Benefits of Qualitative Simulation for Managing Fluctuating Staffing Needs

Management of the High Level Waste Program Office at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory has projected oscillating future employment levels. A simple computer model was created to help convince management that qualitative modeling of ''soft'' variables can provide appreciable insight into the consequences and performance of alternative staffing policies. Advocacy of the model underlying the simulation or a particular strategy did not motivate the study, but rather a desire to instill enthusiasm and elicit new and improved conceptual models from management. Six qualitative and three quantitative generic insights to managing staffing levels are gained from the simulations. These insights in their generic form should be familiar to those knowledgeable of system dynamics or computer/instrument process control. Their potential usefulness to developing staffing strategies is stressed. The two primary overarching assertions that flow from the simulation results are: (1) the presence of multiple feedbacks, time delays, and continuous flows introduce instability into a personnel system that complicates the management of staffing levels. Many times ''soft'' variables, such as morale, productivity, and efficiency are the sources of such influences; and (2) such influences can be successfully modeled. In the case of the simple model used in these simulations, for example, the qualitative impact of a strategy using hiring and laying off as the sole managerial interventions is assessed