UNLEASHING THE POWER OF CONNECTIVITY
Debt Management Debt Management
Needs Assessment & Needs Assessment & Curriculum DesignCurriculum Design
Dr. Richard Griffith – Senior Research Consultant, NIFCE
[email protected]© 2003© 2003
UNLEASHING THE POWER OF CONNECTIVITY
Objectives
• Background
• Define Needs Assessment (NA)
• Discuss the Process of NA
• Results of NA Research
• Curriculum Design
• Implications
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“More consumers are getting bad advice and access to
fewer real counseling options”
Consumer Federation of America, 2003
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Government RegulationsGovernment Regulations
Business PracticesBusiness Practices
Public RelationsPublic Relations
Employee PerformanceEmployee Performance
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Options…?
• Government regulations will restrict and standardize business practices
• Consumer influence isn’t as easy as it once was…and there are more of them than you
• Employee performance will ultimately be the determinant of client satisfaction, & will decide who thrives in the industry
$InternalServiceQuality
EmployeeSatisfaction
EmployeeRetention
EmployeeProductivity
ExternalServiceValue
CustomerLoyalty
RevenueGrowth
Profitability
CustomerSatisfaction
Operating Strategy andService Delivery System
employee selection and development tools for serving customers
service concept: results for customers
service designed and delivered to meet targeted customer needs
retention referral
Heskett, et.al., Harvard Business Review, 1994
The Service-Profit Chain
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Training / Qualification Standards
• The key to maintaining high employee performance standards is selection, training, and certification
• Training is expensive • Management doesn’t see the
“bang for their buck” they expected from training
• Why ?
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Training Effectiveness
• Training is not targeted• Does not address specific
needs of the organization• Training is not properly
evaluated• Lack of performance indicators
– Evaluations– Customer Feedback
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• Often a temptation to begin training without a thorough examination of the training environment
• Objectives, criteria, and design of the program all stem from this analysis
• Without it, there is no way to determine if the organization is successful in satisfying its instructional needs
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Needs Analysis
• Training must be job related & targeted
• Starts with a close examination of the job
• Classify the tasks completed by DM client contact personnel
• Identify successful characteristics (KSAs)
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Where to start ?
• Reviewed existing job descriptions
• Department of Labor • Did not list position under
common names• Cross-referencing did identify
the occupation of Personal Financial Advisor (SOC - 13-2052.00)
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• Considerable overlap in task statements
• Primary difference between the positions is the emphasis on college financial aid assistance
• Overlap in these positions may be useful in identifying the relative importance of KSAs
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Data Collection
• Three participating organizations with varied characteristics improved the generalizability of the analysis
• Encompassed both:• analysis of the job• individual employee needs
• Utilized multiple data collection methods w/ key employee groups to facilitate accuracy
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Observation
• Management orientation• Observed client contact personnel
at each of the data collection sites • Included listening to employee’s
phone interactions with clients • Information collected during
observation formed the basis for subsequent data collection efforts
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Interviews
• Incumbents were interviewed one-on-one and were asked to describe: – the process of working with
clients– key skills necessary for job
performance
• Were also asked about their current training curriculum
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Focus Groups
• Conducted 2-hour focus groups w/ Debt Management supervisors at each data collection site
• Supervisors were asked to independently generate 15 – 20 task statements
• Discussed until the group came to a consensus on a final list
• Task statements were then organized into overall job duties
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Focus Groups
• Supervisors were also asked to discuss characteristics of successful debt counselors, and unsuccessful debt counselors (critical incidents technique)
• These characteristics were organized into Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
• Process repeated with incumbent groups of client contact personnel
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Surveys
• Data gathered during observation & focus groups was used to design the survey
• Administered to incumbents• Likert scale format• Items assessing task difficulty
and criticality• Also assessed essential KSAs
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• Statistical analyses were conducted on the survey data to:
• Quantify the frequency and importance of relevant job tasks
• Identify the KSAs required to successfully perform the required job activities
• These quantitative survey results provided an indication of which trainable KSAs are crucial for job performance
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Survey Results
• Tasks are only moderately difficult• Job duties are serial (a sequence of
only moderately difficult steps must be followed)
• Criticality data suggested that most of these tasks are highly critical
• Job performance will suffer if any of the tasks are not completed correctly
• High levels of agreement across respondents
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Organizational Differences
• Task details are not likely to be the same across organizations
• However the general category of tasks or job duties tend to be similar
• Organizations also have different divisions of labor
• Duties may be conducted by one individual or a team of employees
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Common Job Duties
• Preparation • Qualifying the Client • Presentation / Counseling / Education• Administrative • Customer Service
• Creditor Contact• Team-work
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KSA Survey Items
• For each KSA, four dimensions were rated on a seven-point scale:
– Necessary for New Workers – Important for Performance – Extent of Trouble Likely if Absent– Extent to which the KSA
Distinguishes Superior from Average Worker
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Preliminary Results
• Knowledge of Ethical Principles, Listening Skills, and the Ability to Build Trust and Rapport topped the list of KSAs regarded as necessary
• All but one KSA (Ability to be creative - developing leads) were rated as highly necessary for new employees
• Suggests that the training curriculum should be implemented early, with continuing education following
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Common KSA Dimensions
• Ethical / Legal Knowledge• Debt Management Industry
Specific Knowledge• Service Related Knowledge• Organizational Skills• Customer Service Skills• Counseling / Communication
Skills• Problem Solving Ability
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Hire DateHire Date
Company Specific Knowledge
Company Specific Knowledge
Service Specific
Knowledge
Service Specific
Knowledge
Debt ManagementKnowledge
Debt ManagementKnowledge
Core Training
Core Training
Counseling Skills
Counseling Skills
Customer Service Skills
Customer Service Skills
Self management
Skills
Self management
Skills
Legal / EthicalLegal / Ethical
Continuing Education
Continuing Education
Team Leader
Team Leader
Cultural Awareness
Cultural Awareness
HarassmentHarassment
Legal Updates
Legal Updates
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Key Differences
SpecializationSpecialization
AutonomyAutonomy
StructureStructure
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Employee Analysis
• The final step in determining training needs
• Determine how well the actual employees perform the KSAs required by the job
• Used to determine the amount of training for each KSA that should be included in the curriculum
• Organizational level of analysis
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Curriculum Design
• Integrate learning techniques to emphasize specific training content, maximize adult learning, and transfer
• Series of structured learning experiences
• Design and training methods need to be systematic
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Necessary Elements
• Training objectives provide a framework for: – Organizing instructional
activities– Provide a structure to
evaluate student learning– Guide the efforts of the
trainee
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Necessary Elements…
• Prerequisites for each instructional module
• Duration based on the complexity of the material, and the relative importance of the dimension
• Methods to evaluate whether trainees have met the stated objectives
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Learning Activities
• Gaining trainee attention
• Review of foundation material
• Eliciting performance
• Providing performance feedback
• Promoting transfer conditions
• Case studies • Role-playing• Small group
discussion • Multimedia
behavioral modeling
• Self assessment• Behavioral
checklist • Practice exercise
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Evaluation
• Have learners acquired the knowledge & skills required by the objectives ?
• Knowledge tests
• Scored exercises
• Reaction surveys
• Customer ratings
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So What ??
• Training is expensive, so make sure you get what you pay for!
• Training works…but make sure it is targeted & has the intended consequences
• If you have specific needs, get specific training
• When you are shopping for a training provider ask some key questions:
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Key Questions
• Is the training offered based on an analysis of the job ?
• What are the key KSAs or Competencies that serve as the framework for your training ?
• How will you identify the specific needs of my organization ? And, how does your training address these needs ?
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More Key Questions
• What measurable results have been tied to training ?
• Are these outcome measures valid and tied to instructional objectives?
• Are learning principles integrated into the curriculum systematically?
• What are the credentials of your instructional designers and trainers?
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Implications
• Performance Linkages– Improved performance– Increased customer satisfaction
• Legal Ramifications– EEOC & Validity Requirements
• Employee Retention– # 1 factor in retention is training that is
seen as valuable and relevant
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Customer & Employee Linkage
“It is impossible to build a loyal customer base without a base of loyal employees; and the best employees prefer to work for companies that provide the kind of superior value that builds customer loyalty.”
Frederick F. ReichheldThe Loyalty Effect
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Employee Performance
• Your employees are your ambassadors and the only direct link to the customer!
• Customer satisfaction = Customer Retention
• How do you know if your customers are satisfied?– Develop an index of customer satisfaction– Identify drivers of customer satisfaction– Target key drivers for improvements