Reassessment and Adjustment| system assessment
A needs assessment is a systematic process of exploring the way things are at the present and the way they should be ideally. These factors are usually crucial in the performance at an individual level to the organizational level (Rouda & Kusy, 1995). A needs assessment is a continuous process of evaluation, with the objective of connecting the performance problems experienced in an organization and performance opportunities to human performance efforts that are specific. It also involves the process of differentiating the specific performance problems which will be solved through additional training from those that need other management measures. The main aim of this paper is to develop a needs assessment for MTS Systems Corporation.
The management problem at MTS is a human resources management problem One of the biggest challenges is the retention of workers who are skilled and talented. There are also generational differences amongst the work force, bringing with it a challenge in that the different groups respond differently to different situations, hence need to be handled differently. The management also has to deal with communication at the workplace and keeping the employees motivated in order to enhance performance. The performance of the company is impressive, with strong growth and revenue of around seven hundred and eighty million dollars. The bottom line is also very encouraging. This performance, however, is way below the expected performance which was projected to be over a billion dollars in revenue and a quarter billion dollars in profits. This goal hasn’t been achieved yet but based on the strong performance of the organization, together with good management, the target may be achieved.
The mission of the organization is to be a leader in innovation in the manufacture of measurement and testing solutions so as to enable the success of their customers. The mission is related to the desired performance in that it the mission statement will provide a drive for the staff to be the best in what they do, and in this way improving the performance of the organization as a whole. The management problems are experienced within the whole company and aren’t just experienced within specific departments.
In conducting a needs assessment, several steps will be followed. One will be performing a GAP analysis. This step will seek at establishing the actual level of performance of the organization and the employees in comparison to the standards which have been set (Rouda & Kusy, 1995). In order to do this, the current situation will be determined first. The skills, knowledge and abilities that the current employees have. This analysis ought to take into consideration the goals of the organization, the business climate and constraints, both internal and external. The desired situations are the conditions that are desired for the organization to achieve success. This analysis will focus on the abilities, skills and knowledge that will be needed to achieve achievement of set goals. The gaps that exist between the current and desired situations will point out the needs of the company. Customer care in the company is good in the company but with additional training, it can be taken a notch higher. There is also high competition in the market since several new entrants have started fighting aggressively for market share. For this reason, there is need.
The second step is to identify the priorities and the importance of each action. The first step produces a big list with needs for career development, training and organization development and other interventions that have been identified. All these factors will be examined in light of their importance to the organization in regards to the constraints, organizational goals and realities that exist (Rossett & Sheldon, 2001). Due to this, the needs that are identified will be determined if they are real, worth addressing, are important to the organization and are urgent in regard to the requirements and needs of the organization. The customer service training should be prioritized since it will impact directly on the clients, who are the kings in the business. The training will also be more cost effective when compared to the cost of the problem, which is significant. On top of this, customer service will encompass almost every aspect of the company. Good service will meet the needs of the customers, who spread the word to their friends, to the benefit of the company.
The next step is to identify the causes of problems in performance and the opportunities that exist therein. At this point, needs of the organization and individuals have been focused on and prioritized, this next step is aimed at identifying the specific areas that present problems and opportunities (Rouda & Kusy, 1995). People ought to know what the performance requirements and if the solutions applied will be appropriate. In order to do this, two questions will be asked. One will be whether the employees are doing the jobs they are entrusted to do effectively. The next will be if they have the right skills in order to their jobs effectively. This will require the investigation of employees on their jobs, in depth, for both present and future times.
The fourth step will be to identify the possible growth opportunities and solutions. If the employees are doing their jobs effectively, then they shouldn’t be interfered with. Nevertheless, training, or some form of intervention would be justified if it has sufficient importance in growing the performance into new levels (Rossett & Sheldon, 2001). Training could be a solution in case there is a gap in the knowledge.
References Rossett, A., & Sheldon, K. (2001). Analysis. Retrieved from Big Dog’ s and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: http://nwlink.com/~donclark/analysis/analysis.html Rouda, R. H., & Kusy, M. E. (1995). Needs Assessment: The First Step. Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry.
