidence. Distinguishing these states prevents us from assigning a gap that the data does not demonstrate.
From headcount to capability: what should change in workforce planning
Staffing decisions require knowing how many people there will be. Capability planning also requires understanding what work they can sustain, under which constraints, and with what coverage.
Dynamic Capabilities: why a collection of skills does not create organizational capability
David Teece locates strategic capability in the ability to integrate, build, and reorganize resources. His perspective explains why a skills inventory provides information about people but does not demonstrate organizational adaptation. The decisive moment comes when the environment demands change.