Assessing HRD
Chapter 4
1
Why Do Needs Assessment?
Question:
Why is needs assessment information
critical to the development and
delivery of an effective HRD program?
2
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”
3
Product Development Model
(PDM)
Analyze
Design
Develop
Produce Pilot
Evaluate
Deliver
By permission: Doty, W.B. (1997) Product Development
Improve
4
The HRD Process:
5
Comparing the HRD Process
Model to the PDM/ISD Model
HRD Process Model
Assess
Design
Implement
Evaluate
PDM Model
Analyze need
Design training
Develop
Produce pilot
Evaluate pilot
Deliver training
Improve
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What is a “Need?”
A discrepancy between expectations
and performance
Not only “performance” needs involved
7
Various Types of Needs
Performance
Diagnostic

Factors that can prevent problems from
occurring (see p. 130)
Analytic

Identify new or better ways to do things
Compliance

Mandated by law or regulation
8
Traps in Needs Assessment
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
10
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?
11
Strategic/Organizational
Analysis
A broad, “systems” view is needed
Need to identify:

Organizational goals

Organizational resources

Organizational climate

Environmental constraints
12
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
13
Sources of Strategic
Information
Mission statement
HRM inventory
Skills inventory
Quality of Working Life indicators
Efficiency indexes
System changes
Exit interviews
14
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
15
How to Collect Information
For a Task Analysis
Job descriptions
Task analysis
Performance standards
Perform job
Observe job
Ask questions
Analysis of problems
16
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
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Task Identification Methods:
Stimulus-response-feedback
Time Sampling
Critical Incident Technique
Job Inventories
Job-duty-task Method
18
Task Analysis for HRD Position
Job title: HRD Professional
Specific duty: Task Analysis
Tasks
Knowledge and Skills Required
1. List tasks
Subtasks
1. Observe behavior
List four characteristics of behavior
Classify behavior
2. Select verb
Knowledge of action verbs
Grammatical skills
3. Record behavior
State so understood by others
Record neatly
2. List subtasks
1. Observe behavior
List all remaining acts
Classify behavior
2. Select verb
State correctly
Grammatical skills
3. List
knowledge
3. Record behavior
Neat and understood by others
1. State what must be known
Classify all information
2. Determine complexity of
skill
Determine if a skill represents a series of
acts that must be learned in a sequence
SOURCE: From G. E. Mills, R. W. Pace, & B. D. Peterson (1988). Analysis in human resource training and organizational development (p. 57). Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley. Reprinted by permission.
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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
20
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
21
The Employee Appraisal
Process
22
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!!
HRD must respond to corporate needs
HRD should be focused on
“performance improvement,” and not
just “training”
25
Summary
Why is needs assessment so often not
performed in many organizations?
Why should organizations care about
needs assessment?
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