Industrial sites face major challenges: fluctuating demand, absence management, upgrading team skills. Multiskilling provides a concrete response to these challenges by enabling operators to master several areas of expertise within their work environment.
What exactly is polycompetence?
Multiskilling refers to an operator's ability to intervene in a number of trades related to his or her main activity. For example, a production operator capable of carrying out first-level maintenance operations or quality control.
Not to be confused with versatility which means mastering several positions within the same trade - like an operator who knows how to work on different machines on a production line.
This distinction is important because the two approaches meet different needs:
- Versatility to manage rotations and replacements on the same line
- Multiskilling gives teams autonomy in complementary activities
The concrete benefits of multi-skilling
For the company: greater day-to-day agility
Multiskilling strengthens the adaptability of industrial sites:
- Greater responsiveness to production contingencies thanks to more autonomous teams
- Better continuity of service even in the event of absence
- Optimized quality thanks to operators' comprehensive understanding of processes
For managers: easier team management
Production managers benefit directly from multi-skilling:
- A more flexible workforce planning
- Simplified management of absences and peaks in activity
- Teams more involved in continuous improvement
For employees: development and recognition
Multiskilling is a real opportunity for operators:
- Enriching day-to-day missions
- Expanded career prospects
- Greater employability
- Increased recognition of their expertise
Multiskilling thus constitutes a virtuous circle, beneficial to all levels of the organization. However, its implementation requires a structured approach and the right tools to support this transformation.
How do you deploy multi-skilling in your plant?
Start by identifying real needs
The success of a multi-skilling approach depends first and foremost on a precise analysis of needs:
- Identify critical workstations requiring backups
- Analyze activity peaks and bottlenecks
- Identify skills that are rare or held by few operators
- Evaluate foreseeable departures (pensionsmobility)
Precise mapping of existing assets
Once the needs have been identified, the skills mapping allows you to :
- Evaluate the actual level of operators at each workstation
- Identify experts who can train their colleagues
- Measuring gaps between needs and available resources
- Visualize current multi-skilling of teams
Visit skills matrix plays a central role here. To remain relevant, it must be lively and regularly updated.
Building customized training paths
Skills development is organized around :
- Training theory on the fundamentals
- Periods of apprenticeship with experts
- Progressive role-playing
- Regular learning assessments
Monitor and validate new skills
Visit training follow-up request :
- Regular progress reports
- Formal learning assessments
- Expert validation of skills
- Updating the skills matrix
Key success factors for a successful approach
Constant human support
Success depends on :
- Involving local managers
- Expert support in their role as trainers
- Listening to operators' needs
- Taking everyone's pace into account
Efficient management tools
Successful companies rely on :
- A matrix of digital skills and updated
- Dashboards for training follow-up
- Alerts on critical skills
- Multiskilling indicators for each team
Valuing the employees involved
Recognition takes many forms:
- Certification of new skills
- Evolving responsibilities
- Financial recognition
- Sharing success
Transparent communication
Communication must be :
- Regular updates on project progress
- Clear on objectives and expectations
- Bidirectional for feedback
- Positive to reward progress
Prevent cognitive overload in teams
The development of multi-skilling must not become a source of stress:
- Limit the number of new parallel skills
- Allow sufficient time for assimilation
- Alternate training and practice
- Adapting the pace to each individual's abilities
Maintaining motivation over time
Several factors can demotivate teams:
- Overly ambitious or ill-defined targets
- Lack of recognition for efforts
- Excessive pressure on results
- Lack of development prospects
The solution? Set progressive goals and celebrate each step forward.
Preserving existing expertise
A major risk: diluting expertise by trying to get everyone to do everything.
How to avoid it:
- Identify and protect critical know-how
- Maintain a network of experts in each field
- Organizing knowledge transfer
- Documenting best practices
Multiskilling in the digital age
Digital as a gas pedal
Digital transformation makes it easier to manage multiple skills:
- Real-time skills monitoring
- Digital training accessible to all
- Automated skill-based planning
- Dematerialized assessment and certification
Development prospects
Multiskilling continues to evolve with :
- Artificial intelligence to optimize routes
- Augmented reality for training
- Collaborative tools for sharing expertise
- Predictive analysis of skills requirements
This approach, properly implemented and equipped, enables industries to improve performance while developing their people. This dual benefit makes it a major lever for transforming industrial organizations.
