Should roles be clarified, work redistributed or a missing skill developed?
The HR lead · 01 / 04
Job titles are not enough.
- Job titles are not enough. Start with the activities and situations teams describe.
- Work reveals the skills people use. Who does what, with which skills, and who gets called when a case becomes difficult?
- With OWI, roles connect to actual work. A reported skill still needs validation. Frequent requests for help may reveal a dependency.
- Choose between clearer roles, support and learning. Have teams validate the map, then test a new allocation on a specific activity.
- Activities : What needs doing
- Actual roles : Who actually contributes
- Skills : Skills to validate
- Allocation : Responsibilities to clarify
- Field trial : One activity, one team
The decision ahead
What should the HR lead change?
OWI distinguishes unclear ownership from knowledge held by too few people. The response may be to clarify decision rights or organize learning.
Clarify ownership and handover rules. Observe duplicate handling and cases without an owner.
Difficult cases always go to one person.
Validate the skill in practice, then pair colleagues for learning. Observe whether the backup can handle a case with less help.
Target benefit