Chapter 4 Part 1 Need Assessment

Werner
HUMAN RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT, 7E
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Assessing HRD Needs
Chapter 4
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain
product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Goal of HRD
To improve an organization’s effectiveness
by:
• Solving current problems (like an increase in
customer complaints)
• Preventing anticipated problems (such as a
shortage of skilled technicians)
• Including as participants those individuals and
units that can benefit most
Training and HRD Process
Model
HRD interventions should be designed and
conducted using a four-phase approach:
• Needs assessment
• Design
• Implementation
• Evaluation
Figure 4-1: Instructional Systems
Design Model
Assessment Design Implementation Evaluation
Assess needs
Prioritize Define Select

needs objectives evaluation
criteria
Develop
lesson plan Determine
evaluation
design
Develop/acquire
materials
Conduct
Deliver the
Select evaluation
HRD program
trainer/leader of program
or intervention
or intervention
Select methods
and techniques Interpret
results
Schedule the
program/intervention
Needs Assessment
 Needs assessment (or needs analysis)
A process by which an organization’s HRD
needs are identified and articulated
 It is the starting point of the HRD and
training process
Needs Assessment Can Identify
 Organization’s goals and its effectiveness
in reaching these goals
 Discrepancies between employees’
skills and the skills required
 Discrepancies between current skills
and the skills needed in the future
 The conditions under which the HRD
activity will occur
Why Needs Assessment Are
Sometimes Not Conducted
 A needs assessment can be a difficult,
time-consuming process
 Action is valued over research
 Available information already specifies
what an organization’s needs are
 There is a lack of support for needs
assessment
What Is a “Training Need?”
 A deficiency between what is expected
and what occurs
 Efforts focused on correcting substandard
performance
 Not every need can/should be addressed
by HRD
Types of Needs
 Diagnostic needs
Focus on effective performance and preventing
problems
 Analytic needs
Focus on better ways to perform
 Compliance needs
Those set by law
Proactive versus Reactive
 HRD needs to be proactive and forward
thinking
A strategic partner with management, working
towards the future
 Being reactive leads to being focused on
past and present
Not being a strategic partner, thereby
vulnerable to layoff…
Needs Assessment Traps to Avoid
Potential Trap Why This Should Be

Avoided
Focus only on individual This can lead to fixing
performance deficiencies problems that don’t impact
group or organizational
performance
SOURCE: From R. Kaufman (1997). Needs assessment basics. In R. Kaufman, S. Thiagarajan, & P. MacGillis (Eds), The
guidebook for performance improvement (pp. 107–129). San Francisco: Pfeiffer/Jossey-Bass.
(cont. 2)
Avoided
Start with a training There is no need for a
needs assessment needs assessment if you
already know that
training is the answer!
(cont. 3)
Avoided
Just send out Trainee input can be
questionnaires asking good, yet such open-
people what they need ended questioning can
encourage suggestions
that are not tied to
organizational results
(cont. 4)
Avoided
Use soft data only Opinions need to be
linked to performance
and consequences
(cont. 5)
Avoided
Use hard data only Performance data is often
collected on what is easy
to measure, missing other
critical information in the
process
Levels of Needs Analysis
 Strategic/Organizational analysis
• Where in organization training is needed
• Under what conditions will it occur
 Task Analysis
• What must be done to perform successfully
• What must be done to correctly complete a task
 Person Analysis
• Who needs to be trained
• What kind of training do they need
LEVEL 1
(ORGANIZATIONAL
ANALYSIS)
Strategic/Organizational Analysis
 Organizational goals
 Organizational resources
 Organizational climate
 Environmental constraints
Organizational Goals
 Are areas meeting goals?
Probably don’t need training
 Areas not meeting goals?
Is training the answer?
Organizational Resources and
Core Competencies
 Funding
Is it available?
 Facilities
Are they available for HRD?
 Materials
Are they on hand?
 Expertise in-house
Is it available without impairing production?
Organizational Culture and
Climate
 Is it supportive to HRD?
 Is there inter- and intra-area cooperation
and trust?
 Is there management support?
 Is there supervisory support?
 Is there profit center support?
CH-4
Environmental Constraints
Environmental constraints include:
• Legal issues
• Social issues
• Political issues
• Economic issues
Advantages of Conducting
 Ensures HRD efforts are tied to
organizational strategy and mission
 Communicates linkage between
operations and HRD
 Generates support for HRD efforts and
activities
Methods of
 Data sources for determining HRD and
training needs
• Human resource inventories
• Skill inventories
• Organizational climate measures
• Efficiency indexes
 Resource and time limitations make
it difficult to do such a high-level analysis
Table 4-2: Sources of Data for
Organizational Needs Analysis
Data Source Recommended HRD/Training Need
Implications
1.Organizational Goals and Where HRD or training

Objectives emphasis can and should be
placed. These provide
normative standards of both
direction and expected
impact, which can highlight
deviations from objectives
and performance problems.
SOURCE: Academy of Management Review by M. L. Moore, P. Dutton. Copyright 2005 by ACAD OF MGMT.
Reproduced with permission of ACAD OF MGMT in the format Textbook via Copyright Clearance Center
Organizational Needs Analysis (cont. 2)
Implications
2. Human Resource (Manpower) Where HRD/training is

Inventory needed to fill gaps caused by
retirement, turnover, age, etc.
This provides an important
demographic database
regarding possible scope of
training needs.
Implications
3. Skills Inventory Number of employees in
each skill group, knowledge
and skill levels, training time
per job, etc. This provides an
estimate of the magnitude of
the specific needs for
HRD/training. Useful in cost-
benefit analysis of HRD
projects.
Implications
4. Organizational Climate These “quality of working life”

Indexes indicators at the organization
Labor-Management data level may help focus on
problems that have
HRD/training components
Implications
Attitude surveys Good for locating

discrepancies between
organizational expectations
and perceived results.
Implications
Customer complaints Valuable feedback; look

especially for patterns and
repeat complaints.
Implications
5. Analysis of Efficiency Indexes: Cost accounting concepts

Costs of labor, Costs of materials, may represent ratio between
Quality of product, Equipment actual performance and
utilization, Costs of distribution, desired or standard
Waste, Downtime, Late performance
deliveries, Repairs
Implications
6. Changes in System or New or changed equipment may

Subsystem present HRD or training problem
One of most common
7. Management Requests or techniques of HRD/ training
needs determination.
Management Interrogation
Implications
8. Exit Interviews Often information not

otherwise available can be
obtained in these.
Problem areas and
supervisory training needs
especially.
Implications
9. MBO or Work Planning and Provides performance review,

Review Systems potential review, and long-term
business objectives. Provides
actual performance data on a
recurring basis so that baseline
measurements may be known
and subsequent improvement or
deterioration of performance
can be identified and analyzed.
Questions to Ask during
Organizational Analysis
 Are unspecified goals translatable into
training objectives or criteria?
 Have various levels of participating units
been involved in developing program?
 Are key people ready to accept the
behavior of trainees and to serve as role
models?
Questions to Ask during
Organizational Analysis (cont.)
 Will trainees be rewarded for efforts?
 Is training being used instead of more
appropriate measures such as bonuses,
placards, new equipment, etc?
 Is top management willing to commit
resources?
LEVEL 2
(TASK ANALYSIS)
Task Analysis
Task analysis (sometimes called operations
analysis)
A systematic collection of data about a
specific job or group of jobs to determine what
an employee should be taught to achieve
optimal performance
KSAOs
 Knowledge
 Skills
 Abilities
 Other Characteristics
Includes motivation and attitudes
Steps in Task Analysis
1. Develop an overall job description
2. Identify the task
a. Describe what should be done in the task
b. Describe what is actually done in the task
3. Describe KSAOs needed to perform the job
4. Identify areas that can benefit from training
5. Prioritize areas that can benefit from training
CH-4
Step 1: Job Description
A job description is a narrative statement
of the major activities involved in
performing the job and the conditions
under which these activities are performed
Job Analysis
A systematic study of a job to identify its
major components
• Jobs
• Tasks
• Working conditions
• KSAOs
Step 2: Task Identification
Focuses on the behaviors performed within
the job
CH-4
Table 4-3:
Sources for Task Needs Analysis
Technique for HRD/Training Need Implications
Obtaining Job Data
Job Descriptions Outlines the job in terms of typical
duties and responsibilities but is not
meant to be all-inclusive; helps define
performance discrepancies
Table 4-3: Sources for Task Needs
Analysis (cont. 2)
Technique for HRD/Training Need Implications
Obtaining Job Data
2. Job Specifications • List specified tasks required for each
or Task Analysis job
• More specific than job descriptions
• Specifications may extend to
judgments of knowledge, skills, and
other attributes required of job
incumbents

Chapter 4 Part 1 Need Assessment

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 4 Part 1 Need Assessment

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Werner

Prioritize Define Select

Potential Trap Why This Should Be

1.Organizational Goals and Where HRD or training

2. Human Resource (Manpower) Where HRD/training is

4. Organizational Climate These “quality of working life”

Attitude surveys Good for locating

Customer complaints Valuable feedback; look

5. Analysis of Efficiency Indexes: Cost accounting concepts

6. Changes in System or New or changed equipment may

8. Exit Interviews Often information not

9. MBO or Work Planning and Provides performance review,

You might also like