The Skill Will Matrix: Complete Guide

Generally speaking, the level of productivity in your company depends on two factors: how skilled your employees are, and how willing they are to work. If your employees lack training, or if they are disengaged and unmotivated, then you’re not likely to get much valuable output from them. Sound familiar? If so, then the Skill Will Matrix could be just the solution you are looking for. This powerful tool can help you bridge the gap between skills and motivation so that you can nurture a more engaged and productive workforce.

So, what’s it all about? How does it work?

Fear not! We’re here to answer all of your questions. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Skill Will Matrix, including what it is, how it works, and how you can use this tool to unlock the true potential of your employees.

• What Is The Skill Will Matrix?
• Skill vs Will: What’s the Difference?
• The Four Quadrants of The Skill Will Matrix
• Assess Employees Using the Skill Will Matrix
• How Factorial Can Help
• Support Employee Development with Our Performance Management Software ✅

What Is The Skill Will Matrix? 

The Skill Will Matrix is a performance management tool that you can use to assess individual performance. The tool, presented by Max Landsberg in his book The Tao of Coaching, is basically a two-by-two grid with “will” (willingness, enthusiasm, motivation and self-drive) on the vertical axis and “skill” (core capability) on the horizontal axis. You then conduct a series of assessments to determine which of the four quadrants an employee corresponds to:

• High Skill/High Will
• High Skill/Low Will
• Low Skill/High Will
• Low Skill/Low Will

Essentially, you can use this matrix to assess the skill and motivation levels of your employees to determine which areas of each employee’s development you need to address to help them become more engaged, capable and productive.

For example, if an employee scores high on “skill” but low on “will”, it suggests that they are highly capable but they lack motivation. You can then address this lack of motivation by providing them with more engaging tasks or development opportunities that align more with their career aspirations.

If, however, an employee scores high on “will” but low on “skill”, it suggests that they are motivated but they don’t have the skills they need to perform to the best of their ability. In this instance, you could offer them targeted training programs or coaching to bridge the skill gap

Finally, if an employee scores high for both “will” and “skill”, then they are probably a good candidate for a leadership role or a challenging project. But if they score low for both, then it could indicate that they are not suited to their role or they need structured support or reskilling to address their lagging ability and motivation levels. 

And that’s basically it!

Skill vs Will: What’s the Difference? 

All clear so far? Don’t worry, we’ll expand on these definitions further down in the post. We’ll also explain how you can assess your employees using the Skill Will Matrix. But first, let’s take a deeper look at what we mean by skill and will.

• Skill. The personal capabilities that an employee has that enable them to do their job well, such as being good at teamwork, time management, or solving problems. Employees acquire and develop skills through training, experience, or education. Skills can be improved with targeted learning and development. 
• Will. The level of willingness, enthusiasm, motivation, engagement, commitment and self-drive that an employee has to perform a task or function in a role. A number of things can impact an employee’s level of will. This includes their professional aspirations, organizational culture, attitude and personal life. Will can be increased by implementing targeted motivational strategies and nurturing an engaging work environment. 

The biggest distinction between these two aspects is that skill is a tangible and objective quality that can be measured with structured KPIs. Will, on the other hand, is more subjective as it comes down to feelings and attitudes. The only way to determine an employee’s level of will is by through one-to-one conversation and observation. Personality assessments can also help you determine an employee’s motivations, values and preferences.

Finally, we can’t stress enough how important it is to have a firm grasp of each of these concepts and to understand how they impact the performance of each of your employees. That way, you can design tailored strategies to help each employee excel in their role. 

The Four Quadrants of The Skill Will Matrix 

OK! So far, so good! We’ve seen what the Skill Will Matrix is, what it’s for, and why skill and will are so important for building a motivated and productive workforce.

Now let’s explore the four quadrants of the Skill Will Matrix in a bit more detail. The following sections will provide you with a definition of each quadrant and the typical characteristics of employees that might be categorized within them. Understanding these characteristics will help you tailor your approaches so that you meet the specific needs of each employee, enhancing individual development, and boosting overall performance in your organization.

Q1 – High Skill/High Will 

Employees in this quadrant of the Skill Will Matrix score highly for both skill and will. This means that they are highly capable and have high levels of motivation. As a result, they are more likely to perform well and they are often self-driven. They often take initiative in their jobs and they probably require little or no supervision to complete their tasks on time and to a high quality.

“High Skill/High Will” employees are ideal candidates for leadership roles. With the right guidance and support, they have the potential to be highly valuable employees who can go far in the company. With these employees, rather than focusing on further training and development, the key to nurturing their abilities and continued motivation is offering them additional opportunities for growth (such as leadership development opportunities) and encouraging them to take on more responsibilities to keep them engaged. Essentially, it’s all about encouraging them to continue to grow and to use their skill and will to influence and uplift others within the organization.

Q2 – High Skill/Low Will 

Employees in this quadrant of the Skill Will Matrix score highly for skill but they lack motivation. In other words, thay have the skills they need to perform their duties, but they consistently fail to apply themselves. This could be because they are disengaged or dissatisfied with their job, because their values don’t align with those of the company, or for personal reasons (for example, if they have health issues or problems at home). 

“High Skill/High Will” employees have a lot of potential to be productive members of staff, provided they receive the right guidance and support. The trick is to work with them to understand their motivations and which areas of their career they want to develop. In other words, what would make them happier at work and encourage them to engage more on a daily basis. 

You should also work on strategies to re-engage these employees, such as offering incentives, exploring new challenges, implementing an employee recognition program, or aligning their role more with their interests and values.

Q3 – Low Skill/High Will 

Employees in this quadrant of the Skill Will Matrix score highly for will but they lack the skills required to perform well. However,  because they are highly motivated, they are usually enthusiastic and eager to learn, provided they are offered the right learning and development opportunities. 

Again, employees in this quadrant have a lot of potential to be productive members of staff, provided they receive the right guidance and support. In this case, you should focus on providing tailored training and continuous learning opportunities. Use a step-by-step approach to skill acquisition to ensure steady progress. You could even consider pairing an employee in this quadrant with a mentor who can provide guidance, support, and motivation. With the right training and support, they can develop into highly productive members of your team.

Q4 – Low Skill/Low Will 

Employees in this quadrant of the Skill Will Matrix have low scores for both skill and will. In other words, they lack the skills required to perform well and they also lack motivation. This is the most challenging group to manage. This is because improving performance requires a two-pronged approach.

Start by assessing their role to see if they are a good fit. Perhaps they might be better suited to a different position in your organization? What are their interests, values and aspirations? What motivates them? What support do they need to re-engage?

Once you’ve determined the best role for them in the company (in other words, whether they simply need to develop their skills to be more engaged with their current role, or if they need to be reassigned), then the next step is implementing a structured improvement plan with clear, measurable goals. Explain what your expectations are in terms of performance, and offer them targeted training to ensure that they have the skills they need to achieve their goals. 

Start with basic skills training to build their confidence and commitment, combined with motivation-enhancing activities. Offer them regular feedback at the end of each performance review period to help them understand their progress and feel valued. Finally, work on fostering a workplace culture that promotes teamwork, recognition, and personal development, as this can help boost overall morale and motivation. 

If after implementing all these strategies, the employee in question remains in this quadrant, then you will probably have to make a difficult decision as to whether they continue to be employed by your company. But make sure you explore all the above strategies first to give them the best possible chance to self-improve.

Assess Employees Using the Skill Will Matrix 

Keeping up so far? Great! Now all we have left to cover is the all-important question of how you can assess your employees using the Skill Will Matrix and determine which quadrant they correspond to.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Assess Skill Levels 

The best way to establish an employee’s skill level is to use a Skills Matrix Template. With this template, you can see how team members have developed, assess their level of interest in learning particular skillsets, and compare learned competencies with overall objectives. 

You should also gather employee feedback to help you find learning solutions that your employees will engage with. This will make learning far more accessible and enjoyable. Don’t just focus on feedback from the employee in question though. You should also collect 360-degree feedback from their managers and colleagues. That way, you will get a fuller picture of their skill levels.

In addition to conducting a training needs analysis, you can use the design thinking process to improve your existing employee development plans. This will help you foster a more inclusive learning culture in your business. In fact, this is one of the most effective tools for skills assessment. Why? Because it helps you get to the heart of what your employees really want and need to work on. For example, would they be interested in an initiative for coaching in the workplace? What are their training needs? How would they prefer to learn?

Ultimately, the key to understanding and managing employee skills effectively is using a performance management system. A good solution helps human resources managers track and evaluate employee skills and performance reviews against established KPIs. You can use performance data, task completion rates, and quality of work to measure technical skills relevant to each employee’s role. Plus, many solutions also include features for tracking and monitoring progress, goal setting, real-time feedback, and rewards for improved performance.

Determine Will or Motivation 

This next step is a little more complicated. Why? Because, unlike skills, motivation is subjective and much harder to measure. It requires more of a personal approach based on one-to-one conversation and observation. Personality assessments can also help you determine an employee’s motivations, values and preferences. 

Above all, focus on observing behavioral indicators. This includes their attitude, initiative, commitment to tasks, and overall enthusiasm. Sit down with them and discuss their interests and career aspirations. Find out if there are any personal issues that might be affecting their motivation levels. You could even use surveys to find out more about job satisfaction, engagement, and personal goals in a more indirect setting (as they may hold back from opening up in a face-to-face setting). All this will help you determine whether or not an employee is willing to progress with the right support.

Implement Corrective Measures to Address Skill and Motivation Gaps 

Once you’ve categorized your employees in their corresponding quadrants on the Skill Will Matrix, the next step is implementing measures to address identified performance gaps and help employees become more capable and/or motivated. 

Let’s recap all the corrective measures that you might consider:

• Q1 – High Skill/High Will. Offer opportunities for further growth. This might be advanced training or offering leadership development opportunities. 
• Q2 – High Skill/Low Will. Engage in open discussions to identify any personal or professional barriers that may be affecting their motivation. 
• Q3 – Low Skill/High Will. Offer specific training programs tailored to enhance the necessary skills they lack. This could include on-the-job training, workshops, or courses relevant to their role.
• Q4 – Low Skill/Low Will. Identify the reasons behind both the lack of skill and the lack of motivation. Then implement basic training programs and explore different motivational techniques.

Monitor Employee Progress and Adjust Your Strategies

Use performance management software to monitor the progress of your employees and hold regular performance reviews. Good performance management software will allow you to track and evaluate performance against established KPIs. This gives you insight into where individuals need more training and support. Be flexible if your initial strategy doesn’t work and explore different learning styles until you find the right approach. 

Finally, don’t forget to recognize and celebrate achievements to reinforce positive behaviors!

How Factorial Can Help 

And there you have it! You’re now fully prepared to implement the Skill Will Matrix in your organization and start building a more capable and motivated workforce!

But we’ve got a little something extra for you, because we’re nice like that ;-)

Factorial’s performance management software can support you through each step of the process.

Specifically, with our software, you can:

• Access comprehensive tools for setting objectives, offering continuous feedback, and managing performance reviews.
• Track employee performance over time, making it easier to identify trends and areas needing your attention.
• Generate comprehensive analytics and reports so that you can make informed decisions based on comprehensive data analysis.
• Use our 360-degree feedback template to create a structured framework for gathering feedback from peers, supervisors, and employees.
• Create tailored learning and development programs for each employee based on your Skill Will Matrix assessments.
• Set reminders for feedback, performance reviews, and goal-setting deadlines.
• Monitor employee performance metrics in real time, allowing for timely interventions and adjustments.

Ultimately, with our solution, you can take a proactive approach to employee development, helping each member of your organization thrive and driving your organization towards sustained success!