Understanding Skills-Based People Management

A system that values individual competencies is gaining ground in the job market — driving careers forward and strengthening organizations.

In recent years, the corporate landscape has undergone profound transformations. From the application of artificial intelligence across multiple sectors to the emergence of new professions and work models, traditional job structures and the role of organizations are being constantly redefined. Naturally, these changes have a direct impact on how companies recruit and manage talent.

One approach increasingly discussed is skills-based management, which goes beyond formal qualifications such as degrees or job titles, focusing instead on individual capabilities.

A Shift in Mindset and Structure

The skills-based model requires companies to rethink both their mental framework and organizational structure, but the payoff can be significant:
When employees are matched with tasks that align with their natural abilities, they can leverage their strengths more effectively and continuously enhance their skills—leading to high-performance teams.

According to Denise de Moura, visiting lecturer for the MBA in Business Management at USP-Esalq, the first step toward adopting a skills-based approach is to ensure that the company’s mission, vision, values, and strategies are well defined.

From there, organizations can identify two key sets of competencies:

Strategic competencies, essential for all employees to support organizational goals.
Role-specific competencies, which can be technical (e.g., foreign languages, software proficiency) or behavioral (e.g., influence, active listening, persuasion).

Moura notes that tools like the Behavioral Inventory for Competency Mapping (ICMC), created by Rogério Leme, can be valuable in this process.

Predictive Technologies and Broader Applications

Carolina Fuhrmeister, cofounder of Grou Inteligência em Gestão Comportamental and CEO of Self Guru, explains that behavioral profiling technologies now allow for predictive analysis of how employees are likely to perform.

“They offer a future-oriented perspective of what individuals can deliver when benchmarked against roles or competencies,” she says.
“The skills-based concept applies to businesses of any size — from 10 to 10,000 employees — and delivers useful, accurate insights.”

Continuous feedback is another core element. By listening to teams and adjusting roles and responsibilities based on real input, companies can fine-tune how talent is deployed.

“It’s important to assess how much the organization values talent development, embraces continuous improvement, and adapts to changes brought by competency-based management,” says Gabriela Zambrano Ávila, Director of Training at ABRH-RS.
“This approach goes far beyond evaluating past performance. It allows companies to strengthen existing skills and develop new ones with precision.”