The essential dictionary to adopt a "Skills-First" or "Skills-Based Organization" approach.
The approach to managing organizations through skills or "skills-based organization" or "SBO" is multidimensional. This is what stakeholders in this type of project quickly realize. To avoid becoming unwieldy and getting lost, a phased implementation strategy is always required. And to start well, you must understand the dimensions of a skills-based approach.
Mastering the "SBO" vocabulary is therefore essential to communicate effectively with your teams, your technology partners and your consultants.
This comprehensive dictionary offers you a clear and precise definition of the fundamental concepts that shape the future of talent management.
Whether you are a CHRO, talent director, or organizational development expert, this guide will allow you to navigate with confidence in the roadmap of your SBO transformation.
How this dictionary is organized:
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This dictionary constitutes a comprehensive reference to navigate in the universe of "Skills-Based Organizations".
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Each concept interconnects with others to form a coherent ecosystem that will transform your approach to skills management, talents and organizational capabilities.
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At NexaRH, we master these concepts and accompany you in their practical implementation to enhance your SBO transformation.
Table of Contents
SECTION 1 – Skills-based management philosophies
1 – Skills-Based Organization
2 – Skills-Based Organization Strategy
3 – Skills-Based Recruiting
4 – Skills-Based Learning
5 – Skills-Based Succession
6 – Skills-Based Workforce Planning
7 – Agile Skills Matching & Allocation
8 – Skills-Based Performance and Goals
9 – Task Intelligence
10 – Inventory of Organizational Capabilities
11 – Dynamic Skills Intelligence
12 – Talent Intelligence
13 – Precision Training / Precision Training
14 – Skill Signals
15 – Multi-dimensional Skills Assessment
➡️ SECTION 2 – The driving forces to adopt an "SBO" approach
16 – Upskilling
17 – Reskilling
18 – Skills Supply & Demand Analytics
19 – Emerging Skills
20 – Speed Skilling
21 – Learning in the Flow of Work / Learning in the Flow of Work
SECTION 3 – Concepts specific to the "SBO" approach
22 – Competency Framework
23 – External Taxonomy
24 – Internal Taxonomy
25 – Skills Ontology
26 – Skills Inference
27 – Skills Adjacency
28 – Cross-Functional Skills
SECTION 4 – The foundations to deploy and operate an "SBO" approach
29 – Job Architecture
30 – Position Architecture
31 – Skills Architecture
32 – Skills Data
33 – Job Description
34 – Job Posting
SECTION 5 – Talent management practices supporting the "SBO" approach
35 – Internal Mobility
36 – Career Aspiration
37 – Career Path
38 – Personal Development Plan
39 – Learning Academies
SECTION 6 – Technological capabilities in intelligent skills management
40 – Self-Declaration
41 – Skills Suggestions
42 – Training Suggestions
43 – Talent Opportunity Marketplace
44 – Skills Intelligence Platforms
45 – Competencies and Skills in Workday HCM
SECTION 7 – "SBO" governance
46 – Skills Governance
47 – Skills Risk Management
48 – Jobs & Skills Observatory
49 – Strategic Workforce and Skills Planning
50 – Skills Ecosystem
SECTION 2 – The driving forces to adopt an "SBO" approach
16 – Upskilling
Definition: The process of developing new skills in existing employees to meet the changing needs of the organization.
What you need to know: Upskilling aims to strengthen the workforce's capabilities to anticipate technological and organizational transformations. It relies on the proactive identification of emerging skills and the implementation of targeted training programs. The use of AI makes it possible to personalize training paths, measure impact, and optimize investments. Companies that invest in upskilling achieve significant gains: improved productivity, reduced external recruitment needs, and increased retention. This approach also contributes to employee engagement and the organization's sustainable competitiveness.
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Related concepts: Reskilling, Precision Training, Learning in the Flow of Work.
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NexaRH Resources: AI Roadmap
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External reference: World Economic Forum, Upskilling for Shared Prosperity (2021).
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External reference: Springer Nature (via PMC), Reskilling and Upskilling the Future-ready Workforce for Industry 4.0 and Beyond (2022) .
17 – Reskilling
Definition: A process that enables employees to acquire new skills in order to occupy emerging or different roles.
What you need to know: Reskilling addresses rapid changes related to automation, generative AI, and evolving business models. Unlike upskilling, which improves existing skills, it prepares employees for a change in role or profession. This strategy reduces external recruitment costs, enhances internal human capital, and strengthens employee engagement by offering new career opportunities. The success of reskilling depends on accurate mapping of current skills, alignment with future needs, and tailored learning paths.
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Related concepts: Upskilling, Task Intelligence, Precision Training.
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NexaRH Resources: Quebec Training Innovation Summit Conference - April 2025 - Author Jean-Baptiste Audrerie.
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External reference: European Journal of Business and Management Research, Upskilling and Reskilling in a Rapidly Changing Job Market: Strategies for Organizations to Maintain Workforce Agility and Adaptability, (2024) .
18 – Skills Supply & Demand Analytics
Definition: Real-time analysis of supply and demand for skills, both internally and on the external market, to guide HR strategy and anticipate gaps.
What you need to know: Supply and Demand analysis allows organizations to have a dynamic and forward-looking vision of the balance between available skills and those required by the business strategy. Internally, it identifies current strengths, areas of scarcity, and emerging skills. Externally, it leverages labor market data (e.g., Lightcast, Revelio Labs) to observe which skills are in increasing demand, their economic value, and sector trends. This dual analysis provides a complete picture, allowing them to prioritize reskilling initiatives, secure training investments, and adjust recruitment. Integrated into an SBO, this analysis gives CHROs and Talent Leaders a decisive competitive advantage, as it transforms workforce planning into a proactive and predictive approach.
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Related concepts: Skills-based workforce planning, Dynamic skills intelligence, Skill signals.
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NexaRH Resources: Skills Roadmap or SBO
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External reference: TechWolf – https://www.techwolf.ai/use-case/skill-gap-analysis; Lightcast – Open Skills Taxonomy & Skills Data https://lightcast.io/open-skills; Revelio Labs – AI Skills Pay Off https://www.reveliolabs.com/news/tech/revelio-labs-x-linkup-do-ai-skills-pay-off
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External reference: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (GOV.UK), R&D skills supply and demand: long-term trends and workforce projections, (2025) .
19 – Compétences émergentes / Emerging Skills
Definition: New skills that become critical due to technological, economic or societal developments.
What you need to know: Emerging skills are growing, driven by trends like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the energy transition, data analytics, and virtual collaboration. Organizations that quickly identify and integrate these skills gain agility and innovation, while reducing their risk of obsolescence. Proactively identifying emerging skills requires continuous monitoring, collaboration with innovation ecosystems, and the ability to quickly adjust talent development plans.
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Related concepts: Dynamic Skills Intelligence, Jobs & Skills Observatory , Upskilling.
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NexaRH Resources: HR Technologies Paris Conference on Emerging Skills (January 2025) - Author Jean-baptiste Audrerie
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NexaRH Resources: Article The Future of Green Skills. Author: Jean-Baptiste A udrerie.
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External reference: OECD, 2023. OECD Skills Outlook 2023.
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External reference: Workday Blog, 2025, https://blog.workday.com/en-us/skills-ai-symbiotic-relationship-driving-future-work.html
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External reference: World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025, (2025).
20 – Speed Skilling
Definition : Methodology aimed at rapidly developing critical skills through short, targeted and intensive learning paths.
What you need to know: Speed skilling addresses the growing urgency of closing skills gaps in rapidly transforming environments. It differs from traditional approaches in its condensed, contextualized, and immediately applicable format. This method relies on microlearning, workflow learning, and generative AI to personalize content. Speed skilling allows companies to drastically reduce the time between acquiring and applying a skill, thus strengthening their agility and resilience in the face of technological and regulatory changes.
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Related concepts: Upskilling, Reskilling, Learning in the flow of work.
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NexaRH Resources: Organizational Design of HR Function Service Model
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External reference: Lightcast, The Speed of Skill Change (2025) .
21 – Learning in the Flow of Work
Definition: Direct access to learning resources integrated into the work environment when the employee needs them.
What you need to know: Workflow learning involves integrating training into the tools and processes employees already use (ERP, CRM, collaborative solutions). Rather than relying on traditional training sessions, it provides short, targeted, and contextualized content: microlearning, tutorials, AI assistants, communities of practice. This approach reduces interruptions, improves knowledge retention, and promotes the rapid acquisition of new skills. In an SBO, it allows learning to be directly linked to organizational tasks and objectives.
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Related concepts: Skills-Based Learning, Precision Training, Training Suggestions.
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NexaRH Resources: Efficiency Diagnosis of HR Departments (Training and Development)
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External reference: Josh Bersin, Learning in the flow of work (2018) .
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External reference: Valamis, Learning in the Flow of Work: A Guide for Managers (2025) .
Resources at Your Disposal
🟣 3- Detailed article on the development of HRIS, AI in HR and Skills (Skill-based Organization) roadmaps
🟣 4- Our mapping of intelligent skills management solutions. Unique on the market. Available for free download.
Why Choose NexaRH to Develop Your Skills Roadmap?
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Specialized expertise in position architecture, job architecture, skills architecture, taxonomies, and skills ontologies.
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In-depth analysis of artificial intelligence technologies applied to talent and skills management, enabling an HRIS roadmap that integrates the most advanced market concepts.
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Technology neutrality and exhaustive knowledge of the intelligent skills management solution vendor ecosystem, ensuring objective recommendations based on your specific needs rather than commercial partnerships.
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Proven SBO transformation methodology with personalized support that considers your organizational maturity, technology constraints, and strategic objectives to guarantee successful and sustainable adoption.
