HRD Needs Assessment Chapter 4 5/2/2020 HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 1

Why Do Needs Assessment?

Question: Why is needs assessment information critical to the development and delivery of an effective HRD program?

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Needs Assessment       Figuring out what is really needed.

Not always an easy task.

Needs lots of input.

Takes a lot of work.

“Do it now or do lots more later.” First step in both the ISD and HRD Process Models.

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Instructional System Design (ISD) Model Analyze Design Develop Produce Pilot Evaluate Deliver Improve HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 5/2/2020 4

Comparing the HRD Process Model to the ISD Model HRD Process Model     5/2/2020 Assess Design Implement Evaluate ISD Model  Analyze need   Design training Develop     Produce pilot Evaluate pilot Deliver training Improve HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 5

What is a “Need?”   A discrepancy between expectations and performance.

Not only “performance” needs involved.

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Various Types of Needs     Performance Democratic  Need for employee involvement in selection of options.

Analytic  Identify new or better ways to do things.

Compliance  Mandated by law or regulation.

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Traps in Needs Assessment - 1   Focusing only on individual performance deficiencies.

 Doesn’t fix group of systemic problems.

Starting with a “Training Needs Assessment”  If you know training is needed, why waste everyone’s time?

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Traps in Needs Assessment - 2    Using Questionnaires  Hard to control input, often high developmental costs, hard to write properly.

Using soft data (opinions) only  Need performance and consequence data.

Using hard data only  Easily measured data is provided, but critical, hard-to-measure data is missing.

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Levels of Assessment    Organization  Where is training needed and under what conditions?

Task  What must be done to perform the job effectively?

Person  Who should be trained and how?

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Strategic/Organizational Analysis   A broad, “systems” view is needed.

Need to identify:     Organizational goals Organizational resources Organizational climate Environmental constraints HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 5/2/2020 11

Why Strategic Assessment is Needed     Ties HRD programs to corporate or organizational goals.

Strengthens the link between profit and HRD actions.

Strengthens corporate support for HRD.

Makes HRD more of a revenue generator.

 Not a profit waster.

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Sources of Strategic Information        Mission statement HRM inventory Skills inventory Quality of Life indicators Efficiency indexes System changes Exit interviews 5/2/2020 HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 13

Task Analysis   The collection of data about a specific job or group of jobs.

What employee needs to know to perform a job or jobs.

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How to Collect Information For a Task Analysis        Job descriptions Task analysis Performance standards Perform job Observe job Ask questions Analysis of problems 5/2/2020 HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 15

A Sample Task Analysis Process      Develop job description Identify job tasks  What should be done  What is actually done Describe KSAOs needed Identify potential training areas Prioritize potential training areas HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 5/2/2020 16

A Task Analysis Application Question: You have been asked to perform a task analysis for the job of dispatcher in a city police department. Which method(s) of task analysis do you think are most appropriate for analyzing this job?

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Person Analysis     Determines training needs for specific individuals.

Based on many sources of data.

Summary Analysis  Determine overall success of the individual.

Diagnostic Analysis  Discover reasons for performance.

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Performance Appraisal      Relied on heavily in person analysis.

Hard to do.

Vital to company and individual.

Should be VERY confidential.

Based too often on personal opinion.

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Performance Appraisal Process      Determine basis for appraisal.

 Job description, MBO Objectives, job standards, etc.

Conduct the appraisal.

Determine discrepancies between the standard and performance.

Identify source(s) of discrepancies.

Select ways to resolve discrepancies.

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Prioritizing HRD Needs     There are never enough resources available.

Must prioritize efforts.

Need full organizational involvement in this process.

Involve an HRD Advisory Committee.

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Warning!!

   HRD cannot become a slow-acting bureaucracy!!

 “The Attack on ISD” article HRD must respond to corporate needs.

HRD should be focused on “performance improvement,” and not just “training.” HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty 5/2/2020 22

Summary  Why is needs assessment so often performed in many organizations?

not  Why should organizations care about needs assessment?

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