lM) system
S.
narket, and
s simple: it
ns it wants
be done to
ffihmp&mm &
hen it needs
lfined it.
So
The components of capability
Systems mahe it possible; but people mahe ithappen.
Kyoshi Suzahi
f
apability is a slippery concept. For some time now I have been discussing
\-.,capability wirh people in HR and L&D, and with managers and executives
in both the public and private sectors. What I have found remarkable is the
lack of consistency in how people use the word capabiiitli
Gven that any organisation has a purpose - and achieving thar purpose is
Cependent upon the people in the organisation being capable of doing all rhe
tasks that need to be done - I would have thought that capability would be
r', lundamental to success that people would have a handle on it. Or at least
lhe successful people wou1d.
?erhaps one reason that capability is a
sttppery., concepl is /Ira/ t r
aAuallF
tery compbx' A good way to
tackle.orrpl", concepts is to break them
down
=to components and crea[e some kincl 0r model that we can ,r". a common
m)'to create a model is to deconstruct what
we think of ,r.eulij ,rrd ..*or"
-61 -
Capaexrr:nY ,qr &V*rex
bits that do not seem relevant until we have
for us to understand and make use of.
a
structure that is simple enough
Of course, this means that the model is not 'true', because it is a subset of
reality lt is a represen[ation ol a complex system that hopefuliy allows us to
manage that system effectively So, with [he caveat in mind rhat any model
is not 'true', let's deconstruct capability Let's start by going back to our nice
and simple definition of capabllity. 'Can the worker do the rask at rhe point
of work... yes or no?'
Il the worker can do the task, all is well and good. If nor, or rhey cannor do
it to the required standard, why not? As we look at what stops workers being
capable at the point of work, some common themes emerge. That is ro say,
there are components of capability and each of these components must be
at or over a threshold ln order for that worker to do that specific task at that
specific time.
on the components
s€
are interdependent, an
To help explain these
Susan is a barista in z
many current learninS
the 'knowledge worke
that the knowledge rvt
business, but the star
consider themseives t
The National Readen
make up a minimum,
and there is no doubt
faii into the 29 per ce
more skilied area of r'
skllled blue collar wo
Some ol those components are specific to the person performing the task. They
are internal to the performer. And some of those components are specific to
in eff'ect, blue collar y
the environment that surrounds the performer at the polnt of work.
a discussion I had rec
If a worker cannot carry out a task you need to look at each of these components and determine which one is preventing the task from being done
at that time. And of course, there may weil be more than one componenlbelow threshold. You are then in a position [o start considering how you can
remove the barrier(s) to capability, and i[ the costs ol enabling the capabillty,
and therelore the productivity and performance are wor[h the efforr. Will
over half of their emP
Susan are no[ an end;
of workers in the wol
Knowledge
Tohnow whatyoul
there be an acceptable ROI?
Lets look at each of these componenrs in rurn:
Knowledge consists o
io know prior to tackJ
1. Knowledge
2. Skil1s
3. Mindset
4. Physiology
5. Environment.
is the primary outcol
exams and tests to try
classic essay Points t
But before we do that, it is worth pointing out that none olthese components
is truly independent of the o[hers. They all interact as a system. The reason we
separate them is [o better understand the system, and although we can work
-62-
When looking at the
knowledge needs to
could be sourced fr,
signs mean ls
knot'lt
Tng c$ncroNlNTs *F
rt is simple enough
cAPASI!-uY
they
must never lose sight of the fact that
on the components separately, we
others'
the
of
some
t;;g; t" o" is iikely ro change
are interdependent,
'""d;
pse
it is a subset of
pefully alltrws us to
any model
fnd that
rg back to our nice
ne task at the Point
cannot do
being
workers
flops
"
L)r they
erge. That is to
saY,
Enponenls must be
specific task at that
want to inlroduce Susan'
in conlext' I
To heip explain these components
that
shop. why a barista? t hry found
susan is a barisra in a locai coffee
with
thought leaders are obsessed
many current learnin! '"Jat*r.w""'ent
of ever:ything else' There is no doubt
the'knowledg" *o'kJ'' to the exclusion
thattheknowledgeworkerpiaysanimportantpartin.l""-ffi.l".".yofBritish
57 per.ent of the British population
business, but the stark rruih is that
'working class''aI
consider lhemselves to be
2006 showed that blue co1lar workers
The National Readership Survey of
c2 and D)
p". ."r,, of the workforce (categories
make up a minimum
to
"i5o.q
numher ol blue collar workers are like\y
and there is no doubt rhat a large
to
in Category Cl' which ailudes a
fail lnto the 29 per cent of the ivorkforce
reality includes many more highlymore skilled area o[ work, but which rn
skilled blue col1ar workers'a2
I
the usk. TheY
imrng
hents are specihc to
fnt
of work.
compr from being done
[.r.r, of these
Pn
component
how you can
In
large percentage of the workforce'
In effect, blue collar workers make up a
chain' they said that well
a discussion I had recently with a large "pJ'*u'k"t
like
dld notl-rave a work email address. workers
over half of rheir
"-ploy"". species;in fact' they stiil make up the majority
no[ an
Susan are
of workers
"niu,,gt"d
todaY'
in the world
,-rne
10"""*
]bling the capabiiitY,
Knowledge
Tohnowwhatyou'[mowandwhatyoudonotknow'thatistrueknowledge'
ConJucius
and data that the worker needs
I(nowledge consis[s of facts, figures, information
This internal memorised knowledge
to know prior ro ,r.i.iir.g in" iask in hand.
training and people are subiected to
is the primary orr.o*"-for most formal
much of it they have. Alexander Popes
exams and [ests to try and measule how
knowledge in order to be capable'
classic essay points to the need for ful1
that
rr\tren looking at the knowledge required to do a rask, consider whether
or whether the knowledge
knowledge needs ro be availa*ble fiom memory
example, knowing what road
could be sourced from the environment. For
use the example of knowledge
ngn, *"un i, k.o-l"dge required for driving l
-63-
Capangrrry .qr
$Vr'!R.$q.
of road signs because I gained a personal experience of the importance of this
when I first srarred drivlng in the UK. In the UK, the 'no enrry; sign is a round
red circle wirh a horizontal white line in rhe micldle of it. in New Zealand
where I grew up and learned ro drive, the no enrry sign looks quire differenr.
I found this out one evening in London when I was stoppecl by one of those
uniformed genrleman with flashing blue lights. t was diiving ,ir" ,r.orrg rrry
down a one-way srreet which luckily was devoid of any other traffic at rhe
time- My New Zealand accent must have been somewhat more pronounced
back then, and I escaped with a verbai warning and a rarher point"d lesson
in what a 'no entry'sign looks like in the UK.
Unlike knowledge of the differenr road signs, knowing how much air ro pur
in the tyres is knowledge which could be looked up each time it is required.
This kind of 'exrernal' knowledge falls under the filth componenr of .apubiliry,
which is environmenr.
As another example 1et's consider how knowledge elfects susan, our barista.
The modern coffee shop is far removed from those of my youth; back then
your choice was simply coffee or no coffee with milk and sugar as optional
extras. Today's global business environment has seen the ollerings of a coffee
shop multiply exponentially. There are dilferent types ol bean to Jhoore from,
diflerent serving merhods, differenr rypes of milk ,rrd .rgr. and even diflerent
syrups to add to my colfee. It's no longer possible to say'A cup of coffee please,,
instead you ask lor 'A skinny Braziiian latte with hazelnut ancl brown sugar,.
Susan's
job would once have been a simple order-taking process in which
coffee was poured lnto a cup and handed over. Now, she needs to know
about
colfee and all the alternatives her customers might clesire.
wiil have an incredible range of collees, from hard-hitting
high-caffeine Italian roasrs, to delicate Guatemalan flavours, right througil
to Kopi Luwak - thatbizarre bean which has been neatly processed rhroulh
the intestines of an Indonesian civet cat belore being harvested for roasring
and drinking.
some coffee shops
when a cusromer arrives in
Susan's coflee shop, its her job to guide them
through the weird and wonderful world of coffee. She neecls tcibe able
to
ascertain their taste preferences and polnt them in the direction ol the
perfect
bean to help them with their choice.
She needs to be able t
a context that the cu
knowledge ol collee b
This is the first step ir
diflerences in the war
espresso, a latte, a capl
explain what'-s involve
Susan should also be al
able to them and why s
should knowwhlch pr
sugar and which is ber
Flna11y, she should be
of raspberry allect the
it into an undrinkable
with their money?
At first glance, it apper
theirjob ls to make y
you stafi to dig inro
cornerstone of her wc
understanding of coffr
Susan began to learn
contlnues to learn as
I
tested
withln her worl
In most businesses the
the learning and devel
are often given some
f<
lt might be a one-day,
of interesting colfee
far
One of the unfortunatr
over time il it is not u
do a task may weli fail
to recall or use that kn
?#gc c{"?h'r6'oN}.}'l''a's *F cAI}itsE["[-lY
mpor[ance of this
qr sign is a round
. In New Zealand
Sheneedstobeabletodescribetheflavoursandatomasandpurtheminto
ln short she needs in-depth
a contexl that the customer can understand'
knowledge of colfee beans'
ks quite dillerent.
d by one of those
ng the wrong way
>ther traffic at the
more pronounced
rer pointed lesson
nr-
much air to Put
Eme it rs required.
onent of capabilitY,
Susan, our barista.
f \-outh; back then
optional
i[i..i,-rgr ol a coffee
n to choose from,
and even different
I
ThisisthefirstSLepinrheprocess;shenowheecls[clbeabletoexplainthean
Does the customer want
differences in the way ihe coffee is produced'
She needs tc'r be able to conclsely
espresso, a Ia[Le, , .rpp,ttirto, fo' "^u*ple?
explarn what's involved ln each cup'
SusanshouldalsobeabletowalkrheCustomelthroughthetypesofmilkavailabletothemandwhy*y-uyt,"therightchoiceforthelactoseintolerant.She
shouidknowwhlchp,od,.tio,'*illbestsuitthestrongnaturaltasteofbrown
processed white sugar'
,rgrt ur-ta which is better seruecl with syrup' honey or
Finally,sheshouldbeabletoadviseonaclditionalflavours.Howwillasplashturn
sensarlon or
oirurit..ry affecr rhe average larte? Will it render ir a rasre
unhappy at parting
it into an undrinkable concJction, leaving the customer
with their moneY?
s,--,gu. as
p of colfee please';
and brown sugar'
Drocess
in which
ds to know about
rtrm hard-hitting
rrs. right through
prr'rceSsed
:ested
through
lbr roasting
,-.b to guide them
eeds to be able to
lion of the perfect
Arfirstglance,itappearsthatabaristaneedsverylittleknowledge.Afterall,
how hard can that be? Yet when
their job l, to rnrtu" yt'' a cup of -coffee product knowiedge rs a
you start to dig irrtJ S"u'-" world you find that
Susan needs a wlde-ranging
cornerstone of her work. To be a grear barisra
understanding of cofl'ee.
Susan began
and she
[o learn about coffee the day she became a barista
and
tried
are
new blends are inven[ed and new ideas
conlinues lo learn as
tested wrthrn her workPlace'
ls seen as the. responsibility of
In most businesses the provision of knowledge
When a new employee starts' they
the learning and development function'
tralning' In the case of a new barista'
are olten given some form of lnducrion
itmightbeaone-clayCt)urseCoveringarangeofinformation,includinglots
Lrf interesting coffee facs and trivia'
knowledge is that it decays
one of [he unlorrunate things aboul memorisecl
has sufficrent knowledge today to
over time il it is not ,,"d. A -.,,ker who
doataskmaywelifailtodothattaskinsixmonths,timelfrheyhavenothad
to
reca11
or use that knowledge in [he intervening period'
65-
CarasgI-trt* er &n/*nx
Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, conducted a series of experiments on memory His 1885 paper, 'Memory: A Contribution to Experimental
Psychology'ar gives us an insighr into how much we lorget over time. His
research showed that we unlearn or forger nearly hall of what we learn within
a few days ol learning it. A lot of research has been done since then that
confirms the idea that we are poor at retaining memorised knowieclge. h a
training context, we typically forget around 90 per cent of the course content
$kills
within one mon[h.
reading, typing and driving- F
munica[ion skills, and also sp
aJCB digger or mixing cocktai
The research also shows that the more ofien we are exposed to informa[ion,
the less 1ike1y we are to forget it, and we know this to be true from our own
personal experience. Think back to an oldjob you had a fewyears ago. Tasks
you could do with ease back them may well be difficult or impossible flor you
now because you have not been using the knowledge required to do the tasks.
The organisation whrch relies on training alone for the knowledge componenr
that leads to capabiliry is settlng irself up to fail. This degradarion of knowledge
has a significant impacr on how an organisation should manage the knowiedge
acquisition process. For example, an inductlon process for a new employee
would probably be more effective in rhe form of a learning parhway that
takes piace over a period of time rather than presenting the informatron in a
training course.
The other problem is that knowledge thar we have memorised goes our of dare.
It decays, and has a'use-by' date. The answer, surprisingly, is not to know
more, but to know less and use technology to srore and find the information
when it is needed. The balance between 'know it'informatic,n and 'find it'
information has changed rapidly over rhe last few decades.
Robert Kelley of Carnegie Mel1on University has been asking peopie for over
20 years "what percentage ol the knowledge you need to do your job is srored
in your own mind?" In I986, the answer was about 75 per cent, but by 1997
the percentage had dropped ro berween l5 and 20 per cent. when Keiley ran
the research again in 2006, the percenrage had dropped agaln ro between eight
and ten per cent. Although these figures are bound ro vary grearly depending
on the job role being considered, there is a clear trend that people are needing
less and less memorised knowledge to do their lobs ef{ectively, provided rhey
have access to the knowledge they need from tools and technology in their
environment.
-66-
Knowledge is ruot skill. Knowla
For our purposes here, we can r
practice in order to be done wd
is huge and each one onlY cou
is possible within a formal tr
speciflc to a job are learned an
Suzuki demonstrated in his 1-e
teachers: practice equals skill i
When I was a student, I u'or
driver in a lrozen goods u'are
warehouse would slowiY rise
get in past the hanging Plastic
through ihem. Overnight. tir
would plummet to -35"C and
as snow. One ol the first jobs
the aisles between the long lir
Over the years that the rvareh
built up on the floor so that ua
was quite chalienging, and it
skill to do so safe1y One Paro
in order to skid-turn a forklifr
of the aisle was narrower than
the aisles narrower, theY r*'en
this meant that the onlY u'aY t
forklifi like an ice skater on
Unfortuna[ely,
skl11s
tl
also dete
in simulato
conditions. And that is also r
1 tried it again todaY.
refresher courses
E'l**, { rll.tg'tl*;il3i H's
:
*t'
cAFAiix}.1
g-n
Skills
,..t cxpe r1-
-.'11l]lenti]l
'.
t. L1me. His
Knowledgc rs nor slril/. Knowlctlge plus 10.000 timrs is shill.
.Shinichi StrzuLki
...,fn \\'ilhln
- thcn that
,' cilqe. ln a
.
-.
oLrrpLlrposcs he rc, r,r,c can consiclcra ski1l as strmc behav'iour thrt rc(lLllrrs
pracljce in ,trcler trr bc done ri,ell. All.iolls rcquile r-r'rany' skr11s, Such as lr-a1king.
reacling, llrplng irncl clririnq. For mosl ]obs, rve can aclcl in scrciirl and c,rm1rLinicaLLi()n sktlls. ancl also specific sl
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