Needs Assessment in HRD

The first article deals with needs assessment for HRD. HRD needs assessment is an
investigative process whose purpose is to connect an organizations performance
problems or opportunities for performance improvement to specific HRD
interventions. In simple terms it is a systematic process for identifying the gap
between a current level of performance, or what is, and a desired level of
performance, what should be.
What Are Needs?
The term need can be somewhat ambiguous. !hat one person considers a need,
another may consider a want or desire, leading to the terms felt and actual needs.
In some cases, felt needs are actually symptoms of deeper actual needs. "or
e#ample, a group of employees e#presses a felt need for stress management
training. $pon investigation, however, the actual need may be to ameliorate or
eliminate the sources of stress, such as noise, inefficient wor% processes, or
ineffective supervisory practices.
Purpose and Levels of Needs Assessment
& comprehensive needs assessment provides a systematic way to research
performance gaps, which can then provide substance and direction for strategic HRD
planning, including the identification of performance improvement initiatives that are
li%ely to provide the best return on HRD investments. Training needs assessments,
for e#ample, can determine levels of optimal performance and standards for
e#cellence, evidence of individuals actual performance levels, attitudes affecting
performance, and root causes of performance problems.
Steps and Methodologies
'erger provides suggestions for framing the needs assessment process, based on
three elements( organization characteristics, decision)ma%er characteristics, and
analyst characteristics. *umerous needs assessment models e#ist, and include
steps such as the following(
+. Define the goals,ob-ectives of the assessment.
.. Develop an initial plan.
/. 0ain management commitment.
1. Identify the data needed.
2. Identify sources of data.
3. 4elect the most appropriate methodologies for the assessment.
5. 6ollect the data.
7. &nalyze the results.
8. Resolve disagreements in interpretation of the results.
+9. :rioritize the needs.
++. 6ompile and present your findings.
Techni;ues for data collection may include observation, surveys or ;uestionnaires,
one)on)one interviews, phone interviews, focus groups, tests, analysis of e#isting
performance data, -ob and tas% analysis, critical incident surveys, and reviews of
professional literature, conference reports and other benchmar%ing sources.
The Link to valuation
*eeds assessment is the first step of a planned performance improvement cycle.
The results of the needs assessment can be used as the basis for evaluating the
outcomes of the HRD initiative( !ere the needs identified in the needs assessment
satisfied as a result of the HRD initiative< 4ince evaluation fre;uently uncovers new
needs that must be analyzed, the evaluation step often leads bac% to the beginning
of the cycle, and so the cycle continues.
!uidelines
4ome of the guidelines for carrying out an effective needs assessment include(
$se a performance model appropriate to the organization.
4tart as far up in the organization as possible when analyzing performance
issues.
$se a variety of techni;ues for gathering data.
=eep the assessment short but complete.
>iew needs assessment as an investment, not a cost, and mar%et it that way
to management.
'e fle#ible.
6onsider timing.
6onsider the audience when reporting the results.
HRD "#$e%tives
In the second article, 'ates introduces the topic of HRD ob-ectives by noting that the
multidisciplinary and somewhat nebulous nature of the field of HRD implies a wide,
comple# range of ob-ectives and activities. &t the same time, HRD must be fle#ible
enough to meet the needs of a rapidly changing economic and social environment.
How can we visualize and ma%e sense out of this broad scope of ob-ectives<
A &on%eptual 'rame(ork for HRD "#$e%tives
'ates presents a framewor% to help capture and illustrate the dynamic nature of HRD
ob-ectives. He suggests two different %inds of HRD ob-ectives, those related to
change and those related to maintenance. ?ach type of ob-ective encompasses four
levels of ob-ectives( individual, critical performance subsystem, process, and
mission. The framewor% illustrates the interdependent and mutually reinforcing
aspects of HRD ob-ectives. 'y enhancing learning and human potential, we create
high performance wor% systems, which in turn contribute to sustainable human
development. 4ustainable human development is a fundamental ob-ective of HRD
because it ma%es future improvements in learning, human potential and wor% system
performance possible.
)e* Mission+Level HRD "#$e%tives
&ccording to 'ates, two mission)level ob-ectives should guide HRD practice.
The first ob-ective emphasizes HRD as a strategic asset. HRD ob-ectives should
address the long)term performance goals of the organization and help ensure that
those goals are met.
The second mission)level ob-ective is to enhance learning, human potential and high
performance in wor% systems in ways that contribute to sustainable human
development.
These two ob-ectives demonstrate that HRD as a field of practice is concerned not
only with what is, but more importantly, with what should be, and as such, HRD is
a normative endeavor. HRD, because of its uni;ue capabilities, can and should play
a leading role in solving human and organizational problems while also providing
leadership for efforts to develop a sustainable future.
Human Resour%e Development A%tivities
In this article 4ofo discusses HRD activities within three broad functions( training,
development, and education. HRD activities vary by level @individuals, groups,
teams, communities, nations, worldwide organizationsA, function @type of learning
involved from very simple to very comple#A, and timeframe @from a few minutes to
several yearsA. Despite dramatic differences, all HRD activities have at least two
things in common(
+A HRD activities are all directed towards learning and changeB and .A HRD activities
are directed at people, either individuals or groups of different sizes ranging from
small teams to national and even global audiences. HRD activities can be deliberate
or spontaneous.
Ma%hine and %ologi%al Approa%hes
4ofo suggests that most HRD activities can be located on a continuum from what he
describes as a machine approach to an ecological approach. !ithin a more
machine)oriented environment, HRD re;uires clear, well)thought)out processes that
reflect the ideals and needs of senior decision)ma%ers. 6ore training functions are
li%ely to be focused on improving efficiency and effectiveness. HRD tends to be a
centralized function e#pected to %eep s%ill levels and competencies on trac% and
aligned with a pre)determined organizational direction. &t the other end of the
continuum, an ecological approach accepts that individuals, teams, and the
organization as a whole are in constant flu#.
Training for ,ndividual Performan%e ,mprovement and "rgani-ational !ro(th
Training within an organization usually focuses on producing permanent behavior
change that leads to improved performance and organizational success. Training is
designed to improve both performance in the current -ob, and eventual mobility from
one -ob to another one. Crganizations offer training in diverse ways( in classrooms,
on the -ob, through the internet and intranets, through audio)conferencing, via virtual
classroom courses, and so on. ?lectronic formats for instruction continue to
increase. "rom +885 to .999, for e#ample, there was a 82D increase in internet)
based training per year.
T.PS "' NDS
!erner and De4imone @.998A identify two types of needs in organizations.
EDiagnosticF needs are related to the s%ills re;uired to perform tas%s. 0aps in
diagnostic needs re;uire training to improve current performance or attempts to
identify future hindrances to performance. E6omplianceF needs are gaps associated
with meeting federal regulations such as safety or diversity.
L,M,TAT,"NS
& needs analysis is a valuable tool, but human resource departments can encounter
opposition and limitations in performing the analysis. & needs analysis can be
comple#, difficult, and time consuming. Ganagement may ;uestion the value of a
needs analysis since it focuses on data collection rather than action. "inding an
appropriate needs analysis protocol can be difficult and costly if one must be
designed and tested for validity and reliability.
PR,N&,PLS ,N DS,!N,N! HRD S.STM/
There have been many ;ueries regarding the principles of Human Resource
development. Gany a times we get confused between principles and functions of
HRD however there is a clear cut distinction between the two. The main functions of
HRD are Training, :ersonal development, Crganisational development, 6areer
planning and development, 6hange Ganagement. The principles therefore are not
the functions.
'o%us on ena#ling %apa#ilities/ The primary purpose of HRD is to help the
organisation to increase its EenablingF capabilities. These include
development of human resources, development of organizational health,
improvement of problem solving capabilities, development of diagnostic ability
@so that problems can be located ;uic%ly and effectivelyA, and increased
employee productivity and commitment.
0alan%ing adaptation and %hange in the organi-ational %ulture/ &lthough
HRD systems are designed to suit the organizational culture, the role of HRD
may be to modify that culture to increase the effectiveness of the organization

Attention to %onte1tual fa%tors/ !hat is to be included in the HRD systems,

how is it to be sub)divided, what designations and titles will be used, and
similar issues should be settled after consideration of the various conte#tual
factors of the organizationHits culture and tradition, size, technology, levels of
e#isting s%ills, available support for the function, availability of outside help
and so on.
0uilding linkages (ith other fun%tions/ Human resource development
systems should be designed to strengthen other functions in the company
such as long)range corporate planning, budgeting and finance, mar%eting,
production, and other similar functions. These lin%ages are e#tremely
important.
0alan%ing spe%iali-ation and diffusion of the fun%tion/ &lthough HRD
involves specialized functions, line people should be involved in various
aspects of HRD.&ction is the sole responsibility of the line people, and HRD
should strengthen their roles.
nsuring respe%ta#ilit* for the fun%tion/ In many companies, the
personnel function does not have much credibility because it is not perceived
as a ma-or function within the organization
0alan%ing differentiation and integration/ The human resource
development function often includes personnel administration, human
resource development and training, and industrial relations
sta#lishing linkage me%hanisms/ HRD has lin%ages with outside systems
as well as with internal sub)systems. It is wise to establish specific lin%ages to
be used to manage the system. 4tanding committees for various purposes
@with membership from various parts and levels of the organizationA, tas%
groups, and ad hoc committees for specific tas%s are useful mechanisms.
Developing monitoring me%hanisms/ The HRD function is always evolving.
It therefore re;uires systematic monitoring to review the progress and level
of effectiveness of the system and to plan for its ne#t step