week 7 final project

Running head: NEED ASSESSMENT 1

NEED ASSESSMENT 2

Need Assessment

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Needs Assessments

Introduction:

Organizations need continuous supervision of the management of its resources to achieve the organizational goals in the most effective and efficient manner. It is resources that determine whether or not the organization will succeed. It is the management of resources that determines how quickly the organization will achieve its vision. Resources are crucial but the management of resources is more crucial because mismanagement of resources is as dreadful as the absence of resources. Deepening upon the type of organization and the nature of the industry, the significance of resources varies. Some industries have more need for raw material while others require efficient technology and machinery for its success. Similarly, finance is an important resource but one resource remains crucial among all the sectors and all the industries and that is human capital. Human capital is crucial because it is responsible for the management of the rest of the resources. Hence in other words management of the human resource is indirectly the management of all resources. Successful organizations regularly conduct need assessment to assess the needed changes in their human capital. The need assessment not only tells the demand of new assets but also changes which need to be done in the current employee's base. Like all other successful organizations, Apple also conducts a needs assessment to identify the need for human resources and to learn about the gap analysis. It also assesses the training needs and options for new and current employees. For conducting a need assessment a questionnaire was developed and get filled by employees at Apple Inc. to learn about the needs of the firm. This paper will be a need assessment report and will be based on the results of the questionnaire developed in the last assignment (Cuiccio, 2018).

Three levels of Analysis:

Need assessment is an extensive process which needs to analyze and assess the need of the organization at all levels. There are primarily three levels of assessment including individual, task, and organization. The questionnaire took into consideration all three levels. It is designed in such a way that it ensures that needs are asses at all levels. It is crucial to analyze the needs and performance of all levels because they are impactful. To begin with, individual performance and needs are important because every individual employee brings a unique value to the organization. Apple is the world's leading organization because its employees are innovative and they possess such unique skills that put the firm on the path of future success. This level cannot be avoided. That is why most questions in the questionnaire are focused on finding it whether or not the employees are satisfied in their individual circles. These questions are diverse and they check the customer satisfaction from every dimension. They not only check whether customers feel contented with their current job designation but also learn about whether employees feel that they are rewarded in the right manner and If their jobs are fulfilling. Furthermore it also questions are they satisfied with the development and professional growth pace in their firm. These questions answer the questions of the future need for training and development and any possible change in the reward and benefits system. The next level is the task or team. Employees often have to work in the form of team and groups and their coordination with each other is crucial for the success of every team. For this level, questions are designed to ask about teamwork, team leadership, distribution of work, and appreciation. The third level is organizational. To assess needs based on organizational level questions are formulated which assess whether or not employees feel connected with the organizational vision and feel that they are doing a positive job towards the organizational vision and if the organizational vision is something they can relate to. Some of these questions are closed-ended but some are opened ended which slows the employees to share their insights in an open manner. In short, the need assessment at the individual, team, and organizational levels helped develop a comprehensive understanding of need assessment (Jones, 2014).

Challenges in data collection:

The primary data collection technique was employed for this paper. A detailed questionnaire was developed with both closed-ended and open-ended questions. These questions were very well thought and ensured to cover every domain of the employee's connection with the organization. The questionnaire included questions with consideration for the individual, team, and organizational levels. This distinction between questions is important for developing insights into every dimension of employee work relationship with his or her team and organization at large. There were a few challenges faced during the process of data collection. These challenges were mainly of two types. One, the population size was much higher which made it difficult to collect data form very single employees. The sample size was taken for the questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire was close-ended and included a Likert scale. Gathering data form masses and then assessing and analyzing it through this scale was not difficult. But the second part considered opening ended questions. Recording and then analyzing these responses is a very difficult task which was not possible for the complete population size. Hence for this purpose, the sample size was taken and data was gathered from them. The second challenge faced during data collection was of unresponsiveness of Apple employees for the task. As per the sample size, many employees were contacted for the questionnaire but only a few responses. This presented as a major challenge in data collection (Woods, 2018).

Initial insights regarding the data:

The initial insights into data show that Apple Inc. It is working really well with its human capital management as most employees seemed to be satisfied with their current job status. Once the data is collected, the next step is to analyze it in detail to develop insights into it. This process is very comprehensive. Data collection itself is very long and stressful but data analysis is also a very difficult and long process. Depending on the nature of the questionnaire, different data analysis tools are employed. For example for close-ended questions with a Likert scale, Microsoft excel and other similar tools can be sued for analyzing and recording the responses. But for open-ended questions, there is a long process of individually reading and analyzing the responses. For this paper, since both methods are employed for data collection: close-ended and open-ended questions, hence the analysis tools are also of a different nature. The initial insights are developed based on the analysis of recorded responses of the first part which is of close-ended questions with a Likert scale. This part comprises of individual questions from the employees about their job satisfaction. An analysis of this part shows that generally, employees are satisfied with the organizational setup along with designation. They feel that they are contributing in a positive way towards the organization's success. They also believe that they share the same vision as their organizations. The satisfaction level with the current reward and benefits system also seemed on point with no much conflictual responses. Furthermore, employees felt that they are well aware of their specific goals and task which indicates that there is clarity in their responsibilities and role with the organization. The relation between employees and their supervisors is also showed to be positive. Employee empowerment is also an apparent trend in the organization. All these responses were generally positive with not much negative response. But there are few responses which were also common among most employees. Employees mention that the training and development program can be improved. But since it is not open-ended questions so it was not clear what kind of improvement is needed.

Suggestions about training intervention:

Training and development is a crucial part of any organizational management plan for its human capital. All resources need up-gradation from time to time. Machinery can be improved through technological advancements. Raw material can be improved as well. Similarly, human capital needs training and development to improve their skills and abilities. Apple Inc. has a very effective system of employee development where employees are continuously involved in training and development programs. These programs are for both new and current employees but this can be improved. As per the results from this questionnaire employees require training for interpersonal management. The employees at apple Inc. are highly skilled in their respective fields with the most advanced knowledge, abilities, and capabilities. But along with skills, a healthy workplace is also needed for high productivity among employees. This ensures that employees feel at home and they are not discriminated though any apparent or unseen prejudices. This aspect needs improvement in Apple employees. A training program for inclusivity and diversity ad openly accepting everyone is needed. This ought to be complemented with an inclusive and open organizational culture for improved performance of the employees (How to Conduct Needs Assessment Part 1: What is it and why do it? 2017).

References Cuiccio, C. (2018). Needs Assessment Guidebook. State Support Network, 1-28. How to Conduct Needs Assessment Part 1: What is it and why do it? (2017, May 12). Retrieved from NC State: https://www.ies.ncsu.edu/blog/how-to-conduct-needs-assessment-part-1-what-is-it-and-why-do-it/ Jones, S. C. (2014, August 3). Future Impact Starts with a Six-Step Needs Assessment. Retrieved from Measurement Resources: https://measurementresourcesco.com/2014/08/03/future-impact-starts-six-step-needs-assessment/ Woods, E. (2018, June 2). How to Conduct a Training Needs Assessment. Retrieved from SHRM: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/conduct-training-needs-assessment.aspx