MODERN WORKFORCE
But measures like these are not direct and meaningful evidence of Workforce Capability .
Finding more meaningful measures requires a more deliberate thinking process than the usual brainstorming , or looking over the fence to see how ‘ they ’ measure it . It requires that the specific meaning of Workforce Capability be defined . And it will depend on the company . For one , it might mean the match between people ’ s skills and the skills required of their current positions . For another , it might mean the match between people ’ s skills and the skills required for the company ’ s future . For yet another , it might mean people ’ s educational levels in specific industries or fields .
Only when it can be described in a way that makes its intended result observable in the physical world , can a broad concept like Workforce Capability be meaningfully measured . If it ’ s not
observable , it ’ s not measurable . Meaningful measures of it will be based on convincing evidence of how much the intended result is happening . There would be more of something , or less of something . Perhaps more people would be passing tests or exams focused on the skills they need to have . Or more people successfully executing the skills they need to have in carrying out their day to day tasks . Or more people attaining higher education in the specific industries or fields most needed .
The building block of any measure is the quantification of some observable evidence . Data can only be gathered about what can be observed or detected in the physical world . Quantifying evidence simply means choosing a data summary technique that tells us “ how much ?” And so Workforce Capability for one company might be measured by the proportion of people who pass tests or exams focused on
the skills they need to have . For another it might be measured by the proportion of people who successfully demonstrate , on the job , the skills they need to have . Or it could be measured by the proportion of total position skills that have been successfully demonstrated by the people in those positions . It might be measured by the average number of years of tertiary education completed by people in the specific industries or fields most needed .
As the gap between the demand and supply for tertiary-educated people widens , Workforce Capability will become a strategic priority for more and more companies . But there won ’ t be a one-size-fits-all approach to measuring it . Finding the right measures for it will require more deliberate thinking about what exactly it means in a particular company , and what it truly looks , sounds , and feels like when it ’ s happening .
Stacey Barr is a leading performance measurement specialist www . staceybarr . com
September 2016 ModernBusiness 21