Back in the 19th Century, John Godfrey Sax wrote a poem based on a fable about six blind men and an elephant. Six blind men were interested in
learning about an elephant. They had never had any interaction with an elephant before.
They were taken to an elephant, and one by one each
approached the elephant, touching a different part of the animal. Each man generalized the makeup of an elephant from the part they touched.
One thought it was like a wall because he ran into the elephant's side. Another thought it was like a snake because he only felt the trunk.
For some time the men argued but could never agree. Each was more convinced than the other that his perspective was correct.
With a year of economic turbulence hopefully behind us, many employers sit at the helm of a ship that looks a lot different than when it left port a few
years ago, if it survived the storm at all. Those organizations that have weathered the downturn are most likely operating with a leaner crew that has
seen some of its senior captains take off for calmer shores and eager young deckhands tossed over board in order to stay afloat.
However, now that the tide is turning, many organizations plan to dip back, once again, into the talent pool to hire those drowning deckhands that were
hastily tossed aside while in rougher waters. On the other side, those organizations that feel that the safer bet is to wait until the seas are completely
calm may find that there are fewer fish in the sea than once thought.
Uncertainty and risk is ever-present in our everyday
business transactions. Whether we're estimating productivity,
forecasting product demand, calculating utilization of
facilities, or any other business calculation, the use of
estimates and uncertainty of critical variables can produce a
wide range of outcomes. Which one we pick often relies on our
ability to intuit the most likely outcome. As most managers
will admit, even the best-designed forecasts are rarely
realized exactly.
So what is a savvy 21st Century manager to do when
confronted with uncertainty in forecasting the results of
business processes? If you're like most managers, you'll go
through a series of scenarios to project what you expect will
happen. You may also project "best" and
"worst" case scenarios. This is typically how we
predict uncertain events. But these three forecasts (expected
outcome, best outcome, and worst outcome) lack the information
necessary to make good business decisions.
It seems like an easy question. Common responses might include by growth, revenue, increased market share, and achievement of goals. No one would argue that
these are important measures of success. However, there is something that is equally if not more critical than all of these measures and that is PEOPLE.
People are the fuel that leverage organizational success. This notion is supported by the scientific research, noted below:
THE
HILL
GROUP is pleased to announce its current engagement with the Mahoning and Columbiana County Training Association in partnership with the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and Youngtown State University to host The Mahoning Valley Regional Healthcare Workforce Summit on October 8, 2002. The goal of the Workforce Summit is to prepare a regional vision and strategy that will serve healthcare employers and the community in developing, attracting, and retaining talent to support economic development of the Northeastern Ohio region.
These key regional stakeholders and change-makers are partnered with
THE
HILL
GROUP to develop the strategy, and implementation of the healthcare industry cluster and workforce development infrastructure in the Mahoning Valley region. To accomplish this,
THE
HILL
GROUP and its partners will utilize the Healthcare Workforce Summit as a catalyst to engage both the demand- and supply-sides of the regional workforce system in creating a strategy that is both tailored to the needs of region and representative of current economic conditions faced by the industry and labor force nationwide.
The Healthcare Workforce Summit will convene, educate, charge and mobilize the region's key stakeholders and opinion leaders to initiate actions that will ensure the preparation, recruitment, and retention of a workforce that is qualified for the specific skill needs of the healthcare industry in Youngstown-Warren Metropolitan Statistical Area. Upon completion, the project will deliver a strategic plan and an industry cluster-development strategy to create a sustainable healthcare cluster and skilled workforce. The newly formed Mahoning Valley Healthcare Cluster Center will be able to use these strategy and policy models as tools to identify necessary future actions and initiatives where regional strengths can be leveraged to generate economic growth.
THE
HILL
GROUP is excited to be partnering with the Mahoning Valley Region and is proud to showcase this project.
These materials have been prepared for educational and information purposes only. They are not consulting
or legal advice or opinions on any specific matters. Transmission of the information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, a consultant-client
or attorney-client relationship between The Hill Group, Inc. and any recipient of this material. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional advice.
