Ravishankar Duvvuri, MBA-HR, 2007-09

• Founded in 1951• Renowned for developing &

commercializing semiconductor and computer technology

• About 50% of world’s cell phones use TI technology

• More than 35000 TI patents issued worldwide

• 30200 employees worldwide

Circa 1989

• What we Preach –– Assessing training needs rather than assuming we

know the needs– Serious needs assessment before quick fixes

• Reality – In some cases time constraints demand quick fixes

• Dilemma- How to assess the training needed to turn technical talent into instructional expertise & how to do it quickly?

Approaches• Internal – Training managers liked the idea of training

engineering experts to become instructors for new engineers Problem faced -Disparity in instructional expertise of engineers

• HR Department – Impressively qualified ppl in 5 branches– Instructional technology– Engineering training– Computer Systems Training– Management Development– Support for site training & education administration Problem faced -Time constraint & demanding assignments for

HR

Solution- Three Tiered Approach

Objective Analysis of Internal Training Needs

• External T&D specialists engaged• T&D specialists gather information – Mission of department– Perceived training needs– Current & previous steps in staff development– Roles, responsibilities & team arrangement of people

in the branches• Top Management– Fund the effort– Support by encouraging people to participate in study

• Data Analysis leads to Need Assessment Model

Need Assessment Model

Goals

• Test popular assumptions • Avoid premature generalizations about what

the staff needed• At the same time, management team wanted

to be responsive to engineer-instructor concerns

Step 1: List Of Typical Tasks

• Drawing on several sources– ASTD models for excellence study (1983)– Instructional Technology design guide– Various competency studies such as competency

based teacher education

• Mgmt. team reviewed, added & reworded initial tasks

• Specialist Team revised & reorganized tasks into 5 major areas of responsibility

• Members from each of branches– Reviewed the task list – Added items

• Specialist Team & Members add more items during a 4-hour Round Table discussion

• Intent: Provide opportunities to Professionals to define their jobs as they perceived them

• Result: 117 item task list in 5 job function areas – basis for the assessment instrument

Step 2: Staff Survey

• Assessment instrument administered to all members of department

• Respondents asked to rate– Each task for its importance to their specific jobs– Their interest in more training related to their task

Computer Analysis of Data:

Result of the Analysis: Resulting task list considered representative of the entire HRD department

Step 3: Classroom Observation• To make sample observations of experienced and new

trainers• Focus of observation – Instructional Delivery• Methodology– Alleviating anxiety by meeting with each instructor before

observation– Assurance of keeping the results confidential

• Team of 2 observed each instructor for an hour• Met again with the instructor to provide feedback

Step 4: Structured Interviews

• Conduct confidential staff interviews – To ensure consistency between observation and survey findings

• Purpose: To provide in-depth discussion of strengths & areas that require more training

• Result of the Staff interviews were consistent with the formal needs assessment

Step 5: Final Report

• Results of needs assessment model judged for overall consistency at this stage

• Executive summary outlined strengths & recommended areas for training in each of the 5 sections of the survey

Learning• Needs assessment model was comprehensive• Top management support and inputs from personnel

of each of the functional branches• Clear cut identification of instructor tasks ensured

greater instructor involvement• Meaningful Feedback provided to the training

personnel• Training departments should avoid the temptation of

conducting training before conducting a thorough analysis of their needs

• Kirkpatrick model can be used to evaluate training after the need assessment

References

• The Workplace Learner – William J. Rothwell• www.ti.com• Training & development journal, April 1989