Chapter 2
Training Needs Assessment
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Chapter Objectives
• After finishing this chapter, all students will be
able:
1. Identify why is Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
necessary?
2. Explain the methods used in TNA
3. Describe the TNA process
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Introduction
• Needs Assessment
– Refers to the process used to determine whether
training is necessary.
– Training needs assessment is an ongoing process
of gathering data to determine what training
needs exist so training can be developed to help
the organization accomplish its objectives.
– Conducting needs assessment is fundamental to
the success of a training program.
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Introduction (Cont’d)
• Needs Assessment
– Organizational analysis
• The company’s business strategy
• Its resources available for training
– Personal analysis
• Lack of knowledge, skill, or ability or from a
motivational or work-design problem.
• Who need training
• Determining employees’ readiness for training.
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Introduction (Cont’d)
• Needs Assessment
– Task analysis
• Identifying the important tasks or duties
• Knowledge, skills and behaviors that need to be
emphasized in training for employees to compete their
tasks or duties.
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Necessary of TNA
• Needs assessment is the first step in the
instructional design process, and if it is not
properly conducted any one more of the
following situations could occur:
– Training may be incorrectly used as a solution to a
performance problem.
– Training programs may have the wrong content,
objectives, or methods.
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Necessary of TNA (Cont’d)
• Needs assessment is the first step in the
instructional design process, and if it is not
properly conducted any one more of the
following situations could occur:
– Trainees may be sent to training programs for what
they don’t have the basic skills, or confidence needed
to learn.
– Training will not deliver the expected learning
– Money will be spent on training programs that are
unnecessary.
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Methods Used in TNA
• Interviews
– An interview is a verbal interaction between
individuals.
– During the interview prospective trainees are
asked about their knowledge and skills.
– The interview can take place in person or via
telephone.
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Methods Used in TNA (Cont’d)
• Observation
– An observation allows the trainer to watch the
prospective trainee perform a task.
– From these observations, the trainer assesses the
skills and knowledge that need to be strengthened.
• Questionnaires
– A questionnaire is a written or printed set of questions
used to gather information.
– Questionnaires may be mailed or delivered to the
prospective trainee.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
• Organizational Analysis
– Company’s strategic direction
• In companies in which training is expected to
contribute to the achievement of business strategies
and goals, and the amount of money allocated to
training.
• Frequency of training will likely be higher than in
companies in which training is done with no strategic
intent in mind.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Organizational Analysis
– Training resources
• It is necessary to identify whether the company has the
budget, time, and expertise for training.
• Choosing a vendor or consultant: if a company decide
to purchase a training program from a consultant or
vendor rather than build the program in-house, it is
important to choose a high-quality provider.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Personal Analysis
– Person analysis helps to identify employees who
need training, that is, whether employees’ current
performance or expected performance indicates a
need for training.
– The need for training may result from the pressure
points, including performance problems, changes
in the job, or use of new technology.
– Person analysis also helps determining employees’
readiness for training.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Personal Analysis
– Process for personal analysis
• Personal characteristics
– Basic skills
» Cognitive ability—includes three dimensions: verbal ,
quantitative ability, and reasoning ability.
» Reading level—involves analysis of sentence length and
word difficulty.
» Writing ability
– Self-efficacy—employee’s belief that they can successfully
perform their job or learn the content of the training program.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Personal Analysis
– Process for personal analysis
• Input
– Situation constraint—include lack of proper tools and
equipment, materials, and supplies, budgetary support, and
time.
– Social support—refers to managers’ and peer’s willingness to
provide feedback and reinforcement.
– If employees ha e the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and
behavior needed to perform but don’t have the proper tools
and equipment needed, their performance will be
inadequate.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Personal Analysis
– Process for personal analysis
• Output
– Poor can occur on the job because employees don’t know at
what level they are expected to perform.
– Employees may have the knowledge, skill, and attitude
necessary to perform and yet fail to perform because they are
not aware of the performance standard.
– Lack of awareness of the performance standard is a
communication s problem, but it not a problem that training
can “fix”.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Personal Analysis
– Process for personal analysis
• Consequences
– If employees don’t believe that rewards or incentives for
performance are adequate, they will be unlikely to meet
performance standards even if they have the necessary
knowledge, behavior, skill or attitude.
• Feedback
– Performance problems can result when employees don’t
receive feedback regarding the extent to which they are
meeting performance standards . Training may not be the best
solution to this type of problem.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Task Analysis
– Task analysis result in a description of work
activities, including tasks performance by the
employee and the knowledge, skills, and abilities
required to complete the tasks.
• A job is a specific position in an organization.
• A task is the employee’s work activity in specific job.
– To complete tasks, employees must have specific
levels of knowledge, skill, ability and others
(KSAs).
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Task Analysis
– Knowledge—factual or procedural information
necessary for successfully performing a task.
– Skill—indicates competency in performing a task,
(negotiation skill, for example).
– Ability—includes physical and mental capacities
to performance.
– Others—job-related licensing, certifications, or
personality traits.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Task Analysis
– Steps in task analysis
1. Select the jobs to be analyzed.
2. Select methods to analysis
3. Analysis on
– Tasks, duties, and responsibility
– Once the tasks have been identified, it is important to identify
the knowledge, skills or abilities necessary to successfully
perform each task.
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Training Needs Assessment Process
(Cont’d)
• Task Analysis
– Steps in task analysis
• Methods to analysis of task
Observation—observes the individual performing
the job and takes notes to describe the tasks and
duties performed.
Interviewing—employees and managers must be
interviewed to obtain complete details on the job.
Questionnaires—assumes that employees can
accurately analyze and communicate information
about their jobs.
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