Assessing Training Needs (Lecture 2: 27th November)

Organizational Analysis

• Here we focus on determining which factor are causing gaps in performance and what results the organization wants that is not yet achieving.
• Organizational need analysis is influence by internal and external factors.
• Training goals need to be aligned with the organizational goals
• It will help to align the goals of individual departments with the organization's goals

What type of training initiatives are of high priority for the property?

• Changing law or regulation
• When larger group need training.
• Pressure for the executive or corporate office
• If the performance problem has a high cost or risk if not addressed.

 Job and task analysis

• Job is made up of a series of tasks and each task has a standard or best practice associated with the task.
• This analysis begins with how the work should be done.
• The job is broken down into smaller tasks that are recorded on a task list.
• It is challenging to analyze, because ‘people accomplish same task in similar yet different ways’.
• Standardization of the task by eliminating the variations during a job analysis can produce: increase in consistency and quality, and decrease in time and cost.
• System approach is used to break each job into different processes and determines the best method for each.
•  This analysis is foundation for job description, performance evaluation and training a particular position.

The job analysis process can be broken into four phases

•  Develop a comprehensive list of tasks for each position.
• Break each task into organizational standards.
• Determine the best practice or performance standard.
• Merge these components to construct a comprehensive job description.

Task list: When jobs is broken down into individual tasks duties, responsibilities and the frequency, the list of such task is called task list or job check list.

The job Breakdown: In this phase we further break down each task listed into specific components, required equipment, supplies needed, procedures to be used and proficiency scores. The detailing depends upon organization standard, expertise of employees.

 Job Standards: They are the written document which prescribes certain standard to maintain to achieve the specific goals of the tasks and the training outcomes.

 Job descriptions: It defines the various criteria that the job demands. It is the standard by which a job is evaluated and new employees are hired.

Data collection Methods

• Data can be drawn from multiple sources which results in more information, more possible solution or alternative and more reliable decisions.
• The methods of data collection are:
• ◦      Interviews, observation, focus group, expert opinions etc.
• ◦      Greater the number of sources, the greater will be the reliability of data, which can accurately reflect workplace behavior
• ◦      Factors to consider in determining sources are: cost, time, size of groups, location of groups etc.

Classification of Data:

• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Combination or blended
• Extant data

Surveys and Questionnaires

• It provides us with quantitative data.
• It allows to ask specific question in a standardized format.
• To encourage truthful responses, confidential must be assured.

Focus Groups

• It helps in collecting qualitative data.
• It focuses to have face to face interaction with number of participants simultaneously.
• Group discussion skills determine the effectiveness of a focus group.
• It is successful when discussion is carried in group of people with similar background, work areas, and having common goals.

Extant data

• The data collected from the operational records are called extant data.
• It requires high degree of skill to analyze and interpret the data correctly.

Nominal group technique

• It gives both qualitative and quantitative data.
• It is the process of data collection where the managers are gathered to brainstorm on a training issue.
• This will ensure sharing of ideas, promote consensus and encourages management for further input.

Interviews:

• It provides qualitative data.
• The interview should be structured
• It should focus on open ended questions
• Need to consider number of factors before conducting the interview. i.e.  Schedule date, time, plan questions, send questions, etc.

Observations

• It provides both quantitative and qualitative data.
• The data is collected by observing at the work place.
• It should be factual rather than judgmental.
• It is important that the observer do not interfere with the work performance.
• The observer should be detail-oriented, objective and accurate.

Assessing Training Needs (Lecture 1: 25th November)

Why assessing needs is crucial?

• Managers often choose training based on intuition or according to the latest hot topic, often on issue not specific to the organization.
• This will be major reason for the failure of the training, resulting to unproductive training, and resistance for future training.
• The purpose of training is to help employee work efficiently to meet organization objective by reducing any problems or gaps in organization.
• The best way to identify problems or gaps is through need assessment.

How it helps?

• It focuses us to be aware that the problems exist.
• Focus us to define the problem
• It helps to be certain that the problem can be solved through training or not.

Need Assessment

• Allows the manager to identify the organization's needs, identify the needs of employees, the needs of job and task, and establish criteria for developing training and measuring its success.
• It determines the organizational gaps between ideal and actual performance.
• Examination of gap focuses on the cause of the gaps the extent of the gaps and possible solutions to them.
• It focuses on long term fix of the problem and allows to identify solutions that get at the root of the problem.
• Training director or manger, or someone form training and development or human resources department conducts need assessment.

Identifying needs

• The success of training program depends on how clearly the gaps between ideal and actual performance is identified.
• The precise assessment will form basis for selecting training program.

Gap Analysis

• It is process of comparing the operations standards to the actual performance of employees.
• Ideal outcomes – actual outcomes = gap or problem.
• We need to determine the gap is due to:
• ◦      Lack of skill
• ◦      Lack of knowledge
• ◦      Lack of appropriate system  

Training problem or performance problem.

• Performance problems and how efficiently employees do their jobs may be seen as training problem in the beginning.
• First look out for the position of skills, knowledge and systems for employees
• Closer examination may reveal that a performance problem is not related to training
• It can be problem form management, working conditions, equipment, poor hiring. etc
• Once it is conclude that the training is the solution, look how the problem can be addressed. It can be done through:
• Training needs survey
• Observation
• Employee surveys
• Guest comments
• Employee meeting
• Inspections

Vague standard

• Clear identification and analysis of problem will provide strong base for developing standard.
• While developing standards for the Training department must be confident that “What level of performance would yield the right response”.
• To vividly analyze this situation help form department managers is indispensable.

Training and Development as an Investment (Lecture 3: 22nd Nov)

Benefits of training

Who benefits from training?

• Employees
• Guests
• Management
• Property or organization.

True benefits in value or monetary saving.

• Sources of benefits: waste reduction, less turnover, less absenteeism, check- in- time efficiency, guest comments, etc.

Areas of operation where cost can be saved:

• Labor:
• Time saved*Amt. of days being examined* no. of subject= Total time
• Total time saved* the full cost subject wage and benefits= Total labor benefit. (Ex:9)
• Material: more efficient use of materials
• Equipment: more optimum use of the equipment.(Ex:p69)

Resources of values/ saving:

• Observation, performance records, work output records, post test, performance checklists, pilot studies, etc.

Intangible benefits:

• The benefit of the training is in the good will that it generates in the community and the desire to avoid a crisis.
• Positively influence the attitude and behavior of the employee
• Increased guest satisfaction, payback, value of the employee,  level of advancement, reduce alcoholism etc.

Cost Benefit analysis

• It is tool to systematically compare the financial picture of training. It compares the cost as the benefits derived from training.
• It is effective in evaluation of training.
• It provides accurate data to be included in training proposal.
• It will help in better panning of training session, and align it with the goals and objectives of the organization.
• The three steps are: calculate cost, calculate benefit and compare results.

Return on Investment:

• It financially focuses on evaluation, an examination of the effect of training on the work place through measuring three specific sectors.
• Profit, productivity, performance.
• To vividly determine the ROI, the trainer needs to define the specific problem and identify the expected training outcomes.
• Tools used to determine the ROI are:
• Cost benefit analysis: It compares the cost of training to benefits derived from it.
• Cost effectiveness Analysis: It is used when it is difficult to measure the training results in dollars. It helps to choose the best training, compare costs between several training program and ways of reduction of the costs.
• Cost feasibility Analysis: It examines the overall training budget and gives answer to “Can we afford to do this program?” Sometimes even though benefits outweigh costs, the training need to be postpone due to feasibility problem.

Cost of not training:

• It is the loss of profit and productivity that a company could have gained with better trained staff.

Training and Development as an Investment (Lecture 2: 13 November)

Budgeting Training:

Every Organization differs in training budget according to size, operation and management orientation. Some report it as a percentage of payroll expense , other on a percent of expected revenue,  and allocate training dollars per stage of the training cycle.

At what time should training and development budget should be increased.

• During the first six month of operation.

• Introduction of new product or a new system.

• Period of increased growth and increased hiring.

• While implementing management development programs.

The training budget should closely aligned with the goals and objectives of the organization for the year. 

The T&D department should explore how training can help a property on crises and come through them more quickly and profitably; articulate these effect of training on the organization, and  justify new training initiatives to upper management. Quantifying the cost of a particular problem, can help to justify training dollars to resolve the problem thorough measurement and comparison. Evaluation of training at different point of time ensures the return on training. 

Historical Perspective:

• Training department fail to promote training and their value
• Trainer used to play multiple roles.
• T&D goals were broad, impossible to quantify.
• Training was held responsible for all employee actions.
• Difficult to choose right person to conduct the training.
• Training as an expenses

Today’s perspective

• T&D is  more accountable financially and need to justify their existence.
• T&D department and top management promote training and incorporate in organization strategic plan.
• Training as an investment.
• Zero based budgeting, which built training budget from the front line up each year.Formulation of training budget which ensure that all employees receive some training each year.

Sharing cost with others

• There is always limitation of resources.
• Look for partner with the vendor of the product to train employees.
• Charging the user department for the training.( charge back)
• Development of competency based curriculum.

The training proposal.

• Required to win funding and support for training.
• It is a complete report on training stating who ,what, when, how and cost of the training.
• It must be in language which is direct and bottom line oriented.
• It defines objective, goals, cost, time etc. of the training in relation to organizational goals.

Cost of training:

Costing practices:

• Use systematic approach
• Determine the life of the training.
• Determine costs to every overhead early.

Collecting the Data:

• Maintain all original quotes, estimates and invoices.
• Gives more validity to the data from proposal

True costs:

• Labor cost: Payment and wages to instructors, technicians, any support staff, and training developers, trainees’ wages.
• Material cost: Determine all the material s require for training and divide into expendable and non expendable group.
• Delivery cost: Cost incurred during the actual delivery time and those which facilitate the delivery process.
• Other costs:
• Replacement cost: cost of individual substituting for the training.
• Overhead: Different factor used in training, desk, table, chairs, office supplies, rent, etc.
• Pre- program cost: It include all the cost associated with the problem and process analysis when identifying training needs.
• Follow-up: Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, trainees time, supervision’s time etc.
• Indirect: maintenance, support services, equipment, telephones etc.
• Cost of cost analysis: training plans, time spent in conducting the analysis, cost of software to help analysis.
• Opportunity cost:  they are the cost which is incurred for leaving the next best alternative.

Sources of cost: It will help in accurate estimation of cost, which can be obtained through:

Instructional Designers, Trainers, Articles, Colleague, Previous cost analysis, suppliers etc.

Intangible cost: Are those cost which is not easily quantifiable.

Opportunity cost, ineffective training, etc.