Learnings on skills governance, buy-in, and momentum from Kason Morris at Merck

Episode summary

In this episode of The TechWolf Podcast, Kason Morris, Global Director of the Future of Work and Skills-Based Strategy at Merck, joins us in New York City to talk about what it really takes to build a skills-informed organization.

With experience at Allstate, Salesforce, and now Merck, Kason explains why skills aren’t just a trend - they’re becoming part of a company’s core infrastructure. He shares Merck’s approach to skills transformation, including how to start, how to scale, and how to align the work with real business outcomes.

This episode is essential listening for HR and business leaders driving workforce transformation.

Kason’s core message: Skills alone won’t future-proof your company. The real shift is in how you use skills data to support business strategy.

Key takeaways from Kason Morris

Skills are the starting point, not the solution

• Skills aren’t new. AI now makes them scalable.
• This isn’t a skills problem - it’s a data opportunity.
• Leading companies are becoming skills-informed, not just skills-based.

Waiting will cost you

• Delaying skills transformation leaves your company behind.
• Progress starts with mindset, not with tools or budget.
• Begin focused, stay lean, and align your work with business priorities.

How Merck made skills strategic

• Business needs came first: talent mobility, capability gaps, digital transformation.
• Skills work was used to solve those challenges - not the other way around.
• A three-tier governance model enabled coordination and scalability across units.

Getting and maintaining good skills data

• Skip exhaustive surveys. Use AI and inference to generate usable data early.
• Communicate openly with employees - transparency builds trust.
• Governance is critical. Merck uses operational, tactical, and strategic layers to manage data quality.

Talent marketplaces and internal mobility

• Marketplaces democratize opportunity and support employee growth.
• AI can help employees do more meaningful work by freeing up capacity.
• Internal mobility faces real resistance - especially from middle management. Merck is tackling this directly.

How to sell skills internally

• Identify early use cases with visible business value.
• Use pilot projects to build trust, not to prove final success.
• Link skills work to metrics that leaders care about, like time-to-hire, retention, or agility.

About the speaker

Kason Morris is Merck’s Global Director of Future of Work and Skills-Based Strategy. He leads enterprise-wide workforce transformation with a focus on skills intelligence and business alignment. His previous roles at Salesforce and Allstate focused on talent mobility, learning, and organizational design.

He is also the author of Life Work Revolution and a recognized voice on LinkedIn, known for helping organizations navigate the shift to skills-based work with strategy and humanity.

Best practices and actionable insights

If you're building a skills-informed strategy

• Start with a real business problem, not a technology demonstration
• Engage stakeholders early, especially mid-level managers
• Use talent marketplaces to support growth, not replace people
• Treat pilot programs as a starting point for building long-term trust and momentum

For skills intelligence beyond HR

• Use AI-based skill inference to generate a reliable data foundation
• Set up governance across three levels: operational, tactical, and strategic
• Refresh skill data continuously to stay aligned with the business
• Connect skills insights to business outcomes like time-to-fill, engagement, and capability gaps

A smarter approach to skills development

• Durable skills (like adaptability and problem solving) are long-term assets
• Perishable skills (like specific tools or technologies) must be refreshed regularly
• Every employee should build their skill set based on this balance

Share your perspective

What’s your experience building a skills-informed organization? Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag The TechWolf Podcast to join the conversation