"I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies," said Lawrence Bossidy.
It is impossible to overstate the role and significance of human resources in the long-term success of any organisation, whether it is profit- or non-profit-oriented. Now-a-days organisations are facing many challenges in the management of their human resources.
Gordon (1992) explained training as the type of activity which is planned, systematic and which results in enhanced level of skill, knowledge and ability that are necessary to perform work effectively.
A training needs analysis (TNA), also known as a training needs assessment, is a process that organisations use to determine the gap between the current and desired knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees.
♦ Organisational Analysis involves looking at the internal environment of the organisation-
♦ influences that could affect employee performance
♦ determine it is fit with organisational goals and objectives
♦ an examination of how the internal environment affects job performance
♦ identifies constraints on training
♦ Operational Analysis examines specific jobs to determine the requirements (knowledge, skills, and abilities) necessary to get the job done (i.e. expected job performance). This process is generally called a job analysis.
♦ Person Analysis examines those who occupy the jobs to see whether they possess the required KSAs necessary to do the job.
How to conduct a training needs analysis?
• Use workplace profiles to map out what knowledge and skills workers need to fulfill the responsibilities of their specific roles.
• Search for performance gaps between current performance and where you would like to be.
• Ask employees for feedback and suggestions. What are their own personal desired learning objectives? What skills would help them perform better? What is preventing them from performing better now?
• Do not forget to consider compliance needs during TNA, especially in terms of training materials. Make sure any training that is offered is in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
• Do not focus only on the current situation. Also ensure the company's objectives for the upcoming year.
• The best TNA does not only focus on worker skill gaps. In order to raise performance levels, it should also concentrate on improving current skills.
• Focus on majority goals. This includes prioritising new skills that will benefit the whole team rather than specialised skills that focus on one or two employees. This is especially true if you have a limited budget. These skills will probably have a bigger impact on your business as a whole and your success during the year ahead.
The information gathered during a training needs analysis helps get a bird's eye view of a company and determine which areas of learning and development are needed to focus on in order to improve overall performance. In other words, the process enables the management to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities employees are currently lacking in relation to the company's goals. Then HR uses this information to design an effective development plan for employee training and development. Effective training will make skilled employees that helps to achieve better performance as well as organisational goal.
The writer is in the HR Department, ICB Islamic Bank Limited.