Many organizations invest significant effort into building competency models without getting a return. This is unfortunate, a good competency can represent the organization's values while connecting skills to performance and learning. Conventional hierarchical systems are failing here, a more dynamic model can succeed.

With changes to how we work, every organization needs to understand its people. Call it People Analytics, Talent Managemen, or Skill Management. From recruitment agencies to the internal HR departments, regardless of motivation, everyone is trying to find out more.

When looking at the skills of a large group of people who plat the same general role one generally finds clusters. These clusters can reveal the different ways in which people approach the role. This leads to further insights into how people are approaching their work.

In today's connected world our personal brand and how we represent ourselves are part of being a professional. Skills are a powerful way to paint a portrait of who we are, what we can do and who we aspire to be.

We learn to develop new skills. Learning itself is a type of skill. The use of a skill is one of the best ways of learning it.

"There is an un-algorithmic fingerprint to the human process that may never be replaced. This is how we will make our mark on the future." - Tim Brown

Who you are has become far more important than what you do. As jobs change and work becomes more fluid we need to look beyond roles into skills, and not just the skills most used but potential and aspirational skills.

Ibbaka conducts occasional Skill Insight Research projects to deepen our understanding of how skills are used in various industries, roles and professions. We recently did research on the skills required for pricing experts

Without a proper assessment of the skills at a company and individual level, there is no way to correctly align the strategic direction with the ability to deliver on projects that company wish to pursue.

What pricing skills do product managers need? What skills do pricing experts need to work effectively with product management? Ibbaka spoke with product management expert Alan Albert to understand how to make the partnership between pricing and product management more effective.

The best way of connecting skills to roles is dynamic, with the skills bubbling up from actual work experiences and more than one skillset being accepted for any one role.

Ibbaka Talent is an advanced tool that learns from people using it to make meaningful skill suggestions when you don’t know how to define a role and find the right talent.

In the best companies pricing is a collaborative activity, and pricing experts need to work closely  with their counterparts in finance, product management, marketing, operations and sales. One of the most important collaborations is with sales, especially in B2B companies.

People analytics was a critical theme at the inaugural Transform HR Conference. What is people analytics? Why does it matter to the business? Where does skill management fit in? The talent-first CEO needs a skill management platform.

Social skills become foundational skills in the operating room setting. A calm and reassured patient helps people apply their technical skills.

If people analytics is only for the benefit of the organization it will have minimal impact. The best people analytics systems will provide insights for people at all levels of the organization and help them to improve performance.

What skills support pricing expertise? Ibbaka interviews Chris Herbert of SV Pricing, the top recruiter for pricing positions.

Robots can now make sketches on our walls. Are drawing skills still important? Skills evolve over time. A full skill map will show how skills have changed over time, with older skills giving rise to new skills.

The team at Imperative has developed a compelling model of purpose - Relationships, Impact and Growth. How does this map to skill management?

Blackrock CEO Larry Fink has said that "the most important component of good management is ensuring diversity of mind. How do we find and cultivate this?