Effective supervisors can tell whether poor performance stems from a lack of ability by considering the difficulty of assigned tasks, the known ability of the employee, the extent to which the employee appears to be trying hard, and the degree to which the employee's performance improves over time. The multiplication sign in these models signifies that all of the components are essential. Performance is the product of ability multiplied by motivation. Ability is the product of aptitude multiplied by training and resources. Aptitude refers to the skills and abilities an employee brings to the job.
Training can enhance most inherent abilities and can improve employee performance.
An assessment of ability should be made during the job-matching process by screening applicants against the skill requirements of the job. Low ability is generally associated with very difficult tasks, overall low individual ability, evidence of strong effort, and lack of improvement over time. Employees must be given the technical and personnel resources to effectively perform assigned tasks. Motivation is represented by an employee's desire and commitment and is manifested as effort. A remedy for a lack of ability is retraining.