Do the needs analysis first!

I could not start my blog about training in Southern Africa without tackling the one area that is so lacking. The needs analysis. Too many training departments and organisations invest in misdirected training programmes and 'courses' for their employees. Often assuming that training is going to fix everything. Its just not true and if anything can impact on performance to a far greater degree. As it is training managers and human resource professionals are fighting to hold on to their budgets in these uncertain times, when organisations are protecting their cash-flow and literally tighten down on expenditure in what many still consider a 'soft' operational focus or department.

We only have ourselves to blame here. By doing a thorough needs analysis of the performance requirements of the workforce a training or human resource management department are in a better position to really understand the fundamental dynamics of the ever-changing needs to deliver human performance. Well take a step back for a moment and also consider that the staff performance is dependent on allot more than pure applied skill and individual expertise. Strong 'leading-from-the-front' managers are just as critical and as Peter Senge aptly puts it. If you are not a learning organisation, you are already as good as dead. Fairly radical? No, actually with the rate of change globally, the internet (Web 2.0) as a catalyst for development and factoring in economic instability plus growing climate change concerns has created a veritable cauldron of dangerous elements. Not all of them necessarily compatible with each other. Yet for a training professional we are at the crucible, the molten core, trying to figure out where we can make a difference by understanding the needs of our workforce and the world they and your organisation is operating in.

Its no longer enough to understand just the individual, his or her team, or the department. Its more, its the whole business and the environment it operates in and the community and customers it serves. Key to this is a true understanding of of what competition really means to your business. You might be wondering what that has got to do with you as a training professional. Its actually key for you to know as much as you can about who and what the competitive environment is like for the staff that you develop, procure and train courses on. It will assist you to really understand the performance requirements of the employees from a different perspective and will support your training needs analysis and its design.

A decent training needs analysis thus cuts across the strategic external environment as well as its internal dynamics. To defend your budget and in fact grow your influence beyond budgeting you have to take a more proactive stance in the determination of organisational strategy, the competitor analysis and other key strategic planning processes that your organisations might undertake. Rather than being delegated to fulfilling strategic training needs by others, get yourself into those strategic conversations.

Do it with credibility though. Do you homework, build your internal network with other key managers in a cross-functional sense. Whether its marketing, sales, production, operations, etc it really does not matter. At times like this passivity is the death knell of many a training department and team.

Have a look at at Michael Porters YouTube video below explaining the concept of competiveness and forces that influence organisations.


Knowledge Resources well-known events and publishing organisation in South Africa are conducting a HR practices survey. It can give you some idea of the issues that various organisations have identified as being key. Although more HR-centric than training oriented, you as Tribe members might find it a useful exercise. Click here to complete the survey.