what is cognitive ability?

It should be clear from the previous section that assessing cognitive ability is a must when recruiting. But what is cognitive ability and why is it so relevant to job performance?

Irrespective of the job level – except for purely manual jobs – employees need to engage in diverse cognitive processes that enable them to deal with the problem-solving demands of their jobs. These problem-solving demands range in level, difficulty, and complexity:

⦁ from an operator having to work out how much of an ingredient needs to be added to a batch of say confectionary mix,
⦁ to a team leader having to calculate the scrap and waste produced on a shift,
⦁ to a Production Manager having to calculate line efficiencies,
⦁ to an HR Manager having to formulate a talent retention strategy,
Imageto a general manager having to formulate a 2 to 3-year plan that will maximise efficiencies at a plant,
⦁ to a marketing manager having to develop a marketing plan that will optimize advertising spend,
⦁ to a divisional manager having to decide on where operations need to be bolstered and where they need to be trimmed,
⦁ to a CEO having to formulate a long-term strategic plan for his organisation.

In every job activity thinking is required and thinking involves utilising diverse cognitive processes. Employees’ ability to successfully apply these processes to the job at hand will to a large extent determine their success in delivering the job outputs of that role.

Note that we are not talking about skills, work experience, knowledge, or technical competencies. We are referring to inner cognitive process hardwired to a lessor or greater degree within each person’s brain. Cognitive ability can be thought of as the engine that sits behind skills, knowledge and competencies.