Discover more Five Fifties
Take another Five
Back to top
Take a fifty-minute deeper dive
McKinsey Live
Subscribe
Sign up for timely email briefings from the Five Fifty
Now that you’ve
read the Five …
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought capability building front and center.
Up with skills
With skill shortages looming, companies need multiple tactics to close the capability gap. Here are three keys to action.
The skillful corporation
In this edition:
A quick briefing in five—
or a fifty-minute deeper dive
Skill building
Executives say that reskilling is the best way to close the capability gap.
Discover more Five Fifties
Subscribe
Tomorrow’s teams today: Build the capabilities needed to transform individuals, teams, and your organization
Gap years
Yet 87 percent of companies say they have skill gaps, or expect to within a few years.
Subscribe
Subscribe
Incapable
Yet today’s capability-building programs fall badly short.
Reskilled
Companies should take action in three critical areas as they work to recover from the crisis.
Tomorrow’s teams today: Build the capabilities needed to transform individuals, teams, and your organization
McKinsey Live
Dive deeper
Responding to the great acceleration requires companies to experiment with and invest in new digital technologies.
Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps
Article
Dive deeper
Rethink capabilities to emerge stronger from COVID-19
Article
Dive deeper
Rethink capabilities to emerge stronger from COVID-19
Article
Dive deeper
Closing the capability gap in the time of COVID-19
Article – McKinsey Quarterly
Dive deeper
Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps
Article
59
78
+19
points
Prior to
COVID-19
pandemic
Now
Leaders who say capability building is important to their organizations’ long-term growth, % of respondents
Now
In next
2 years
In next
3–5 years
In next
6–10 years
None in next
10 years
43
22
22
5
6
When skill gaps are expected to occur within organizations,
% of respondents
Contracting
(eg, engaging freelancers, contractors)
Hiring
(eg, of talented individuals and by acquiring other firms)
Redeploying
(eg, shifting workers to new roles)
6
20
20
Building skills
(eg, reskilling existing employees)
53%
Most useful actions to close capability gaps in the next year, % of respondents ranking each action 1st
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
3
30
51
10
1
How often capability-building programs succeed at achieving desired objectives and business impact, % of respondents
Note: Responses of “Don’t know” (6%) not shown. Figures do not sum to 100%, because of rounding.
During the pandemic, companies need to evolve and improve the digital delivery of their skill-building programs, emphasizing foundational behaviors and declaring success only when actual changes in behavior are observed.
The physical and psychological distance created by the pandemic requires new tools and approaches that better engage and motivate learners to change their behaviors, emphasizing technological fluency and problem solving in tandem with virtual learning content.
In an environment of isolation and physical distancing, organizations need simple, robust reinforcement techniques linking desired behaviors to the outcomes relevant to employees—and the business.
Deliver
Engage
Reinforce
Rethink capabilities to emerge stronger from COVID-19
Article
Closing the capability gap in the time of COVID-19
Article – McKinsey Quarterly
Note: Responses of “Don’t know” (2%) not shown.
Note: Figures do not sum to 100%, because of rounding.