The myth in TNA survey

To my mind, opinion and perception survey for training need analysis is a myth.

Processing a sample of opinions does not serve the purpose of identifying performance gaps of the population needed to improve subsequent performance of an organisation.

How could a worker knows exactly what his training needs are?  How could the feedback from the workforce which are full of opinions form a basis of their own training?

True a survey has been an accepted tool in scientific study by researchers and student.  It may be suitable for marketing analysis because marketing is identifying of perceptions and opinions.  Indeed a TNA survey, with a set of wrong collected data (opinions and perceptions) processed with a highly sophisticated statistical instrument would still be not meaningful.

Workers and managers would not know of their shortcomings or their incompetency because of the following reasons:-

1. It is beyond their knowledge. (unconscious incompetence)
2. A new competency would be unknown to the surveyed workforce.(new competency)
3. Workers would not disclose their incompetency because of their pride and to uphold their image. (non-disclosure)(suppressing information)
4. Surveys are a collection of the job holders' subjective perceptions and opinions.

The only approach to TNA is to identify critical performance gaps from which the competency gaps could be drawn.

Performance gaps drawn from actual performance reports are more objective in its approach.  After all, this is exactly what the CEO wants out of a TNA.  The CEO would like to know what kind of training he need to give to my workforce that would give positive maximum impact to the bottom line.

A benchmarked company does not only provide performance standards but it also provide best practices for the purpose of training need identification.

After all, training is a copy and paste applications.  It is identifying what and how to copy and duplicate them.

It is not merely the transmitting of opinions and feelings.

Arriffin Mansor 012-2786282


Example of survey questionnaire used in TB

Sales Skills	1weak	2	3avg.	4	5strong
Ability to qualify buyers quickly
Identifying customer needs
Identifying customer objections
Overcoming customer objections
Prospecting / cold contacts
Conducting presentations
Closing the sale