Needs Assessment - Essay Example

The advantages of needs assessment in an organization I. Introduction Needs assessment is one of the most important tools in determining the future of an organization. Defined as a “systematic set of procedures” which is geared towards setting directions for organizations and other entity, needs assessment is a very important tool in planning and decision-making processes. As a set of procedures and should be implemented in sequential phase such as preparation for assessment, actual conduct of the assessment, validating the results and then applying the validated results. No matter how big or small an organization ism it will always benefit from the data and the figures gathered during the assessment. Technically, in an organization, needs assessment is not about individual diagnosis but rather, a thorough and in dept examination of the organization as a whole. However, since the organization is composed of individuals, the improvements in the policies and programs of the organization as a direct result of the assessment will eventually benefit the people working within the organization. There are many advantages that you can derive from a needs assessment. Three of the biggest advantages that you can derive from this procedure are as follows: (1) Needs assessment help to reduce uncertainties in specific issues or problems in the organization (2) it identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and facilitates the better allocation of resources and (3) it facilitates and enhances the skills and capabilities of the people involved in the organization in planning, decision-making, defining the areas that needs improvement and development and then help the people behind the organization to set priorities. Reduction of uncertainties Although one may be able to see some of the problems of an organization by merely observing the different aspects of its operations, usually, the knowledge that we derive from observing the day to day operations of an organization is but limited to the impressions that we get. Moreover, since our capacity to observe may be limited to certain aspects of the organization, we might not really be able to get the whole picture of the situation. Furthermore, since there are only few people who will be observing and giving their impressions of the organization, the observations of these few people may not even echo the sentiments of the majority of the members of the organization. By conducting a needs assessment and gathering data with the use of different assessment tools, we will be able to gather more comprehensive information. To illustrate how needs assessment can reduce uncertainties; let us take the case of an organization that is currently undergoing expansion. Although it might become apparent at a glance that an organization that is expanding its operations would need additional manpower, you could not really tell exactly how many people you will need to handle the new component. To know how many new employees are needed, you need to know the extent of the work needed on the new component, the skills for the work and then compare it with present capacity of your existing employees. To gather all the data that you will need to help you make an informed decision the conduct of needs assessment is imperative. Once you know what you are up against, you will be able to eradicate certain degrees of uncertainties in the operations of your new component. Identification of strengths and weaknesses When if comes to an organization, it is very important to ascertain its strength and weaknesses. If the people behind an organization have a good idea of what their organization can or cannot do, they will be able to make better decisions. To illustrate, Company A has two products X and Y. Lately, the company is contemplating of expanding its operations. To help Company A to decide which aspect of the organization should be taken to the next level, an assessment of the company’s strength and weaknesses should be conducted. By conducting a needs assessment, you will be able to identify and measure gaps between what is and what ought to be. In the areas where the company is strong, focus should be given on honing that strength and turning it into something more productive. On the other hand, in the areas where the company is perceived to weak, policies and programs of the company should focus on finding solutions to the problem. Planning and decisions-making tool The greatest advantage of conducting needs assessment is that planners and decision-makers will be able to use the data generated from the assessment to help them perform their tasks. If an organization had been able to conduct needs assessment before it started as certain project, the data collected during the initial phase of the project can be sued as baseline against which to compare future changes in the status of the organization. Furthermore, with the data gathered from the needs assessment, the planners and decision-makers of the organization will be able to make better informed decisions and develop programs and policies, schedule the allocation of resources and plan for improvements. To illustrate, let us take the case of a manufacturing company. Company A is producing dairy products. For the last few months, productivity had been going downhill. To help the company ascertain the cause production slowdown, an assessment should be made. There is a need to look into the different aspects of product and ascertain if there are some gaps in terms of facilities, equipments, materials, technology and the skills of the people involved. If the gap is in the skills of the people involved in the production, there is a need to assess what are the trainings needed to enhance the capabilities of the workers. As a decision-maker, one cannot just assume something without really gather proper data and documentation. Furthermore, since an organization does not have limited resources, needs assessment is very important to use tools and mechanisms to allocation resources better. Conclusion Needs assessment is one of the best tools to help an organization proper. For a needs assessment to be very effective, proper assessment tools and methods should be employed. Note that a properly conducted needs assessment is vital in addressing questions of the future of an organization. If the results of your needs assessment could address the question “what should be done to make the organization stronger or what should be done to make a company more profitable and its employees more happy, then you are in the right track. References: 1. Amabile (1996) “The Motivation for Creativity in Organizations” Harvard Business Schools, N9-396-240, January 23, 1996 2. Amabile T.M. (1998) “A model of Creativity and Innovation in organizations, Research in Organizational Behavior: Volume 10, pages 123-167, JAI Press, 1998 3. McCoy C. 1993. Managing a Small HRD Department, Falmouth, ME Read More