Training and development experts Robert Blake and Jane Mouton formulate 11 significant issues facing the human resource development profession. (SK)

Employees often want training in areas that are irrelevant to their jobs or inconsistent with organizational objectives. A well-designed questionnaire can weed out training wants to uncover an employee's true training needs. (Author)

First-line supervisors, second-level supervisors, and middle managers were surveyed to identify the training needs of first-line supervisors. Highest ranked needs were those abilities relating to people such as motivation, developing employees, communications, leadership, and human relations. A one-day program for supervisors was developed as a…

This article explains a performance-oriented approach to outlining technical training needs. The performance improvement cycle is discussed and the three main activities in that cycle are described. They include need detection, task identification, and collection of task performance data. (CT)

Six steps to successful needs analysis are (1) collect information about the organization, (2) identify potential training opportunities, (3) conduct a performance audit, (4) select and test content areas, (5) determine the required skills, knowledge, and abilities, and (6) verify this information against the organization's issues and goals. (SK)

Discusses the importance of a well-conducted needs assessment to the healthy functioning of a social services agency. Describes the assessment of its training needs undertaken by the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa-Carleton, Canada. (JOW)

Describes how Hughes Aircraft trainers followed four steps in meeting the challenges of a flexible manufacturing environment: needs assessment, design strategy, pilot evaluation, and follow-through. Within this environment, 50 self-paced training products were developed for one of the company's wire and back plane harness assembly departments. (CT)

Reviews three areas of knowledge needed to select an appropriate needs assessment strategy: (1) the criteria for selecting the method, (2) nine needs assessment methods, and (3) a means of categorizing methods. Provides an example of an assessment activity conducted in a small rural hospital. (LRA)

Describes a curriculum planning approach that employs a systematic process for identifying alleged training needs, investigating the case in a preproject study, setting priorities, and adopting a project list and budget. Discusses the makeup and roles of the curriculum planning council and professional planning staff. Provides a problem…

Examines problem areas of training needs analysis (TNA), first by presenting a model of the TNA process, then by listing sources of data available for TNA (based on an analysis of the literature), and finally by proposing a method of choosing appropriate data-gathering techniques for TNA. (CT)

Presents results of a national survey of training and development executives concerning the state of U.S. employee training. Examples of the topics covered by the survey include corporate philosophy, staffing considerations, needs assessment, training participation, program topics, methods and materials, and program evaluation. (CT)

This article provides a flexible systems approach model for planning programs that includes seven steps: (1) assessing needs; (2) establishing priorities and responsibilities; (3) selecting goals and objectives; (4) allocating resources; (5) selecting teaching techniques; (6) evaluating outcomes; and (7) determining effectiveness. (JOW)

Four training experts are interviewed regarding developing training programs on an unfamiliar topic. They all said: teach yourself first, determine the needs to be met, and use the experts. They disagreed on the degree of knowledge a trainer should attempt to achieve and the types of resources trainers should use. (CT)

Two articles discuss successful transfer of training. In the first, Arty Trost recommends focusing on needs assessment, training design, and program delivery. Dana and James Robinson, in the second article, suggest eliminating barriers in the work environment--in learners, supervisors, and the organization--to guarantee that new skills are used on…

The author argues that curriculum design requires viewing the whole fabric of management training in its totality; individual training programs are created from this perspective. The challenge in this case is to build a coherent plan that will provide structure and unity to the whole management training program. (Author/SSH)