Over the summer we have been involved in carrying out a number of training needs analysis for some of our clients. It’s one of those activities that most organisations carry out, but then often realise that the results are not very satisfactory.
Often when HR professionals are faced with summarising the training needs following around of appraisals or personal development plans, they can be left pulling out their hair in frustration at some of the suggestions being made. We have probably all seen it; lists of bespoke software training courses, the blandly generic comments like “This person needs assertion training”, and the obligatory “French classes” even if there’s no need for French! Perhaps in a school teacher kind of way you may have looked at the suggestions, wanted to put a big red cross over it and write “Must try harder next time” before returning to the offending manager.
Effective training needs analysis can be a challenge in any organisation especially if linked to the performance management cycle. Learning solutions can easily be based on the wrong indicators of training needs. We follow four simple training needs analysis steps to deliver assessments based on genuine organisational learning need.
Here they are for your own consideration:
First, define the competence menu. Many organisations have a competence framework from which to build this assessment menu, but be careful that it is granular enough to gain the insight you need. We have our own menu, and often find we merge this with client organisations own to create the right level of understanding.
Second, select the target population. In practice it is difficult to engage everyone in training needs analysis. We recommend searching out a target population of people that are representative of the business, but also have a good understanding of the challenges and difficulties faced by them and their colleagues.
Thirdly, we set up focus group sessions. These have the purpose of completing the competence assessment, surfacing any areas of business challenge and begin identifying the potential learning needs.
Fourthly, summarise findings and make recommendations. You will need a quite room and a few hours to summarise your findings and make your training recommendations. You will be sure however, that they are based on genuine needs arising within the business.
If you are tired of the results delivered from your traditional performance management cycle training needs analysis maybe it's time to do the bold thing and recommend something new? Feel free to ask us at iManage for any support in how to refresh your training needs analysis, if you like we’ll even have us carry it out for you with no cost or obligation.
