Training Needs Analysis
Introduction
Today, any given organization is required to prepare the training plan on the basis of the training needs of the organization. The organization is required to prepare the employees for the future so that they can overcome the challenges of the future and accordingly achieve the objectives of the organization. The Human Resource (HR) Department of the organization is thereby, responsible for preparing the training plan for the employees of the organization (David, 2011). They need to assess the technical and managerial needs of the training and accordingly design the plan so that the learning outcomes and the objectives of the training can be achieved in a given organization.
This report will provide a research objective regarding carrying out the training needs analysis in the organization. It will first of all define the research question. It will then include the literature review that will provide discussion on a given research question and research objective.
The report will then discuss the research philosophy and will provide discussion on why a particular approach of research was chosen. It will then include a questionnaire and will analyse the results on a given research objective. The thesis of this paper will thus focus upon training needs analysis in the organization and will provide appropriate recommendations at the end to properly implement the training plan.
Research Question and Research Objective
The research question for this paper will be: Does carrying out training needs analysis assist in improvising the overall training program for the employees of the organization?
The research objective is to find out how training plan will help in improving the skills and abilities of the employees in the organization. However, it is important to determine whether carrying out training needs analysis will assist in finding out the actual requirements of these skills and abilities. The research objective will be focused in this direction so that appropriate steps can be taken for designing the training plan for a given organization.
Literature Review
Several researches have concluded that, training does help the employees to improve upon their efficiency and effectiveness in a given organization (DuBrin, 2013). An employee who has been working inside the organization is required to update his knowledge and skills so that he can remain competitive with the constantly changing environment (Griffin & Moorhead, 2014). In addition, he needs to update himself so that he can fulfil the technical requirements of the organization. He needs to work on the assigned tasks and complete them from time to time.
However, it might happen that, with the change in the responsibilities and with the change in the working environment, the employees need to be trained on different modules related to a given project. They might also be required to be trained on specific software applications, software tools and managerial techniques so that they can perform as per the requirements of the project.
The employees need to perform as per the changing requirements of the project, and for this purpose, they need to get equipped with new skills and new techniques (Kouzes& Posner, 2008). For this purpose, the organization needs to organize training sessions for the employees so that they get trained on the required modules of the project. It will further help them to complete the new tasks within the given timeframe.
Researchers have also discovered that, carrying out training needs analysis helps in determining the exact the training needs of the employees (Kouzes& Posner, 2008). It will help in determining what training should be provides to each of the different employees of the organization. Researchers have pin-pointed out that, different employees will have different training needs and hence, it is important for the HR team to categorize the employees on the basis of training needs.
Special groups can be formed so that training can be provided to the employees as per their requirements. It is important to upgrade their skills and abilities in the right direction and as per the requirements of the project so that the objectives of organizing training sessions can be achieved. One needs to identify the skills gap for each of the employee, provide accordingly inputs in the training needs sheet and then judge the training plan for him or her. It will ensure designing an appropriate training plan for the given employee.
Research Philosophy and Research approach
Opting for Part-A
There is a survey carried out amongst the employees to determine what their exact training needs are. Further, they will be asked regarding whether undergoing the training sessions has helped in improving their skills and abilities as it were mentioned in the training needs analysis. The questions that were asked for this purpose included the following:
What are the specific training needs that will help in improving your productivity as well as will help in meeting the objectives for the organization?
Do you think the preparation of the training needs analysis sheet helps in improving the skills in the right direction?
Is the training plan prepared as per your training needs? Does it include all the parameters that you mentioned in the training needs analysis sheet?
How is your performance after undergoing the training session? Has it improved?
Do you think training needs analysis should be deployed each time you undergo a training session?
This survey will help in establishing a link between the training needs analysis and the preparation of the training plan. The HR Department needs to take the responses of these employees on a serious note, and accordingly need to prepare the training plan (Collard, 2007). The ultimate objective of installing the required skills and abilities in the employee's skill-set should be achieved through this survey.
The research philosophy applied here includes deductive approach, since on the basis of results deduced the training plan will be designed by the HR team of a given organization. The usage of survey is important since it will help in knowing the responses and reaction of the employees of the organization. By taking other approaches the HR Team will not be able to deduce the exact requirements of the training and hence, will fail to meet the training needs of the employees of a given organization (Deardorff, 2009).
Include and evaluate the purpose of at two non-trivial questions
Two non-trivial questions are required with a view to prove the statistical significance of the responses obtained from the survey. The questions can be directly asked to the employees through face-to-face discussion. These questions include:
How does the objective of training needs analysis help in fulfilling the requirements of the new project and the new changed environment?
What steps can be taken by the employees to improve their training sessions and training program?
There is a need to know the views of the employees as well since they will be able to know in a better way about their training needs and requirements. They can discuss the same with their respective managers and the HR team. They can even provide their views on improving their training sessions and training program to the HR team, so that the HR department can take the further steps accordingly (Nystrom &Viveca, (2013).
Analyse the results
The pilot study comprised the sample size of 10 employees. On the basis of questions provided in the questionnaire, it was found that all the training requirements that would help the employees to improve their productivity were divided into two basic categories, which were technical and managerial. It was necessary for the employees to learn the managerial aspects as well so that they can perform better on a given job and that too within stipulated time.
Further, out of 10, seven employees mentioned that, the preparation of the training needs analysis was helping them in improving their respective skills in the right direction. However, 9 out of 10 agreed on the fact that, the training plan was prepared as per their individual training needs. It included the parameters that they mentioned in the training needs analysis sheet.
It was interesting to know that, the performance of the employees improved significantly after undergoing the training session. They did not only improve their skills but also updated their knowledge on their existing skills and abilities. The training program thereby turned successful for them.
However, there was an opinion amongst few employees that they wanted certain specific skills which were not provided to them. However, they were trained on the skill-set which was also needed for their respective job roles. Finally, all the employees agreed on the fact that, the training needs analysis should be implemented for every training program and session in the organization.
Conclusion
Training is an important part of the employee’s development and growth in any of the organization. Hence, the HR team needs to ensure that, they organize the training program on the basis of training needs analysis carried out for each of the employees of the organization. It will ensure in improving and enhancing the skills and abilities of the employees as per their training and responsibilities needs in a given working environment (Porter& Kramer, 2011). The training program should be deployed on a constant basis so that the knowledge and skills of the employees can be upgraded regularly.
References:
David, R., 2011. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. Francis Marion University.
DuBrin, A. J., 2013. Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills. Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning.
Griffin, R. W., and Moorhead, G., 2014. Organizational behaviour: managing people and organizations. Mason, OH, South-Western: Cengage Learning.
Kouzes, J. M., and Posner, B. Z., 2008. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Nystrom, C. A., and Viveca, A., 2013. Virtual teams - support for technical communication? Journal of Organizational Transformation and Social Change, 10(1), pp. 64-80.
Porter, M. E., and Kramer, M. R., 2011. Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1), pp. 62-77.
Collard, J., 2007. Constructing Theory for Leadership in Intercultural Contexts. Journal of Educational Administration, 45(6), pp. 740-755.
Deardorff, D., 2009. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Questionnaire
What are the specific training needs that will help in improving your productivity as well as will help in meeting the objectives for the organization?
Do you think the preparation of the training needs analysis sheet helps in improving the skills in the right direction?
Is the training plan prepared as per your training needs? Does it include all the parameters that you mentioned in the training needs analysis sheet?
How is your performance after undergoing the training session? Has it improved?
Do you think training needs analysis should be deployed each time you undergo a training session?
