First Things First

First

Things

First

Volume 1

The Management of Ability: 3 as 1

The management of ability is characterized by three distinct subsets; when used together effectively agree as one unit or whole. These subsets are selection, placement, and training. These subsets are the policies with which managers should conduct themselves when developing cultures and defining organizational structure, adhering to these criteria help to insure that managers will utilize fair hiring practices and maintain an ethical discernment when making decisions.

The selection process can be said to be the most critical in the scope of managing ability. Measurements used in the hiring process to gauge an applicant's level of skill must be fair in arriving at their predictions. The use of inaccurate predictors can lead to lawsuits because of unfair hiring practices. However if the tool is effective and falls within the legal guidelines of hiring, it can be used to help develop an organization's skill-set creating a mix of abilities needed to accomplish the goals of the organization.

Following the selection process is placement. Once human capital is acquired managers must place individuals within the organization where they are most effective based on their level of skill and the level of skill needed to perform tasks. Placement is not limited to assigning employees where it seems most appropriate but it is also made up of promoting both horizontally and vertically. Low turnover within an organization is capital and is dependent

upon retaining your best employees through proper use of their skills and creating a culture where the individual is recognized, compensated, and promoted accordingly.

George & Jones (2005) state that, "Selection and placement relate to the nature aspects of ability. Training relates to the nurture aspects of ability" (p.60). The final component of managing ability is training the individuals retained through the selection process. A common misconception is that training employees is needed to bring respective skills beyond the minimum level of requirement. In most cases organizations utilize training to bring employee's skills up to the minimum level of requirement. A surge in the technological progress requires a skill-set that is highly adapted to meet the needs of a technical society. While management may consider many options to keep up with the technological progress such as downsizing, hiring highly skilled individuals, or moving overseas, training has been proven to provide effective results as stated by George & Jones (2005) saying, " Extensive research suggests that job-appropriate training is effective in increasing employee's skills and abilities and, ultimately, their performance"(p.60).

Effective management of ability is prevalent when all 3 subsets work and agree as 1 unit. A manager's ability to create a culture where selection, placement, and training are used to not only meet an organization's goals but to also create a family atmosphere will have the same type of success that was exhibited at the Aberdeen plant under Bob Lancaster and his team or family I should say.

The Management of Ability: Aberdeen Plant

Selection & Placement

The Aberdeen plant selection process is a four hour assessment-center activity created by Lancaster and his team. A consultant was hired to train the team in the type of human capital required to meet expectations of the new environment. The underlying theme that drove the training process was that technical skills would be easier to train than interpersonal skills. An attitude that facilitated a group or team effort was deemed a necessary component of the selection process. The consultant aided the team in developing four exercises that would result in selecting the right candidates from a pool of applicants. While the exercises developed by Lancaster and his team may not necessarily fit with the operations needed to maintain the two new plants in production I believe that means to Aberdeen's end still apply. The effectiveness of the selection process netted Aberdeen 100 employees of which 74 worked in production.

In the case of Aberdeen, selection and placement worked side by side due to the fact that placement had already been determined prior to an investment in human capital. Ensured reasons for success I believe lie in the training process as well through the deliberate structuring of teams designed to breed independence to work efficiently & effectively, and free of any fear that could inversely affect performance.

Training

Once again a consultant was hired to aid in the training of employees. Lancaster and his team had determined the most effective way for the plant to be successful was to include all employees in the decision-making process. The effectiveness of this dynamic was dependent

upon communication and trust. Management determined that no game playing and withholding of information had a place within the culture. Employees were determined to be equals regardless of position and thus feedback was taught to be given & received as data rather than criticisms and judgments.

More importantly was managements desire to dispel all forms of fears that hinder performance. Lancaster and his team noted that the fear of failure would be the biggest perception to dismantle. Employees were encouraged to believe and understand that they were not at risk for making honest mistakes and that innovation and creativity were encouraged in manufacturing profitable canisters. The sharing of power, a complete air of trust, and individual accountability & responsibility are what fostered and nurtured the culture at Aberdeen.

The glue holding it all together was produced through the training sessions facilitated by the consultant. Employees were informed that they were already perfect for the job thus training was dubbed as "Mastery Training". Its goal was to create a family atmosphere where facts are taught to be presented in manner that is clear, concise, and without a negative or positive connotation. The training sessions were nine days in length covering