This article highlights the need for multi-skilled employees at almost all levels of the organization and explores why recruiting and developing multi-skilled executives might be a good idea from the perspectives of both the organization and the individual executives. It also tries to understand why most of the modern organizations functioning in the current competitive milieu need multi-skilled human resources with cross-functional capabilities.

The skill factors of the employees play a crucial role while managing workflows and in ensuring profitable business growth in a more effective manner. It also crucially impacts our ability to spot and optimize emerging opportunities. Any organization faces a tough challenge when called upon to assess the project-specific deliverables before it agrees to take up a new project, especially when it calls for cross-functional domain expertise. Saying `yes' to such projects first, then assessing the internal strengths and only thereafter trying to scout for outside talent, with a view to fill the existing void, is fraught with grave risks.

Profitable projects might also slip through its fingers if the management is not ready with an inventory of talent internally available as it might be compelled to say `no' to such a venture since it is not sure of its own capabilities to undertake a complex project. It also does not augur well for such companies if they start looking for a domain specialist at the last moment, before putting in their bid. Thus, we can argue that the problem will be minimized if the company employees are multi-skilled, experienced in different spheres and have the keenness to learn new tricks by leveraging their earlier exposure. It will help matters further if the management consciously recruits multi-skilled people and actively encourages them to acquire newer skills.

Global CEO Magazine, Cross-Functional Perspective, Emerging Opportunities, Business Analysts, System Analysts, Corporate Policy, Monetary Implications, Organizational System, Technical, Managerial and Interpersonal Skills, Cross-Functional Knowledge, Information Technology, IT, Business Process Reengineering, BPR.