Biggest Skills Needs & Gaps : Case Study of Sandvik Coromant & Microsoft

Abstract: In our increasingly digital age, the pace of digital transformation requires continuous learning. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put it simply when wanting Microsoft to transition from a culture of "know-it-all" to a culture of "learn-it-all". The most valuable commodity for leaders to do is to set an example for lifelong learning and to find opportunities to encourage others to do the same, allowing each employee to take responsibility for skilling up [18]. This study identifies prioritized skills and assesses what skills gaps exist from these. A maturity framework is developed to measure the level of skills within three dimensions “Technical and Digital skills”, “People and organization skills” and “Strategy skills” and is composed of 30 attributes (Table 1). This study uses Sandvik Coromant as a use case for assessing skill gaps and Microsoft as a use case for how to fulfil the gaps. This study contributes to the manufacturing sector by identifying prioritized skills, empirically establishing a maturity framework and providing an evaluation of Sandvik Cormorant’s current skills gap including how to fulfil these skills gaps by programs, tools or initiatives.