Training needs assessment: where we are and where we should go.
| Autor | Ferreira, Rodrigo Rezende |
| Cargo | Report |
Introduction
New workplace demands and requirements are causing major changes in formal education as well as in professional training. Some factors seem to introduce a new scenario for organizations: the rapid pace of technological change in the information society, the increasing content knowledge required for production, the reduction in the product life cycle, and rapidly changing production processes. The need for workers' continuous learning is one of the various effects of these pressures.
In this context, Training Needs Assessment (TNA) processes have a strategic role because they provide clear guidelines as to which professional skill deficiencies must be remedied and what the profile of future trainees should be. For McGehee and Thayer (1961), training needs come from underdeveloped skills, insufficient knowledge or inappropriate worker attitudes. Mager and Pipe (1979) define training needs as identified differences between the employees' current performance and the performance that the organization expects of them.
Training Needs Assessment refers to the organizational process of collecting and analyzing data that supports decision making about when training is the best option (or not) to improve individuals' performances, define who should be trained, and exactly what content should be taught (Clarke, 2003). For Wright and Geroy (1992) TNA should be a systematic process of collection, analysis and interpretation of data on individual, group and/or organizational skill gaps. They should have seven key characteristics: (a) be based mainly on culture and organizational philosophy; (b) be proactive instead of reactive; (c) have a method that permits the distinction between situations that can be addressed through training and those that cannot; (d) allow various organizational actors who are directly or indirectly interested and involved in training to participate; (e) be based on observable skills rather than leaders', managers' and professionals" perceptions; (f) consider the varied use of sampling techniques and data analysis; and (g) in the end, have a cost/benefit analysis.
However, despite its importance, research shows that training needs diagnoses have been done in an unsystematic manner in organizational settings (Clarke, 2003; Ferreira, Abbad, Pagotto, & Meneses, 2009; Ford & Noe, 1987; McGehee & Thayer, 1961; Moore & Dutton, 1978; Ostroff & Ford, 1989; Taylor, O'Driscoll, & Binning, 1998; Wexley, 1984). There is still relatively little theoretical and empirical research on TNA (Kraiger, 2003). Literature review devoted to the subject is rare. In Management, studies lack systematic theoretical and methodological approaches which may provide consistency to TNA research and practices. We can say that the theoretical and methodological characteristics of TNA scientific knowledge are, somehow, unknown. It seems that much of what was recommended by seminal authors (Mahler & Monroe, 1952; McGehee & Thayer, 1961; Moore & Dutton, 1978, among others) is still not completely incorporated into TNA research and practice.
For over 50 years, Training, Development and Education (TD&E) literature has been concerned with the importance of systematic procedures for TNA and the investigation of internal and external variables that influence or originate needs for training in work contexts (McGehee & Thayer, 1961). However, the scientific production in the area has yet to provide plausible answers to this and other important questions surrounding the topic.
It is precisely in such a theoretical and empirical context that this article is justified. In order to help find possible ways to fill these gaps, it is of great importance to describe the current state of scientific literature on TNA, bringing to light and evaluating the methods and theories employed until today and drawing some possible scenarios to the future. Thus, this article is based on two research questions. Where are we when it comes to the current state of TNA scientific production? Based on the current state of TNA production, where should (or could) research and practice go?
Method
Article selection strategy
The search for articles was initially performed based on literature reviews about TD&E published in the Annual Review of Psychology (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009; Latham, 1988; Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001; Tannenbaum & Yukle, 1992; Wexley, 1984) and reviews published in Brazilian scientific journals (Abbad, Pilati, & Pantoja, 2003; Borges-Andrade & Abbad, 1996), as well as summaries of dissertations and doctoral theses. As to the multilevel evaluation, two seminal texts were consulted: that of Ostroff and Ford (1989) and Koslowski, Brown, Weissbein, Cannon-Bowers and Salas (2000).
The following databases were consulted: Web of Knowledge (ISI), Ovid, Proquest, Wiley Online Library, Emerald, PsycNet (APA), CAPES Database and Scielo. The search for articles occurred in two steps, between the months of February and March 2008 and August and September 2010. The criterion year of publication was undetermined, given the research objectives. The key expressions used were: training, training needs analysis, training needs analysis and learning, corporate training and university, training needs assessment, training needs evaluation, training, development and education, learning needs.
The primary criterion established for article selection was that it had to be published in a scientific peer reviewed journal. There were 90 articles, which, after reading the summaries, and assessing the adequacy of the subject, were reduced to 61, of which 51 will be analyzed in this study. Our decision to analyze 51 studies is based on operational questions, like the relationship between the complexity of data analysis, time and workforce. The articles examined in this study are a sample of convenience and do not overstrain the knowledge on TNA.
Criteria and procedures for article analysis
Twelve criteria for analysis of selected articles were determined, as shown in Table 1. The articles were analyzed by the authors and two members of a research group.
Results
We analyzed articles ranging from 1978 to 2010. The scientific literature on TNA experienced considerable quantitative growth between 1990 and 2010. Research in the area remained practically nonexistent in the period 1970 to 1989.
As to the country(ies) in which research data was collected, according to Table 2, there is a clear predominance which took place in England (15). There is also a considerable number of studies on TNA in the United States (11).
Table 3 shows the authors, countries, aims, and key research questions.
Discussion
Keeping in mind our research questions and objectives and the recommendations by Baumeister and Leary (1997), we present the discussion as follows.
TNA: where are we?
This section is dedicated to show where our analysis suggests TNA scientific knowledge currently is, in methodological and theoretical terms. Our recommendations about what to do (where to go) given such results are presented in the next section. In sum, one can say that TNA approaches (in practice and research) had a considerable methodological advancement in past decades, shifting from ad-hoc frameworks (Clarke, 2003; Ferreira et al., 2009; Ford & Noe, 1987; McGehee & Thayer, 1961; Moore & Dutton, 1978; Ostroff & Ford, 1989; Taylor et al., 1998; Wexley, 1984) to a more professional and scientific basis. But there are still several methodological weaknesses and a very long path to move forward in theoretical terms. It is also important to say that TNA research experienced a great growth in publications in the last two decades, especially in the 2000's (Kraiger, 2003).
Regarding the main research questions, one can say that the analyzed studies aimed, primarily, to respond:
* How can one respond to workers' qualification needs?
* How can one systematize and operationalize TNA processes and practices?
* How can one identify and measure training needs?
* What are the possibilities and limitations of practice, research and current TNA models?
As to the theoretical and empirical issues investigated, it can be said that most studies aimed at addressing one or more of the following:
* Diagnose training needs for professionals;
* Describe challenges for TNA practice;
* Describe weaknesses in current TNA approaches;
* Describe/propose TNA procedures;
* Construct TNA instruments.
It seems that TNA practice and research still have an almost exclusively diagnostic/procedural and reactive focus, concerning how to do it in the present. Apparently, prospective TNA approaches, based on literature on competence and competences management (Boyatzis, 1982; Cockerill, 1989; McClelland, 1973; Prahalad & Hamel, 1990; Sparrow & Bognanno, 1994), are still rare. Research are mainly applied, investigating methodological or practical problems and solutions related to TNA systems. This is of great value, but there is still a critical lack of theory development and/or evaluation. Still, there is no apparent concern with developing organizational policies on TNA. Some important theoretical issues that are almost absent in the studies are: the relationships between the TNA concepts, work needs, and competence or competences management based on future scenarios (Sparrow & Bognanno, 1994); the missed conceptual link between individual and organizational needs; and to propose new kinds of needs, as learning needs, educational needs, development needs, avoiding practices and research to be dependent on only one kind of possible instructional solution to meet competence gaps (training).
Methodologically, it is possible to note the prevalence of survey-type studies (34.63%). Eleven (11) theoretical essays, three (3) case studies and three (3) action research studies were also obtained. There is a relative predominance of quantitative studies (20). Mixed studies (qualitative/quantitative) and qualitative data showed moderate frequency (11...
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