The Response

To address the various challenges facing the aquaculture industry of the South Pacific, Pacific Aquaculture Cooperatives Inc. International (PAC) has developed a five-year strategic plan. The plan describes the human resources capabilities, capital funding, and government participation necessary to implement the overall PAC Strategic Plan (PACSP). The plan addresses five strategic objectives:

Employee owned franchise operations;

Strategic alignment with government and aquaculture industry priorities;

Establishment of a non-for-profit organization, as an adjunct to PAC.

A scientific and technical advisory committee;

Establish an Aquaculture Industry Development Fund.

Achievements

Activities for each of the PAC's strategic objectives are highlighted as follows:

1. Employee Owned Franchise

By developing aqua-farming operations that are owned and operated by native islanders, the rate of unemployment would dramatically be reduced through increased jobs and increased per capita earnings. The psychological well being of native employees will be improved because they will share in the ownership of the company through stock options while receiving a steady stream of income.

In such an employee-owned business all employees control and/or own shares in the company or have the chance to do so in the future after demonstration of proven ability after a probationary period. Such an employee share scheme is one way for the company to give employees a real stake in the business and helps to improve its performance. As employees normally have to remain with the business to get this benefit, share schemes encourage loyalty and can help retain valued staff. They act as an incentive or reward and may also help recruitment. The proportion of share capital held by the employees will dictate the amount of control they have over the company as a whole as owning shares entitles the employees to vote at general meetings of the company.

Workers' co-operatives are set up to meet mutual need. Everyone - the members - from the manager to the office junior, owns a share of the business. Decisions are made democratically and profits are shared among the members or put back into the business. Co-operative ownership often appeals to employees because each shareholder has one vote regardless of the number of shares held. It is possible to structure a company limited by shares in a democratic or co-operative way with employee shareholders benefiting from an increase and suffering any decrease in value of the shares. Alternatively the shares can always retain a fixed value. This is known as a common ownership co-operative.

Co-operatives follow the seven key principles of the International Co-operative Alliance:

Voluntary and open membership

Democratic control

Member economic participation (financial interest)

Autonomy and independence

Education, training and information

Co-operation among co-operatives

Concern for the community

Performance Management Training Program - Creating a High Performance Workforce

A Performance Management Training Program developed by PAC will streamline the hiring, training, and evaluation process. Appropriate emphasis will be placed on meaningful inter-personal communications about organizational goals, expectations, performance, results, and career development needs. The process will provide clear connections between performance ratings, results and rewards, and thereby provide a stronger incentive for employees to improve job performance and achieve expected results.

Training - Sharpening Skills and Developing New Leaders

Founder, President and CEO of PAC, Erik Hagberg, has made a strong commitment to building the organization's training capacity to make sure that employees' skills match the challenges of their jobs. The training curriculum shall be designed to create a career progression of courses for employees at entry, mid-level and senior levels. This approach envisions a training pyramid for PAC employees that includes leadership, management, technical and job skills training available to employees during the course of their careers.

Entry and mid-career training will focus on improving technical and job skills. Project and project management training have been identified as skills requiring particular emphasis. This program teaches employees how to manage the project from award through administration, monitoring, evaluation and closeout.

An aggressive leadership development program shall be developed. As part of this program PAC has expanded the training to include mentoring and coaching courses. A Leadership course for mid-career employees uses a "blended" training approach that includes traditional instructor-led classroom training and on the job training. Courses are tailored to topics of leadership and management identified by the employee and his or her mentor, a senior manager who has been assigned as a coach.

Accounting, marketing, management, communications, and other subjects are taught through text, presentations, and simulations.

Workforce Analysis and Planning

A key part of the human capital strategy is the establishment of a modern workforce planning capability that integrates with PAC's overall strategic planning and budgeting processes. PAC will be conducting the first comprehensive workforce analysis in the South Pacific history. This analysis will help to determine staffing levels needed to meet program demands, identify gaps in skills and staffing levels, and create a plan to close the gaps.