Ambulance Services in New South Wales - Report Example

Duty of Care – Ambulance Name Course Tutor’s Name Date Executive Summary This report is based on the situation at Ambulance Services New South Wales (AS NSW), an organisation that has identified the absence of a management and performance culture among its managers as a concern that affects performance. The report identifies the need for the organisation to conduct a human resource development needs assessment before identifying suitable learning strategies for training the managers. The needs assessment will also determine the kind (and content) of the training programme to be adopted. The report further looks at theories of evaluating the effectiveness of HRD programmes and how they would be applied in the subject organisation’s context, and concludes by noting that AS NSW needs to identify the most suitable methods for use during the entire process by considering its internal and external environments. Table of Contents Table of Contents iii 1. Introduction The success of any human resource development (HRD) programme depends on several factors that include: a HRD needs assessment, the effective identification of learning strategies and interventions to use in addressing identified HRD needs, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of HRD programmes. This report contains advice meant for the senior management team at the Ambulance Service NSW (AS NSW) on just how the organisation can assess HRD needs, use the right and effective learning interventions or strategies in a HRD program, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions and/or strategies used. AS NSW’s main shortcoming is that it lacks a management and performance culture among its managerial staff. The advice offered in this report is therefore meant to help the organisation create an efficient and effective management and performance culture. 2. HRD needs assessment A needs assessment is defined as the organised evaluation of the way things are and the way they need to be (Dahiya & Jha, 2011, p. 263). The ‘things’ as mentioned in this definition refer to individual and/or organisational performance. Ideally, the needs assessment is designed to enable organisations identify needs and prioritise them, and forms a basis for a needs analysis, from which the solution requirements for individual and/or organisational performance are determined. In the case of AS NSW for example, a needs assessment would reveal the reasons why managers do not have a management and performance culture. The reason for example could be that the organisation has never recognised the need for such a culture, or that such a culture is not well defined. Still, it could be because the components of the culture are hard to internalise and follow by individual managers. Notably, and as suggested by Nankervis et al. (2014) in the AS NWS case study, there are two components to the requirements in the organisation: the need to develop best practice in people management and the need to build a performance-oriented culture. Although distinct, the two aforementioned areas could be linked during the needs assessment. 2.1. Theoretical discussion It is argued in this report that the best needs assessment model to adopt in AS NSW’s case is one that surveys the managers’ perception in order to achieve their ‘buy-in’ while reducing any possible bias they may have towards HRD programmes adopted by the organisation in future. One such model is the four-step survey process developed by Graham and Mihal (1986, cited by Dahiya & Jha 2011). The four steps in the model are: i) managers determine the tasks connected to their work; ii) managers single out the tasks they believe their delivery could be improved upon; iii) managers prioritise improvement desires; and iv) the superiors then confirm the development needs of their managers (Dahiya & Jha 2011, p. 264). There are several reasons for adopting such a model. First is that HRD theorists (Berger 2011; Gibb, 2011) contend that human development no longer requires people to be forced to attend training programmes; rather, human development in modern organisations requires the organisation to evoke readiness to learn among the targeted group of learners. Additionally, learners need to connect with what they already know to allow the build-up of new learning opportunities. By adopting the four-step model suggested above therefore, AS NWS would be animating the targeted learners/managers to connect with what they already know, determine their areas of inadequacies, and prepare themselves to learn, retain and use new ideas acquired through HRD programmes to enhance their respective capacities in people management and building (or being part of) a performance-oriented culture. 2.2. Needs assessment at AS NSW As indicated in the case study, AS NSW lacks a management and performance culture. The absence of such a culture suggests that there are deficiencies on both the organisational and individual managers’ levels. A successful needs assessment would therefore need to be carried out on the organisational, task, and personal levels, since as Werner and DeSimone (2011) suggest, a needs assessment should be linked to human resource and strategic planning efforts. The absence of a management and performance culture would first need to be evaluated against existing organisational goals and strategies, resources, culture and environmental constraints. Task assessment on the other hand would help managers (and the organisation) understand their overall job description, job requirements, deficient areas that could benefit from training and priorities that need to be adopted during training (Abdullah 2009; Gilley & Gilley 2011; Werner & DeSimone 2011). On its part, personal assessment would indicate areas of personal performance deficiencies. For example, AS NSW may be able to determine if there are substandard performers among its managers and whether its current managers are capable of and/or willing to be trained. Consequently, and as indicated by Werner and DeSimone (2011), the management (out of personal assessment) is able to understand the motivation, knowledge, education and values held by its employees (managers in AS NSW’s context). Additionally, the organisation can decide whether to motivate existing employees, replace them, or train them. In the end, AS NSW would know where training is most needed and the right conditions to conduct such training, what managers need to develop a management and performance culture, and which managers need training and how they should be trained. 3. Learning strategies For learning strategies to be effective, especially among adult learners, the learners need to know what, why and how they will be learning (Clawson 2011; Yang 2008). Additionally, it is important to recognise that adult learners are often self-directing although their readiness to learn is enhanced if they are convinced that learning would enhance their social roles and developmental tasks. Further, Yang (2008) observes that internal factors provide more motivation to adult learners when compared to external factors. In the case of AS NSW for example, learners would be more motivated to engage in training if they felt that the training programmes would enhance their levels of job performance. However, their motivation would be lower if the management imposed the training programmes on them. 3.1. Theories In HRD, several theories are cited as being possibly applicable in helping employees to learn. They include: The reinforcement theory: Emphasises that past outcomes motivate people to perform or act in a specific manner (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). In HRD, this theory champions the case that trainers should identify the negative or positive outcomes that learners associate with knowledge acquisition, behavioural change and skills modification (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). The social learning theory: Indicates that people are capable of learning through observation especially of people they perceive as knowledgeable and credible models of good behaviour (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). The theory underlines the need for reinforcement and rewards in encouraging the adoption of preferred behaviours. The goal-setting theory: Suggests that behaviour is a result of pursuit of intentions and goals set by a person (Locke & Latham 2009). Goal orientation theory: Suggests that the effort expended on a learner/trainee in learning is determined by goals, which include performance orientation and learning orientation (Chyung, Moll & Berg 2010). Need theories: Suggest that learners place value on specific outcomes. To motivate learning therefore, the theories suggest that trainers ought to identify existing needs in trainees and communicate how a training programme would fulfil trainees’ needs (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). Expectancy theory: Suggests that learning occurs when employees are convinced that the contents of the programme are useful to them, and that the outcome of learning would enhance their performance at work (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). Adult learning theory: Based on assumptions that adult learners need to know the reason why they are learning, they are self-directed, they have work-related experiences, which they bring to the learning situation, they have a problem-centred approach to learning and intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivate their learning (Noe & Wrinkler 2012). 3.2. Applications Since goal-setting theory suggests that it is possible to facilitate learning by setting challenging goals, applying the theory in AS NSW would require the organisation to provide managers with specific challenging goals. Applying the goal orientation theory on the other hand would require AS NSW to encourage managers to put more effort in training programmes, and would also require the learners to be motivated towards learning. Applying needs theories however would require the organisation to find out what the managers’ needs in relation to having a performance and management culture are, and communicating the contents of an identified programme in a manner that motivates the managers to want to participate in the training programme. On its part, expectancy theory would require AS NSW to create relevant training content and link the same to desirable performance outcomes among the managers. Applying the adult learning theory in the case of AS NSW would require mutual planning of the training programme in order to accommodate self-concept issues among managers; consideration of learner experience; consideration of learners’ competencies and interests when developing programme instructions; and adopting a problem-centred approach to training as opposed, say, to a subject-centred approach. 4. Evaluation Training evaluation is defined as the process of gathering the outcomes required to decide whether training is successful (Noe & Wrinkler 2012, p. 103). Evaluation looks for the results of the programme and the impact it has on trainees (Tome 2009; Phillips, Phillips & Hodges 2012). 4.1. Theories The Kirkpatrick taxonomy is one of the mainly cited theories of evaluation. It proposes that evaluation should be done based on a hierarchy of learning outcomes namely “reactions, learning, and transfer and results” (McQuire &Jorgensen 2010, p. 316). The Brinkerhoff’s model is yet another theory of evaluation that suggests that evaluation should involve an evaluation of: i) needs assessment; ii) plan and design; iii) implementation; iv) learning; v) endurance of learning; and vi) payoff (Ragland & Fuller 2012). The model therefore suggests that each step of the HRD process needs to be evaluated for merit and worth. Scientific models are other theories of HRD that suggest that changes (from HRD) can be measured through scientific testing (Delahaye, 2011). For example, the potential benefits of a HRD programme need to be evaluated against the costs of developing and implementing the HRD programme. 4.2. Case application Applying the Kirkpatrick taxonomy would require AS NSW to gauge: trainee satisfaction; the acquisition of skills, knowledge and the behaviours and attitudes portrayed by learners; the improvement of behaviour (or lack thereof) on targeted jobs; and the business-related results that trainees have achieved. Applying the Brinkerhoff model on the other hand would require AS NSW to collect information for each HRD-related decision. Specifically, the organisation would need to analyse problems, assess needs, assess goals, and determine whether HRD is worthwhile. The organisation would also need to analyse the HRD plan and determine whether it is good enough; determine whether the implementation is working; track programme results in relation to learning outcomes; measure HRD outcomes usage in jobs; and evaluate whether HRD has met the goals and needs identified at the needs assessment stage. Applying the scientific methods on the other hand would require AS NSW to consider the HRD outcomes in monetary terms in order to effectively evaluate them against the costs of developing and implementing the programme. 5. Conclusion As indicated in the introductory section, a successful HRD training programme needs to be based on a HRD needs assessment; the effective identification of learning strategies and interventions to use in addressing identified HRD needs; and the evaluation of effectiveness of HRD programmes. Notably, if AS NSW wants to train its managers in a manner that enhances their capabilities at fostering a management and performance culture in the organisation, the leaders in the organisation need to follow the entire aforementioned steps. They also need to identify the methods of HRD needs assessment, learning strategies, and evaluation strategies that befit their organisation considering its internal and external environment. References Abdullah, H 2009, ‘Training needs assessment and analysis: a case study of Malaysian manufacturing firms’, European Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 351-360. Berger, N O 2011, ‘Needs assessment in human resource development’, Human Resource and Their Development, vol. 1, pp. 1-6. Chyung, S, Moll, A & Berg, S 2010, ‘The role of intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy and e-learning practice in engineering education’, The Journal of Effective Teaching, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 22-37. 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