According to Spector (2012), a needs assessment is conducted to determine which employees throughout a company may need additional training and what the content of their training should be. Basically, when assessing the training needs of current employees, the training resources can be maximized and focused on who needs to be trained and what they need to be trained on. A needs assessment can ensure that the correct people are being trained on the correct content and time, money, and resources for those training purposes will be utilized efficiently. The five steps in developing an effective training program include conducting a training needs assessment, setting objectives, design the appropriate training, deliver the appropriate training, and evaluating the training that was demonstrated. Within the training needs assessment the areas of focus should include the organization, the job, and the employee. By focusing on these three key areas, one can effectively develop the appropriate training needs of the employees. However, according to Spector (2012), needs assessments are rarely utilized by organizations.

Class, why aren't needs assessments used more often by organizations?

How might your current company benefit from a needs assessment? Explain.

Spector, P. E. (2012). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.