TECHNOVISION

A is for Attitude

Wendy Leavitt, Technology Editor

Technology-based products, especially software, multiply through versions and revisions faster than lab mice. The human beings who use these products and programs, however, evolve at a rather more measured pace – say once every few million years or so. We're talking about a serious systems compatibility problem here.

How can good old Version 1.0 humans hope to interact successfully with generation after generation of high-technology tools? How can fleet managers find workers with the necessary skills when those capabilities just keep changing? Maybe the solution is to focus on characteristics beyond a job candidate's current skill set.

"Hire for attitude; train for skills," advised Dr. Kevin Freiberg of the San Diego Consulting Group, Inc. in his presentation at the 1997 annual NationaLease meeting, "Leadership in a Nutshell (sort of): Learning from Southwest Airlines' Best Practices." According to Dr. Freiberg, this approach is at the very heart of Southwest's amazing success.

"Most companies do the opposite," he noted, "but attitudes are contagious. The people you hire today determine the culture you have tomorrow. What kind of people/attributes will it take to build the culture you want in your organization? How can you get more targeted in recruiting, screening and keeping these people?"

Good questions. Southwest has a very clearly articulated corporate culture to guide them. Mrs. Fields (of Mrs. Field's Cookies fame) supposedly asks applicants to sing "Happy Birthday" during job interviews at her company, but singing as a screening tool may not get you the mechanics you're after.

There are pre-employment screening tools for diesel mechanics, however, that may help you to identify superior job candidates in terms of attitudes as well as skills. For example, Scheig Associates of Gig Harbor, WA has developed a screening test called the "Diesel Mechanic Checklist" by working directly with top-rated technicians. According to the company, these professionals helped Scheig to list and prioritize the critical attributes that differentiate the best mechanics from the rest.

There's a lot more to finding a good technician than just finding the most technically skilled candidate, the company notes. The lack of certain job behaviors can lead to low productivity, high absenteeism and errors requiring rework, even from technically competent people.

Recently, several Freightliner dealerships have been using the Scheig test, with good results. "We were using an in-house test that was just for technical ability," says Scott Nalley, Service Manager at the Whittier, CA Freightliner dealership. "This gives us a lot more information. It takes some of the guesswork out of the hiring process."

"I've definitely noticed an improvement since we started using it," offers Dennis Chapman, Service Manager at Compton Freightliner, Compton, CA. "We use it as a pretty weighty tool. We're on the leading edge of technology and it has been difficult for us to 'get back' the increasing amount we have to spend on training."

"We want to know if we're hiring somebody with a good head on their shoulders who can absorb the training," Dennis adds. "It makes the test even more valuable." Productivity levels before the test were 65% to 80%; Scheig hires are working at between 85% and 115%, he notes.

Not bad. Maybe humans and technology aren't such an integration nightmare after all. Ironic though, isn't it, that innovative companies perched on the brink of the third millennium should be discovering that one key to A-level performance rests with the oldest element of their business systems – the attitudes of their people. Ironic and entirely correct.