Identifying Training Needs

Identification of training needs must contain three types of analyses – organizational analysis, operations analysis, and man analysis.

Organizational analysis centers primarily upon the determination of the organization’s goals. Its resources, and the allocation of the resources as they relate to the organizational goals. The analysis of the organizational goals establishes the framework in which, training needs can be defined more clearly.

Operations analysis focuses on the task or job regardless of the employee doing the job. This analysis includes the determination of the worker must do – the specific worker behaviour required – if the job is to be performed effectively.

Man analysis reviews the knowledge, attitudes and skills of the incumbent in each position and determines what knowledge, attitudes or skills he must acquire and what alterations in his behaviours he must make if he is to contribute satisfactory to the attainment of organizational objectives.

Will Berlines and William McLarney say that discovering training needs involves five tasks:

(a)   Task Description Analysis

1. List the duties and responsibilities or tasks of the job under consideration, using the Job Description as a guide.
2. List the standards of work performance on the job.

(b)   Determining Training Needs

1. Compare actual performance against the standards.
2. Determine what parts of the job are giving the employees trouble – where is he falling down in his performance?
3. Determine what kind of training is needed to overcome the specific difficulty or difficulties.
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THE TRAINING NEEDS BEEN IDENTIFIED TO SOLVE THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS AS FOLLOWS:

(i)     Identifying Specific Problems: Such problems are: productivity, high costs, poor material control, poor quality, excessive scrap and waste, excessive labor-management troubles, excessive grievances, excessive violation of rules of conduct, poor discipline, high employee turnover and transfers, excessive absenteeism, accidents, excessive fatigue, fumbling discouragement, struggling with the job; standards of work performance not being met, bottlenecks in production, deadlines not being met, and delayed production. Problems like these suggest that training may be necessary. For this the task the workers should be closely observed and the difficulties found out.

(ii)   Anticipating Impending and Future Problems: bearing on the expansion of business, the introduction of new products, new services, new designs, new plant, new technology and of organizational changes concerned with manpower inventory present and future needs.

(iii) Management Requests: the supervisors and managers make specific request for setting training programmes, though this method is simple and a correct evaluation of the employees performance deficiencies can be made, but often such recommendations maybe built on faulty assumptions; and requests may not coincide with each other or organizational goals.

(iv) Interviewing and Observing the Personnel on the Job: Inter viewing personnel and direct questioning and observation of the employee by his superiors may also reveal training needs.

(v)   Performance Appraisal: An analysis of the past performance records of the perspective trainee and comparing his actual performance with the target performance may provide clues to specific interpersonal skills that may need development.

(vi) Questionnaires: Questionnaires may be used for eliciting opinions of the employees on topics like communication, satisfaction, job characteristics, their attitude towards working conditions, pay, promotion policies tec. These will reveal much information about where an employee’s skills and know-ledge are deficient.

(vii)                       Checklist: The use of checklist is a useful supplement to interviews and observations. Through it, more reliable information can be obtained and the data got are quantifiable. This facilities evaluation the training programme’s effectiveness.

(viii)                     Morale and attitude Surveys: An occasional personnel may be conducted to forecast future promotions, skill requirements, and merit rating, to initiate informal discussions and an examination of records and statistics regarding personnel, production, cost, rejects and wastages. All these generally reveal the potential problems to be tackled through training programmes.

(ix) In addition, tests of the interpersonal skills through handling of posed cases and incidents, may also reveal training needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. Sequence of Training Programme