016007
Subject
Lecturer: Geoff Riordan
Paper 1- Training Needs Analysis
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Training Needs Analysis- Plan a
training needs analysis based on the Delicious Cakes Inc Case study.
Before the restructuring of the two departments, only the leading hands
had full knowledge and experience of all the job activities in their own
department, the operators in each might know part of the job activities in
their own department, and both the operators and leading hands had no ideas
about the other department.
But after the restructuring, members of both departments are under the
same roof and there is no distinction between the secondary process department
and the packaging department. All the operators in the new system have to know
all the job activities of the newly-formed department.
It is required to develop in-house training packages to broaden the skill
base of all the operators involved after the two departments combined, hence it
is obvious that there is a need for all operators to meet certain skill level
for all job functions for both departments.
Obviously, a reform in structure expects a higher productivity as well as
other valued outcomes. (Paul, 1998; Kilmann, 1986) However, the operators can
only perform several job functions in either one of the departments, with a
lack of essential skills and knowledges of the new job tasks, performance
discrepancies between the actual performance and the expected performance
exists.
Job activities of either department is definitely new to the operators of
the other department, it is obvious that they would fail to meet the
performance standard of such job activities, this would result a decrease in
productivity, fail to meet production schedule, and increase in the scarp rate
or increase in wastage of resources.
Some symptoms might be found to prove such discrepancies, for examples a
decrease in efficiency, lower productivity for each shift, more wastage of
resource.
Particularly when there is a lack of systematic formal training in their
traditions.
Training is presumably a way out this situation, however, unnecessary
training itself is also a waste of resource. Thus other non-training
alternatives and non-behaviour influences should also be considered in order to
maximum the effect of training and to improve the overall result. (Elwood et
al, 2000)
The major cause of the overall performance problem might be the
traditional informal learning, trial-and-error learning experience is a
by-chance learning and would produce unnecessary mistake and hence result in
waste of resources.
For the performance problem caused by the new challenges, improving
essential and crucial skills and knowledges of individuals is a way to enhance
job performance. Instead of the existing informal learning like
trial-and-error, observe how the senior operators work, on-the-job learning
experience, formal training is needed to offer systematic way of learning.
Informal learning experience can be a way to practice and apply what the
operators had learned, and they can gain continual improvement by accumulating
experience. (Carla, 2003)
Thus training solution is necessary not only because of the request by the
training manager, but also a fact that operators really need training. However
the training effect could be offset by the other non-training or non-behaviour
causes, if they have not been considered.
One of the possible reasons for they did not offer formal training is the
high percentage of non-English native people. Sometime it is difficult to offer
formal training using only English as the primary medium of instruction.
Therefore, before any training provided, there is also a need to reduce
misunderstand or miscommunicate between different races.
Other non-training alternatives like improving the communication between
leading hands as well as the supervisor of both departments and make sure they
understand their new job tasks, minimize the gender discrimination among the
employees can also help to maximum the effect of formal training.
identifying the focus of the
need
Because of the completely new task to the existing operators, training is
intended to bring individuals up to a particular level of performance, and this
should be the focus of the training. (Paul et al, 1998)
First of all, top management and middle-level management should have to be
trained to encounter a full knowledge of the whole newly-formed department.
(Paul et al, 1998) It seems that there is little change for the line manager
under the restructure, however, he has the responsibility to oversee the smooth
running of both departments, the restructure would also bring along a re-allocation
of resources, there is also a need for them to strengthen their understanding
of the new structure of the department. Some managerial training should be done
in order to make him capable of assisting the transformation.
For the supervisor, although they already have good knowledge of both
departments, based on their experience and expertise they help to decide what
and how to do would be the most beneficial to all under the new condition. This
is particularly important for on-the-job activities. (Brian et al, 2001)
A focus should also be placed on the operators. Being the frontiers, the
operators are expected to be capable of doing all of the jobs of both
departments. For those who are competent in all work activities, there will be
a wage increase. Making sure they could meet a certain level of performance is
necessary under a new system when the operators are facing completely new
tasks.
To make the needs analysis, information
collection from different sources is needed. And it involves “whom to ask” and
“how to ask”. Obviously, information from as many information sources as
possible is preferred. However, the feasibility of collecting from all sources
is questionable. Therefore, relevance between to information sources and
different questions should be identified.
In most cases, the subject matter experts
and managers are the most prior source because they are supposed to be having
the best knowledge of the situation. They should be able to answer the
questions such as the cause of discrepancies, the benefit of training and the
consequence of not training or having improper training, how to train and who
should be trained.
Supervisors know the nature of the two
departments and the interaction between them as well, therefore, they can help
determining the optimal performance, actual performance, the expected
performance level, and the way to reduce gap between these under the
restructured department. Also they could help to determine the criterion of a
competent worker.
The leading hands were the most
experienced ones and were acted as mentors, they can answer questions about the
performance level before and after the restructure. And also help to determine
what is crucial and essential for performing different job activities.
The operators can reveal their weaknesses
in performing different tasks, and their preferred way of training. Sometimes,
it is important to fit in the expected way of training as this would increase
the learning motivation. (Gayle et al, 1990)
Information can be collected through
different ways but there might be difficulties in carrying out them according
to Paul et al (1998), Chase (1998), Phillips (1999).
Written documents like the tentative
agreement of restructuring of two departments, and other strategic plan or
business plan can help to embed the organizational goal in the training
program. But it does not suggest any “true need”.
Open discussions among the managerial and
supervisory level, personal interviews with supervisors and leading hands are
highly interactive and help to generate a high level of input from the
interviewees, but it is too time consuming and make it impossible and
impractical to involve all employees.
Benchmark tests or skill tests can be
applied to leading hands and operators, work samples from the frontier can be
examined, these offer physical and objective standard of the existing
performance level. However it is useless for the skills or job activities are
not providing physical results which cannot be measured or difficult to be
measured.
Questionnaire can be delivered to all
(from line manager to operators), it is easy and cost-effective, and can be
carried out in a large scale. But particular attention should be paid to
questionnaire design for fear that those non-English native speakers might not
fully understand and give fault response. Also, ranking or rating questions can
encourage response rate but it limits the inputs from participants.
Casual daily conversation and observation
are informal ways to collect large volume of data but it is rather subjective
and unorganized, and thus difficult to examine.
There are methods to conduct the needs
analysis. But for a department undergoes restructuring, develop a framework to
include all training and non-training factors, behaviour and non-behaviour can
help to determine whether training is urgently needed, to answer the why, whom,
what, how components of the training course. Particular attention should be
paid to the potential problem reported, that whether gender and race would bias
the analysis when identifying the symptoms and relevant causes, collecting
information from different sources. Training needs analysis (TNA) is the
beginning of the training, may there be other discoveries out of the
expectation of the TNA during the training, flexibility to response and
opportunities to modify can help continuous improvement.
Finison, K., & Szedlak F. 1999,
“General Motors does a needs analysis”, ASTD Trainers Toolkit: Still More Needs
Assessment Instruments, American Society for Training and Development,
Alexandra, Virginia, pp. 211-212
Holton, E.F., Bates, R.A. & Naquin,
S.S. 2000, “Large-Scale Performance-Driven Training Needs Assessment”, Public
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Repka, M., Lopez, Z & Silva, G. 2001, “Quality Training: Needs and
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12, no. 4, pp. 483-490
Chase, N. 1998, “Is Training
the Best Medicine?”, Quality, vol. 37, no. 1, viewed 14th July,
2006,
<http://orac.lib.uts.edu.au/search/jquality/jquality/1,9,9,B/1856&F=jquality&1,1,,1,0>
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& Binning, J.F. 1998, “A New Integrated Framework for Training”, Human
Resource Management Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 29-50
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Assessment and Analysis”, HRD Trends Worldwide: Shared Solutions to Compete in
a Global Economy, Gulf, Texas, pp. 33-49
Gayle V. Davidson, Patricia L.
Smith, 1990, “Instructional Design Considerations for learning strategies
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227-243
Kilmann, R. H., Saxton, M. J.,
& Serpa, R. 1986. ‘Issues in understanding and changing culture’.
California Management Review, Vol 28, p.87-94
Carla Joinson, 2003, ‘Metrics
That Matter’, Employment Management Today, Vol. 8, No. 4
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