¶ … Managers earning organisations 21st century a broader range Skills, Knowledge Attributes succeed. Issues rapid change, shifts management thinking, understanding global context, continuous improvement ongoing leadership development impact aspiring manager.
KSAs of the 21st century workforce
Why KSAs are important
At the beginning of the 20th century, the knowledge, skills, and attributes of workers were defined in a relatively concrete, fixed, and limited fashion. In factory systems of mass production it was demanded that workers serve the organization for which they worked obediently and compliantly. Perhaps this concept is best epitomized in the concept of Scientific Management, as advocated by Frederick Taylor. "Prior to scientific management, work was performed by skilled craftsmen who had learned their jobs in lengthy apprenticeships. They made their own decisions about how their job was to be performed. Scientific management took away much of this autonomy and converted skilled crafts into a series of simplified jobs that could be performed by unskilled workers who easily could be trained for the tasks" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management, 2012, Net MBA). Taylor viewed workers are basically lazy, and thought they would do their best to minimize their required output, for fear of being asked to do more and work harder. Taylor attempted to quantify the best way for workers to perform tasks, like cogs in a machine, so that regardless of the employee's will, they were able to perform to employer specifications.
The idea of worker-as-machine is incompatible with 21st century management needs. Even lower-level workers need to think creatively and managers must be open to their input. A worker on the floor of a factory may have an idea of how to render work more efficiently; a retail employee must understand how to make the company's service as well as the product compelling enough to encourage consumers to part with hard-earned dollars. "The core job dimensions of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback all were missing from the picture of scientific management" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management, 2012, Net MBA).
Today, managers must exhibit technical proficiency, adaptability to the new global marketplace, and superior communication skills to thrive. But the discrepancy between the skill sets that workers possess in the 21st century and what is actually needed is evident in recently-released job figures. "Recent grads can't get jobs. People can't afford to retire. Unemployment is up (again) and the latest jobless figures are bleak. But companies are starving for highly skilled workers. And the discrepancy has been getting worse" (Hasham 2012). The knowledge, skills, and abilities of the 21st century workforce must include technical knowledge of one's profession, computer savvy, and flexibility in the face of change, as well as tolerance of diversity and communication skills.
KSA 1: Technical knowledge -- the critical deficit of many highly-skilled managers
Although the economic downturn has affected virtually every economic sector to some degree, particularly hardest-hit are low-skilled manufacturing jobs. "People's skills don't match the skills required in the workplace" with the shift to a knowledge-based vs. service-based economy (Hasham 2012). "Low-skilled but high-paying jobs have moved offshore, leaving either low-paying jobs or professional jobs that require specific technical skills with too few people to fill them" (Hasham 2012). Skilled workers with the necessary knowledge and attributes are critical in driving growth.
A good example of this is seen in the field of healthcare -- baby boomer nurses will be retiring soon, as there is increased demand for nurses to take care of a rapidly-aging population. While more young and transitional workers are considering healthcare as a possible career opportunity, there is a shortage of nursing instructors which has severely limited new nurses' ability to train for their careers. "According to AACN's report on 2011-2012 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 75,587 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2011 due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints" (Nursing faculty shortage, 2012, AACN). This highlights how a mismatch between skills and attributes can have a negative effect upon the individual student and upon an entire, vital segment of the economy.
Many workers are also not leaving college with technical training in the necessary areas for which there is high demand within the economy. "The post-secondary degrees or diplomas also need to provide the right skills and it's important to choose the right field" (Hasham 2012). Employers expect employees to 'hit the ground running' with the necessary skills for the job and are less willing...
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