CAHRS Academic Director Emphasizes the Importance of Upskilling

Korn Ferry's "Eye for a Star" includes reflections from CAHRS Academic Director and William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources on how, for the better part of the 20th century, companies hired—and were happy to hire—hard-working people (mostly men) who could master a few basic skills.

While CAHRS partner companies such as General Electric and IBM launched training programs in management and technology as early as the 1950s, most work remained defined by a narrow set of role-specific skills right up until the 1990s.

​That’s when “knowledge jobs entered the picture,” says Bell. Flash forward to today, and companies are in a sort of hybrid era, one in which they need employees who have not only the skills and talent to perform immediately, but also the adaptability and agility to transform for the new AI age. Traits like purpose and a growth mindset are just as important as training programs and hard and soft skills.

“The half-life of skills is getting shorter and shorter, because change is happening so fast,” says Bell. “So even the elite performers of today are going to need to be upskilled to stay at the top of their game.”