This document provides a framework for evaluating employees based on their willingness and ability to do their jobs. It divides employees into four categories: willing and able, willing and unable, unwilling and able, and unwilling and unable. For each category, it recommends approaches for determining whether to promote, demote, train, motivate through discipline, or fire the employee based on whether they can and will do the job now and in the future. The goal is to evaluate each employee and move them to the "willing and able" category through the appropriate actions.

1. Character
Motivation, Encouragement, Discipline, Reward
Aptitude
Competence
Evaluation
Placement
Training
J Greholver 09 Apr
Attitude
Willing & Able Employee Evaluation and Placement
Willing
Able
Teach, Promote, Encourage,
Reward
Unwilling
Able
Motivate, Encourage,
Discipline, Fire
Willing
Unable
Encourage, Evaluate, Train,
Proper Placement (demote)
Unwilling
Unable
Evaluate, Motivate, Discipline,
Fire
Can this person do this job?
Will this person do this job?
The answer to the above will tell you whom to train, discipline, support, demote, or fire.
Allowing unable or unwilling personnel to occupy a position means that the department cannot
move forward or gain momentum.
Determining if the personnel can be motivated or trained to move forward is the first step to
deciding on whether to leave in place, demote, promote, or fire.
Making the right decisions will give you control over the forward direction of the department or
organization.
Willing: Encourage, Support, Reward
Able: Evaluate Employee, Train, Promote,
Unable: Evaluate employee and workplace, Motivate, Train, Demote
Unwilling: Evaluate workplace, Motivate, Discipline, Terminate

2. 1 2 3
Willing / Able 1 Promote Potential for Promotion In the right place
Willing /Unable 2 Motivate Train Demote
Unwilling / Able 3 Motivate Discipline Terminate
Unwilling / Unable 4 Evaluate Discipline Terminate
J Greholver 09 Apr
Willing & Able Employee Evaluation and Placement
Evauation of employees
Willing/Able Scale (1.1 - 4.3)
Key Question: What do you have to do to move every employee to Level 1 (Willing and Able)?
Willing & Able: Promote or leave in place? (Peter Principle: "In a Hierarchy Every Employee
Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence").
1.1 - Eligible for promotion.
1.2 - May be eligible for promotion.. evaluate for capacity
1.3 - They are where they need to be.
Willing & Unable: Demote or Train? If the person can not do the job now, will they ever be
able to do the job with proper training?
2.1 - Yes. Provide enough training to move to level 1
2.2 - Maybe.. Provide training and evaluate
2.3 - No..demote to a place where they can be successful
Unwilling & Able: Build a fire under them or just fire? What needs to change in order to move
them to level 1?
3.1 - Motivate - Provide motivation and encouragement to rise to level 1
3.2 - Discipline - Positive motivation does not work
3.3 - Terminate - able but not willing to do the job
Unwilling & Unable: Do they even want to do the job?
4.1 - Yes... Discover what needs to change in order to move to level 2 or 1
4.2 - Maybe.. Discipline to give them a final choice (actions have consequences)
4.3 - No... terminate
Peter, L. J.; Hull, R., (1969). The Peter Principle: why things always go wrong . NY: William Morrow and
Company.