Core Concepts: Skill Graph
By Gregory Ronczewski, Director of Product Design at Ibbaka. See his skill profile.
Definition of the Skill Graph
The skill graph is a data structure that represents how skills are connected to other skills. The skills are the nodes or vertices in the graph and the connections are the lines or edges connecting the skills. There can be different types of connections. For example, Ibbaka puts skills in categories (in this case the category name is also a node and there is an edge connecting every skill in the category to the node for the category. Other types of edges are associated, complementary and connecting skills. See Core Concepts: Complementary, Associated and Connecting Skills.
Skill graphs often contain nodes other than skills. An example, given above, is categories. Other nodes often found in skill graphs are Jobs, Roles, Behaviours, Experiences, Activities, Tasks, Responsibilities, Goals, Outcomes, Teams, Projects. If you can use a concept in a Job Architecture or Competency Model, it can also show up in a skill graph.
People, teams, business units and organizations also show up in skill graphs. When this happens privacy and security become important issues.
The native data format for the skill graph is RDF, and part of the long term vision is that skill graphs contribute to linked open data.
Why the Skill Graph matters
Skills become meaningful and actionable when they are connected to other things. A simple skill name, even with a description, is of limited meaning. Connecting skills to other skills gives them context. Connecting them to other concepts makes them meaningful for organizations and individuals.
Representing this as a graph opens the field of skill management to advanced techniques from graph theory, semantics inference and artificial intelligence.
For an example of applications of graph theory to skills see this article on how different measures of network centrality can be used to determine the importance of a skill. Network centrality and shared skills.
How different companies have defined the skill graph
Cornerstone: The Skills Graph focuses on the current situation of a company and how to bring concrete value to it (skill development, job roles, mobility, etc.). The skills taxonomy is open and dynamic. It integrates new skills that arrive in the market and highlights work trends.
Coursera: Skills Graph is a series of algorithms connecting learners, content, and careers through a common skills currency. It maps a robust library of skills to each other, to the content that teaches them, to the careers that require them, and to the learners who have or want them.
Deloitte: Skills Graph is a map of the skills and enduring human capabilities of an individual or workforce. Depending on the specific implementation, it may include several data connections.
Ibbaka: the Skill Graph is based on connections between skills, roles, people, and projects are more important than stand-alone skills. The more skills are used together, the stronger the connecting path between them. We use a Bayesian network to do this. The more experiences are connected to a skill, the stronger the evidence the person can apply this skill. Complementary and Associated skills allow extending the Skill Graph and presenting a more detailed Skill Map. The more variety in the supporting evidence, the greater our confidence in the level of expertise on a particular skill.
Every skill matters, every connection matters, every person and every role you played in the past shape the possibility of your future. Here is a post comparing the Skill Graph to a neural network that captures everything we experience. Each time a path in this network is used, it becomes more important. Paths that are not used slowly fade away. They do not disappear, though, just become less noteworthy.
To summarize, a Skill Graph focuses on relationships - between Skills, where and how those Skills have been used and many other data points. They are central to many talent and workforce management solutions that use data from the past to facilitate future choices in workforce planning, mobility, targeted development and suggested career choices.
How would you connect your skills? Can you identify some of the paths or relationships that are not used anymore? Or, are there new paths or connections that you are working on to advance your career? We would love to hear from you. Please send us a note to info@ibbaka.com
Core Concepts: Skill Management and Competency Modelling
Skill Graph (this post)
Competency Framework and Competency Model
Coming soon …
Skill Assessment
Core Concepts: Pricing and Customer Value Management
Coming soon …
Value Driver
Economic Value Driver
Emotional Value Driver
Community Value Driver
Value Model
Pricing Model
Connecting Value and Pricing Models
Pricing Design
Package Design
Price Elasticity of Demand
Cross Price Elasticity
Interactions of Cross Price Elasticity and Price Elasticity of Demand
Value Based Market Segmentation
Value Path
Lifetime Value of a Customer (LTV)
Value to Customer (V2C)
Value Ratio
Economic Value Estimation (EVE)
Willingness to Pay (WTP)
Pocket Price Waterfall
Customer Value Journey
Customer Value Management