INTRODUCTION TO HRD

Prof. Kosha Nair

 The objective of the course is to acquaint the
students with Human

 Resources Management and to develop in them the

ability to acquaint them in the corporate world.

 The main purpose is to assist the students in

developing skills – soft and hard, and decision
making in the organizations.
Why is it essential to study HRD????

 Due to the changing role of HR Functions

 The shift of organization is from industrial – era models to
knowledge era model
 Customer today are more demanding, quality conscious & cost
sensitive
 Organizations have started to shift from traditional platform to
total quality management (TQM)
 Employees are not viewed as the source of problems but identify
the problems in the process
 For motivating people managers emphasize on removal of
barriers
 Developing employees has replaced controlling the employees
 Product market is more competitive than ever before
 There is more focus on customer
 Teaming and supporting non – hierarchical and informal
structures
 Visionary leadership
 A change in language and style
 HRM refers to the application of management & principles of
management to people in an organization.
 HRM consists of people related functions such as hiring, training
and development, PMS, compensation, health & safety etc.
 Building human capital (skills, knowledge & capacities of
employees)
 Alignment of HR policies & practices with organizations
strategies.
 The major functions of HRM as identified in accordance with
Henry Mintzberg are:

 Planning
 Staffing
 Developing
 Monitoring
 Maintaining
 Managing Relationships
 Managing Change
 Evaluation

 HRM is a broad concept. PM & HRD are a part of HRM

 HRS (Human resource system) assumes that human beings
are a great asset to organization
 Thy contribute a great deal to the achievement of
organizational goals
 People are treated as assets with unlimited potential is the
core of the concept of the HRS
 Investing in Humans is necessary. Investment for increasing
the resource is important
DEFINITION OF HRD

 Human Resource Development (HRD) is the framework for

helping employees develop their personal and organizational
skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development
includes such opportunities as employee training, employee
career development, performance management and
development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key
employee identification, and organization development.
 The focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development
is on developing the most superior workforce so that the
organization and individual employees can accomplish their
work goals in service to customers.

 Human Resource Development can be formal such as in

classroom training, a college course, or an organizational
planned change effort. Or, Human Resource Development
can be informal as in employee coaching by a manager.
Healthy organizations believe in Human Resource
Development and cover all of these bases.
DEVELOPMENT AS A CONCEPT OF HRS
 The core concept of HRS is development of Human beings, i.e.
HRD
 Along with developing the individuals, attempts should be made
to develop stronger dyads i.e. a group of 2 (employee & his
boss). These are the basic units of working in the organization
 Several groups and committees require attention &
development. Groups like task groups & command groups
should be developed from the point of view of increasing
collaboration amongst people working in the organization, thus
making for an effective decision making
 Development of organizations involve developing self –
renewing mechanisms in the organization so that they are able
to adjust & develop relevant process for effectiveness
 Development becomes a massive effort. HRD play a major role
in designing & monitoring development efforts in the
organization.
 4 partners or agents of development can be indentified as
1. The person or role
2. The immediate boss
3. HR department
4. Organization

 The effectiveness of managing HR will depend on the emphasis

put on development
 Development is seen as the soul of the personnel or HR
function
 It is the soul of several sub – functions
 They relate to the following :

 Analyzing the Role :

1. Task Analysis
2. Key performance areas
3. Critical attributes
4. Job evaluation
Matching the Role & Person
1. Selection / Recruitment
2. Placement
3. Potential appraisal
4. Promotion
5. Career Planning & Succession Planning
 Developing the persons in the Role
1. Performance Appraisal
2. Feedback & counseling
3. Mentoring
4. Career development
5. Training
 Developing the Role for the Person
1. Job Rotation
2. Job Enrichment
3. Job design / Redesign
4. Role effectiveness & efficacy
 Developing Equitability
1. Management of Salary & Amenities
2. Management of incentives & rewards
3. Standardizing & administering procedures
 Developing self – renewing capabilities
1. Organization development
2. HRM research
3. Organization learning
4. Developing culture and climate
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
 HRD is concerned primarily with helping employees develop
through training, feedback & counseling by their senior officers
& other development efforts. It consists of the following sub –
systems

1. Training :

☻ Training should be based on assessment of the needs of

different groups & individuals.
☻ Training needs may flow from performance needs as well as
performance management / appraisal systems
☻ Both internal & external resources should be used & enough
attention should be paid to the preparation of training
material, packages & modules
☻ Continuous evaluation of training is also necessary
2. Organization Development :
☻ OD is now playing an increasing important role in helping the
diagnosis of problems of HR in the company, in taking steps for
team building at various levels, in improving general morale and
motivation of people & in developing healthy values & trying out
various ways of solving problems

3. Performance Feedback & Counseling :

☻ Performance & potential appraisals are likely to remain a
ritual if a climate for & skills for providing critical & supportive
feedback to the employees by the boss is not properly
developed
☻ Differences in self – assessment & assessment by the boss
can be discussed & a program for further growth of the
employees can be jointly worked out
4. System Development & Research :
☻ Various systems for HRS need to be continuously designed,
tested and reviewed
☻ Data needs to be collected & analyzed to develop
interventions

5. 360⁰ feedback :
☻ Multisource Feedback for development has become a useful
tool
☻ Leadership competencies have been developed in many
corporations successfully using 360⁰ feedback
☻ 360⁰ is a very popular tool.
 A set of systematic & planned activities, designed by an
organization to provide its members with the opportunities to
learn necessary skills to meet current & future job demands

 Learning is at the core of all HRD efforts

 HRD activities should begin when employees join

organization & continue throughout his / her career,
regardless of whether that employees is an executive or
worker

 HRD programs must respond to job changes & integrate long

term plans & strategies of the organization to ensure efficient
& effective us of resources
EVOLUTION OF HRD
 Through the term, HRS is used commonly only since 1980‟s,
the concept is quite ancient

 Early Apprenticeship Training Program :

 The origins of HRS can be traces since 18th century by apprenticeship
training.
 In this era, small shops operated by skilled artisans produced virtually all
household goods, such as furniture, clothing & shoes
 To meet a growing demand for their products craft shop owners had to
employ additional workers
 Without vocational training or technical schools, the shop keepers had to
educate & train their own workers
 For little or no wages, these trainees or apprentices, learned the craft of their
master, usually working in the shop
 Apprentices who mastered skills were considered “yeomen”, & could leave
their masters & establish their own shops
 Early Vocational Education Programs:

 De Witt Clinton, in 1809, founded the first recognized privately funded

vocational school, referred as manual school, in New York
 The purpose was to provide occupational training to unskilled young
people who were unemployed or had criminal records
 Manual schools grew in popularity, particularly in the Midwestern status

 Early Factory Schools :

 With the advent of the industrial revolution during late 1800‟s, machines
began to replace the hand tools of the artisans.
 “Scientific” management principles recognized the significant role of
machines in better & more efficient production systems
 Specifically semi skilled workers using machines could produce more than
the skilled workers in small craft shops
 This marked the beginning of factories
 Factories made it possible to increase production by using machines
 Early Training Programs for Semiskilled & Unskilled
Workers:
 Both apprenticeship programs & factory schools provided training for
skilled workers, very few companies during this time offered training
programs for unskilled workers
 This changed after 2 significant historical events.
 1st was the introduction of model T by Henry Ford in 1913. Model T was
the 1st car to be mass produced using an assembly line, in which
production required only the training of semiskilled workers to perform
several tasks
 The new assembly lines cut production costs significantly & Ford lowered
its prices, making the model T affordable to a much larger segment
 With increasing demand for Model T, ford had to design more assembly
lines, & this provided more training opportunities
 The 2nd historical event was to out break of World War 1. to meet the huge
demand for military equipments, many factories that produced non-military
goods had to retool their machinery & retain their workers, including the
semiskilled.
 The Human Relations Movement:

 One of the undesirable by–products of the factory system was the frequent
abuse of unskilled workers, including children, who were often subjected to
unhealthy working conditions, long hours and low pay.
 The appalling / awful conditions urge a national anti-factory campaign
 Led by Mary Parker Follett & Lillian Gilbreth, the campaign gave rise to the
“human relations” movement advocating more humane working conditions
 The human relations movement provided a more complex & realistic
understanding of workers
 The HR movement highlighted the importance of human behavior on the job
 The Establishment of Training Profession :

 With the outbreak of World War II, the industrial sector was once again asked
to retool its factories to support the was efforts
 With the World War I, the initiative led to the establishment of new training
program, with larger organizations & unions
 The federal government established ”Training with Industry” (TWI) services to
coordinate training programs across defense – related industries
 By the end of the war, TWI had trained over 23,000 instructors awarding over
2 million certificated to supervisors, unions, services
 Many defense related companies established their own training departments
with instructors trained by TWI
 In 1942, the American Society for Training Directors (ASTD) was established
& formed some standards within this emerging profession
 Emergence of HRD :

 During 1960‟s & 70‟s, professional trainers realized that their role extended
beyond the classroom training
 The move towards employee involvement in many organizations required
trainers to coach & counsel employees
 T & D therefore expanded to include interpersonal skills such as coaching,
group process facilitation & problem solving
 This additional emphasis on employee development inspired the ASTD to
rename itself as the American Society for Training and development.
 1980‟s saw greater changes affecting the t & D
 At ASTD national conferences, in late 70‟s early 80‟s, discussions centered
on rapidly expanding profession
 Influential books helped to clarify & define HRD
 Since 90‟s efforts are made to strengthen the strategic role of HRD, i.e. how
HRD links to & supports the goals & objectives of organization
HRD & HRM

 In some organization training is a stand – alone function or

department
 However in most organizations Training or HRD is a part of
larger HRM department

Primary Functions of HRM

 HR Planning – predicting changes in management strategies &
future HR Needs
 Equal Employment & Opportunities – to satisfy both the legal
& moral responsibilities of the organization through the
prevention of discriminatory policies, procedures & practices
 Staffing – activities designed for the timely identification of
potential applicants for current & future openings
 Compensation & Benefits – responsibility for establishing &
maintaining an equitable internal wage structure, a competitive
benefit package, incentives tied to individuals, team or org.
performance

 Employee Relations – developing a communication system where

employees can address their problems & grievances. Else it leads
to labor union, contract negotiation & administration

 Health, Safety & Security – activities seek to promote a safe &

healthy work environment. This can include actions such as safety
training employees assistance programs, & health & wellness
programs.

 HRD – activities intended to ensure organizational members have

the skills or competencies to meet current & future job demands.
Secondary Functions :

 Organizational / Job Design – concerned with

interdepartmental relations & organizational & definition of
jobs

 PMS – Used for establishing & maintaining accountability

throughout the organizations

 Research & Information System – Necessary to make

enlightened HR Decisions
 HRD Functions :

 Training and Development – focus on changing or improving the

knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals

 Training involves providing employees the knowledge and skills needed

for particular tasks / job through attitude change

 Development activities have a longer term focus on preparing for future

work responsibilities, while also increasing the capacities of
employees to perform their current jobs

 T & D begins as an employee enters the organization in the form of

employee orientation & skills training

 Employee orientation is the process by which new employees learn

important organisation values, norms, working relationships, etc

 Skills and Technical training then narrow in scope to teach the employee
a particular skill or area of knowledge
 Once through with this, HRD activities focuses more on development
activities – specifically coaching & counseling.

 Coaching is the process, where individuals are encouraged to accept

responsibilities for their actions, to address any work related problems,
and to achieve & sustain superior levels of performance
 Coaching involves treating employees as partners in achieving both
personal and organizational goals
 Counseling techniques are used to help employees deal with
personal problems that may interfere with the achievement of these
goals.
 Counseling programs may address such issues as substance abuse,
stress management, smoking cessation, or fitness, nutrition and weight
control
 HRD professionals are also responsible for coordinating management
training and development programs to ensure that managers and
supervisors have the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in
their positions.
 Organisation Development
 OD is defined as the process of enhancing the effectiveness of an
organisation and the well being of its members through planned
interventions that apply behavioral science concepts.
 OD emphasizes both macro and micro organizational changes :
macro changes are intended to ultimately improve the effectiveness
of the organisation, whereas micro changes are directed at
individual, small groups and teams.
 Eg. Many organisations have introduced employee involvement
programs that require fundamental changes in work expectations,
reward systems, and reporting procedures, for improving the
organizational effectiveness
 The role of HRD professional involved in OD intervention is to
function as a change agent
 Facilitating change often requires consulting with and advising line
managers on strategies that can be used to effect the desired
change
 They may also become directly involved in carrying out the
intervention strategy, such as facilitating a meeting, responsible for
planning and implementing the actual change process, etc
 Career Development

 Career development is an ongoing process by which individuals

progress through a series of stage, each of which is characterized by
a relatively unique set of issues, themes and tasks

 Career development involves two distinct processes : career

planning and career management

 Career Planning involves activities performed by individual, often

with the assistance of counselors and others, to assess his or her
skills and abilities in order to establish realistic career plan

 Career Management, involves taking the necessary steps to achieve

that plan, and generally focuses more on what the organisation can
do to foster employee career development. There is a strong
relationship between career development and T & D activities.
 “Learning performance wheel” book page 21
ROLES OF HRD PROFESSIONALS
 HRD professional must perform a wide variety of functional roles
 Functional role is specific set of tasks and expected outputs for a
particular job, like class room trainer, instructional designer

 HRD professionals need to possess many different skills or competencies

 Bernathal et al. in “Mapping the future” has described the foundational

competencies

 These are depicted as falling into 3 areas: personal, interpersonal and

business / management

 The area of expertise are shown in the middle of the pyramid (refer 2004
ASTD competency Model page 27) and the top shows 4 key roles for
HRD professionals : Learning Strategist, Business Partner, project
manager and Professional specialists
 Learning strategist involved in high level decision making
concerning how HRD initiatives will support the goals and
strategies of the organisation.

 BP works together with mangers and others in determining how

the HRD initiatives will be implemented and evaluated

 Project Manager is involved with the day to day planning,

funding and monitoring of HRD initiatives

 Professional specialist adds his or her expertise in particular

areas, eg. Designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating the
HRD initiatives

 HRD managers and executives are more likely to be involved

with the learning strategist and BP roles
 Some other HRD Roles :

 According to McLagan, HRD professional perform atleast 9

distinct roles.

 HR strategic advisor – consults strategic decision making

 HR systems designer and developer – assists HRM in

design and development of HR systems

 Organisation Change Agent – advises management in

designing and implementation of change strategies used in
transforming organisations

 Organisation Design Consultant – advises management on

work systems design and the efficient use of HR
 Learning program specialist – identifies needs of the learner,
develops and designs appropriate learning programs, & prepares
materials and other learning aids

 Instructor / Facilitator – presents materials and leads and facilitates

structured learning experience

 Individual development and career counselor – assists individual

employees in assessing their competencies and goals in order to
develop a realistic career plan

 Performance Consultant / Coach – advises line management on

appropriate interventions designed to improve individual and group
performance

 Researcher – assesses HRD practices and programs using

appropriate statistical procedures to determining their overall
effectiveness and communicates the results to the organisation
CHALLENGES TO ORGANIZATIONS & TO HRD
 Emerging work place Trends:

1. Drastic Times, Drastic Measures: Uncertain economic

conditions force organizations to reconsider how they can
grow & be profitable
2. Blurred Lines (life or work): new organizational structures
are changing the nature of work for employees and HRD
professional
3. Small World & shrinking: Global communication
technology is changing the way people connect and
communicate
4. New Faces, new Expectations: Diversity in the workplace
continues to rise
5. Work be nimble (quick): Accelerated pace of change requires
more adaptable employees and nimbler organizations

6. Security Alert: concerns about security & about the ability of

governments to provide protection have increased individual
anxiety levels worldwide

7. Life & Work in the e – Lane: Technology, especially the

internet is transforming the way people work and live

8. A Higher Ethical Bar : Ethical lapses at the highest levels in

large organizations have shaken employees loyalty, trust and
sense of security
CHALLENGES
 Increasing Workforce Diversity :
 Workforce is becoming increasingly diverse including racial, ethnic
and gender lines
 Effectively managing diversity has been identified as one of the
distinguishing features of organizations
 Diversity issues have several implications for HRD professionals
 Organizations need to address racial, ethnic & other prejudices
that may persist as well as cultural insensitivity & language
differences
 Secondly with the increasing numbers of women in the
workforce, organizations should continue to provide
developmental opportunities that will prepare women for
advancement into the sr. ranks and provide safeguards against
sexual harassment.
 The aging of the workforce highlights the importance of creating
HRD programs that recognize & address the learning related needs
of both younger and older workers
 Competing In a Global Economy :

 Companies compete in a global economy many are

introducing new technologies that require more educated and
trained workers.
 Successful Organizations must hire employees with the
knowledge to compete in an increasingly sophisticated market.
 Competing in global market requires more that educating and
training workers to meet new challenges
 Successful organizations institute quality improvement
processes & introduce change efforts
 Workforce must learn to be culturally sensitive to communicate
& conduct business among different cultures
 Developing managers to be global leaders has been identified
as a major challenge for organization
 Eliminating the Skills Gap

 To compete successfully in the global economy, companies should

hire educated workers.
 But almost 30% of high school students fail to graduate, &
employers must confront that many young adults entering the
workforce are unable to meet current job requirements
 This skill gap poses serious consequences
 It is impossible to learn many things as it would require reading and
writing
 Many industrialized nations have made systematic changes in
order to bridge the skill gap.
 Eg. Japan and Germany, have an educational system that do a
better job of teaching students the basic skills needed by most
employers
 Need for Life long Learning

 Given the rapid changing trends, it is certain that employees must

continue the learning process throughout their careers
 This need will compel the organizations to make an ongoing
investment in HRD
 Eg. For semiskilled workers, it may involve more rudimentary
skills training to help them build their competencies
 To professional employees, this learning may mean taking
advantage of continuing education opportunities
 The challenge to HRD professional is to provide a full range of
learning opportunities for all kinds of employees
 Individual assessments can determine the deficiencies or gaps in
employees performance capabilities, while also pointing out their
preferred learning styles
FRAMEWORK FOR THE HRD PROCESS

 HRD programs and interventions can be used to address a wide

range of issues and problems in an organisation

 They are used to orient and socialize new employees in to org.,

provide skills and knowledge and help individuals and groups become
effective

 To ensure that these goals are achieved, extra care must be taken
while designing and delivering HRD programs

 HRD interventions involves a 4 step sequential process : Assessment,

Design, Implementation and evaluation – „ADImE‟
 Assessment Design Evaluation
Implementation

Define Select
Objectives evaluation
criteria
Assess Needs
Develop
Lesson Plan Determine
evaluation
Prioritize design
needs Develop /
acquire Deliver the
material HRD
Intervention or
Select program Conduct
Trainer/ evaluation of
leader program

Select
methods &
techniques
Interpret the
Schedule results
intervention
 Needs Assessment Phase:

 A need can either be a current deficiency, such as poor

employee performance or a new challenge that demands a
change in the way organization works

 Identifying needs involves examining the organisation, its

environment, job tasks and employee performance.

 This information can be used to

 Establish priorities for expending HRD efforts

 Define specific training and HRD objectives
 Establish evaluation criteria
 Design Phase:

 It would include
 Selecting the specific objectives of the program
 Developing an appropriate lesson plan for the program
 Developing or acquiring the appropriate materials for the trainees to use
 Determining who will deliver the program
 Selecting the most appropriate method to conduct the program
 Scheduling the program

 After the assessment, it is important to translate the issues identifies in

that phase to clear objectives for HRD interventions
 This will facilitate the development of clear lesson plan concerning the
programs
 The design phase also includes the selecting and developing the content of
the program i.e. choosing from on the job training, classroom training,
role play, lectures, workbooks, job aids, films, videos, ppt., etc

 Implementation Phase :

 The goal of assessment and the design phase is

implementation of effective HRD program / interventions

 That is the program must be delivered or implemented using

the most appropriate aid or means

 Delivering any HRD program generally presents numerous

challenges, such as executing the program as planned,
creating and environment that enhances learning & resolving
problems that may arise.
 Evaluation Phase:

 Evaluation phase is the final phase in Training and HRD process

 Here the effectiveness of the HRD intervention is measured
 This is an important but underemphasized activity
 Careful evaluation provides information on participants reactions to program,
what did they learn, usefulness of the intervention, areas to be improved, etc
 HRD professionals are increasingly being asked to provide evidence of the
success of their efforts, i.e. the bottom line impact, as well as employee
reaction. This helps manager to make decisions on :
 Continuing to use the technique or vendor in future programs
 Offering a particular program in future
 Budgeting and resource allocation
 Using some other HR or managerial approach to solve the persisting
problem

 Armed with this information HRD managers can better compete with
managers form other areas of the organisation for the effectiveness of their
action
WHAT IS TRAINING OR HRD NEED?
 Discrepancy or gap between what an organisation expects to happen
and what actually occurs

 Identifies needs in this sense focus on correcting substandard

performance. An HRD intervention such as coaching or skills training
may be necessary to correct the discrepancy.

 Robert Brinkerhoff has argued that “focusing only on performance

deficiency in needs analysis is too restrictive & proposed other ways
of looking at training needs”.

 These include diagnostic and analytic needs. Diagnostic Needs

focus on the factors that lead to effective performance & prevent
performance problems, rater than emphasizing existing problems.
Diagnostic needs are identified by studying the different factors that
may impact performance.
 Analytic Needs identify new, better ways to perform tasks.
The needs are generally discovered by intuition, insight or
expert consideration.

 Compliance Needs are those needs that are mandated by

law. Often deals with mandated training programs, such as
safety training or food handling

 HRD professionals should be proactive and future oriented.

 HRD professionals should bother with needs assessment. HR

frames this in terms of potentially hazardous shortcuts
LEVELS OF NEEDS ANALYSIS

 Needs can exist at any of atleast 3 levels, considering the

organization, the job / task and the individual.

 Strategic or organizational analysis suggests where in the

organization training needed and under what conditions it will
occur

 Task Analysis explains what must be done to perform a job or

complete a process successfully

 Person Analysis reveals who needs to be trained & what kind

of training they need
STRATEGIC ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
 Assessment of needs at the organizational level is usually conducted
by performing an organizational analysis. It is a process used for
better understanding the characteristics of the organization and to
determine where training and HRD efforts are needed

 Components of Strategic / Organizational Need analysis

 It requires a broad or “whole system” view of the organization & what
it is trying to accomplish. It may include goals & objective, reward
systems, planning systems, delegating and control systems.
According to Irwin Goldstein, an organizational analysis should
identify:
 Organizational Goals
 Organizational Resources
 Organizational Climate
 Environmental Constraints
 These factors provides important information for planning and developing
HRD programs

 Organizational Goals : understanding the organization‟s goals and strategy

provides a starting point in identifying the effectiveness of the organizations.
 Areas where organization is meeting its goals probably don‟t require
training efforts, but should be monitored to ensure opportunities for
improvement and potential problems are identified.
 Areas where goals are not being met should be examined further and
targeted to HRD or other appropriate HR or management efforts.

 Organizational Resources : the amount of money available is an important

determinant of HRD efforts. In addition, knowledge or resources such as
facilities, materials on hand and expertise within the organization also
influences HRD.
 Eg. If there are no classrooms or conference room facilities within
the organization, the scheduling of the program becomes difficult.
 Organizational Climate : the climate within the organization is an important
factor in HRD success. If the climate is not conducive to HRD, designing and
implementing a program will be difficult. Eg. If no trusting then participation
will be less between managers and EE.

 Similarly if problem exists between senior and middle management, then

middle management can resist or not cooperate.

 Environmental Constraints : it includes legal, social, political and economic

issues faced by the organization. Demand for certain types of HRD programs
can be affected by these constraints.

 Eg. In 1998, the Supreme Court decided two significant cases concerning
sexual harassment.

 Knowledge of legal issues can ensure that the HRD effort is in compliance
and will not itself be a source of problems
 Advantages of Conducting A Strategic / Organizational Analysis

 It reveals where HRD is needed and the organizational and

environmental conditions that may affect the HRD efforts.

 Knowledge of these issues ensures that all HRD programs are tied to
the organization‟s strategy and mission, which is crucial to its
success. Communicating the link between HRD activities and the
organization‟s strategic plan to operating managers and employees
make the importance of HRD clear.

 The strategic plan can be a valuable source of information for

organizational analysis, whereas HRD efforts can become a major
component of carrying out the strategic plan.
 Methods of Strategic / Organizational Analysis :

 This method depends on the particular organization. A list of

data sources is available for determining training and HRD
needs.
 The list includes the following : human resource inventories,
skill inventories, organizational climate measures and
efficiency indexes.
 Some of these sources, such as efficiency indexes, are
continuously monitored by many organizations as a part of
normal control procedures.
 Eg. The Institute for Social Research at the University of
Michigan markets two instruments – Survey of Organizations
and Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire –
that are supported by substantial reliability and validity data.
 Sources of Data For Organizational Need Analysis
Recommended Data Source HRD/Training Need Implications
Organizational Goals & Objectives Where HRD or training emphasis can and
should be placed. These provide
normative standards of both direction and
expected impact, which can highlight
deviations from objectives and
performance problems
Human Resource (Manpower) Inventory Where HRD/training is needed to fill gaps
caused by retirement, turnover, age, etc.
this provides an important demographic
database regarding possible scope of
training needs
Skill Inventory No. of employees in each skill group,
knowledge and skill levels, training time
per job, etc. this provides an estimate of
the magnitude of the specific needs for
HRD/training. Useful in cost-benefit
analysis
Organizational Climate Indexes “Quality of working life” indicators at the
organization may help focus on problems
of HRD components
 Recommended Data Source HRD/Training Need Implications
Analysis of Efficiency Indexes Cost accounting concepts may represent
ratio between actual performance and
desired or standard performance

Changes in System or subsystem New or changed equipment may present

HRD or training problems
Management Requests or Management One of the most common techniques of
Interrogation HRD / training needs determination
Exit Interviews Often information not otherwise available
can be obtained in these. Problem areas
and supervisory training needs especially

MBO or Work Planning and Review Provides performance review, potential

System review and long-term business objectives.
Provides actual performance data on a
recurring basis so that baseline
measurements may be known as
subsequent improvement or deterioration
of performance can be identified and
analyzed
TASK ANALYSIS

 Task analysis sometimes also known as operational analysis, is

a systematic collection of data about a specific job or group of
jobs to determine what an employee should be taught to
achieve optimal performance.

 Results of a task analysis typically include the appropriate

standards of performance, how tasks should be performed to
meet these standards, the knowledge, skills and other
characteristics

 Sources of Data for Task analysis : PG 114 - 115

TASK ANALYSIS PROCESS
 Step 1 : Overall Job Description : JD is the narrative statement of
the major activities involved in performing a job and the conditions
under which the job is to be performed
 Job analysis : a systematic study of a job to identify its major
components. A Job Analysis process generally involves observing the
job being performed; asking job incumbents and supervisors
questions about the job, tasks, working conditions & knowledge, skills
etc.

 Step II : Task Identification : it focuses on the behaviors performed

within the job. The following information about the job is determined
and clearly described:
 The major tasks within the job
 How each task should be performed (performance standard)
 The variability of performance (how the task is actually performed
on day to day basis)
 5 methods for task identification include :
 Stimulus – response Feedback : the EE knows it is time to
perform a particular behavior, is the response or behavior that EE
is to perform and then it is feedback of the EE received about how
well the behavior was performed
 Time Sampling : it involves a trained observer, watch and note the
nature and frequency of an employee activity.
Critical incident technique : developed by John Flanagan can be
used for task identification. It involves having individuals who are
familiar with the job record incidents of particularly effective and
ineffective behavior that have been seen on the job over a period
of time. This can be done by individuals or groups.
 Job inventories : a questionnaire is developed by asking people
familiar with the job to identify all of its tasks. This list is then given
to supervisors and job incumbents to evaluate each task is
important and time spent to perform the task. This allows inputs
from many people and gives numerical information's about each
task that can be used to compute indexes and be analyzed
 Job- duty –task method : the job is divided into its subparts
providing a comprehensive list that identifies the job title, each of
its duties and tasks and finally the knowledge, skills abilities or
other characteristics (KSAO) required to perform each
subtasks.

 Step 3 : identify what it takes to do the job: successful task

performance requires that employees possess the KSAO‟s to
perform the task. HRD professional must specify the KSAO‟s
because it is these competencies that employees must develop or
acquire during the training program

 Information on KSAO required to perform a job is valuable in

determining the focus of an HRD program. Some skills such as
written and oral communication or knowledge of safety products
and procedure are necessary for effective performance. In such
case HRD program may be developed and conducted that can be
offered to employees in a wide range of jobs
 Step IV : Identify the areas that can most benefit from Training or
HRD : the focus here is on determining which tasks and capabilities
should be included in HRD programs, both ratings of tasks as well as
ratings of KSAO should be examined.
 Task ratings should be studied concerning their importance, time
spent, and the ease of acquisition. These ratings should be studied
for their importance, difficult of learning and opportunity to acquire
them on the job.
 Eg a high rating on time spent and ease of learning may indicate that
a particular task should be included in training. However, if the same
task is also rated low in importance to successful job performance. It
may be worth the time and effort involved in training.

 Step V : Prioritize Training Needs : it should be clear with tasks and

KSAO could benefit from training. These tasks and KSAO‟s should be
prioritized to determine which ones should be addressed first. Again
inspection of ratings provided in steps 2 and 3 can facilitate the
prioritizations process.
PERSON ANALYSIS
 Determining the training needs of individual employees. The focus is
typically on how well each employee is performing key job tasks, but
this process may identify a wide range of both common and unique
HRD needs

 Traditionally, Person Analysis involved an EE and their supervisor.

Depending an the nature of individual‟s work, that EE peers,
customers, and subordinates may also be in a position to provide
information that can be used to identify person-level needs.

 Evaluation approach called 360 degree performance appraisal uses

as many if these sources as possible to get a complete picture of
employees performance
 Data Sources Available for Person Needs Assessment

Tech. or Data Obtained HRD/Training Need Implication

Performance Data or Appraisals as Include weaknesses and areas of
indicators of Problems or weaknesses improvement as well as strong points.
Productivity, Absenteeism, Accidents, Easy to analyze and quantify for purposes
short term sickness, Grievances, etc of determining subjects and kinds of
trainings needed. Data can be used to
identify performance discrepancies

Observation work sampling More subjective technique but provides

both employee behavior and results of
behavior
Interviews Individual is only one who knows what he
believes, needs to learn. Involved in need
analysis can also motivate employees to
make an effort to learn

Questionnaires Same approaches as interview. Easily

tailored to specific characteristics. May
produce bias
Tests Can be tailored made or standardized
 Technique or Data Obtained HRD / Training Need Implications
Attitude Survey Useful in determining morale, motivation
or satisfaction of each employee

Rating Scale Care must be taken to ensure relevant,

reliable, and objective employee rating
Critical Incidents Observed actions that are critical to the
successful or unsuccessful performance
of the job
Diaries Individual employee records details of job

Devised situations Certain knowledge, skills, attitudes are

Role Play, Conference Leadership, demonstrated by these techniques
Training Sessions, Business games
Assessment Centers Combination of several techniques in a
program
MBO or Work Planning & Review system Provides actual performance data on
recurring basis related to organization, so
that baseline measurements may be
known & subsequent improvement or
deteriorated
 Performance Appraisal in Person Analysis process

 PA can be a valuable tool for collecting person analysis data. Although

may be attempting to think that performance appraisal by itself can be
the sole source of person analysis information.

 Model of PA, as the person analysis process begins as under:

1. Perform or have access to a complete, accurate performance

appraisal
2. Identity discrepancies between the employees behavior traits and
those required for effective performance
3. Identify the source of discrepancies
4. Select the intervention appropriate to resolve the discrepancies
Development needs:
 Person analysis data are also used to define development needs, which
can be identified during the periodic performance system. The primary
use of development data is for maintaining and increasing the
knowledge, skills and abilities of each employee.

 Many organizations use HRIS to compile this information

 Although this type of information is traditionally used to assess the

readiness of the individuals to take on higher levels of responsibilities, it
can be also used for training needs assessment
 Some of the organizations analyze this information to determine the best
strategy for developing their HR

 Eg, if organization is contemplating changes that require new skills, the

skill inventory may provide necessary information for devising new
training or other HRD programs
EMPLOYEE AS NEED ASSESSMENT CENTER
 Another source of information for training needs is the employee
itself. Employee acts as a source for information

 It was found that although self-ratings were more lenient than

supervisory ratings, self ratings exhibited less halo error

 It was also found that two sources of ratings were not significantly
related and that self ratings discriminated among aspects of
performance more than supervisory ratings.

 It was found that although self ratings of training needs may be a

useful part of a needs assessment, HRD professionals would be
wise to use multiple sources of need assessment information to
ensure validity
PRIORITIZING HRD NEEDS
 Assuming that a need assessment reveals multiple needs,
management and the HRD staff must prioritize these needs
 Decisions must be made about what resources will be used in HRD

 Participation in Prioritization Process:

 The prioritization works best when individuals throughout the

organization are involved.
 As HRD programs are intended to serve a specific area of the
organization, representatives from those areas should have input in
decision.
 Some HRD departments regularly solicit ideas from employees and
can be used to refine and improve ongoing programs
 With this input, there is a greater likelihood that more employees
will perceive the HRD programs as being relevant to the
organization
 HRD Advisory Committee

 One way to continuously reflect the needs of employees and assist is

prioritizing needs is to establish an HRD advisory committee

 The role of committee is to meet regularly and review needs

assessment and evaluation data and offer advice on the type and
content of HRD programs to be offered

 Committee is composed of members from a cross-section of the

organization

 This provides different perspectives on HRD needs and can create a

broader level of support from all parts of the organization
THE HRD PROCESS MODEL DEBATE
 A through need assessment establishes the foundation for an HRD or
training program.

 These process are based on the instructional system design or “ADImE”

model

 This model has been a dominant model in HRD since 1970‟s

 Recently this approach has been strongly criticized

 The model is too slow and clumsy to meet today‟s training needs
 There‟s no hang on, we‟ll explain later
 Used as directed, it produces bad results
 It clings to the wrong world view
End of module 1