Figure 5-2.
managers. In those instances, you need to concentrate on the su- pervisors and managers giving it the low ratings.
Next make a separate list of employees mentioned in response to question two of Figure 5-1. These are employees who may re- quire training in order to perform their current jobs as they should.
Just as you investigated differing perceptions regarding de- partment performance, you will need to investigate to determine why different supervisors and managers are rating their satisfac- tion with a course differently. The answer could be that the course has application to the needs of some departments but not all.
Other times it may be that some departments are currently using the course, but others are not.
You now have your two primary lists of possible training needs. One concerns current training courses and one covers cur- rent employee needs. You should then combine responses to questions three and four.
In question three of Figure 5-1, responses are in order of impor- tance, so in combining them indicate their various rankings. For example, let’s assume three supervisors listed report writing as a need course. One listed it first. One supervisor listed it second, and one listed it fifth. You can write those rankings after the course subject. That tells you how many supervisors mentioned it and how important it was to each.
Question four responses have to do with courses required dur- ing the next year. Here you want to identify how many times the same or similar course was mentioned. Finally, list any training mentioned to assist employees in obtaining other positions or meeting career objectives.
Question five asks for additional areas in which training can assist operating departments. List any suggestions indicating the number of times each was mentioned.
You now have four lists:
❐ Existing courses rated one by at least one supervisor or manager
❐ Employees who require assistance to close performance gaps
❐ Additionally required courses and their importance
❐ Any additional areas in which training can be of assistance You next need to prioritize the lists for action. There is no sin- gle set of rules to establish priorities, but generally you should rank the training courses rated one and the employees who need assistance with current job performance as the first priority. (The training courses attended by the largest number of employees should be considered first. Next, rank the additionally required courses. And, finally, rank the courses required during the next year.)
The last two lists you need to make concern employees who need development assistance and any additional areas in which training can be of assistance to the various departments.
The appropriate supervisors and managers can consider these lists. For example, when you contact a supervisor regarding a one rating given to an existing course, you can also raise questions about another of the supervisor’s responses.
Additional Information
So you now have a list of priorities for action. Sometimes, you will have all the information required to conduct a training needs analysis, but in most cases you will need further information. You need to know things such as:
❐ Why a current training course was rated a one (i.e., a not satisfied rating)
❐ What specific performance gap an employee has
❐ What additional training courses are required and by when Why a Current Training Course Was Rated a One
To determine whether this is a training course no longer needed or one that requires revision, you need to know:
❐ What is the basis for the rating as one?
❐ How often is the course used?
❐ Is the course required for employees?
❐ What could be done to make the course meet employee and department needs?
❐ Have the needs changed?
❐ Has the subject matter changed?
What Specific Performance Gap an Employee Has Here you need information about an individual employee:
❐ What is the specific gap?
❐ What appears to be causing the gap?
❐ Has there been a change in the employee’s performance?
❐ Has the employee’s job changed?
What Additional Training Courses Are Required and by When To obtain the information required for additional and future train- ing courses, you should find out:
❐ What is the subject?
❐ By when is the course required?
❐ How many employees will require training?
Methods for Obtaining Additional Information
When you need additional information regarding employee per- formance gaps you generally have only the supervisor or the su- pervisor and employee to query. In both cases an interview is the typical approach. To get additional information for possible orga- nizational training the interview is just one approach.
When there are only one or two supervisors or managers from whom to obtain additional information, an interview with each may be the quickest and simplest approach. Interviews are also best for obtaining extra information regarding individual em- ployee training needs. Where there are more than one or two su- pervisors and managers to contact, other methods such as follow- up questionnaires and group meeting are usually more efficient.
Questionnaires are useful when the population is in several lo- cations and/or the information needed is straightforward. If the
supervisors and managers are at the same locations and/or there may be disagreement among them, then a meeting may be more suitable.
Later chapters describe in detail how to prepare for and con- duct interviews, questionnaires, and meetings. However, here are some brief ideas for using these methods to obtain additional in- formation.
The Questionnaire
A simple questionnaire is best, and direct questions are most ef- fective. Also, you should keep in mind that the resulting responses have to be somehow combined, so a structured response scale or objective responses are easiest for that purpose. However, the subject may not always lend itself to such approaches.
Assume you received several reviews that indicated dissatis- faction with a customer service training course. However, there were also a few managers who indicated they were satisfied with the same course. Here you want to discover:
❐ What is the basis for the dissatisfaction?
❐ Why are there differences?
❐ Is the course being used and, if so, when and for whom?
❐ What needs to be done to improve the course?
Figure 5-3 illustrates such a questionnaire. You can see how the questions have been structured to produce responses rela- tively easy to combine and provide a way for a respondant to pro- vide any additional information.
The Interview
To be successful, an interview should be planned and the areas to question identified. You do not want to approach someone by say- ing, ‘‘Why are you dissatisfied with training?’’ That type of ap- proach will probably be perceived as threatening. You are demanding justification of an opinion. Instead, your objective should be to obtain whatever additional information you need to determine whether or not an area needs an identification of train- ing needs.
Figure 5-3.