Human capability is not only about how an employee is trained, but also about ensuring that the systems within an organisation allow the skills of the employee to be effectively used: and Tamkin’s 4A model illustrates this very well (Tamkin et al., 2004).
Understanding capacity is vitally important as productivity is falling in many nations: New Zealand included (Boyle, 2026). The model developed to help policy makers to capture current skills (i.e. what we already know) and as a framework to explore what we will need in the near future (i.e. what we still don’t know) (Tamkin et al., 2004).
The A4 model presents four key workforce conditions (Tamkin et al., 2008):
- Access – this means organisations need to be able to access individuals who have the skills and knowledge necessary (Tamkin et al., 2008). Organisations should ask themselves, “do we have the right people?” Their answer should consider recruitment procedures, labour market access and diversity (Bryson & O’Neil, 2008). An example within the context of Aotearoa is the current healthcare workforce shortages. This example shows how capability is not constrained by training, but by access to skilled professionals.
- Ability – this refers to the skills and competencies that individuals already possess and is the most traditional focus of HRD (Tamkin et al., 2008). Research shows that providing training alone would have a limited impact if it were not reinforced by workplace systems (Tamkin et al., 2008).
- Application – this refers to the opportunities that must be provided in order to effectively apply the skills they have, within their scope of work (Tamkin et al., 2008). This is often where many organisations become unstuck. Employees might be trained, but could lack autonomy, managerial support and/or face organisational barriers (Bryson & O’Neil, 2008). This point of Application also links to Sen’s idea of conversion factors – the conditions of an organisation that allow capability to be fully realised (González‑Cantón et al., 2019).
- Attitude – in what ways and to what extent do the motivations of the employee support the overall strategic and economic goals of the organisation (Bryson, 2007; Tamkin et al., 2008). This workforce condition prioritises organisational goals, but it needs to also consider what would happen if these goals came into conflict with individual aspirations (Inkson et al. 2015).
The strength of Tamkin’s 4A model comes from the provision of a clear and practical framework, linking workforce capability to the organisation's performance (Boohene et al., 2024; Tamkin et al., 2008). Human resource staff can use this model to assess and strengthen workforce capability.
The model emphasises that for individuals, continuous learning and development, as well as a supportive organisational environment is integral (Tamkin et al., 2008).
However, it has been argued that the focus on organisational performance within Tamkin’s 4A model may result in less emphasis being placed on employee wellbeing, stifling broader human development (Boohene et al., 2024). It tells us how to optimise workforce capability but does not address if that capability is equitable or meaningful.
Sian
References:
Boohene, D., Oyekunle, D. O., Maxwell, A., Darkwah, J. A., & Addae-Nketiah, A. (2024). Human Capital Development Practices: A strategy for enhancing workforce capability. International Journal of Research in Business Studies [IJRBS], 9(1), 5-22. https://www.ijrbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Paper%201-David%20Boohene,%20Amita%20Maxwell,%20David%20Oyewumi%20Oyekunle,%20Joseph%20Asante%20Darkwah,%20Amma%20Addae-Nketiah.pdf
Boyle, P. [Patrick Boyle]. (2026, April 7). Canada is a Warning to the Rest of the World! [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Q0jqfKUnQQk
Bryson, J. (2007). Chapter 10: Human Resource development or developing human capability? In S. Bolton, M. Houlihan (Eds.), Searching for the Human in Human Resource Management: Theory, Practices and workplace contexts (pp. 171-192). Palgrave Macmillan.
Bryson, J., & O’Neil, P. (2008). Developing human capability: Employment institutions, organisations and individuals—Overview of findings on developing human capability [Discussion paper]. Victoria University of Wellington. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/som/researchprojects/research-projects/developg-human-capb/Overview_of_Findings_DHC.pdf
González‑Cantón, C., Boulos, S., & Sánchez‑Garrido, P. (2019). Exploring the link between human rights, the capability approach and corporate responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 160, 865–879. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3801-x
Inkson, K., Dries, N., & Arnold, J. (2015). Organizational career management. In Understanding careers (2nd ed., pp. 330–353). SAGE Publications Ltd.
Tamkin, P., Cowling, M., & Hunt, W. (2008). People and the Bottom Line [No. 448, report]. The Work Foundation/IES [Institute for Employment Studies]. https://employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/448.pdf
Tamkin, P., Giles, L., Campbell, M., & Hillage, J. (2004, September). Skills Pay: The contribution of skills to business success [No. 5, Report]. IES [Institute for Employment Studies]. https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/ssdarr05.pdf
* Sian Jones-White has kindly written this post
















