Question

CASE STUDY: KPMG Thinks Forward With the continued emergence of new technologies and new business needs, KPMG recognizes that the skills required to succeed tomorrow are not the same as the skills required to succeed today. Where once it sought to establish skill benchmarks based on the success of the past, it now seeks to anticipate the benchmarks of the future, and plan development proactively. KPMG has established a general skills framework to promote balanced development, and ensure that at every stage of a career, a professional is building a blend of technical, business, and leadership skills. But which specific skills within that framework are most critical? The firm regularly re-assesses skill needs, and every year focuses these efforts on areas where it anticipates changes to be especially imminent. More broadly, KPMG has shifted its paradigm of “gap” assessment. Instead of looking for instances where professionals are missing skills they need for their current role, KPGM looks for opportunities to develop skills they will need for their next role. For example, skills once taught in a new manager training course now are taught to professionals while they are still on the “road to manager.” Finally, KPMG recognizes the premium on individual learning planning. For KPMG professionals, skill needs vary from practice to practice, client to client, office to office. Accordingly, instead of seeking to apply a single set of benchmarks to everyone at a particular level, the firm focuses on enhancing development discussions between individual professionals and their performance managers. KPMG’s planning tools help assess multiple skills, but give the performance manager latitude to set development priorities. In the end, KPMG is reframing its discussions of skill gaps. Because it has moved away from a one-size-fits-all comparison to the past, and toward a more individualized anticipation of the future, it is no longer talking about “deficiencies.” Instead, it’s talking about “opportunities.”

write about, answering the following questions:

1. What are the benefits to this approach?

2. Could this approach be applied to any organization? Why or why not?

Answer 1

1. The benefits of this approach are that it helps understand its developing managers better, capitalize on opportunities, and take advantage of the strengths of individuals in the company. It also helps place the personnel better so that business goals are achieved. When KPMG makes multiple skills and develops more individualized anticipation of the future, it ensures cost savings because of no unexpected vacancies, there is continuity at the manager level, and higher engagement of persons who are likely to become managers. In future there will be persons who will leverage their strengths for the company, The individual learning planning by KPMG will lead to better leadership and increase in productivity, higher retention of the top professionals, and nurturing of future leaders. Moreover, the firm will be able to identify the skills that its professionals excel in and deploy them in the most appropriate leadership positions in the future.
2. This approach cannot be applied to any organization. The reason is that the firm regularly re-assesses the skill need and focuses these efforts on areas where there are changes expected. This approach cannot be applied to organizations where there clearly ordered hierarchical levels of management and promotions occur through the process of seniority. Also, those organizations where HR functions such as training, placement, and promotions occur through a set of objective laws, rules, and procedures, this approach cannot be applied. This approach also cannot be applied in organizations where there is a withholding of information, hiding of resources, ongoing turf wars, and a system of taking undue credit. This approach also cannot be applied in organizations where there are frequent reorganizations, misrepresentations, and regular undeserved promotions.