Training need analysis - Essay Example

The individual performance is then ranked against those of other employees and then linked to some form of reward. This has now been found to be ineffective and redundant primarily because the validity of such evaluation rests on the appraiser. There are various flaws in this system of determining the training needs. While it could reflect the personal bias of the appraiser, the employee too may over-emphasize where goals are known to be monitored, or de-emphasize where goals have not been set.

The philosophy of the founder of Marriott was "Take care of Marriott people and they will take care of Marriott guests" (Cannon, 2002). They believe that "Hands-on managers" are absolutely vital to continuing the Marriott culture. The managers need to possess the people skills in being able to support, inspire, encourage, lead and listen to associates. Employees leave the organization or form unions when they are dissatisfied with the management. With the changed business environment, emphasis is now on soft skills like conflict resolution and stress management instead of technicalities.

It is essential that managers should be well trained so that retaining employees is easier as retention is a critical issue in most organizations today. Human capital is the key to gaining competitive advantage in the ever-changing international environment. According to Das (2001) there has been a shift in the management styles and administrative practices to survive and prosper against competition. A cohesive framework is essential to maximize organizational effectiveness. Vermeulen and Crous (2000) believe that the best way to institute quality into an organization, is to train the people to do their jobs better.

Training and development includes skills which are job-related and also that are not related. This helps in motivating and enhancing self-esteem as the employees feel the organization cares for them. Motivation is essential for retention and succession planning in today's scenario. Before undertaking the training of any department or a group of people, it is essential to undertake a training need analysis, which is helpful in developing the training program. Training need analysisTraining need analysis at the organization, person and task level should be integrated to provide an effective strategy according to McGehee and Thayer (cited by Leat & Lovell, 1997).

At the organization level the training needs should be best directed to match the organizational objectives. Organizational effectiveness would be evident from increased resourcefulness, customer satisfaction and internal process improvement. The changes required in performance standards would reveal the changes necessary in training. Therefore the need analysis has to explore the organizational climate in addition to the skill resources. At the task level need analysis is essential to assess the demands of the respective job roles and the manner in which they may be enhanced.

Job specification would help identify the skills and attributes essential to accomplish these tasks. Discussions with the job holder may also reveal certain inherent difficulties which may not be readily apparent. At the person level, need analysis reveals how well an individual fulfills the activities comprising his or her task role and identifying training interventions essential to improve performance and enhance employee development. A definitive behaviorally anchored instrument can be