MIT SMR Connections
MIT SMR Connections was an independent unit within MIT Sloan Management Review. Operating separately from the editorial group, it created high-quality, sponsor-funded content. Connections no longer produces new content, but previously published sponsor-funded projects remain available on the MIT SMR website.
As technology innovation accelerates, the methods organizations use to get work done are changing rapidly as well. To succeed amid new work options such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and automation, companies need the knowledge and skills to deploy these technologies strategically, use them effectively, make adaptations as they evolve, and understand how they will substitute, augment, or otherwise transform human work.
There’s no question that new and emerging digital technologies will have a profound effect on the nature of work. Employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by technology in the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 “Future of Jobs” report. Six in 10 workers will require additional training before 2027, according to the same report.
Dealing with a skills gap of this magnitude calls for fundamental changes in the way organizations connect people to work. To thrive in an era of disruption, leaders must clearly define the skills they need now and those they will need in the future. Companies must understand how these skills will be deployed as the nature of work evolves and find more effective ways of acquiring, developing, and retaining suitable talent. To do that, they must shift their operating models, technology choices, workforces, and cultures as they transform into agile, future-facing, skills-powered organizations.
This Strategy Guide describes why a skills-powered approach is needed, the benefits it brings, the challenges organizations commonly face in making the transition, and what a successful skills-powered organization looks like. It explains how companies can get started and achieve measurable results while building a broader foundation for the future. It also features real-life examples of the approach in action, plenty of expert insights and advice, and a checklist with practical steps for getting started with — or accelerating — the journey to a skills-powered organization.