The Needs Analysis Process

Name : Clas s: Dat e: The Needs Analysis Process 1. The needs analysis is often referred to as the most important step in the training and development process. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 2. Fundamentally, needs analysis deals with informing senior management why specific training initiatives have not resulted in improvements to organizational performance. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 3. The needs analysis process often starts with a concern expressed by a customer, employee, management, or some other stakeholder. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 4. Only senior management must buy into the needs analysis process to ensure that the data collection will result in accurate information and that they have a vested interest in the success of the program. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 5. The textbook identifies three levels of needs analysis: organizational, cognitive, and person analysis. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 6. A needs analysis helps to determine what type of training and development is required to resolve performance problems. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 7. One of the key outputs of an organizational analysis is determining the congruency of a potential training program and the corporate or business-level strategy. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 8. Besides clarifying the nature of performance gaps, a needs analysis helps to determine whether training and development is a good solution to performance problems or whether some other intervention might be more effective. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 9. Sandeep is doing a needs analysis to determine potential solutions to a current gap in an organization. He starts the process by interviewing management on the company’s strategic direction and does a full resource review. Sandeep is most likely doing a task analysis on this company. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 10. Resource analysis is the identification of the resources available in an organization that might be required to design a training and development program. As a principle, it does not deal with determining whether the organization has the ability to implement the actual program. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 11. Organizational climate refers to the collective attitudes of its employees toward work, supervision, and company goals, policies, and procedures. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 12. An example of a strong training transfer climate could be praise provided by peers when a new employee uses conflict resolution skills acquired in a training program. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 13. A task analysis reveals the tasks required for a person to perform a job and the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are required to perform the tasks successfully. When done well, it often has five interrelated steps. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 14. Competencies are clusters of related knowledge, skills, and abilities that differentiate effective performers from ineffective performers. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 15. Questionnaires, structured interviews, and observation are techniques used in a task analysis to survey a sample of job incumbents. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 16. The traditional approach to a cognitive task analysis focuses on behaviours rather than the mental processes such as decision making. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 17. The most common approach used to conduct a cognitive task analysis is interviews and surveys. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 18. A person analysis fundamentally addresses the following questions: How well does the employee perform the tasks? Who, within the organization, needs training? And, what kind of training do they need? a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 19. Ineffective performance indicates that training is needed to close the gap between current performance and desired performance. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 20. One of the obstacles facing trainers is the belief by many managers that resources should be used for training activities —choosing action over analysis. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 21. A rapid needs analysis is best used when the data that already exists is no longer useful for the design of training programs. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 22. Self-assessment is best used when there is no time or resources to conduct a needs analysis. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 23. Compliance training refers to training programs that instruct employees on how to perform their jobs. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 24. A mandatory health and safety awareness training program in Ontario is an example of compliance training. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 25. Contingency management has its basis in social cognitive theory. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 26. According to the vignette on TD Bank, what did TD do before it embarked on a robbery prevention and awareness training program? a. determined what kinds of resources were available for training b. conducted a needs analysis that included focus groups, interviews, and surveys c. changed the compensation approach to reward those branches with fewer robberies d. changed the company’s strategy to better match employees’ skills and abilities ANSWER: b 27. Which of the following is NOT a typical step in the needs analysis process? a. task analysis b. design and delivery c. andragogy d. Evaluation analysis ANSWER: c 28. Which statement best describes the needs analysis process? a. it is the least important step in the training and development process b. it is a critical step designed to identify gaps in individual and organizational performance c. it identifies cost inefficiencies, yet it is silent on potential solutions to individual and organizational performance d. it collects data and information from management on skills and knowledge deficiencies in an organization ANSWER: b 29. Which statement would NOT be considered an “itch” according to the needs analysis model? a. ABC Inc. notices an increase in customer complaints b. ABC Inc. notices a decrease in productivity across all its business units c. ABC Inc. is faced with decreasing revenues and increasing costs d. ABC Inc. notices a decrease in employee absenteeism ANSWER: d 30. In which example does pressure to change employee behaviour come from the internal environment? a. a change in legislation that affects labour standards b. a change in customer preferences for products and services c. an increase in competition from rivals offering better products at lower prices d. an increase in the number of product-related mistakes that management notices ANSWER: d 31. According to the textbook, which important step in the needs analysis process is the most extensive, potentially leading organizations to skip it? a. a culture and climate audit of the organization b. a task and person analysis c. data collection at three levels: organizational, task, and person d. being clear on the nature of the actual “itch” ANSWER: c 32. Why must training plans, business strategy, and key stakeholder involvement be linked together in a needs analysis? a. to achieve the greatest support and continuity from the organization and its stakeholders b. to maintain the strongest political linkages and allies necessary for organizational change c. to increase resistance to change from individuals who were not given an opportunity to provide input d. to ensure that the organizational culture supports the key stakeholders ANSWER: a 33. A task analysis consists of a description of the activities or work operations performed on a job and the conditions under which these activities are performed. It normally includes six important steps. Which of the following would NOT be considered one of those steps? a. develop rating scales to rate the importance and difficulty of each task and the frequency with which it is performed b. provide feedback on the results of the task analysis c. prepare job descriptions and specifications for roles involved in the task analysis process d. use surveys and interviews to gather data and information from a sample of job incumbents ANSWER: c 34. Your CEO has asked you to explain the potential negative consequences of having training and development plans that are not congruent with your company’s strategy. Which of the following is likely to be negatively affected for the organization if training initiatives are not aligned with the organization’s strategy? b. training costs a. book value c. flexibility d. market value ANSWER: d 35. Which two factors from the external environment might affect an organization’s need for training and its employees’ receptivity to being trained? a. trade agreements and new b. competitors and corporate strategy technologies c. recessions and employment equity d. demographics and organizational culture ANSWER: a 36. What critical question is the resource analysis process attempting to answer? a. Does the organization have the desire to spend its resources on training? b. Does the organization have employees willing to learn? c. Does the organization have sufficient money, time, and expertise? d. Does the organization have access to effective decision makers? ANSWER: c 37. Which of the following does NOT align with the notion of a strong “learning culture”? a. an executive placing significant resources toward organizational learning b. workers at all levels of an organization who see knowledge and skill acquisition as part of their job responsibilities c. learning transfer is central to a strong learning culture d. a culture focused primarily on formalized learning processes ANSWER: d 38. Which example characterizes a strong climate for transfer of training? a. It takes three months for a trainee to be given the opportunity to apply what was learned in training. b. Financial and non-financial benefits are associated with applying material learned in training. c. Supervisor and peer support for the use of newly acquired skills is not evident. d. Newly trained employees face few consequences for not using material learned in training. ANSWER: b 39. Johnathan, a training specialist, is undertaking a needs analysis for an organization. He is attempting to determine which specific jobs in the organization are contributing to a specific “itch.” What step in the needs analysis process is Johnathan most likely performing? b. organizational analysis a. stakeholder consultation c. task analysis d. person analysis ANSWER: c 40. What is one drawback of a task analysis process? a. It ignores mental processes required to complete a task. b. It focuses only on target jobs as opposed to all jobs within the organization. c. It develops bias from subjective rating scales and the use of estimates. d. It assumes tasks are performed by teams, not individuals. ANSWER: a 41. One of your colleagues is somewhat confused about the distinction between skills and competencies. You decide to provide your colleague with a concise explanation. Which of the following statements would best capture the distinction between these two terms? a. competencies are the same as skills b.negotiating a collective agreement is an example of a skill, while competencies are universal in scope such as winning agreement on goals and expectations c. competencies are related to knowledge and tend to be narrow in scope d.skills are behaviours that are not observable, while competencies must be observable ANSWER: b 42. Teamwork competencies include things such as how to communicate, interact, and coordinate tasks effectively with team members, which can be identified by conducting a team analysis. From a training perspective, what are these competencies primarily used for? a. to communicate to stakeholders the importance of team competencies b.to lead teams through discussions to identify key new themes and goals that everyone can accept and use as part of the training program c. to attain buy-in from stakeholders to secure appropriate funding d.to serve as the basis for writing training objectives and provides guidance on program design ANSWER: d 43. According to the textbook, a person analysis attempts to answer a series of questions. Which of the following questions is NOT associated with a person analysis? a. Are the resources available to train? b. How well does the employee perform the job? c. Who needs training? d. What kind of training is needed? ANSWER: a 44. What deficiency in task analysis does the newer technique of cognitive task analysis address? a. It compensates for the repetitiveness of observable tasks. b. It involves complex mental tasks that are not easy to observe. c. It expands a task analysis to incorporate differences in diversity. d. It allows participants to focus on unusual rather than routine tasks. ANSWER: b 45. What is the main difference between a traditional task analysis and a team task analysis? a. A traditional task analysis depends on job descriptions whereas a team task analysis depends on competencies. b. A team task analysis relies on an organization being a certain size in order to be relevant and useful. c. A traditional task analysis is usually applicable to lower level jobs on the organizational chart and not management. d. A team task analysis identifies the interdependencies of the job and the skills required for task coordination. ANSWER: d 46. Judy, a human resource professional, decides to undertake a person analysis at TD Bank. What question is Judy seeking an answer to? a. How is training linked to TD Bank’s strategy? b. Which employees at TD Bank need training? c. When are tasks performed and what resources are available at TD Bank? d. What external forces are affecting TD Bank? ANSWER: b 47. At Company ABC, the lack of which of the following elements is an example of a structural barrier to effective performance? b. supportive reward systems a. appropriate performance measurements c. clarity around roles and responsibilities d. tools and equipment to do their jobs ANSWER: c 48. Which of the following is NOT an information barrier to effective performance? a. informal leaders b. lack of performance metrics c. ineffective feedback d. vague objectives ANSWER: c 49. You have determined that employees would be able to accomplish a particular task “if their lives depended on it.” What is a logical conclusion you should make? a. increase training efforts b. change the way jobs are designed c. change the rewards d. training is not the issue ANSWER: d 50. Under which scenario is training the LEAST likely intervention in dealing with a performance problem? a. Mary performs a particular task frequently b. Providing Mary with coaching is too expensive and time consuming c. Mary has a mission critical role d. Mary does not receive feedback on her performance ANSWER: d 51. What is the best method of collecting data in a needs analysis process? a. any combination of methods that uses at least three of the nine methods b. typically, a combination of interviews, observations, and work samples c. the combination of methods that most likely results in senior management approval d. available resources, analyst expertise, and the nature of the responses should drive the choice of method ANSWER: d 52. Ideally, what should a manager do if an employee has a genuine skill deficiency and does not have the potential to learn a new task? a. fire the employee immediately b. give the task to another individual, even if it impacts productivity negatively c. notwithstanding the lack of potential to learn, double up the training effort d. if possible, simplify the task, lower expectations, or transfer the employee ANSWER: d 53. Which data collection method is relatively inexpensive to administer and provides data in a format that is easy to report and summarize? b. Observation a. work samples s c. Surveys d. Interviews ANSWER: c 54. Which of the following is an obstacle organizations cite as the reason to avoid conducting a needs analysis? a. Trainees often claim that they are rewarded for taking the time to conduct a needs analysis. b.Organizations usually can see how the investment of time and resources will produce a viable training solution. c. Organizations are most concerned with training employees quickly rather than waiting for research to be conducted. d.Managers and employees do not have the creative techniques and critical methods of inquiry needed to conduct a needs analysis. ANSWER: c 55. Which data collection method is expensive to use but allows for on-the-spot synthesis of different viewpoints via twoway communication? b. group discussion a. the quick needs analysis c. questionnaires d. key consultation ANSWER: b 56. If the training department does not have the time or resources to conduct a needs analysis but can use existing data and other information that is available, what is it doing? b. a basic needs a. a streamed needs analysis analysis c. a rapid needs analysis d. a short needs analysis ANSWER: c 57. If an organization was not planning on designing and delivering a training program but the provincial government has just introduced a new bill that requires training, what is this called? a. mandated training b. compliance training c. government d. required training training ANSWER: b 58. What are the most common approaches for conducting a cognitive task analysis? b. interviews and surveys a. interviews and observation c. surveys and observation d. focus groups and observation ANSWER: a 59. If a trainer wants to learn about employees’ self-efficacy and training motivation, what should he do? a. task analysis b. team task analysis d. cognitive task c. person analysis analysis ANSWER: c 60. If a trainer has discovered that there are no consequences for desirable behaviours and employees are sometimes punished for good performance, then what should the trainer focus on for improving performance? a. training b. feedback c. goal d. contingency setting management ANSWER: d 61. There are many alternatives to training when solving performance problems. Identify and briefly describe three such alternatives. ANSWERThree alternatives to training for solving performance problems are: : (1) feedback—give employees performance feedback so they can compare their performance to their goal and regulate their own behaviour and performance; (2) goal setting—help the employee set performance goals that are specific and challenging as a way of increasing their motivation; and (3) practice—if it is a skill the employee has not used in some time, instead of formal training they might just require some practice to refresh their skills. Students may indeed identify other alternative issues causing the gap in performance, including but not limited to rewards not congruent with desired behaviour, management practices, job design, etc. 62. Outline at least five conditions under which training might be the best solution to performance problems. ANSWER(1) when the task is performed frequently; : (2) when the task is difficult; (3) when correct performance is critical; (4) when the employee does not know how to perform as required; (5) when performance expectations and goals have been made clear and employees receive feedback on their performance; (6) when there are (or will be) positive consequences for correct work behaviour, and there will NOT be negative consequences for performing as required; and (7) other solutions (like coaching) are ineffective or too expensive. 63. Outline the differences between a cognitive task analysis and a team task analysis. ANSWERA cognitive task analysis focuses on mental processes and requirements for performing : a job while a team task analysis must identify the interdependencies of the job as well as the skills required for task coordination. Cognitive task analysis is especially useful for jobs that are complex, dynamic, and may have high-stake outcomes. The main objective of team task analysis is to assess team-based competencies such as knowledge, skills, and attitude. 64. Describe how Mager and Pipe’s decision tree is used in determining if training is the best solution to performance problems. ANSWERThe decision tree is helpful in first clarifying what the performance discrepancy is, as : well as in asking the question of whether or not the discrepancy is important enough to invest resources in correcting. It then asks the question of whether or not the problem is a result of a skills deficiency. It the answer is “yes,” then there are a number of options to consider that include formal training, practice, feedback, goal setting, changing the job, or even the person in the job. If the answer is “no,” then there are several questions asked to help determine what the barrier to effective performance is, and how to remove that barrier. For example, if non-performance is being rewarded, then remove that reward, and arrange a positive consequence for performing properly. The decision tree is useful to encourage an exploration of all the possible barriers to effective performance, and not just jumping to the conclusion that training is the best or only solution. 65. Identify and briefly describe the three steps in the person analysis process. ANSWERThe three steps in a person analysis are: : (1) define the desired performance—establish the norms and standards of acceptable performance; (2) determine the gap between desired and actual performance—compare where the employee is relative to the standard, and (3) identify the obstacles to effective performance—determine what is the cause or source of the gap. 66. You have been hired to manage a call centre for a local organization. You notice a pattern of activity that is of concern to you: Customers wait on line before being served for an average of 15 minutes. This is an issue as it impacts the quality of service and is costing you potential sales. Apply in detail the needs analysis process introduced in the textbook. ANSWERStudents should apply the four-step process introduced in the textbook (Concern, : Importance, Consult Stakeholders, and Data Collection) to this vignette. Each of these steps should be detailed enough so as to capture the germane topics under each step. For example, Data Collection must address three areas: Organization, Task, and Person Analysis. 67. You have been asked by management to design and deliver a training program on non-technical skills. However, the budget for the program does not include a needs analysis. You want to first conduct a needs analysis before designing the training program. To convince management, you want to emphasize the outcomes that result from a needs analysis. Describe the outcomes that you will present to management when you request time and resources to conduct a needs analysis. ANSWERA needs analysis is important for knowing whether training and development is : a good solution to performance problems or whether some other intervention might be more effective. Needs analysis information is also used to determine where training is needed in the organization, what type of training is required, and who in the organization should receive training. It is also used to write training objectives, design training programs, and in the development of measures for training evaluation. 68. What is compliance training and what are some examples of it from the textbook? ANSWERCompliance training refers to training programs that are mandated by government : legislation and regulations as well as industry and organization policies. Some examples noted in the textbook include occupational health and safety policies in British Columbia that require employees and supervisors to be trained on how to recognize the potential for bullying and harassment, how to respond to bullying and harassment, and procedures for reporting incidents of bullying and harassment. In Ontario, all workers and supervisors who are subject to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) must complete a mandatory health and safety awareness training program to inform workers of their rights and responsibilities when it comes to workplace health and safety. Another example from Ontario requires organizations to provide all of their employees’ accessibility training on how to interact with people with different disabilities in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. A final example is that all new judges in Ontario are required to undergo mandatory training on sexual assault issues.