LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

CONTENTS
Paragraph

Page

4.1

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/3

4.2

BEFORE STARTING A LEARNING NEEDS ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/5

4.2.1

Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/6

4.2.2

Stakeholder groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/6

4.2.3

Scoping the analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/9

4.3

PLANNING A LEARNING NEEDS ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/10

4.3.1

Identify levels of learning needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/11

4.3.2

Links to the business strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/12

4.3.3

Getting a seat at the strategy table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/13

4.3.4

Strategic learning and development plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/14

4.4

ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/17

4.4.1

Compliance and statutory requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/18

4.4.2

Business goals, objectives and strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/18

4.5

JOB ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/19

4.5.1

Job analysis methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/20

4.5.2

Task inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/21

4.6

TASK ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/22

4.6.1

Task analysis methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/23

4.6.2

Weighting tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/24

4.7

NEEDS ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26

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4.7.1

Needs analysis methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26

4.8

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL NEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/27

4.8.1

Skills analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/28

4.8.2

Knowledge analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/32

4.8.3

Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/33

4.8.4

High potential employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/34

4.8.5

Team learning needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/35

4.9

GENERIC LEARNING NEEDS TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/37

4.9.1

Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/37

4.9.2

Using experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/39

4.9.3

Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/40

4.10

TURNING BUSINESS NEEDS INTO LEARNING NEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . 4/44

4.10.1

Performance analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/45

4.10.2

Learning goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/47

4.10.3

Strategic choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/48

4.11

POTENTIAL PITFALLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/48

4.11.1

Inappropriate motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/48

4.11.2

The easy option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/49

4.11.3

Focus only on training needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/49

4.11.4

Focus only on technical learning needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/49

4.11.5

One size fits all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/50

4.11.6

Quick and dirty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/50

4.11.7

No link with business strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/50

4.12

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/51

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4.1 INTRODUCTION
Learning is a necessary process for achieving business objectives and essential
to improving organisational performance. It bridges the gap between the
organisations current capability and that needed to deliver the business
results. From an individual point of view, it enables people to add to their
stock of personal competences and develop their full potential.
This statement from the Inland Revenue policy for learning called Learning
Directions sums up why all organisations, whatever their size, should be
investing time and money in developing their people. Effective learning is an
essential component of business strategy.
Major business investments are targeted, prioritised, planned, monitored and
managed to ensure the best possible return on the investment. Learning
should be no different. In most organisations, the amount spent on training is
a significant business investment. The training and development the
organisation needs to achieve its business goals must be effectively identified
and prioritised. Organisations are beginning to realise that efficiently
managing the training budget does not guarantee the money is being well
spent.
The organisation needs to ensure that the identification and development of
skills, knowledge and abilities is robust and cost-effective.
Identifying and prioritising the critical learning needs is the purpose of a
learning needs analysis. Implementing a structured learning needs analysis
need not be a complicated process. This chapter describes a few standard
approaches that can be modified and tailored to the specific needs of the
organisation.
Learning needs analysis should be a continuous process for all organisations.
Listening to colleagues, assessing capability and performance, maintaining
awareness of business activities, looking out for competitor activity or
changes in the market place are all legitimate activities. The learning needs
analysis should also include constantly monitoring and reviewing the impact
of the current training and development activities. These sorts of activities can
ensure the constantly evolving and emerging learning needs will be
efficiently and promptly identified.

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Alongside this continuous activity there will be, from time to time, the need
for more formal learning needs analysis processes. These occasions include

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major organisational restructuring or part of a new business strategy. Most of

this chapter will be concerned with these formal processes but many of the
techniques discussed can be applied in less formal situations.

Learning is more than training

The term learning need is used in this chapter rather than training
need because many organisations now recognise that the breadth of
needs cannot be met just by sending employees on training courses.
Training has often been narrowly associated with just attending courses
and training needs analysis with matching people to appropriate training
courses.
Learning is what happens after the person has received the training and
is much more self-directed. Learning takes place when the person is able
to apply the new knowledge or skills to their own work-based situation.
The 2006 CIPD learning and development survey found that the
traditional formal training course is becoming less dominant. Fifty-six per
cent of the organisations responding to the survey now reporting that
on-the-job training is the most effective way for people to learn.
There is evidence in many people development strategies of a progressive
shift from the delivery of content to the development of learning
capabilities. Therefore, it is appropriate that this chapter concentrates on
the wider analysis of learning needs rather than just training needs.

A learning need is where a gap is identified between the current level of

performance and a required level of performance. This required level could
be of two types; where performance has fallen below or not yet reached a
satisfactory standard, or where a new standard of performance is required.
Learning needs are normally defined at one of three levels:

An organisational need as a result of new legislative requirements,

technological development, or major restructuring

A group or job need as a result of changing requirements or new

specifications

An individual need due to sub-standard performance or, when starting a

new job, a transfer, promotion or secondment requiring new skills.

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Figure 4.1: Learning needs analysis process

4.2 BEFORE STARTING A LEARNING NEEDS ANALYSIS

For clarity and simplicity we are using the term learning and development
manager as a general description for a wide range of roles and job titles that
may be given the responsibility of carrying out a learning needs analysis
within organisations.
There are three major elements in preparing for a learning needs analysis. The
elements that need to be considered are:

The capabilities required to carry out the analysis

The needs of the stakeholder groups

The scale and scope of the analysis.

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Figure 4.1 shows these interrelationships.

These three elements will be described separately but in practice they will
emerge through an iterative process. The limitations of the learning and
development department may restrict the scope of the analysis. The needs of

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the stakeholders may require extra resources to meet them. The scope of the
analysis may determine which stakeholders are approached and so on.

4.2.1 Capabilities
The first consideration for the learning and development manager is, do they
or their department have the skills and capabilities required to carry out the
analysis?
Capability may include a specified time scale over which the analysis must be
done or a limit to how much time can be spent. Alternatively, there might be
a budgetary limit or restriction on how much can be spent or how many
people can be involved. The learning and development manager will need to
be clear on these factors before starting to ensure it is not beyond their
capability.
As well as clarifying the quantity of resources available the learning and
development manager will need to identify the skills required and ensure
there are people available with those skills.
These skills fall into three categories:

Process skills The ability to make plans, manage time, set targets, review
progress etc.

People skills The ability to start, build and maintain appropriate

supportive relationships at all levels.

Content skills The ability to collect, record and analyse data using a
variety of appropriate tools and techniques.

The learning and development manager will need to call on these skills in
various combinations throughout the analysis.

4.2.2 Stakeholder groups

Although the learning and development department is usually the one that
carries out the learning needs analysis they are not the only, or even the
prime, customer. There are a number of interested parties or stakeholders
that need to be considered before, during and after a learning needs analysis.
These stakeholder groups include:

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Senior managers/directors and strategic decision makers

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Middle and junior line managers

Human Resources colleagues, training managers and budget holders

Employees both directly and indirectly involved in the analysis

Union representatives

Internal and external customers, clients and suppliers

Professional institutes and government departments.

Before starting the analysis, the learning and development manager should
take into account the views and requirements of as many of these stakeholder
groups as possible.
The sort of questions to be asking these stakeholder groups might include:

What results or outcomes do you expect and need from this analysis?

How involved with the analysis would you like, or need to be?

What feedback will you need or expect?

Do you have any concerns or requirements I need to know before I start

that may affect the approach?

The answers to these questions will be diverse, considering the different

needs of these stakeholder groups.
Considering each stakeholder group in turn:

Senior management/directors
This group will be the one setting the strategic direction for the business,
which the learning needs analysis will be supporting. It is therefore vital that
their views are taken into consideration. Without a clear understanding of
the strategic direction the Learning and Development manager should not
start the analysis (see Chapter 2 Creating a Learning and Development
Strategy).

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This group will be mainly interested in future significant capability gaps and
how these are to be filled. Time scales for deployment and cost and resource
forecasts will also be of interest as they will probably have to approve the
budget.

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Middle and junior line managers

Managers at this level are predominantly interested in converting the
strategic direction into tactical short-term objectives. Therefore, they will be
particularly interested in how the learning needs analysis can assist them in
achieving their business objectives. Their hands-on experience will be very
useful in identifying practical helps and hinders, who are the experts and
where the problem areas or individuals are likely to be found.
The first line manager and supervisors will have an added interest in the
analysis as their own competence is likely to be assessed and their staff will be
directly affected by the process. Line managers are often the prime source of
learning needs information through the appraisal and performance review
process.

Employees
Clear and timely communication is the key requirement for the employees.
They need to know what is happening and how it will affect them both
during and after the analysis. Useful information from the employees will
include exactly how the business processes really work, bottlenecks and
frustrations with the working practices. Self-assessment by the employees is a
significant source of information for identifying learning needs.

Union representatives
Where a union is involved, its prime concern is the protection and welfare of
its members. As with the employees, honest and clear communication as early
as possible will be their first requirement. The subject of potential job losses,
higher productivity targets and extra pressures on their members will be
foremost in their mind. The more reassurance the learning and development
manager can give, the more co-operative the union representatives will be
with the process. Unions will always be in support of the continual skills
development of their members.

Customers, clients and suppliers

These groups can be a good source of useful information on product and
service quality, reliability and other performance parameters. Their
requirement will mainly be the continuous improvement in the products and
services they receive and reassurance that the actual learning needs analysis

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Human Resources colleagues

Colleagues in the various HR departments can be a good source of
information on such items as demographic changes, training states and
records, evaluation of past training events, recruitment forecasts, staff
surveys, 360-degree feedback processes, appraisals and personal learning
plans etc. All this information will be of value during the analysis.
The HR department may also be able to provide resources to help with the
analysis. They will be very interested in the output of the analysis to help with
future recruitment, job specifications, designing new training courses and
forecasting training budgets etc.

Institutes and government departments

These stakeholder groups may also need to be considered before undertaking
a learning needs analysis. Most organisations are affected by government
legislation to one degree or another. Some of this legislation will have to be
taken into account. Health and safety is an obvious area where organisations
have a legal obligation to ensure their employees are fully trained. Areas such
as equal opportunities, diversity, discrimination and exclusivity will also have
to be considered throughout the process.
Organisations employing groups of professionals may also have to consider
their professional needs. Institute membership at the appropriate grade will
involve a quantity of continual professional development (CPD) and may
include passing sets of exams to achieve professional status. The learning and
development manager will need to be aware of these professional needs and
include them as appropriate in the analysis.

4.2.3 Scoping the analysis

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will not disrupt this in any way. Surveys of these stakeholder groups will
provide valuable information for a needs analysis.

Having confirmed the required skills are available and identified all the
requirements of the various stakeholder groups, the next step in the
preparation is to define the scope of the analysis. This will clarify what is to be
included and what is to be left out of the process.
Typical questions to be asked at this stage include:

What is the main purpose of the analysis?

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What are the main areas to be covered?

What information will be needed?

Who are the main people to be directly involved?

Which divisions, departments, locations will need to be visited?

How much time can be devoted to this and when has it got to be finished?

What tools and techniques are likely to be needed and do we have the
expertise to use them effectively?

Having clarified what resources and capabilities are available, what the needs
of the stakeholder groups are and scoped out the breadth and depth of the
analysis, the learning and development manager should be ready to start.

4.3 PLANNING A LEARNING NEEDS ANALYSIS

Organisations need to introduce steps to support, accelerate and direct
learning interventions which meet organisational needs and are appropriate
to the learner and the context. Only then can organisations reap the full
benefits of self-directed learning and development, such as increased
motivation, better retention and improved skills. (Martyn Sloman, CIPD
Learning and Development Advisor)
A systematic approach to learning needs analysis will enable organisations to:

identify what skills and abilities employees already have

identify what skills and abilities are required but are not available

identify what current training and development opportunities are

available

identify gaps in the current training and development options

identify what new learning and development is required to address the

gaps

raise the profile of the learning and development department

increase the attractiveness of the organisation to higher quality new

recruits

increase retention of quality, motivated people

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increase the sense of ownership and involvement of employees in their

own learning and development

build a firm foundation for the evaluation of learning activities

place management at the centre of identifying the requirements of their

own people

maximise the effectiveness of the training and development budget.

4.3.1 Identify levels of learning needs

At its simplest, identifying learning needs is done at one or more of three
levels the organisation, specific jobs or roles and individual employees.
However, the organisation often has external factors to consider and
therefore the organisational level of analysis may include a separate focus on
legislation and regulatory requirements.
These four levels can be summarised as:

Legislative requirements. What legal imperatives or regulatory

requirements are relevant to the industry? Is there any new legislation
going through the UK or European parliaments that will have an impact?

Organisational needs. What capabilities are needed to enable the

organisation to deliver its customer promise now and in the future?

Job or group needs. What are the capabilities required to carry out a
specific job, or group of jobs, in the organisation?

Individual or team needs. What personal capability does each employee,

or team, need to do their job effectively and what new skills will they need
to develop for the future?

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Figure 4.2 shows how each of these levels has a distinctly separate focus and
corresponding sources of data. All these sources will be explored in more
detail in this chapter.

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Figure 4.2: Levels of analysis

Level of analysis
Level 1:
Legislative needs
(meeting the legal
requirements)

Focus of the analysis

Statutory requirements
Legislation current and
planned in the UK and
Europe
Regulatory requirements
Standards
Whole organisations
Level 2:
business goals
Organisational
Organisational climate
needs
Future market place
(raising the
performance of the changes and trends
Current capability of the
whole
people in quantity, range
organisation)
and variety
Current levels of
performance

Level 3:
Job needs
(raising the
performance of
groups of people
with the same job)

Level 4:
Individual needs
(raising the
performance of
small teams or
individuals)

Sources of data
Government publications
Investors in People (IIP)
European Quality Award
Training and Enterprise councils
Training records

Manpower or staffing plan and

future forecasts
Skills and knowledge audit of all
the people
Capability requirements of new
technology or structural changes
Productivity and efficiency
indicators, balanced scorecard
Business plans and strategies
Organisational climate/employee
satisfaction surveys
Customer or client feedback and
reviews
Internal requests from staff and
managers
Evaluation of current training
Range of jobs or groups of Job descriptions and person
specifications
jobs
Tasks needed with required Objectives, standards and targets
Tactical priorities and objectives
standard of performance
Observations or shadowing
Skills, knowledge and
Expert interviews or focus groups
attitudes required
Professional qualifications Customer or client feedback
Professional institute
membership
Performance or annual appraisal
Profile of person in terms
Personal Development Plans
of their skills, knowledge
Observations and shadowing
and attitude
Interviews and questionnaires
Standard required of
person to perform tasks to with individual and their
manager
required level
Customer or client feedback
Career and promotions

4.3.2 Links to the business strategy

The most thorough learning needs analysis will be a complete waste of time if
it does not analyse the right things. One of the most important tasks of the
learning and development manager is to ensure that all the employee

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identify the key stakeholders and involve them in shaping the learning
and development strategy

identify the current and future business priorities

turn these business priorities into appropriate learning needs.

Stakeholder groups were discussed in the preparation part of this chapter. At

the 2006 CIPD HRD conference, Siobhan Sheridan, head of resource and
capability at Capital One Bank, agreed that any evaluation of training should
focus on real benefits delivered to a business.
Our customers do need to ensure that they are contributing to training so
that they get the best value out of it that they possibly can. But we talk with
our key stakeholders to find out what data is important to them.
Turning the business needs into learning needs is the final part of the analysis
and will be discussed later. This section is concerned with identifying business
priorities.
The CIPD 2006 learning and development survey found that 85% of UK
organisations believe training is now more geared to meeting strategic
business needs.

4.3.3 Getting a seat at the strategy table

The learning and development manager should ideally be an integral part of,
or have access to, developing business strategy. For many organisations this
can be a challenge. Business managers can be ambivalent to learning and
development managers where they are considered part of the HR
department, which can be seen as an internal police force telling managers
what they can and cannot do. Some line managers see training as a shopping
list from which to pick courses as a reward for their people. They do not see
training as an enabler to help them achieve business results. Training is often
seen as a cost or a drain of resources for the business. There is sometimes no
appreciation that training can be cost effective and improve the profitability
of the organisation.

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learning and development activities support and directly link to the business
strategy. To achieve this, the manager needs to be able to:

Having said that the line managers do not always appreciate the strategic use
of learning and development, learning and development managers could do
more to help themselves. Many individuals in learning and development
departments do not see themselves as part of the business, but rather as an

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internal service provider on the receiving end of business strategy discussions.

Some learning and development specialists do not believe they need to
understand how their organisation functions, how it makes a profit or what
the major competitors and business challenges are. They make no effort to
understand the language of their business or its major drivers.
In order to be heard and to be accepted it is very important that learning and
development professionals make every effort to understand and be able to
use the business language of their line colleagues and internal customers.
Learning and development professionals must become more proactive in
seeking to join the strategic debate and showing how their expertise can
contribute directly to support the achievement of business goals.

4.3.4 Strategic learning and development plan

The learning needs analysis should be an integral part of a comprehensive
learning and development strategic plan, built from the business plan.
Showing clearly how learning and development can align with and support
the business goals will gain the support of senior management. This senior
management support is critical to gain the required funding for a learning
needs analysis and to champion the learning initiatives through the
organisation.
The 2006 CIPD learning and development survey revealed that 41% of
organisations believe they face a worsening economic situation. The survey
also found what appears to be a corresponding impact on training budgets
with a third of organisations reporting cuts and a fall of 23% in the average
spend on employee learning development. In these circumstances the
challenge for many learning and development managers is to justify the
expense and prove the benefits of their training programmes and other
learning interventions. The manager needs to question his/her own
motivation when producing a strategic plan. It is important the manager does
not simply do what he/she has done before, or what they like doing, or what
the employees say they would like. While these sorts of learning interventions
may be helpful they are probably not the most effective use of organisations
limited resources.
A thorough learning needs analysis will ensure the resulting learning
interventions are fully in support of business needs. However, many learning
and development departments find it difficult to prove the impact their
training has had on a business performance indicator. The ability to prove this
link to business goals is fundamentally dependent on the accuracy and
thoroughness of the original learning needs analysis.

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The 2006 CIPD Learning and Development survey found mixed results when
asking specific questions about how training and development efforts
support business strategies. There are some positive signs with 60% believing
their learning and training departments have increased their credibility. But
67% felt that following major change initiatives the training and
development activities are not adequate, with nearly half only involving
learning and development professionals at the final stages of major change
initiatives.
There is evidence that business strategies often fail because the right
capabilities were not in place at the right time. This puts two key
requirements on the learning needs analysis:

accuracy in identifying the right capabilities needed to achieve the

strategic intent

timeliness of delivering the learning intervention to meet the strategic

needs.

Demonstrating strategic alignment can be done in several ways.

Organisations often develop SWOT or PESTLE analyses as part of their
strategy development. An alternative strategic analysis tool is the Performing
strengthweakness analysis matrix. This matrix is built up of the key drivers of
performance in the organisation rated for their contribution to current
performance.
The analysis of these metrics will help identify important priority areas for
action (see Figure 4.3).

Figure 4.3: Performing strength-weakness analysis matrix

Key factors

PERFORMANCE
IMPORTANCE
Major
Minor
Neutral Minor
Major
High Med Low
Strength Strength
Weakness Weakness

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This focus on showing you are doing more with less and proving the added
value of the interventions is normally done through some form of evaluation
(See Chapter 6 Assessment and Evaluation).

Organisation
Visionary
leadership
Capable
employees
Finance
Cash flow

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Financial
stability
Marketing
Brand
Image
Customer
satisfaction
Service
quality
Distribution
effectiveness
Manufacturing
Economies
of scale
Capacity
Produce on
time

Using the output of the appropriate strategic analysis tool as an input to the
learning needs analysis can be an effective way of showing how it directly
supports the business. Addressing these important performance improvement
areas will be well received by strategic leaders.
A strategic learning and development plan should include reference to a
number of fundamental values, policies and processes. These will have to be
taken into account when designing the learning needs analysis. Such values
and policies will include:

The mission, vision and values of the organisation

The learning and development plan will need to ensure the learning needs
analysis takes into account the mission, vision and values of the
organisation.

The learning and development manager will need to consider which of

these need reinforcement, exploration or understanding through learning
events.

The organisation may make a strategic decision to ensure all employees

attend a learning event to enable them to live these values in their
working activities. As an example of this approach: The Chief Executive of
Royal Mail took a strategic decision that every training course must
positively support the four core values of the organisation. To confirm this
had been done the training department were required to provide
evidence of how the four values were being applied to each course.

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The learning and development manager will need to know how the
organisation manages its learning and how it grows teams and individuals.
They need to know what kind of learning culture the organisation has.
Does it consider itself to be a learning organisation? Does it believe in self
development? Does it believe in developing potential? The organisations
stance on these beliefs will have a significant influence on the learning
needs analysis.

Within the training policies will be the organisations approach to

identifying training needs. Is it based on a careful analysis of
organisational needs, best practice and relevant law?

Who is eligible for training new recruits, those recently or about to be

promoted or transferred, those facing redundancy, members of
designated training schemes, managers, supervisors, or all employees?

What type of training is available and on what basis (job-related only,

career-related, company-related or general, paid for wholly by the
company or partly or wholly by the employee, conducted wholly or partly
in company time or the employees own time etc)?

Other training policies and processes relevant to the learning needs

analysis include: qualifications, compliance, appraisal, potential
identification, succession planning and personal development plans.

These principles and policies will also determine the responsibility of line
managers, individuals and learning and development professionals in the
identification of learning needs.

Once these values, policies and processes have been defined and
communicated the learning and development manager can move to the next
level of analysis. This should start by identifying the needs for learning at the
organisational level.

4.4 ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL ANALYSIS

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The general principles, policies and beliefs the organisation

has about their people and their development

Every organisation has a core set of knowledge and skills required to carry out
its business activities. Developing and maintaining these core competencies is
essential for the organisation to survive. A basic requirement of the learning
and development department is a core portfolio of learning interventions
designed to maintain and enhance these competencies.
Identifying organisational needs generally falls in to two categories:

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Compliance and statutory Legislative requirements imposed from

outside the organisation

Business strategies and goals Strategic choices made by internal decision

makers.

4.4.1 Compliance and statutory requirements

There appears to be an ever-increasing quantity of legislation affecting
organisations. These include health and safety, financial regulation, equal
opportunities, diversity, discrimination etc. These are coming from the
European Union as well as the UK government and from other statutory
bodies. The learning and development manager will need to ensure they are
up to date with all current relevant legislation and kept informed of all
pending and future legislation likely to affect their organisation. Much of this
legislation carries the requirement to demonstrate compliance through
evidence that the appropriate training has been delivered to all relevant
employees.
When carrying out any form of learning needs analysis it is important to take
into account such laws as the Disability Discrimination Act and ensure that the
analysis process itself, as well as the outputs, does not discriminate against
any particular group of employees or potential employees.
Should the organisation be working towards achieving Investors in People
(IIP) status or already have IIP there will be specific relevant requirements.
National standards will require the organisations to demonstrate they have a
planned approach to all aspects of training including identifying learning
needs. They will have to show they regularly review the learning and
development needs of all employees.
The learning needs analysis will need to take into account all these
requirements in two ways. First, to ensure the actual process meets all legal
and regulatory requirements, and secondly, to ensure the required learning
needs for all staff are included in the analysis.

4.4.2 Business goals, objectives and strategies

The organisation will have a set of tactics and activities that are designed to
meet current targets and business objectives. These are usually referred to as
business plans. The objectives in a business plan are those that are critical to
the success of the business, and are where most of the effort and resources
will be directed.

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Figure 4.4: Capturing potential business needs

Business goals and likely organisational
changes
PC on every desk
Introduction of new automation
Overseas acquisition
etc

Potential impact on the capability of the

people
Everyone to be computer literate
New skills for production workers
Learn foreign language
etc

These goals, objectives and strategies will need regular monitoring by the
learning and development manager as the priorities for key change
programmes and business objectives are regularly reviewed and changed.
This review of the learning needs should be an integral part of the business
planning process.

4.5 JOB ANALYSIS

The next level of analysis is job or task analysis. A job will contain a number of
tasks, some tasks can be common across several jobs.
Analysing the job is often a significant part of a learning needs analysis. It
looks at the requirements of a job, not at the capability of the individual to do
the job. Jobs are a collection of tasks and responsibilities generally associated
with the employees title, such as secretary, supervisor, or accountant. HR
specialists normally do a job analysis when a new job is created or there are
substantial changes to an existing job. It is often used as an employment tool
for classifying work and for selecting employees.
When undertaking this type of analysis it is essential to check that all affected
departments, including line managers, are involved in the process. This should
maximise effectiveness and minimise duplication.
A job list is a compilation of all job titles associated with a particular part of an
organisation or the whole organisation. The purpose of a job list is to ensure
that all the jobs belonging to a specific operation or process have been
identified. The compilation of such a list is normally the responsibility of the
HR department. If it already exists, the learning and development manager
should ensure it is up to date and complete if it is to be used as the basis for a
learning needs analysis.

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Figure 4.4 shows a simple way of capturing the potential business needs from
the business strategies as an input to the learning needs analysis.

A job analysis approach to learning needs analysis is fundamentally breaking

down the complexity of a persons job into logical parts. It seeks to gather and

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analyse detailed and objective information about all aspects of the job in
question. This includes the component tasks, the responsibilities, the required
standards of performance and the conditions in which it takes place. This
information is then used to identify the skills, knowledge and attitudes
needed to perform the job to the required standard.

4.5.1 Job analysis methods

An effective way of doing this is to ask a number of people who are
considered to be good at that specific job. Usually these would be the
highest-level performers or the most experienced. Methods of job analysis
include:

Diaries A method of self-reporting tasks carried out over a period of

time. They are simple to do but can be disruptive and rely on the honesty
of the reporter for accuracy.

Interviews Employees, in groups or individually, are asked to describe

what they do and how they do it. Face-to-face situations are preferred as
they give the opportunity for supplementary questions to be asked and
explored in more depth. They can be prone to inaccuracies due to bad
memory or reluctance to say what actually happens.

Observation An observer follows or shadows an individual or group as

they carry out their job over a specified period of time. Observations can
be used for this kind of analysis but they are time consuming. Observations
also may have the problem of being viewed as checking up on people,
causing resentment. This would need careful introduction and
reassurances. Another potential problem with observations is that of
playing to the audience where those being observed do not act normally
but exaggerate what they are doing and do not perform the job normally.

Critical incident Where an individual describes exactly what happened

during a specific incident. This is intended to isolate particular behaviours
relevant to the incident but as it depends on self-reporting it may not be
detailed or accurate enough.

Repertory grid Where a range of skills and behaviours are identified on a

grid and individuals are invited to rate their colleagues against each
heading. The resulting rating is comprehensive and robust but requires
considerable expertise to administer and analyse.

Checklist and inventories There are a great number of questionnaires

and checklists produced covering a wide range of different jobs. These

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The output of a job analysis is usually a job description and person

specification. Many organisations will already have a set of job descriptions
and person specifications for all their jobs. Using these a collective set of
generic skills and knowledge requirements can be identified. Figure 4.5 shows
a simple way to capture these requirements.

Figure 4.5: Capturing generic skills and knowledge

Separate activities contained in the job
description
Type a letter
Make a telephone call

List of relevant capabilities, skill and

knowledge
Knowledge of business english
Able to use word processing packages
Clear speaking voice
Able to use a telephone directory

Comparing people against the job descriptions and person specifications can
be used to identify individual needs and gaps. This analysis usually takes one
of two forms:

Learning needs questionnaire, where the statements in the job

descriptions are converted into questions for self-analysis.

Learning needs interview, where the same questions are given verbally
and explored more thoroughly.

4.5.2 Task inventory

Another method of job analysis is known as a task inventory. This is where the
job is broken down into a set of separate tasks, activities or behaviours. A task
is a function the jobholder performs such as typing a letter, adding up a
column of figures, or operating a lathe. It is an action designed to contribute
a specified end result to the accomplishment of an objective. It has an
identifiable beginning and end that is a measurable component of a specific
job.

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have the advantage of being readily available and extensively researched.

However, because of their general appeal they may not fit a specific
organisations needs.

The analysis then takes each task and describes it in terms of skills, knowledge
and attitude required to do the task. A Task Inventory can be compiled for
each job in a department or the whole organisation. Some jobs may have few
tasks associated with them, while others may have a lot. Each task should
have the following characteristics:

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a separate and necessary activity or action, independent of other actions in

the performance of the job

an identifiable start and end point which produces a measurable output

the ability to be performed in relatively short periods of time

the ability to be observed to confirm that the task has been performed.

The task inventory includes all the tasks that a jobholder requires to perform
the job and to what standards.

4.6 TASK ANALYSIS

Task analysis is a process that produces a structured and reliable method of
describing the task so that it can be consistently repeated. The task analysis
identifies the measurable behaviours involved in the performance of each
task. A task statement is then written for each task containing an action and
an output. The analysis then breaks the task down into the Skills, Knowledge
and Attitudes necessary to perform the task. It uses a systematic process of
identifying those specific tasks to be trained, and a detailed analysis of each
of those tasks in terms of frequency, difficulty, criticality and importance.
There are four logical stages in carrying out an effective task analysis:

Identifying each tasks and generating a list

Selecting and prioritising tasks that may be appropriate for training

Dissecting tasks identifying and describing the components of the tasks,

goals, or objectives in terms of Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes

Sequencing tasks and sub-tasks defining the sequence in which

instruction should occur that will best facilitate learning.

As with a job analysis, a task analysis can be carried by a variety of methods

including interviews, direct observations and questionnaires.
When observing, the observer should ask the performer to slow down the
task, if possible, so that it is easier to identify what they are actually doing.
The observer should also ask the performer, as they perform the task, to
explain what they are doing and why.
Tasks can be mental such as analysing or calculating or they can be physical
such as writing or lifting. Tasks can also include interacting with others such

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4.6.1 Task analysis methods

There are four common methods of carrying out a task analysis:

Hierarchical task analysis arranging actions in order

If and Then analysis decisions relationship

Scenario-based analysis lists of possible actions

Cognitive task analysis based on critical decisions

Hierarchical task analysis

This is the most common task analysis method, which involves analysing steps
in the natural order in which they are normally performed. It may not always
be easy to distinguish the logical sequence of steps in a task and the observer
will need to decide how important it is to get the sequence accurately
recorded. There is often no definitive sequence as circumstances will differ
widely. This dilemma means it is critical that the manager determines what
type of information is needed at the start.

If and Then analysis

This analysis method is used where the action the performer takes depends
upon a particular condition being satisfied. The method gets its name from
the choice presented to the performer which requires the decision if this
happens then this is what I will do.

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as mentor or explain. Therefore, asking them to talk out loud as they

perform mental actions is vital as otherwise the action cannot be captured
and may get missed from the analysis.

A simple example for a trainer would be: If the student is new then I will send
him on the basic course. If he is an experienced user then I will send him on
the advanced course.
This method of analysis is done by interview questions asking for the rationale
for the decision making process.

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Scenario based analysis

This method is often used for management and leadership tasks, as the steps
can be difficult to define or observe. Also these kinds of tasks do not have
clear procedures for their correct performance. This method of analysis relies
on the performer to explain what tasks are needed and in what sequence.
The process is done through interview questions asking what would be
appropriate in a variety of situations. The output of this method of analysis is
then a range of options as suitable responses to a specific event.

Cognitive task analysis

In many organisations, jobs are no longer defined by a collection of tasks, but
by decision-making and problem-solving activities. A cognitive task analysis
may be a more appropriate method for identifying the details of effective
performance in these contexts.
A cognitive task analysis looks at the psychological processes underlying the
performance and the subtle cues that may depend on context and experience.
The main goal of a cognitive task analysis is to define the actual decision
requirements and strategies of the task. This is done by diagnosing and
characterising the decisions being made, the thought processes taking place
and how those thoughts are turned into actions.
A cognitive task analysis focuses on the psychological processes underlying
the behaviour, not the behaviour itself. It extends the learning needs analysis
by providing information on the critical mental decisions and cognitive
processes that make up an essential ingredient of many complex tasks.

4.6.2 Weighting tasks

Whichever method is used, there are four basic requirements to be identified
from a task analysis in order to use the information as part of a learning needs
analysis. For each task these requirements are:

Importance

Frequency

Criticality

Difficulty.

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Here are a wider range of typical questions that might be appropriate as a

checklist when doing a task analysis:

How difficult or complex is the task, ie easy, hard, very hard?

What behaviours are used in the performance of the job?

How frequently is the task performed, ie daily, weekly, monthly, yearly?

How would you recognise good performance of the task?

How critical is the task to the performance of the job?

Is this an independent or interdependent task, if so what is the

relationship between the various tasks and other people?

What is the consequence of the task being performed incorrectly or not at

all?

What information is needed to perform the task? What is the source of

information?

How much time is needed to perform this task?

What prerequisite skills, knowledge, and abilities are required to perform

the task?

Regardless of which method of data gathering is chosen and what questions

are asked, the data gathered must accurately reflect the specific tasks as they
are actually performed for the analysis to be of value.

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In many task analysis templates each of these important factors are given a
rating scale, usually 1 to 5 where 5 means very frequent, very critical, very
difficult. The higher the score the more likely it is that formal training is
required. Those tasks with very low scores will probably not need to be
considered for training.

As with the job analysis, a detailed task analysis may already have been done,
in which case the information is readily available. If it is not available, the
learning and development manager will need to consider the cost of
performing such a detailed process as part of the learning needs analysis. In
most modern organisations the processes and procedures are changing so
rapidly that the tasks may not stay constant long enough to make this a
worthwhile activity.

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4.7 NEEDS ANALYSIS

A needs analysis is a more comprehensive process than either a job or task
analysis. It provides the learning and development manager with a complete
understanding of the operational system being analysed. It looks not only at
the tasks being performed but also at other parts of the system and processes
that might influence performance.
A needs analysis is a proactive approach where the learning and development
manager goes into the system or process and searches for problems or
potential problems. The goal is to make the system more efficient and to
prevent future problems from occurring. When looking for learning needs, or
when problems arise, there are several instruments that may be appropriate.

4.7.1 Needs analysis methods

Some of the needs assessment instruments are the same as for the job or task
analysis but are used differently to provide more comprehensive information.

Document research Analysis of budget documents, business plans,

appraisals, quality control documents, goal statements, evaluation reports,
personal development plans, work reviews, critical incident reports,
scheduling and staffing reports, customer complaints or other business
documents

Interviews Talk to supervisors, managers, subject matter experts and

other employees

Observations Watch the job or task being performed, but remember the
potential problems with this approach described earlier

Surveys Send out written questionnaires

Group discussions Lead a group discussion composed of employees and

their supervisors.

The sort of questions the learning and development manager should be

asking in interviews and group discussions include:

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What are your employees doing that they shouldnt be doing?

What specific things would you like to see your people doing that they are
not doing?

When people perform this job correctly, what do they actually do?

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What do you think your employees learning needs are and why?

What do you think your learning needs are and why?

Do you have all the resources needed to do your job effectively?

Are job aids available, are they accurate and are they being used?

Are the standards reasonable? If not, why not?

If you could change one thing about the way you perform your work,
what would it be?

The answers to these types of question will provide information on a wide

range of needs, some of which will be learning needs.

4.8 TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL NEEDS

Learning and development managers need to take into account the specific
learning and development needs of individuals and teams within the
organisation.
This section looks at:

Skills analysis

Knowledge analysis

Using competencies

High potential

Teams.

The first thing to consider is the organisations policy on individual needs.

Does the organisation empower local managers or even the individuals to

source their own training, and to what level?

Does the organisation empower local managers to identify the learning

needs of their people?

Does the organisation provide a central suite of learning interventions

from which individuals can select the most appropriate?

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Does the organisation have the policy, resources and expertise to design
individual learning interventions for small numbers?

It is the job of the learning and development manager to separate learning

needs from the other needs of the individuals. However, it is line managers
responsibility to support the development of their people. If the line
managers are empowered to identify the learning needs of their people, the
learning and development department needs to be able to suggest the most
effective learning solution. The job, task or needs analysis will have defined
both the skills and knowledge and the level of performance. Comparing the
skills and knowledge of the individual against these standards is the usual
approach to identifying the needs of individuals.

4.8.1 Skills analysis

Most learning needs analysis processes concentrate on the identification of
skills. This is because skills can be defined as discrete observable behaviours
that contribute to the successful achievement of tasks. Because they can be
measured they can also be assessed and rated from poor to excellent or
similar scales of ability.
Here are examples of skills assessment processes.

Example: Skills and personal characteristics review

Outlined below are 10 skills and personal characteristics to be used as a
benchmark in reviewing how the jobholder sought to fulfil and achieve
his/her objectives. Comment against each of the job relevant
characteristics denoting Strengths (+) or Areas for Development (-)
supplemented by examples.
Highlight any particular strengths (+) or areas for development (-) by
marking X in the column headed (+) or (-) against the appropriate
characteristic.

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Example: Skills profile

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Characteristics
Comments
Leadership and influencing
Motivates others to work
towards an agenda for
change
Directs and co-ordinates
activities of others
Accepts
responsibility/delegates
authority to others
Strategic thinking
Capable of innovative
thinking to find solutions
Identifies future risks and
opportunities
Considers longer-term effects
of actions
Teamwork
Supports own and
cross-functional work groups
Contributes to and enhances
group decisions
Communications
Converses clearly and
persuasively to different
levels
Proficient in presentations
and meetings
Adaptable and effective
writing skills

This questionnaire is designed to assist the process of identifying the

current attributes and future potential of individuals. The headings for
each section cover the management capabilities expected of all managers
in this organisation.

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In response to each statement, you will need to put a cross on the

appropriate line using the following assessments:

5 = The person always does this (is a role model)

4 = The person frequently does this
3 = The person sometimes does this
2 = The person rarely does this
1 = Either not applicable or the person has not yet had the opportunity to
do this
Your numerical rating will act as an important indicator for those skills
which require development and practice and those which simply require
on-going use.
Skills
1
Leadership
Is seen by colleagues as a role model in current job
Displays an ability to inspire and motivate self and others
Is assertive, not aggressive
Is able to get others to do things when they dont directly
manage them
Innovation and creativity
Creative when confronted with business challenges and
problems
Uses innovative state of the art approaches to solving
problems
Works from a compromise between creativity and the rule
book
Decision making
Displays the ability to make, and commit to, tough decisions
Gathers and analyses information from others to draw
conclusions and produce outputs
Is open to an appropriate level of influence and change and
makes rational decisions
Has a practical and common sense approach
Resourcefulness
Learns from both failures and success
Demonstrates initiative, drive, persistence and involvement
Spots opportunities and makes things happen

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Identifying the current skills and knowledge set for individuals is often at the
core of a learning needs analysis. It is normally the responsibility of the line
manager to identify the skills and knowledge their people already have. To
make effective use of a skill review, the manager first needs to explain what
the skills are in words that are easy to understand and apply. Creating a skills
checklist, which is a list of all probable skills that might be relevant, described
in simple language, often does this.
The skills checklist is best completed in consultation with the individual by
encouraging them to describe everything they feel they can do particularly
well. It often helps to explore home or leisure activities as they might involve
examples of work-related skills. This checklist should always include space for
the individual or their manager to add additional skills. Sometimes the
identification of individual needs by their manager is part of an appraisal
process. The appraisal is normally done half-yearly or annually and part of the
review of their performance is a review of their skills.

Identifying potential areas for development

Having identified an individuals current skills and knowledge, the manager
should be in a good position to identify areas for future development. The
first part of this stage in the analysis is to revisit the skills checklist to identify
any missing or sub-standard skills that form a requirement of the job. These
areas will determine short-term learning needs.
The second part is to discuss with the individual future development needs,
which may be more long term or associated with promotion or job change.
Having quantified and agreed the skills to be developed with the individual,
the final part is to prioritise the needs and agree an action plan. The
documentation of this prioritised action plan is often referred to as the
Personal Learning Plan (PLP) or Personal Development Plan (PDP).
Many organisations require the appraisal documents and associated PDPs to
be sent to the HR department on completion. As well as an audit that the
process is being carried our correctly, the returned documents provide a rich
source of information for identifying learning needs.

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Identifying an individuals current skills set

Skill levels There is an ever-increasing drive for organisations to be faster,

cheaper but still produce even higher quality. This puts tremendous
pressure on them to get more from their workforce and puts a
corresponding pressure on the employees to strive to be more productive

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themselves. One possible consequence of this constant increase is that the

skill levels that were acceptable last year are not high enough this year and
certainly will not be high enough next year.

Currency of skills As well as maintaining and improving the level of a

specific skill the individual and the organisation need to constantly check
that their skills are still current. Many skills require regular updating and
refreshing. The employer will need to ensure the skills are up-to-date to
account for changes in working practices, improved technology and
continuous improvements in the industry.

Therefore, when carrying out a skills audit the learning and development
manager needs to ensure the required level of the skill will meet the future
needs by asking:

Is the level of skill still appropriate for the business needs?

Are some of the identified skills no longer relevant to todays business?

Do we need other skills we currently dont have?

In most organisations the skills of an individual cannot be seen in isolation.

The unit of production is often the team where individual members of a team
contribute different skills dependent on the needs of the team and the task.
The manager should always make their assessment of individuals in the
context of the team and, if relevant, factors beyond their immediate section
or department should also be included.

4.8.2 Knowledge analysis

Individual learning needs analysis will include the identification of knowledge
as well as skills. All jobs and tasks consist of a combination of both knowledge
and skills and the analysis would not be complete without the identification
of knowledge gaps.
If it assists the analysis, knowledge can be divided into the following three
categories:

Factual knowledge giving names to things, ie objects or processes or

locations. This type of knowledge includes facts, principles, natural laws,
sequences of events and concepts. Methods for identifying factual
knowledge needs include:

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Written or verbal memory tests

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Flow charting or diagrams

Interview or group questioning.

Procedural knowledge this is needed to perform a given task. Procedural

knowledge shows the person knows the discrete steps or actions to be
taken and the available alternatives to perform a given task or tasks. With
practice, procedural knowledge can become an automatic process, the
ability to perform a task without conscious awareness. Methods for
identifying procedural knowledge gaps include:

Interviewing but with the specific purpose of uncovering the process

steps

Observation to demonstrate the steps in a process followed by

recording the process.

Strategic knowledge this is needed for decision-making and problem

solving. It covers action planning and contingency planning and how to
act appropriately with minimum information. Methods for identifying
strategic knowledge gaps include:

Interviews to identify non-routine or critical events that challenged

their thinking and events where their expertise made a significant
difference

Critical Decision Method is a semi-structured interview using specific

probing questions designed to explore the perceptions and
judgements used to make decisions.

4.8.3 Competencies
Competencies tend to be associated with National Vocational Qualifications
(NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). However, many
organisations have taken these principles and developed sets of personal
competencies to suit their own needs rather than national standards.

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One benefit of using competencies is they describe both the skills and
knowledge required to satisfactorily perform tasks. The competencies for
each individual usually consist of a combination of job specific and common
behaviours.
The individual competencies across an organisation normally fit into an
overall competency framework. This framework consists of all the

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competencies required for effective performance in a particular job. The most

useful competency framework will also describe the levels of performance
expected in each of these areas.
The main advantages of competencies for learning needs analysis is that they
are practical, observable and rooted in the job to be done. They are also
impersonal someone is either competent or not yet competent.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Services developed a competency framework
based on SVQs. Bob Virtue, Director of Fire Service Training for Scotland, saw
the benefits for identifying learning needs in this way:
Records must indicate where and how competence has been achieved,
identify role related development needs and describe how these have been or
will be satisfied. Recording systems that are non-bureaucratic save
management time and encourage people to feel they own their
development.
Defining the competencies for a role or job and then assessing individuals
against these is seen as an effective way of identifying gaps in skills and
knowledge. Once the gap has been identified, then interventions can be
developed to address them.
Competencies can also be used at an organisational level to quantify the level
of capability across departments and divisions and identify common capability
gaps. The use of standard competencies across an organisation also helps the
development and use of standard personal development plans. The use of
common language to describe core capability makes it easier to move people
across the organisation from department to department and makes
promotion requirements more transparent.
For organisations that do not already have competency frameworks and wish
to explore their development, NVQs and SVQs are a good place to start.

4.8.4 High potential employees

Identifying the learning needs of groups of individuals designated as high
potential or high fliers or similar descriptive phrases, is a specific task. Most
development programmes for individuals classed as having high potential
start from the premise that there are a set of characteristics or competencies
that successfully describe a high performing leader. Some form of assessment
against these competencies is then set up, often in the form of an assessment
centre.

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a set of psychometric tests measured against an appropriate norm

decision making via some form of in-box

strategic thinking via a case study

team work and leadership via a group exercise.

There are usually three possible outcomes from such an assessment process.

Ready now meaning that the person already possesses the competencies
for the higher level and is placed on some form of register waiting for a
suitable vacancy, or is given an appropriate role straight away

Not suitable or not ready meaning the person does not possess the
required competencies and would need significant development. These
people are usually required to return to their previous position and try to
develop themselves to be ready for a future assessment process. Often the
pragmatic outcome is that the individual pursues their career in other
directions

The most common outcome from a high potential assessment process is a

set of development needs against the set of competencies. These
development needs are often met by a structured, high-potential
development programme. These high potential development programmes
are a combination of inter-department experiences, special projects and
secondments usually accompanied by a mentoring relationship with a
sponsoring director or similar more senior person. The identification of the
learning need for these programmes is usually done in consultation with
the sponsors and against the set of competencies specific to the senior role
to which they aspire.

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Typically these types of assessment centres will include a number of exercises

such as:

4.8.5 Team learning needs

A team can be defined as a group of individuals working together towards a
common goal, product, solution or purpose that requires the sharing of
expertise, knowledge, and ideas in a cooperative and interdependent
fashion. Teams may come together for short-term projects or to develop new
strategies or they may be permanent teams working together to produce a
product or service.

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A useful tool for team learning that also supports individual learning is the
skills matrix. This matrix normally has the business requirements down one
side and the names of the team members across the top. Each person in the
team is then ticked off as competent against appropriate technical and soft
skills. The completed chart shows visually and easily the current capabilities of
all team members against business requirements, the overall level of
competence within the team and any significant individual gaps.
Task analysis for a team looks at both collective teamwork and individual task
work. Teamwork consists of interacting, cooperating or coordinating tasks
that are important to the teams goals, distinct from performing individual
tasks.
Like a job analysis, a team task analysis serves several purposes. It helps team
design and team performance measurement as well as identifying team
learning needs. The purpose of the team task analysis will dictate if the focus
is on improving team tasks or team processes or a combination of the two.
Analysing teamworking requires a slightly different approach to analysing
individuals performing tasks on behalf of the team. For example, the tasks
that an effective team might need to demonstrate include:

Participating and sharing in the teams leadership

Supporting team roles and norms

Participating by contributing data and knowledge

Sharing in the decision-making process with the goal of reaching

consensus

Communicating, providing feedback, and interacting openly with the

team members

Working efficiently and effectively as a team unit.

Teamworking behaviours become more difficult to analyse because a group

collectively performs them. Team tasks are best analysed by extracting task
information from the team as a whole. It is critical that there is agreement by
everyone in the team on the tasks frequency, criticality, difficulty, importance,
and the skills, knowledge and attitudes required. This complex activity
requires that the learning and development manager become more of a
facilitator than a task analyst.

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This chapter has discussed a number of learning needs analysis tools with a
wide range of uses. This section explores the main tools interviews, using
experts and surveys in more detail.

4.9.1 Interviews
Interviewing is mentioned throughout this chapter as an important part of a
learning needs analysis. The most common example is the appraisal and
performance review meeting with the line manager. Alternately the learning
and development manager may conduct interviews as part of a learning
needs analysis. Good interviewing consists of the two key skills, asking
appropriate questions and active listening.
Active or effective listening is needed for an efficient learning needs analysis
interview. This involves really concentrating on the message being
transmitted by trying to understand not only what is being said but how and
why it is being said. The interviewer will need to adopt a disciplined, active
listening approach during the analysis interview. When practising active
listening the interviewer should also remember:

Non-verbal signals are important and they should learn to recognise them
in order to get the full picture

Be aware of cultural differences in communication habits

Recognise that their own emotions affect the signals they send

Dont let their own values, attitudes, and beliefs get in the way

Concentrate and pay attention to details

Take accurate notes to avoid misunderstanding

Tone of voice is often as important as what is said

Be prepared to listen and show they are listening actively

Establish the performance criteria before they begin to observe or listen to

the performance

Plan in advance to avoid distractions.

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Asking appropriate questions is the other key skill needed for thorough
analysis. Both open and closed questions can be effective. A closed question is
one that may be answered by a simple yes or no and usually begins with do
you, are you, have you and so on. It may also be a question to which the
respondent is offered a choice of alternative replies, such as which of the
following three skills are you best at? On the other hand, open questions
are aimed at provoking an extended, free response and might start with
what where, which, why, how or when.
Always use simple, uncomplicated and understandable language and also
make sure not to make unfair or unrealistic assumptions or jump to
conclusions.
Once the interviewer has asked a question, they need to allow the other
person to answer. The skill of listening comes into play. Interviewers need to
develop the ability both to show they are listening and to stay silent and to
create pauses to hear the answers. When asking questions the interviewer
should remember:

Work hard to build rapport and put the other person at ease by adopting a
friendly, supportive, helpful manner

Be prepared to explain clearly why you need to ask questions

Think about some questions in advance. However, do not be constrained

by prepared questions. Be flexible enough to probe where necessary

Always acknowledge answers positively and in an encouraging tone

Give answers real consideration before responding yourself. A pause will

show that you are really interested

Probe, where needed, for extra information. Use phrases such as Is that
all? or Are you sure we have covered everything?

Realise the importance of developing self-awareness by using questions

such as When and where did you think your performance began to
improve? or Why do you think you have difficulty with that task?

Always check your understanding by summarising.

It is important the interviewer develops his/her own natural style of

interviewing. The most structured open questions in the world will not
produce the right responses if they are delivered in an aggressive,

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4.9.2 Using experts

Sometimes the best way to analyse a task, job or role is to observe an
acknowledged expert performing the activity and record the behaviours. This
may reduce the sensitivity caused by watching individuals performing their
job where ulterior motivations may be suspected. Also it ensures that the
behaviours and actions being observed are the appropriate ones for effective
performance.
Ideally the observer should be a person who understands the task and who is
relatively expert himself/herself. The learning and development manager, if
not doing the observations himself/herself, needs to ensure the observer and
expert performer understand what is required and what they have to do to
make effective use of the observation. It is recommended that when using
this method several experts are observed doing the same activity, ideally by
different observers, to get as full and accurate a picture as possible.
After carrying out a series of observations, the observers should be brought
together under the guidance and facilitation of the learning and
development manager to pool their observations and agree an accurate
output.
A second stage or alternative approach to using subject experts is to run a
focus group with a small number (three to eight) of experts. Again under the
facilitation and guidance of the learning and development manager the
group should discuss the relevant tasks or roles. The group should include a
line manager or supervisor to ensure wider considerations and other relevant
information are included. The focus group should explore all the relevant
tasks and decides which require training. The decisions should be based on
the significant factors of frequency, difficulty, criticality and the consequences
of error or poor performance, as described for other methods.

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condescending, or over-challenging manner. Getting the right response to

questioning is critical in achieving a useful output that can contribute to the
learning needs analysis.

The learning and development manager needs to acknowledge that this

method is time consuming for the subject experts. Also, choosing the right
subject experts for the focus group needs to be carefully considered. A
suggested agenda for such a subject expert focus group is:

Introducing the team and the purpose of the session

Explaining the job to be analysed

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Identifying the tasks performed in the job and writing task statements

Producing a sequence for the task statements

Selecting the tasks appropriate for training.

Alternately, such a focus group of subject experts can be used to validate and
verify the learning needs analysis done by other investigative methods.

4.9.3 Surveys
One of the most useful ways of gathering structured information relevant to
identifying learning needs is a Learning Needs Survey. Surveys are not as
effective as observations or interviews but they do enable access to a large
number of people at a reasonable cost. A survey is the most cost effective way
to reach the whole organisation, if it were appropriate to ensure everyone
was included. However, it is important to remember the more people that are
involved the more data will have to be compiled. This compilation can be a
time consuming and a complex task to complete and the cost of this will have
to be built into the cost effectiveness of the whole process.
Surveys are also an effective method if the analysis needs a representative
distribution of the target population. If the sample of people to be surveyed is
chosen carefully then only a relatively small percentage need to be
approached to produce an effective result.
Designing such a survey document appears to be straightforward, but there
are a number of factors to consider. People are more likely to contribute to
such a survey if it is relatively quick and easy to complete and they can see a
purpose and potential benefit.
The first factor to consider when designing a Learning Needs Survey is, who
are the people you need to ask and how many of them will give sufficient
useful evidence? In many small organisations it might be easier and less
sensitive to survey everyone. For larger organisations the learning and
development manager will need to decide how many would make up a
representative sample, bearing in mind the average voluntary survey may
produce less than 25% completed returns.
One group that might provide a useful perspective are customers and
suppliers. Many organisations use professional survey consultants for this kind
of work to ensure impartiality and objectivity. This approach may also be
more cost effective than trying to do this specialised work internally. Similar
survey tools and questions could be used for internal customer groups.

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One specialised form of survey that is becoming increasingly popular is the

360-degree feedback survey. This is where an individual asks people above,
below and to the side of them to complete a questionnaire on specific aspects
of their behaviour. For some organisations this process is compulsory,
scheduled as part of their appraisal process. The benefit of the 360-degree
feedback as a tool in the context of learning needs, is that it compares data
from different sources and perspectives. This data is very useful for identifying
strengths and weaknesses for development.
Of particular relevance to the subject of learning needs is what is often called
an organisational learning climate survey. This tool is used to get feedback
on the various types of learning intervention used in the organisation.
Questions are asked about how important and effective each learning
intervention is in the view of the respondent.
Having decided who will receive the survey the next factor to consider is the
format of the actual questions.

Freeform questions These are open questions inviting any response. The
advantages are:

People can express their real feelings and say what ever they wish

They might encourage unexpected responses that are of value

The actual words of the answers can be quoted to give authenticity

and impact.

The limitations are:

They take a long time to answer and require concentration

Some answers might be difficult to classify against learning needs

They are difficult to summarise and produce quantitative data from

They take longer and require more effort for the recipient to

complete.

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Another popular use of this analysis method is attitude surveys. These are
now seen as strategic tools in many organisations, particularly as part of
management development processes and as a form of health check.

Multiple choice questions These are questions where a range of possible

answers that have already been prepared. The advantages are that they
are:

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Quick and easy to complete

Quick and easy to analyse

Easy to convert into quantitative data.

The limitations are that they:

Only provide basic data with no explanation as to why people have

given their answers

Require attention to the wording of the questions so they are

unambiguous

Only get information on what you have asked so there is no additional

useful information

Need care to ensure the choice and wording of the questions do not
produce bias.

Yes/No questions This form of survey is only looking for agreement or

disagreement to a set of statements. The advantages are:

The same as for multiple choice but are easier to write and analyse.

The limitations are:

The same as for multiple choice with even less information on why

Many situations are not black or white and forcing such a simple
choice can be unhelpful and make people feel resentful.

The most common choice of questioning format for a learning needs survey is
a set of multiple choice questions with supplementary opportunities for
freeform answers. Figure 4.6 shows an example of a survey.

Figure 4.6: Example learning needs survey

Dear colleague,
This is a short survey asking you to comment on the leadership skills of
your manager.
The survey is being sent to everyone in your division and the results will
be used to help us identify the training needs for all managers.

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A summary of the results and how we plan to use them will be published
before the end of the year.
It should take no more that 15 minutes for you to complete the form.
Thank you for your cooperation.
1. How well does your manager keep you informed of what is going on in the wider
business?
Very well
Fairly well
Not very well
Not at all
2. How often do you have a one-to-one meeting with your manager?
Once a month
Once a quarter
Once a year
Never
3. Does your manager involve you in important decisions?
Very often
Fairly often
Not very often
Never
4. Does your manager always treat you fairly?
Always
Mostly
Sometimes
Seldom
5. How well does your manager show interest in your development?
Very well
Fairly well
Not very well
Not at all
Please use this space to add any additional comment about your manager that you
believe would be helpful.

Having decided the question format and written the questions the next factor
to consider is the method of actually conducting the survey. The method may
be determined by the information the learning and development manager
needs for a comprehensive learning needs analysis.
An important question for the manager to consider is that of anonymity. If
the analysis is to identify specific learning needs then the location, job title,
grade, length of service and even the name might be required. If this sort of
information is requested it will be obvious to the recipient that they may be
identified. This will influence how they complete the survey and it is
important they understand how and where this information will be used. If
an anonymous reply is appropriate, then ensure questions that will reveal a
persons identity are not included. Also you may need to consider whether
using the organisations electronic network or intranet to distribute the
survey will allow anonymous returns.

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All the returns will be treated in confidence and you are not required to
identify yourself or your manager in any way.

An alternative approach is to deliver the surveys personally and collect them

the same way. This is likely to increase the response rate but is obviously
labour intensive and time consuming. A further extension of this personal

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approach is to use the questions as a structured interview where the learning

and development manager or a representative asks the questions and writes
down the persons reply.
Finally, ensure there is a feedback mechanism where those involved can see
the outcome of their input and how it is being used for the benefit of the
organisation and themselves. This way they are more likely to be cooperative
if asked to do something similar in the future.
A good practice is always to run a small pilot or test to check the questions are
understood and elicit the responses anticipated. This may avoid greater, more
embarrassing and more expensive problems later.

4.10 TURNING BUSINESS NEEDS INTO LEARNING NEEDS

The final stage of the analysis is to identify those needs that are actually
learning needs rather than any other type. The learning and development
manager has to be able to confirm that the need can best be met by a
learning intervention, as opposed to any other intervention such as job aids,
improved processes or new technology.
Traditionally the learning and development managers role was to develop
and maintain a portfolio of training courses. The line managers came to
him/her requesting a training course to address their business needs. This
traditional view is now being challenged by the growth in learning solutions
rather than training courses. The first response of the learning and
development manager should be to challenge whether a learning solution is
the most effective and appropriate response. Figure 4.7 shows an example of
a training request form that does more than simply ask for a course. The
questions help identify learning needs, not just ask which course the manager
wants. This means the line manager has to work harder to identify exactly
what is needed, not just pick a course from a list of titles.

Figure 4.7: Example training request form

Training Requested for:....................................... Grade:......................

Job Title:............................................

Dept/Area:.............................................

Manager:............................................. Date:...................................

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4.10.1 Performance analysis

When the collection stage of the learning needs analysis has been completed,
many organisational problems will emerge that are initially considered as
learning needs but on further investigation are not. The problem may be lack
of resources or systems inadequacies or other business deficiencies that
cannot be addressed by training. The technique often used to identify
learning needs from the analysis of the business needs is often called
performance analysis or systems analysis.
The learning and development manager must decide, for all the needs
identified, whether or not they are learning needs. The Performance Analysis
Quadrant is a tool to help answer that question. Asking two questions Does
the person have the capability to do the job? and Does the person have the
proper attitude to perform the job? will define if it is a learning need or
something else. The learning and development manager assigns a rating
between 1 and 10 to the answer to these two questions, and the overall
figure places the person in one of four performance quadrants (see Figure
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1. In what part of the job does the

learning need occur?
2. What in your opinion is lacking? Is it
knowledge or skill or both?
When and how does it show?
4. What do you want the employee to
be able to do?
5. Does the employee have a clear
understanding of the purpose of the
training? Are they willing and able to
learn?
6. How will the success of the training be
measured?
7. What will be done to ensure
implementation of the learning?
8. Please add any additional information relevant to the identified need.

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Figure 4.8: Performance analysis quadrant

1. Motivation quadrant: If the person has sufficient capability but has an

inappropriate attitude, this may result in motivational problems.
Adjusting someones motivation is not a learning need and alternative
solutions will be more effective.
2. Resources or environment quadrant: If the person has both capability
and a favourable attitude but performance is still unsatisfactory, then the
problem may not be in their control. It could be lack of resources or time,
or inadequate equipment, or lack of support. Again this is not a learning
need.
3. Recruitment or selection quadrant: If the person lacks capability and
has a poor attitude, that person may be in the wrong job. The problem is
with the selection or recruitment process. Again this is not a learning
need for the individual but may be a learning need for the recruiting
department or manager.
4. Training quadrant: If the employee wants to perform but cannot due
to a lack of knowledge or skills, then additional training may be the
answer.

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Often, the employee does not perform to standards due to time factors,
working conditions, or a misunderstanding of the required standards.
Management must recognise and consider other factors that impact on
performance and which may not be corrected by training. Factors such as the
appropriateness and clarity of procedures, human factors, management style
and the work environment all affect performance.
Performance analysis considers every aspect of the whole system then
identifies a range of different interventions to resolve the problem or achieve
the goal. This form of analysis will separate learning needs from other needs
and can be applied to any of the information collected by the earlier stages of
the learning needs analysis. Performance analysis takes a close look across all
functions involved and, therefore, should include people from all functions,
not just learning and development. This proactive approach can put the
learning and development manager in a strong position to show that training
is not the answer to a specific problem and provide evidence to refute the
challenge that training did not fix the problem.

4.10.2 Learning goals

Assuming that the business need is an appropriate learning need then the
next step for the learning and development manager is to set clear learning
objectives. The following questions provide a logical sequence for turning a
business goal into a learning goal:
1 What is the actual business goal or problem?
2 What is the current position or starting point?

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Therefore, if the person knows how to meet the required performance

standards for a legitimate task and is willing to do so then it is a learning
need. For the other quadrants another action is likely to be needed. Some
of these other actions might be counselling, job redesign, or
organisational development.

3 What is the end point or success factor that needs to be achieved?

4 What are the key stages or milestones?
5 Who are the stakeholders who are involved, both for and against?
6 What is the current capability level and how does it need to change or
increase?

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7 How is the capability measured?
8 What are the subsequent learning gaps?
9 Do the people have the capability to achieve the changes?
10 Do we have the internal capability and capacity to do it ourselves or should
we use external expertise?
Note that some of these questions refer back to the original preparation
stage and so complete the circle. This process should be followed for each
business goal. The result will be a set of learning goals, some of which will be
clearly more urgent, important and influential than others.

4.10.3 Strategic choices

Strategy is about developing options and then making choices. With a
learning needs analysis this means prioritising all the identified learning goals
against a set of relevant criteria such as:

The criticality of the learning need to the achievement of the business goal

The urgency of the learning need

The business benefits in comparison to the cost of the intervention.

This final stage of the learning needs analysis will enable the learning and
development manager to select and prioritise the most effective learning and
development needs.
The output of this analysis forms the input to the next stage of the learning
and development plan, which is deciding how to deliver the resulting
programmes of learning activities and choosing the most effective learning
solution.

4.11 POTENTIAL PITFALLS

This chapter has tried to explain current best practice in carrying out learning
needs analysis in organisations. It is worth taking a few moments to consider
common mistakes that can and have been made.

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Managers often believe they know what members of their team need in the
way of development. However, this often consists of them choosing from a list
of available courses or asking the individuals to pick from such a list.
Sometimes the motivation of the manager in recommending courses may be
inappropriate. Sending someone on a course can be used as a reward or to
get the person out of the way. Asking the individual what training they want
can be subject to the same inappropriate motivations.
An effective needs analysis will take the wishes of the people into account but
as only a small part of the whole process. The learning and development
manager must ensure the learning needs analysis concentrates on current and
future skill and capability levels and not just reviewing the existing courses.

4.11.2 The easy option

If the application of the analysis tools is not done rigorously, the data
collected is likely to produce generalities. Phrases such as improved
communication skills, higher computer literacy and enhanced leadership
will be used to describe skill gaps. While these may be genuine learning needs
the shallowness of the analysis makes them difficult to address effectively. The
learning and development manager must ensure the analysis enables a more
critical examination of the needs in order to produce more detailed data.

4.11.3 Focus only on training needs

This chapter has consistently made the distinction between training and
learning. Put simply, learning can take place through a wide variety of
experiences, only one of which would be a training course. The learning and
development manager must ensure they do not subconsciously see learning
needs only in terms of training courses. Learning needs are often best met by
improving processes, introducing new technology, providing job aids,
coaching and mentoring etc. not just running courses.

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4.11.1 Inappropriate motivation

4.11.4 Focus only on technical learning needs

When analysing jobs or tasks it is easy to concentrate on obvious physical and
technical behaviours. Also, when interviewing employees or their manager
they will often express the same limited view on what the important skills
required to do the job effectively are. However, the less obvious skills are
usually the most critical. These include interpersonal skills, teamworking skills,

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decision-making skills and problem solving skills. The learning and

development manager must ensure their analysis uncovers and includes these
less observable but vital competencies.

4.11.5 One size fits all

Everyone is unique, with different behavioural patterns, attitudes, outlooks
on life and ways of learning. A possible danger of a learning needs analysis is
the assumption that we all learn the same way. This might produce a learning
plan with only one way, or limited options to achieve the required learning. It
is important that the Learning and Development manager sees the employees
as individuals with different preferences in their learning options. Some
prefer a structured and formal learning environment, while others prefer a
more hands-on approach. Making allowances for these learning preferences
within the learning needs analysis will improve the acceptance and
effectiveness of the resultant development interventions.

4.11.6 Quick and dirty

There are so many pressures on people in businesses now that there seems to
be not enough time to do any job properly. Also, the pace of modern business
life is ever increasing with people wanting everything now. This climate
creates a challenge to the Learning and Development manager endeavouring
to do an effective learning needs analysis. The obvious consequences are that
the analysis is done briefly and superficially, perhaps through a quick group
meeting or a simple questionnaire; or only short-term and obvious needs are
considered. The learning and development manager must try to take a
longer-term view and be as comprehensive with the analysis as possible in
order to be of maximum value to the organisation and the individuals.

4.11.7 No link with business strategy

A potential danger is that the learning and development department
develops its own research parameters and carries out the learning needs
analysis in isolation from the rest of the business. The output of a learning
needs analysis must show clear alignment with the strategies and objectives
of the organisation if it is to be taken seriously and be effective. The
subsequent training and development programmes must be able to add value
to the achievement of the strategy and take the organisation forward in the
required direction.
To ensure this happens the learning and development manager must
understand the business language, its challenges and its drivers. The learning

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LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

4.12 CONCLUSIONS
A perfect learning needs analysis will be of little benefit unless the
organisation has created a supportive learning environment. Organisations
need to instil a sense of purpose in employees and create the opportunities
for them to learn.
The attitude and capability of the line manager is a major factor in both
accurately identifying learning needs and actively supporting the delivery of
the resulting learning interventions. For that reason, promoting learning
should be viewed as an essential leadership practice. The growth in this
approach recognises that given the right encouragement and support,
employees will be positively motivated to learn.
There are many ways of identifying and analysing learning needs and in this
chapter we have explored a wide variety of methods. Some are specialised,
requiring significant expertise to use effectively, such as repertory grid.
The learning and development manager does not need to be an expert in
them all. A brief examination such as that provided here will be sufficient to
identify those methods appropriate to the organisation and the context.
There are some learning needs analysis methods that may be used on a
continual basis, such as informal observation. Some are more appropriate to
use on a regular, perhaps annual basis such as analysis of appraisals and
personal learning plans. Some methods are suitable for everyone or large
numbers of people such as surveys and questionnaires. Other methods, such
as assessment/development centres, are more suited to small groups like
senior managers or those with high potentials.

THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL | 4 IDENTIFYING LEARNING NEEDS IN ORGANISATIONS

and development manager should strive to have a place at the strategy forum
or direct access to the board. If not, they need to gain direct access to the
strategy owners at the relevant level. Only with this direct access to the
strategies at an early stage can the manager ensure the learning needs
analysis will be looking at the right things.

The methods described do not have to be used independently. A fully

effective learning needs analysis will combine a number of these methods. An
example would be using a learning needs analysis questionnaire to provide
the structure for one-to-one interviews or focus groups. Some of the methods
require a learning and development professional to administer, such as
analysing planning data to assess the need for induction training. Other
methods require the cooperation of the line manager to identify learning

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LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

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needs in their employees such as annual appraisals or performance reviews.

Some methods are suitable for the individual to think about and identify their
own development needs.
The most effective and efficient learning needs analysis system is one that
brings together the needs of the learning and development professional, the
line manager and the individual within a supportive learning organisation.

References
Boydell T and Leary M (2003) Identifying Training Needs, London: CIPD
CIPD Helping People Learn Case Studies, available at
www.cipd.co.uk/helpingpeoplelearn/casestudies.htm
CIPD A Learning Strategy for the Inland Revenue, available at
www.cipd.co.uk/helpingpeoplelearn/_ls.htm#lsir
CIPD Using Technology Enablers to Develop Individual Responsibility for
Learning: the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, available at
www.cipd.co.uk/helpingpeoplelearn/_cc.htm#sfr

Update 0 October 2006