Effective Training: Systems,

Strategies, and Practices, 4th

Edition
Chapter Four
Needs Analysis
P. Nick Blanchard and James W.
Thacker
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as
Prentice Hall

4-1

Needs Analysis - Definitions

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) a systematic method for determining

what causes performance to be less than expected or required. A
process of identifying training needs in an organization for the purpose
of improving employee job performance.

Trigger when actual organizational performance (AOP) is less than

expected organizational performance (EOP). This difference is
referred to as the organizational performance gap (OPG).

Proactive TNA focuses on anticipated performance problem in

the future.
Reactive TNA focuses on a current performance problem.

Organizational Analysis an examination of strategy, goals and

objectives of the organization.

Operational Analysis examines specific jobs to determine

requirements, KSAs and tasks required.

Personal Analysis examines the employee in the jobs to determine

if they have the KSAs required to perform at expected level.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-2

Analysis Phase
Input

Process

Organizational
Analysis
Objectives
Resources
Environment
TRIGGER
Actual Organizational
Performance
(AOP) < Expected
Organizational
Performance (EOP)

Operational
Analysis
Expected
Performance
(EP)

Person Analysis
Actual
Performance
(AP)
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as
Prentice Hall

Output

Training
Needs
Identify
Performance
Discrepancy (PD)
PD = EP < AP
And Causes of PD
Non
Training
Needs

4-2

Needs Analysis Input and

Sources

Organizational analysis internal environment of

the organization influences that could affect employee
performance.

Operational Analysis determines what is required

of employees for them to be effective.
Job Analysis job description, job specification, and
performance standards.

Person Analysis is each individual meeting the

expected performance level?

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-2

Recommended Data Sources for

Locating Gaps in Performance
Part 1 of 4
Sources of Data
1. Organizational Goals

Objectives and budget

2. Labor Inventory
3. Organizational Climate
Indicators
a. Labor-management
data, strikes, lockouts,
etc.

Implications for
Training Needs

Examples

This source suggests where

training emphasis should be
placed.

Maintain a quality standard of

no more than one reject per
thousand.

Achieve a goal to become ISO

This source provides information
certified and allow $90,000 for
on both standards and direction.
this effort.
This source helps HRD identify
where training is needed
30% of our truck drivers will
because of retirement turnover,
retire over the next 4 years.
age, etc.
These quality of working life indicators at the organization level
provide indicators of organizational performance gaps.

Indicators relate to work participation or productivity and are

useful in discrepancy analysis and in helping management set a
value on the behaviors it wishes to improve through training.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as
Prentice Hall
4-5

Recommended Data Sources for

Locating Gaps in Performance
Part 2 of 4
Implications for

Sources of Data

Training Needs

Examples

70% of the grievances are

related to the behaviors of 6
supervisors.

b. Grievances
c. Turnover

High absenteeism for clerical

staff

d. Absenteeism
e. Suggestions
f. Productivity
g. Accidents
h. Short-term sickness
i. Attitude surveys

Accident rate for line workers

increasing
Line workers attitude toward
teamwork is poor.
Surveys are good for locating discrepancies between
organizational expectations and perceived results.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-6

Recommended Data Sources for

Locating Gaps in Performance
Part 3 of 4
Sources of Data

Implications for
Training Needs

Examples

4. Analysis of Efficiency
Indexes
a. Cost of labor

b. Quality of product

c. Waste

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

Labor costs have increased by

8% in the last year.
Number of rejects has increased
by 30% since the new batch of
workers began.
Wasted steel has increased by
14% since the company began
using part-time workers.

4-7

Recommended Data Sources for

Locating Gaps in Performance
Part 4 of 4
Sources of Data
5. Change in System or
Subsystem
6. Management Requests or
Management Interrogation
7. MBO or Work Planning
and Review Systems

Implications for
Training Needs

Examples

New or changed equipment

may require training.

The line has shut down about

once per day since the new
machinery was installed.

One of the most common

Production manager indicates a
techniques of identification of
drop in quality since the layoffs.
performance discrepancies.
Provides actual baseline performance data on a continuous
basis. From these measures, the company is able to
determine improvement or deterioration.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-8

Operational Analysis
Job Analysis - Specifics

Job description a narrative statement which outlines the

jobs typical duties and responsibilities.

Job specification outlines specific tasks required for

each responsibility and is more specific than a job
description.

Job specifications identify the knowledge, skills and abilities needed.

Performance standards provide objectives related to

tasks required and standards in terms of performance
expectation.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-2

Data Sources For Operational

Analysis Part 1 of 2
Sources for Obtaining
Job Data

1. Job Descriptions

2. Job Specifications

Training Need Implications

Practical Concerns
This source outlines the jobs Need to determine how
typical duties and
developed. Often written up
responsibilities but is not
quickly by supervisor or
meant to be all inclusive.
incumbent with little
understanding of what is
required.
These are specified tasks
required for each job.
More specific than job
descriptions and may
include judgments of
required KSAs.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

May be product of the job

description and suffer from the
same problems

4-12

Data Sources For Operational

Analysis Part 2 of 2
Sources for Obtaining Job
Data

3. Performance
Standards

4. Ask Questions About

the job
a. Of the job holder
b. Of the supervisor

Training Need Implications

This source provides
objectives related to the
tasks required and their
standards in terms of
performance.

Asking both job holder and

relevant supervisors
provide accurate data.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

Practical Concerns
Very useful if available, and
accurate, but often
organizations do not have
formal performance
standards

Muse be done correctly to be of

value

4-11

Person Analysis
Specifics

Person Analysis identifies those incumbents who are not

meeting the performance requirements and will determine
why.

Basic skills reading, writing, speaking, math abilities required

to function in society and to perform a job effectively.
Performance Appraisal - provide objectives related to tasks required
and standards in terms of performance expectations.
Self ratings and peer ratings
Proficiency Tests measure both knowledge and skill
Cognitive Tests measure level of knowledge
Behavioral Tests measure skills and include work sampling
Assessment Centers involve several work samples and other tests
Attitude Measures

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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4-2

Person Analysis
Specifics

Worker-Oriented Job Analysis focuses on KSAs that are

required on the job rather than on tasks or behaviors.

Task-Oriented Job Analysis identifies the various work

activities (tasks) required to perform the job.

Job-Duty-Task Method writing out duties

Competency a cluster of related KSAs that

differentiate high performance from average
performance.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-2

Data Sources for Person

Analysis Part 1 of 5
Data Sources for
Obtaining Data
1. Supervisor

Performance
Appraisals

Training Need
Implication

Remarks

Useful if done specifically for

TNA.

Supervisor ratings often not just

for TNA, and often not done well.

2. Performance Data
a.
Productivity
b.
Absenteeism and
tardiness
c.
Accidents
d.
Grievances
e.
Waste
f.
Product quality
g.
Downtime
h.
Customer
complaints
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as
Prentice Hall

Useful, easy to analyze and

quantify for the purpose of
determining actual performance.

4-14

Data Sources for Person

Analysis Part 2 of 5
Data Sources for
Obtaining Data

Training Need
Implication

Remarks

3. Observation Work Sampling More subjective technique but

provides both employee
in some situations, such
behavior and results of
as customer service,
the behavior.
where employees know
that the telephone calls
employees answer from
customers can be monitored.

This is done effectively

4. Interviews/ Questionnaires
Only individual knows what
he believes he (she) needs believes it is in her best
to learn.
interest to be honest;
otherwise, she may not be
forthcoming as you would
like.

Need to be sure employee

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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4-15

Data Sources for Person

Analysis Part 3 of 5
Data Sources for
Obtaining Data
5. Proficiency Tests
a. Job knowledge
b. Skills
c. Achievement

6. Attitude Surveys

Training Need
Implication
Can be tailor-made or
standardized.
Care must be taken so that
they measure job-related
qualities.

Useful to determine morale,

motivation, and satisfaction

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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Remarks
Care in the development of
scoring keys is important and
difficult to do if not trained in
the process

Important to use welldeveloped scales

of employees

4-16

Data Sources for Person

Analysis Part 4 of 5
Data Sources for
Obtaining Data
7. Devised Situations
a.
Role-play
b.
Case study
c.
Business games
d.
In basket

8. Assessment Centers

Training Need
Implication
Certain knowledge, skills,
and/or attitudes are
demonstrated in these
techniques.

Combination of several of the

above techniques into an
intensive assessment program

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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Remarks
Useful, but again, care in
development of scoring criteria
is important

Although expensive to
develop and operate, these
are very good, as they use
multiple raters and exercises
to assess employees. Also
criteria for performance are
well developed

4-17

Data Sources for Person

Analysis Part 5 of 5
Data Sources for
Obtaining Data
9. Coaching

10. MBO or Work

Planning

Training Need
Implication
Similar to interview
one-to-one.

Provides actual performance

data on a recurring basis
related to individuals
goals

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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Remarks
Must choose coaches carefully
and train them if you want them to
be effective

Good process when implemented

properly

4-18

Person Analysis
Alternatives

Proficiency Tests an exam which tests how proficient

or skilled someone is in a particular activity, field of
study, language, etc.

Cognitive Tests measure levels of cognitive function

and including reasoning, understanding language,
memory, etc.

Attitude Surveys measures motivation and overall

satisfaction of the internal environment.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

Prentice Hall

4-2

Needs Analysis
Non-Training Needs

Include those that show no KSA deficiency and those

characterized by a KSA deficiency but for which training
is not the best solution.

Reward/Punishment that is contrasting

Inadequate or inappropriate feedback
Obstacles in the system.

Job Aids are a set of instructions, diagrams or other

forms of directional information that is available on the
job site.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as

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4-2