CHAPTER 3
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
This chapter covers the needs assessment process, the various levels, approaches, and issues. It
discusses the process used to determine whether training is necessary. Needs assessment includes
analyzing the organization, people, and tasks involved. The participants of needs assessment, and
what each player contributes is also discussed. The chapter thoroughly describes organizational
level analysis, person analysis and task analysis and what each entails. The section on person
analysis is broken down into the factors that influence individual performance and motivation,
including basic skills, abilities and self-efficacy of the individual; inputs; outputs; consequences
or rewards; and feedback. The section on task analysis also goes into detail regarding tasks and
the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform tasks, as well as describing the steps of a
task analysis. Further, the various methods of needs assessment are described, as are their
strengths and weaknesses, giving the reader the information needed to choose an appropriate
method to gather information. Finally, the competency models and the scope of needs
assessment are discussed. Overall, this chapter provides the information needed to develop a
general understanding of the needs assessment process and the factors to consider in collecting
appropriate information and choosing appropriate methods to collect it.
Objectives
1. Discuss the role of organization analysis, person analysis, and task analysis in needs
assessment.
2. Identify different methods used in needs assessment and identify the advantages and
disadvantages of each method.
3. Discuss the concerns of upper- and mid-level managers and trainers in needs assessment.
4. Explain how person characteristics, input, output, consequences, and feedback influence
performance and learning.
5. Create conditions to ensure that employees are receptive to training.
6. Discuss the steps involved in conducting a task analysis.
7. Analyze task analysis data to determine the tasks in which people need to be trained.
8. Explain competency models and the process used to develop them.
I. Introduction
Needs assessment refers to the process of determining learning needs and opportunities and
whether training is necessary. Needs assessment typically involves organizational analysis,
person analysis, and task analysis.
II. Why is Needs Assessment Necessary?
A. If needs assessment, which is the first step in the instructional design process, is not
properly conducted, any one or more of the following situations could occur:
1. Training may be incorrectly used as a solution to a performance problem.
2. Training programs may have the wrong content, objectives, or methods.
3. Trainees may be sent to training programs for which they do not have the basic skills,
prerequisite skills, or confidence needed to learn.
4. Training will not deliver the expected learning, behavior change, or financial results
that the company expects.
5. Money will be spent on training programs that are unnecessary because they are
unrelated to the company’s business strategy.
B. The needs assessment process produces information related to who needs training; what
they need to learn (i.e., what tasks and knowledge, skills, and behaviors to emphasize);
and what the climate is in the company.
C. Pressure points suggest that training is necessary; pressure points include: legislation,
lack of basic skills, poor performance, new technology, customer requests, changes in
customer preference, job redesign, new products, higher performance standards, and new
jobs.
D. Outcomes of the needs assessment process include: what trainees need to learn, who
receives training, the type of training needed, frequency of training, buy versus build
training decision, other options instead of training such as selection or job redesign.
III. Who Should Participate in Needs Assessment?
A. Managers, employees, and trainers should be involved in the needs assessment process.
B. Subject matter experts (SMEs) are employees, academics, managers, technical experts,
trainers, customers, or suppliers who are knowledgeable with regard to
1. Training issues including the tasks to be performed.
2. Knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform tasks effectively.
3. The necessary equipment.
4. Conditions under which tasks will have to be performed.
C. It is also important to get a sample of job incumbents, employees currently performing
the job, involved in the process because they tend to be most knowledgeable about the
job and can be a great hindrance to the training process if they do not feel they have had
input into the needs assessment.
IV. Methods Used in Needs Assessment
A. Various methods may be used to collect information as no one method of conducting
needs assessment is superior to the others.
B. Focus groups are a type of SME interview that involves a face-to-face meeting with
groups of SMEs in which the questions that are asked relate to specific training needs.
C. Benchmarking is often used by companies to determine best practices. This information
is summarized and shared with participating companies.
V. The Needs Assessment Process
Companies need to consider the information from organizational, person, and task analysis
before the decision is made to devote time and money to training.
A. Organizational Analysis
Organizational Analysis focuses on three factors to examine when determining if training
is the appropriate intervention:
1. The company’s strategic direction influences training to the extent that, in companies
where training plays a significant strategic role, more money is invested in training
and the frequency of training will likely be higher than in companies in which
training is done haphazardly or with no strategic intent in mind. The training function
is more likely to be structured as a virtual training organization or a corporate
university.
2. Support of Managers and Peers for Training Activities is critical.
a. A key factor is a positive attitude among peers and managers about participation
in training.
b. Another key factor is managers’ and peers’ willingness to provide information to
trainees about how they can more effectively use knowledge, skill, or behaviors
learned in training on the job and to help create opportunities to use new skills,
knowledge, and behaviors back on the job and to make trainees aware of those.
3. Training resources, including money, time and expertise, need to be identified in the
organizational analysis phase.
a. One way to identify training resources is for companies that have similar
operations or departments located across the country or the world to share
practices.
b. When choosing an external consultant, it is important to consider how customized
the training will be to one’s company.
B. Person Analysis
Person Analysis helps to identify who needs training by examining whether current and
expected performance match.
1. Employees’ readiness for training refers to whether:
a. Employees have the ability, attitudes, beliefs, and motivation to learn program
content and apply it on the job.
b. The work environment will maximize learning and not interfere with
performance.
2. Performance improvement needs are indicated by customer complaints, low
performance ratings, accidents, errors, and unsafe behavior.
3. The process for analyzing the factors that influence employee performance and
learning by way of motivation to learn:
a. Person characteristics include knowledge, skill, abilities, attitudes and motivation
b. Input, or the instructions and resources provided
c. Output, referring to the job’s performance standards
d. Consequences, referring to the incentives employees receive for performing well
e. Feedback or information employees receive while they are performing about their
performance
4. Person characteristics include basic skills, cognitive ability, language skills, and other
traits that employees need to perform their jobs or learn in training and development
programs effectively.
a. Basic skills
They are those that are necessary for employees to perform successfully on the
job as well as learn the content of training programs. A literacy audit can be used
to indicate employees’ basis skill levels.
b. Cognitive ability
It is related to learning and job performance, includes three dimensions:
1) Verbal comprehension, which is an individual’s capacity to understand and
use written and spoken language
2) Quantitative ability which relates to how fast and accurately one solves
mathematical problems
3) Reasoning ability, which is the person’s capacity to create solutions to
problems
c. Reading ability
It is related to job performance and training success such that inadequate reading
ability impedes performance and learning. Training material should be presented
at an appropriate reading level for the trainees.
1) The difficulty of written materials is referred to as readability.
2) Readability can easily be determined by analysis of sentence length and word
difficulty.
3) If reading ability doesn’t match what is needed to comprehend training
materials, it should be determined if on-the-job training or videotape could be
used instead; employees’ reading skills could be assessed and those lacking
the necessary skill could be reassigned to more appropriate positions; or
provide remedial training to those with reading deficiencies.
d. Self-efficacy
It is the employee’s belief that he/she can successfully perform on the job or
master the content of a training program. It can be increased by:
1) Letting employees know that the purpose of the training is to improve
performance rather than reveal incompetencies.
2) Providing as much information as possible about the training program and its
purpose prior to the training.
3) Showing employees the training success of their peers.
4) Making employees aware that learning is under their control and that they
have the ability as well as the responsibility to overcome learning obstacles
they experience.
e. Awareness of training needs, career interests, and goals helps employees be
motivated to learn. The link between training and areas where employees need to
improve should be emphasized.
5. Age and Generation
a. There is biological evidence that certain mental capacities decrease from age
twenty to age seventy.
b. With age comes experience, which can compensate for the loss of memory and
mental quickness.
c. At older ages, memory loss is much greater because mental resources are more
depleted than at earlier ages.
d. Millenniums and Generation Y are optimistic, willing to work and learn, and
technology-literate; they appreciate diversity.
e. Gen Xers need feedback and flexibility; they dislike close supervision.
f. Baby boomers are competitive, hardworking, and concerned that all employees be
fairly treated.
g. Traditionalists are patriotic and loyal, and they have a great deal of knowledge of
the history of organizations and work life.
6. Input
a. Employees’ perceptions of the two characteristics of the work environment—
situational constraints and social support—are determinants of performance and
motivation to learn.
b. Situational constraints include lacking the necessary tools and equipment,
materials and supplies, budgetary support, and time to perform.
c. Social support is the managers’ and peers’ willingness to provide feedback and
reinforcement and to provide opportunities.
d. To ensure that the work environment supports trainees’ motivation to learn:
1) Provide materials, time, information, and work aids necessary for employees
to use new skills before the training begins.
2) Speak positively about the company’s training initiatives to employees.
3) Reinforcement employees’ using new skills, knowledge or behaviors.
4) Provide feedback to encourage work-group members to support each other in
using new skills and behaviors.
5) Provide the time and opportunities to practice and apply new skills and
behaviors.
7. Output
a. Lack of awareness of performance standards may result in substandard
performance.
b. Understanding the need to perform up to standards is important for learning to
occur.
c. To ensure that trainees master training content at the appropriate level, trainees in
training programs need to understand the level of proficiency that is expected of
them.
8. Consequences
a. If employees don’t believe reward or incentives are adequate, they may not be
motivated to perform, even if they have the necessary knowledge, skills, and
abilities.
b. Trainees’ motivation to learn can be enhanced by communicating to them the
potential job-related, personal and career-related benefits of learning.
c. Unmet expectations about training programs will hinder motivation to learn.
d. Work group norms, which are accepted standards of behavior for work-group
members, may encourage employees not to meet performance standards.
9. Feedback
a. Employees need specific, detailed feedback regarding performance.
b. Feedback also needs to be frequent to influence performance.
10. Determining Whether Training Is the Best Solution
a. If employees lack the knowledge and skill to perform and other factors above are
in place, training is likely needed. To determine if training is the best solution,
assess whether:
1) The performance problem is important and could potentially cost the company
significant money or lost production
2) Employees know how to perform effectively
3) Employees can demonstrate the correct knowledge or behavior (i.e., an input
problem)
4) Performance expectations (input) are clear and there are no obstacles to
performing well
5) Positive consequences are offered for good performance, and poor
performance is rewarded
6) Employees are receiving timely, relevant, specific, constructive feedback
about their performance
7) Other solutions, such as job redesign or transferring employees to other jobs,
are feasible or are too expensive
b. If the critical job issue, process issue, and business issue are related, training
should be a top priority because it will have a greater effect on business outcomes
and results and will likely receive greater management support.
C. Task Analysis
Task analysis results in a description of tasks performed on a job as well as the
knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform those tasks.
1. A job is a specific work position involving and requiring the completion of a defined
set of related tasks.
2. A task is a specific work activity that is a component of a job.
3. Certain KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities and other considerations) are required to
perform each task.
a. Knowledge includes facts, figures, and procedures.
b. Skill is the competency to perform a task.
c. Ability refers to the physical and mental capacities required to perform a task.
d. Other considerations include conditions under which tasks are performed, such as
necessary equipment and environmental features, time constraints, safety
considerations, or performance standards.
4. There are four primary steps to a task analysis:
a. A job or clusters of jobs are selected to be analyzed.
b. A preliminary list of tasks performed on the job is developed by interviewing and
observing employees and managers as well as talking with others who have
performed a task analysis.
c. The preliminary list of tasks is validated or confirmed, typically by asking a group
of subject matter experts (SMEs) to indicate:
1) How frequently the task is performed?
2) How much time is spent performing the task?
3) How important or critical the task is for successful job performance?
4) How difficult the task is to master?
5) Whether performance on the task is required of entry-level employees?
d. The knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform each task are
identified via interviews or questionnaires. Training content and prerequisites can
then be determined.
VI. Competency Models
A. A competency refers to areas of personal capability that enable employees to perform
their jobs successfully by achieving outcomes or completing tasks. It can be knowledge,
skills, attitudes, values, or personal characteristics.
B. A competency model identifies the competencies necessary for job performance and the
underlying knowledge, skills, behavior and personality characteristics
C. Ways to understand competency models:
1. By comparing them to job analysis which is the process of developing a description
of the job and the specifications that an employee must have to perform it
2. By considering performance management
D. Competency models are useful for training and development in several ways:
1. They identify behaviors needed for effective job performance.
2. They provide a tool for determining what skills are necessary to meet today’s needs
as well as the company’s future skill needs.
3. They help to determine what skills are needed at different career points.
4. They provide a framework for ongoing coaching and feedback to develop employees
for current and future roles.
5. They create a “road map” for identifying and developing employees who may be
candidates for managerial positions (succession planning).
6. They provide a common set of criteria that are used for identifying appropriate
development training and learning activities for employees, as well as for evaluating
and rewarding them. This helps integrate and align the company’s HR systems and
practices.
VII. Scope of Needs Assessment
A. Time constraints can limit the length and detail obtained from a needs assessment.
B. A rapid needs assessment refers to a needs assessment that is done quickly and
accurately, but without sacrificing the quality of the process or the outcomes; it can be
conducted in several ways.
C. Needs Assessment in Practice
The example of Owens-Corning insulation business illustrates several aspects of the
needs assessment process.
Chapter Summary
The chapter addressed the important needs assessment phase of the training and development
process. A fundamental knowledge of assessing needs, the factors to consider, information to
collect, and means of collecting it is essential. Methods of data collection for assessing needs
were presented, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each. This chapter provided a sound
and thorough discussion of the three levels of analysis, i.e., organizational, person, and task, and
what each entails. It brought to light the various players in needs assessment and the role of each.
Competency models and the steps to develop them were described. Finally, the concept of rapid
needs assessment was discussed.