Needs Assessment

Identify - Analyze - Decide

“If you pit a good performer against a bad system, the system will win almost every time. “

— Rummler and Brache

Challenge.

Organization.

The XYZ (pseudonym) organization is a non-profit residential program providing an alternative to the incarceration of youth and provides programs and outreach services to youth who are experiencing or recovering from trauma. Programs include adoptions, education, foster care, vocational training, counseling, and independent living support, in addition to residential programs.

To expand services, XYZ, which currently employs over 450, plans to hire upwards of 100 employees in the coming years. The business model includes not-for-profit thrift stores found throughout the state that provide revenue for programs as well as employment opportunities for youth participants.


 
 

Performance Gap.

XYZ Human Resource (HR) processes lack the capacity and resources to increase the recruitment and hiring rate required to meet the hiring goal. The HR staff currently allocate approximately 73% of their time to manually managing employee data. Only 27% of their time is allocated to organizational strategic planning activities such as talent acquisition.

The needs assessment of XYZ HR processes was completed by students of the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) program at Boise State University (Mammenga et al., 2020) referred to here as “the Team.”

Figure 1 exhibits the intended goal of the needs assessment; to identify opportunities to rebalance resources (e.g. time) and increase the capacity for recruiting, workforce planning, and management of compliance risk, allowing XYZ to achieve organizational growth goals.

 

Figure 1. XYZ Needs Assessment Summary Infographic

NA Infographic.png

Methods.

Frameworks and Models.

The Team used Van Tiem’s Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model (2012) during the planning phase to determine the impact of the performance gap. After completing the data collection, the team referred back to the HPT Model when considering how the inputs and processes affected the products and outcomes.

Wile’s Synthesized HPT Model (1996) makes it easier to analyze performance problems by categorizing them as external or internal as well as tangible or intangible. The Team used Wile’s model when coding qualitative data to pinpoint the causes of the performance issue and identify appropriate solutions.

The Five Whys technique served as the Team’s basis for the interview questions to ensure all relevant possible causes of the performance gap were explored.

Data Collection.

  • Extant Data

    Extant data included the XYZ HR Task Force Executive Summary and a review of XYZ’s website. Interviews

  • Interviews

    Semi-structured observational interviews were conducted in-person and via cloud-based video conferencing with XYZ HR staff.

  • Survey

    A structured survey was sent to the hiring managers of retail stores, where increased hiring is most anticipated.

Causes.

Data Analysis.

The following data analysis methods were employed to identify the causes of the HR staff capacity dearth:

  • Extant Data Analysis: The XYZ HR Task Force Executive Summary provided the basis of the needs assessment, which further analyzed the root cause of the gap identified by the Task Force.

  • Codebook Analysis: The Team designed a codebook to name and sort the qualitative data (themes) collected from the observational interviews with HR staff and survey of retail store hiring managers.

  • Process Analysis and Mapping: The team mapped the current HR processes and identified where pain points occur (according to interview and survey data).

Findings.

After analyzing the data, the Team identified environmental and individual causes contributing to lack of HR capacity which is limiting XYZ’s ability to meet organizational goals (see also Figure 1, Root Environmental and Individual Causes). :

  • Disconnects (pain points) in Current HR Processes: HR workflows rely heavily on email communications and the software lacks the ability to interface leaving HR unable to complete HR processes or share data without manual intervention.

  • Manual vs. Automated HR Processes: XYZ HR performs most department functions with a partial or fully manual process. The Team determined that XYZ HR can achieve efficiencies by automating most, if not all, of its processes.

Intervention Selection

The team used criteria from the codebook (pulled from interviews and surveys) and aligned it with organizational goals to compare the feasibility of interventions. Figure 9 illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of each solution and the “sweet spot” identified by the Team.

Figure 2. Problem/Solution “Sweet Spot” Assessment

Ven Diagram.png

Conclusion.

Recommended Solutions.

The Team prioritized possible solutions based on an assessment of the options with the greatest opportunity to close the performance gap.

  • Acquire and Implement a Human Resource Information System (HRIS): Significant financial and operational investments are required to ensure a successful implementation of HRIS. The Team designed tools, including a checklist, to assist XYZ in assessing HRIS options during a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

  • Implement immediate (standardized) process improvements: Through standardizing, documenting, and sharing workflow processes, many pain points within the current processes and be alleviated. By leveraging SharePoint, which XYZ already has access to, HR can design form templates with required fields to generate standardized forms for receiving HR information and decrease the reliance on email.

  • Streamline Non-automated workflow: Presents a no-cost opportunity for improved efficiency.

    • Survey feedback reported instances of confusion or lack of process awareness which can be remedied through organized communication on an intranet shared site.

    • Job-aids provide hiring managers and employees on-demand assistance as they navigate benefits enrollment, timekeeping, and attendance responsibilities.

    • XYZ can leverage hiring managers as change champions (or ‘train the trainer’) to relieve the dependency on the HR staff. 

The Team identified solutions at various investment levels and identified that leaving the XYZ HR processes as they currently stand poses a risk to achieving organizational goals. As Rummler and Brache (2012) noted, 

Over the long haul, even strong people can’t compensate for a weak process. Sure, some occasional success may come from team or individual heroics. But if you pit a good performer against a bad system, the system will win almost every time (p. 11). 

In spite of low automation, siloed processes, and limited resources, XYZ HR staff demonstrated an internal motivation to meet the increasing demands of a growing organization; supporting performance of the staff with improved processes and resources will increase the capacity of the XYZ HR department to achieve organizational goals.

Limitations.

Table 1 represents the limitations and implications experienced during this project. The approaches and assumptions that were used are fundamentally sound and the recommendations are reliable.

Table 1. Needs Assessment Limitations

limitations 2.PNG
 

 References

Mammenga, J., Finer, J., Garaffa, T., & Jones, K. (2020). Needs Assessment: Human Resource Process Improvement. Unpublished manuscript.

Rummler, G. A., & Brache, A. P. (2012). Improving performance: How to manage the white space on the organizational chart (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Van Tiem, D. M., Moseley, J. L., & Dessinger, J. C. (2012). Fundamentals of performance improvement: Optimizing results through people, processes, and organizations (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Wile, D. (1996, February). Why doers do. Performance & Instruction, 35(2), 30-35. doi:10.1002/pfi.4170350209