Introduction
Management of skills is one of the significant aspects of the labor process both in the modern and traditional forms of capitalism (Grugulis & Lloyd, 2010). In essence, skill is central in the relationship between labor and capital. In fact, workers possess skills, therefore, the way workers are managed and how the work is organized within the workplace is at the center of the skills management within an organization (Grugulis & Lloyd, 2010).
All the aspects of the labor processes are undergoing unprecedented pressure for change as the organizations seek to produce at low-costs, adjust to superior values and introduce relevant products and services into the market (Grugulis & Lloyd, 2010). As such, proper management of skills within the workforce is significant.
The paper seeks to identify and critically examine three approaches to evaluating skills at work. The paper begins by examining the contemporary approaches in the management of skills and how traditional work managements such as Taylorism and Fordism have been applied in the evaluation of skills within the workplace. Finally, the paper examines the current approaches to the skills evaluation in the work place.
Contemporary approaches to evaluating skill at work
Over the years, people have increasingly become influential in their approaches to occupations in the contemporary society thereby jeopardizing work ethics. In other words, the employment principles have experienced a steady diminishing trend in the moral codes of work (Bradley et al., 2004). The Postindustrial thesis argues that the consumer society work primarily for the utilization of services as opposed to the production of commodities.
On the other hand, the leisure society thesis argues that the advancements in technology have initiated changes that reduce the work processes thereby availing more time for leisure as opposed to work activities. However, the thesis has received a number of disparagements. First, it is argued that more leisure does not guarantee less dedication to moral inevitability to work (Bradley et al., 2004).
In fact, leisure activities are flexible. Most importantly, the theory lacks experimental substantiation. With the transformations experienced in the political, social and economic frameworks, work morals and requirements have been adversely affected. In essence, the organizations have insisted on the expectations that are anticipated from employees in the performance of their duties.
The modifications in the workplace situations due to increased competition have initiated diverse views in terms of the adjustments to the mental indentures at the workplace. According to the pessimistic analysis, the amplification of competition compels the organizations to reorganize their structures and procedures thereby bringing about job spiraling, overlooking personnel well-being and the provision for fewer prospects for employee training and development (Bradley et al., 2004).
On the other hand, the optimistic analysis advocates the conventional employment pacts built upon job tenure as well as career development that calls for more employee training and development. Further, the view stresses on the importance of functional flexibility and increased mobility among work units. Generally, both arguments exhibit fact.
Therefore, due to the plurality and multiplicity of the workforce considering their skills, values and orientations, the organizations should not overlook the employees’ skills, aspirations, experiences and work orientations (Bradley et al., 2004). In essence, the economic and ethical necessity to work is diverse across the employees.
Traditional approaches to work organization
Taylorism
The advancements in the employment and society dynamics have continuously influenced the scope of work responsibilities and the skill intensities of employees at workplace. Taylor’s scientific management work emphasize on the importance of efficiency in the performance of tasks. In addition, the theory argues that scientific testing is the optimum approach to achieving efficiency in the performance of any tasking.
In other words, using comprehensive computations of timing speed and gaps are significant in breaking responsibilities in small segments and scientifically scrutinizing every method to achieve efficient and productive structures (Noon & Blyton, 2007). In addition, the computation and planning of employee body movements is vital in enhancing time efficiency at work place.
In general, Taylorist school of thought advocates for a work process that is highly designed and unvarying based on the division of labor according to skills and knowledge, planning, surveillance and performance related remuneration. Considering division of labor, the organization must differentiate manual responsibilities from intellectual tasks.
The separation has repercussions on employee skills. For instance, the organization is able to provide a more competitive labor force that reduces costs of the firm. Planning is vital for compliance to the organizational ideas. Therefore, through recruitment and selection processes, the personnel are evaluated on their skills and knowledge to achieve greater levels of competence, output as well as prosperity.
Close supervision of workforce enables the management to identify the employees’ proficiencies in the performance of jobs. Most importantly, the remuneration that workers receive from the services offered is a great motivator that enables increased output. In other words, pay that is related to performance is vital for increased employee expertise and productivity. In general, Taylorist ideas are significant in work designs and division of responsibilities based on capabilities, skills and knowledge.
Fordism
Ford’s ideas emphasize on tasks that are intended for efficient mass output to meet the demands for increased utilization. In essence, the Fordism ideologies consider accumulated output, utilization and progression of skills as significant for accomplishment of organizational goals (Bradley et al., 2004).
In addition, the ideas place employees under strict control but a flexible environment where workers’ skills, performance and job knowledge are subjected to consistency and management. However, the principles of Ford expose workers to monotony since the personnel are prohibited from communicating to colleagues, as it would lead to expulsion or suspension of employees.
Studies show that the inhumane working attributes characterized by treatment of workers as machines or robots provides them with lack of opportunity to develop their skills and proficiencies (Noon & Blyton, 2007). However, the Fordist model enables the management to oversee the market operations due to the accessibility of the workers’ expertise.
Further, the theory is based on a philosophy of centralization. In other words, the workers have to adhere to strict regulations and no deviation from the rules governing the operation of the organization. As a result, the system prohibits the creative aspects of each employ thereby diminishing their prospects of skill development.
In the Fordism model, the organization’s employees are recruited directly for long durations. Nevertheless, the approach is characterized by overregulation of workers thereby providing a work environment that consists of highly unskilled personnel who are unable to be innovative (Noon & Blyton, 2007). In fact, the employees only concentrate on the accurate performance of delegated tasks.
In essence, as organizations continue to experience escalating expansions, workers expertise turns out to be disjointed. Moreover, there is increased functional differentiation of the employees’ tasks. Generally, Fordism ideas are not appropriate in the evaluation of the work unit’s skills due to its rigidity.
In fact, the organizations have the responsibility of allowing innovativeness among the workers to enable them be relevant with the current developments in technology. Further, the theory in its technicality and homogeny of goods and services allows no room for the unbolted and dynamic contribution of the workers in the organization’s state of affairs.
As a result, the model dictates what employees have to do thereby limiting the development of their skills and job knowledge. However, with the changes in the current business environment characterized by advanced technologies and the growing complexity of the economic situations, workers are increasingly demanding for opportunities to develop their skills (Grugulis & Lloyd, 2010).
The applications of Fordism ideas have faced numerous challenges in implementation. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate the revolutionary changes to ensure skill development and productive efficiency.
Deskilling and up-skilling theses
Deskilling thesis
The thesis asserts that with the increased competition, organizations tend to control and evaluate the utilization of workforce. In other words, labor assessment is imperative in obtaining additional worth of employment. In this way, the organization’s executive ensures a systematized and efficient work process. In general, organizations grind down the employees management over work procedures to enhance the extra worth of firms.
Noon and Blyton 2007 argues that the capitalist approach of output enables the managers to limit the workers’ influence and prudence. The management achieves control through organizational deskilling that involves the separation of labor-intensive and intellectual tasks. In this case, the technical and executive levels are given rational and conceptual responsibilities whereas the blue-collar tasks are delegated to the shop-floor employees.
Therefore, the managers are able to make safe the domination over employees’ practical understanding. On the other hand, technological deskilling through automation gives the white-collar workers the discretion and dominance over their manual counterparts. In other words, the skilled employees set up the organizational equipment to plan and run programs automatically.
In this way, the workers are only capable of operating the machines at the discretion of the management. The thesis attracts a number of disapprovals. First, the theory generalizes the multifaceted and the intricate organizational correlations. For instance, the thesis pays no attention to the optional management approaches where workers are offered with autonomy in the jobs (Noon & Blyton, 2007).
In addition, the thesis underrates the intricacy as well as multiplicity of organization goals and interests by the presumption of a single shared aim of controlling labor. The other critics of the hypothesis argue that it fail to notice the significance of generating additional skills.
Up-skilling thesis
The theory bases its arguments on the human capital theory approach. The idea asserts that organizations provide training to personnel in order to amass increased profit. In addition, for the workers to be relevant with the technological advancements, more training is necessary. In fact, with increased number of firms inclining towards more multifaceted operations, such organizations have continuously incorporated up-skilling of their workforce to enrich their work output.
Moreover, the theory is based on elastic specialization that enables the diversion from Fordism ideologies to flexible, inventive led and client focused firm. Studies show that flexibility in production is an ingredient for working up to the expectations of the clients (Grugulis & Lloyd, 2010). In order to achieve such demands of the consumers, the organization has to integrate its technological progress with the up-skilled workers.
Furthermore, up-skilling theory enables the workers to carry out their tasks in a flexible environment where each worker has the prospect of developing expertise. Up-skilling theory comes with its areas of disapprovals. First, the thesis fails to elucidate the consequences of an inclination towards emotional labor and skilled work unit. For example, the presumption that growth of service sector is an ingredient for increased jobs is unfounded as it has a potential effect of contributing to conventional Fordism.
Secondly, the theory’s assertion of drastic break from Fordism due to flexible specialization is unsubstantiated. Through polarization in terms of skills, professional individuals and permanent employees experience up-skilling. The unskilled and part time employees on the other hand experience deskilling.
On the other hand, the compensatory theory of skill asserts that the advancements in technology lead to either deskilling or up-skilling diverse occupational segments. Moreover, the dual impact of expertise deskills workers through automating that substitutes the employees with engines. Conversely, informing up-skills workers through appraising their cognitive capacities.
Conclusion
Modern business organizations seek to produce at low-costs, adjust to superior values and introduce relevant products and services into the market. In fact, with increased number of firms inclining towards more multifaceted operations, there is need for up-skilling of their workforce to enrich their work output. Moreover, organizations need to adjust their work processes in order to remain competitive in the modern market place.
Managing skills in organization requires the application of modern approaches. However, all approaches to skills evaluation have strengths and weaknesses that organization managers should consider while managing the workforce as well as the work processes within the organization. In essence, the paper answers the question of identifying and examining the three approaches of evaluating skills at work.
References
Bradley, H, Erickson, M, Stephenson, C & Williams, S 2004, Myths at work, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.
Grugulis, I & Lloyd, C 2010, Skill and the labour process: the conditions and consequences of change, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.
Noon, M & Blyton, P 2007, The realities of work, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.