CHAPTER 4 ASSESSING HRD NEEDS
Ultimately, the goal of HRD is to improve an organization’s effectiveness by:
1. Solving current problems (like an increase in customer complaints)
2. Preventing anticipated problems (such as a shortage of skilled technicians)
3. Including as participants those individuals and units that can benefit most
Definition and Purposes of Needs Assessment
Needs assessment (or needs analysis) is a process by which an organization’s HRD needs are
identified and articulated. It is the starting point of the HRD and training process. A needs
assessment can identify:
• An organization’s goals and its effectiveness in reaching these goals
• Discrepancies or gaps between employees’ skills and the skills required for effective
current job performance
• Discrepancies (gaps) between current skills and the skills needed to perform the job
successfully in the future
• The conditions under which the HRD activity will occur
Needs assessments are not conducted for a number of reasons, such as:
1. A needs assessment can be a difficult, time-consuming process. A complete needs
analysis involves measuring a variety of factors at multiple levels of the organization.
2. Action is valued over research. Managers often decide to use their limited resources to
develop, acquire, and deliver HRD programs rather than to do something they see as a
preliminary activity.
3. Incorrect assumptions are made that a needs assessment is unnecessary because
available information already specifies what an organization’s needs are. As indicated
earlier, factors such as fads, demands from senior managers, and the temptation to copy the
HRD programs of widely admired organizations or competitors often lead to such
conclusions.
4. There is a lack of support for needs assessment. This can be caused by a lack of bottom-
line justification or by the HRD professional’s inability to sell needs assessment to
management. Documenting the assessment and its benefits, and using analogies from
respected fields (e.g., medical diagnosis, engineering scoping), are two ways to build support
for doing needs assessment
What Is a Training or HRD Need?
In this context, the concept of need typically refers to a discrepancy or gap between what an
organization expects to happen and what actually occurs -> when a police officer is expected
to use minimum force to apprehend suspects, but the department receives documented
complaints that the officer has used excessive force with suspects
Robert Brinkerhoff argues that focusing only on performance deficiency in needs analysis is
too restrictive and proposes other ways of looking at training needs. These include
diagnostic and analytic needs:
* Diagnostic needs focus on the factors that lead to effective performance and prevent
performance problems, rather than emphasizing existing problems.
Ultimately, the goal of HRD is to improve an organization’s effectiveness by:
1. Solving current problems (like an increase in customer complaints)
2. Preventing anticipated problems (such as a shortage of skilled technicians)
3. Including as participants those individuals and units that can benefit most
Definition and Purposes of Needs Assessment
Needs assessment (or needs analysis) is a process by which an organization’s HRD needs are
identified and articulated. It is the starting point of the HRD and training process. A needs
assessment can identify:
• An organization’s goals and its effectiveness in reaching these goals
• Discrepancies or gaps between employees’ skills and the skills required for effective
current job performance
• Discrepancies (gaps) between current skills and the skills needed to perform the job
successfully in the future
• The conditions under which the HRD activity will occur
Needs assessments are not conducted for a number of reasons, such as:
1. A needs assessment can be a difficult, time-consuming process. A complete needs
analysis involves measuring a variety of factors at multiple levels of the organization.
2. Action is valued over research. Managers often decide to use their limited resources to
develop, acquire, and deliver HRD programs rather than to do something they see as a
preliminary activity.
3. Incorrect assumptions are made that a needs assessment is unnecessary because
available information already specifies what an organization’s needs are. As indicated
earlier, factors such as fads, demands from senior managers, and the temptation to copy the
HRD programs of widely admired organizations or competitors often lead to such
conclusions.
4. There is a lack of support for needs assessment. This can be caused by a lack of bottom-
line justification or by the HRD professional’s inability to sell needs assessment to
management. Documenting the assessment and its benefits, and using analogies from
respected fields (e.g., medical diagnosis, engineering scoping), are two ways to build support
for doing needs assessment
What Is a Training or HRD Need?
In this context, the concept of need typically refers to a discrepancy or gap between what an
organization expects to happen and what actually occurs -> when a police officer is expected
to use minimum force to apprehend suspects, but the department receives documented
complaints that the officer has used excessive force with suspects
Robert Brinkerhoff argues that focusing only on performance deficiency in needs analysis is
too restrictive and proposes other ways of looking at training needs. These include
diagnostic and analytic needs:
* Diagnostic needs focus on the factors that lead to effective performance and prevent
performance problems, rather than emphasizing existing problems.
