Training Needs Assessment, part 1, part 2, and part 3

Training Needs Analysis: Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

HRMN 406 6980

September 29, 2019

Training Needs Analysis: Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Introduction and Background

The firm extended its operations to diverse countries and has offices on different continents. S&C has more than 875 lawyers who attend to their clients via a network of 13 offices across the globe. The firm’s branches are situated in leading financial centers in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia (Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, 2019, par. 4). The firm’s headquarters is based in New York (Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, 2019, par. 4). The firm’s success depends on the quality of attorneys and support staff they hire.

Training Issue Needs

The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSA) help employees perform their job effectively and give the best customer service possible. Training is an important performance tool needed when employees are first hired and when employees are not performing up to a certain standard or at an expected level of performance. Training needs assessment can help S&C determine the current performance or knowledge levels related to a specific activity (Cekada, 2011, p. 29 para 6). S&C offers a variety of training programs to assist their lawyers in making the most of their career, such as Continued Legal Education (CLE) online courses as well as on-the-job training. S&C’s needs regarding the training issue consist of process improvement, performance, and new hires.

In busy offices, corporations tend to hire many individuals to offer non-core services. It is highly likely that S&C could have challenges in enhancing client service experience, improving employee retention rates, staying afloat with current technology, and managing caseloads or workflow. The desire to train arises when a business is interested in improving the knowledge base of its personnel (Frost, 2019, par. 1). Consequently, the needs analysis provides an excellent method for addressing challenges that S&C could face. The process will identify skill gaps within the workforce and resolve them through subsequent training.

Groups to Receive Training

Apart from the lawyers, S&C employs support staff who aid in the smooth operation of the company. They will include legal assistants, legal secretaries, and service clerks who will form one training group. The other category will consist of the top management level, such as human resource personnel and managers. The next group will be administrators of 13 offices who oversee the smooth operations of regions. The questionnaire survey should explicitly describe target subjects that require the program. The facilitator ought to define the population, which should be in line with the aims of the assessment, even though no strict rules for defining such exist (PILAC, n.d., p. 9). Grouping of staff members will enable the development of similar evaluation tools to those who perform identical duties.

The job descriptions of these employees vary depending on terms of reference. The human resource department develops these tasks based on the qualifications of workers (Butler & Callahan, 2014, p. 218). For instance, the lawyers are supposed to take care of any client-related issues. Legal assistants are needed to address court documentations. Accounting performs checks and balances of the firm, while secretaries are required to handle any expense reports concerning billings and payments. Human Resources is involved in the recruitment and development of staff, while managers ensure the smooth flow of work processes. Determining these job descriptions is vital so that one can create appropriate tools that address deficiencies employees may have.

Training Issue

Training is a form of quality control, a necessary process to make associates more effective and to guard against malpractice. Professional development for associates was rare since their competence in substantive legal skills was presumed. Most clients see professional training as the responsibility of the law firm (9 Most Important Characteristics of the Best Law Firm Training Programs, 2016, p. 2 para 3). S&C's employees need training in three critical areas: customer service, integration of technology in daily operations, and management of case-flows. The identified aspects of business play a crucial role in retaining both clients and staff members. The firm must address these deficiencies to survive. Nonetheless, clients use the services of an organization when employees are happy with their job.

S&C must pay much attention to the retention of workers. Many companies incur high costs resulting from voluntary turnover (Terera & Ngirande, 2014, p. 481). Management of such unforeseen departures is vital to the survival of S&C. Consequently, low staff exit rate should help the firm capitalize on its human resources and maintain productivity and profitability. Best practices and previous studies show that if employers treat their staff with high esteem and as valuable contributors, they will remain in a corporation for long (Terera & Ngirande, 2014, p. 481). The firm must ensure that workers are satisfied to enhance their retention. From a different perspective, recruiting is time-consuming and costly (Developing Employees | Boundless Business, n.d., par. 7). S&C must train its employees on the three identified areas of deficiencies.

The first training issue needs concerns about customer service. It is a crucial success factor for many companies. Firms incorporate clients in improvements of processes as co-creators of value (So, King, Beverley, Sparks, & Wang, 2016, p. 2). Such a move enhances the delivery of the needed satisfaction to consumers. Moreover, when businesses offer excellent services, they will likely have long-lasting relationships with their customers. Hence, the lack of excellent service leads to poor relations and wrong perception of the company (So et al., 2016, p. 2). S&C can enhance this vital connection through training of their support staff and managers as they directly cooperate with clients.

The second issue need is the use of technology. S&C will stay afloat with current developments if their employees are well-trained. Technology is the core of the evolution in the global economy. Computerized information technology has presented S&C with significant challenges, in competing with other firms and in interfacing with clients and the government who process information in new ways. Today, activities that previously required human creativity have become amenable and standardized. The training will focus on the way that companies incorporate high-tech innovations which lead to computerization of systems (Andersson, Dasí, Mudambi, & Pedersen, 2016, p. 2). Some technologies, such as online platforms contribute to enhanced customer experiences (So et al., 2016, p. 2). Therefore, through training, businesses can enhance knowledge skills and attitudes associated with technological advancements among their workforce and stay up-to-date on the competing environment.

The third issue need is the management of case-flows. This aspect, especially for S&C, is crucial for the completion of lawsuits in due time. The improvement of court logistics significantly relies on the judges' enthusiasm to run operations and meet targets (Langbroek et al., 2016, p. 3). It also depends on the level of cooperation with internal and external functionalities and stakeholders. One way is an enhancement and use of digital information and communication in several aspects of the judicial system (Pirttila et al., 2016, p. 30). For this reason, S&C could train employees of the importance to apply these services to improve or manage case-flows.

Questionnaire Assessment

A questionnaire is a useful tool for surveying training needs. It allows an organization to capture the perspectives of several groups fast (Watkins, Meiers, & Visser, 2012, p. 117). Its structure helps in collating a significant amount of data in a short period (Brown, 2002, p. 8). The survey offers privacy as respondents do not personally identify themselves; hence, they can give honest answers (hr-survey, 2019). Since S&C is a busy firm, the questionnaire will be administered via the web so that it does not take much of respondents’ time. An external organization will oversee the whole process to guarantee anonymity. These merits make it the most appropriate method for companies to collect data in a training needs assessment process.

Outcomes

Critical findings should come from a useful training needs analysis. The assessment will ensure that resources, money, and time that S&C uses to develop its workers’ skills will yield expected performance-based results (Cekada, 2011, p. 28). For instance, questions concerning customer relations will see that staff at the firm are fully-skilled to provide high-quality services. In the questionnaire, the aspect of employee development will help the firm find various ways of reducing workforce turnover. The organizational skills question will give the firm efficient methods of improving case-flows. The outcomes of the survey will guide the H.R. department in designing the training program and improving employees' skills.

Conclusion

The training needs assessment is a convenient method of determining current skills’ deficiencies that an organization faces. It also assists in establishing the scope and type of resources needed to complete a skills development program. S&C is one of the largest legal firms in the U.S. with close to 900 lawyers across the globe. The training needs analysis was aimed at determining skills gaps of this broad group of employees. For S&C, the evaluation should be aimed at enhancing customer experience, management of case-flows, maintaining the current technology, and reducing an employee turnover rate. In the future, the research could create training assessment methods that are cost-effective and deliver accurate results that will help the company to remain competitive.

References

An International Heritage: An interview with Joseph C. Shenker, Chairman, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. (2014). Leaders Magazine, Inc., 37(4), 136. Retrieved from www.leadersmag.com/issues/2014.4_Oct/PDFs/LEADERS-Joseph-Shenker-Sullivan-Cromwell.pdf

Andersson, U., Dasí, Á., Mudambi, R., & Pedersen, T. (2016). Technology, innovation and knowledge: The importance of ideas and international connectivity. Journal of World Business 51(1).

Brown, J. (2002). Training needs assessment: A must for developing an effective training program. Public Personnel Management, 31, 569-578. DOI: 10.1177/009102600203100412

Butler, M. G., & Callahan, C. M. (2014). Human resource outsourcing: Market and operating performance effects of administrative H.R. functions. Journal of Business Research, 67(2), 218-224.