Lessons Learned While Completing a Needs Assessment of ITSS, Inc. Career Development Opportunities: A Case Study

Abstract

ITSS, Inc. (a pseudonym), a leading provider of IT solutions and services in North America, provides a career development program to its 7,000 employees. Recent data collected through surveys and utilization reports indicated lower than desired satisfaction levels with the organization\u27s various career development tools, resources, and programs, as well as with participation in those programs. This was a concern for ITSS, which asserts that its employees’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes are a competitive advantage. In response, the organization engaged a team of graduate students to examine potential performance issues arising from these observations. As a first-level priority, we identified a performance gap regarding the current structure of the organization\u27s career development program. Next, we launched a full needs assessment to uncover the root causes of the performance gap. Last, we identified and suggested interventions to improve performance-based outcomes for the organization. This study highlights the systematic and systemic approach we employed to define the performance outcomes and gap, analyze the causes, and align the most effective solutions to close the gap and support the organization\u27s goals.* In addition to describing this case study in needs assessment, this article provides reflective descriptions of the actual process of sketching out the basic framework of the project, which included deciding how to use certain assessment methods, choosing informants, collecting and analyzing data, and arriving at findings and interventions. The goal of this added layer of information is to provide readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the process of a needs assessment, with the aim of demonstrating how needs assessments, like dedicated academic research, require inductive, deductive, and abductive thinking to provide value to the client organization

Participants' Perceptions of Burden During the Needs Assessment Process

“…Because NAs can be falsely perceived as being too burdensome even though they contribute substantially to the ID process, it was important to examine whether or not these perceptions were factual. While the literature suggests NAs are not leveraged as much as possible (Aull et al, 2016), these results suggest that the perceived burden of participants and constituents should not serve as the excuse for such avoidance. This heterogeneous sample of NA participants reported relatively low levels of perceived burden across organizational contexts, affiliation types, and lengths of affiliation with those organizations.…”

Community Policing: Using Needs Assessment to Gain Understanding before Implementing

“…Applying the TPB lens to communities, police can begin to understand the current individual and social attitudes citizens hold of the police. This needs assessment addresses the call by Aull et al, (2016) for linking theory with field-based methodologies to systematically assess and analyze organizational problems. This case suggests the value of a systematic study of the community through a needs assessment in order to fully understand how citizens view both police legitimacy and police procedures.…”

“…Needs assessments constitute applied research (Aull, Bartley, Olson, Weisberg, & Winiecki, 2016) and are intended to lead to action, change, and improvement in considering the gap between what is and what should be (Altschuld & Kumar, 2010). Needs assessments are used by professionals in training and human performance improvement (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009) to provide greater understanding about the problem or opportunity before learning interventions are designed (Sleezer, Kelsey, & Wood, 2008) as well as to select appropriate content and delivery modes for the participants (Selmer, 2000).…”

“…As Aull et al, (2016) point out, "engaging in applied research provides answers to real world questions that enable organizations to make local, practical, and data-driven decisions to effect improvements in individual and organizational effectiveness" (p. 24). This research appropriates a tool often used in communities to assess the needs of vulnerable populations and demonstrates its use in a new context-community policing.…”