Bursting the Bubble

If you read my first blog “Operating Inside of a Bubble,” where I set out to paint a picture of the life of a CMM inspector from my perspective, you now have a context for this conversation.

Some industry experts are forecasting a skills shortage. Some say we’re already experiencing one. On the surface, a skills shortage would pose problems. In a skills shortage, where would employers get the people who possess the skills they require for any given position? If an employer thinks along the lines of only people with skill “A” may succeed at job “A” then yes, a shortage in people possessing skill “A” would pose a problem…and you’ll miss out on some really extraordinary people by operating within these boundaries.

Given the opportunity, the appropriate resources and access to historical knowledge, it really comes down to finding the right person for the job, not necessarily the person who already has a given skill and experience—who, by the way, may also be entirely the wrong person for the job.

A few years ago I was introduced to the Kolbe A Index by a friend and business associate. The Kolbe A Index measures a person's instinctive method of operation (MO), and identifies the ways he or she will be most productive. I took the short test, as did both my business partners and several other people I do business with. What I got from all this is that all the training and experience in the world doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll excel in a given position if the requirements of the job are not aligned with your natural method of operation or how you process information. So what if employers were used the Kolbe A Index or something like in their search for the right person for the job. In this scenario you can see that it’s not so much a potential skills shortage that poses a problem, rather the way an employer perceives it.

There are literally tens of thousands of talented people in Ontario alone looking for work. Skills shortage you say?

You may be wondering how this so-called skills shortage relates to our CMM community. Consider that one of the responsibilities of this community is knowledge management and that by sharing what we know, we create a resource for future generations. Sounds a bit melodramatic, I know, but please read on.

As I alluded to in my previous blog, the sharing of knowledge is something engrained or “hard-wired” in all of us and has always been part of what it is to be human, but really it goes much deeper than that. Civilizations have always depended on the passing down of the history, knowledge and skills necessary to not only survive, but to thrive and evolve in the environment they live.

Take a leap with me here and consider that our community of CMM inspectors is similar to a civilization in that without the passing down of history, knowledge and skills, how do we evolve and advance? The answer is we don’t. In fact it’s difficult to even sustain at some level since there is little in the way of “common” knowledge. We essentially keep re-inventing the wheel for ourselves, each wheel slightly different from the next. With little in the way of formal, standardized training and certification for CMM inspectors out there, how do we effectively perpetuate these skills? In my opinion, it’s up to this very community to do something about it.

So let’s talk about the real benefits in belonging and contributing to this new community of CMM inspectors, which Canadian Metalworking Magazine has generously offered to host. The primary purpose for this new CMM community is to create a forum for sharing knowledge, history, experiences, skills, methods, opportunities and new technology. In this community, we’ll bring our day-to-day inspection challenges and get quick feedback and advice on how to proceed, discuss various topics around metrology and have the benefit of many points of view, as well as discussing new and existing technology in our industry and how to effectively utilize it. It’s also an opportunity for networking and an access to new opportunities.

Most of all, my goal is for this community to be a place where members know they have the support and respect of their peers and can ask any question, regardless of how trivial they may think it is.

The question to you now is not “what value will this community bring to you” but “what value will you bring to this community?” I guarantee you that bringing value in some form will deliver the value back exponentially. It really depends on what you consider value.

Value comes in many forms. Value is in you sharing your history and experience. Value is in an intriguing question or topic of discussion. Value is in a comment that takes a discussion in a new direction. Value is in the form of a challenge you’re up against. Value is in the form of an answer or piece of advice to a question.

Essentially, value is in your participation, in any form, so please consider this your formal invitation to participate in our new community of CMM inspectors!

The online CMM user's forum is coming soon so stay tuned! In the meantime, please respond to this blog with any comments, questions, or feedback. This blog is meant to be interactive.