Identifying Development Needs - How to find and fill skills gaps in your organisation

This informal CPD article Identifying Development Needs – How to find and fill skills gaps in your organisation was provided by Ayming UK, who aim to improve Business Operational and Financial Performance.

When organisations change, or change direction, the workforce will usually require competence in new areas. But the need to develop people is a constant in any business that wants to maintain or improve its position in a dynamic market. Succession planning requires it. So do ambitious employees, and potential recruits.

Organisations that fail to invest in developing staff tend to lose their commitment, best people, and their way. As the acerbic quote attributed to Henry Ford puts it: “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay.” Training is a cycle – identify needs, design (or commission) training, deliver, evaluate, and repeat.

Identifying training needs

The skills and competencies required to fulfil any role effectively are normally set out in a job description. For a leadership role, that might include the ability to set direction, motivate and provide constructive feedback, and delegate tasks – all activities that also contribute to people’s development.

A proper assessment of training needs should also assess both the organisation and its people. SWOT analysis – of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats – can be applied to both. Skills gaps often emerge as an organisational weakness or threat.

Another useful model, the PESTLE framework, considers the impact of the wider environment on a business. Its six factors – political, economic, sociological, technological, legislative and environmental – focus on changes that might impinge on a business, and hence, the developmental, training and educational needs that will arise. For example, the expectations of clients/customers around sustainability may require re-thinking strategy, training managers to measure and monitor the carbon footprint of the business, and re-training frontline workers for new ways of working, processes or materials.

Training needs should be discussed as part of an employee’s annual appraisal. The line manager’s analysis may also be informed by observing performance and behaviour during incidents, quality control, and customer feedback. Having identified gaps in a team’s skillset, it’s necessary to consider the different ways in which training can be delivered. Whether by specialist external training providers, or prepared in-house, training can take many forms – an approach that suits one individual may be less effective for others.

Importance of feedback

They may not be part of the formal training programme, but feedback and delegation play important parts in employee development that shouldn’t be under-estimated. Studies show that employees who receive regular feedback are more likely to perform at a higher level. This day-to-day learning can have more impact than any other developmental factor. Effective feedback is both well-structured and constructive.

The BOCA model is useful when framing feedback. Begin with the behaviour – what your employee did. Outline the outcome – ie, the results of that action – the reaction of a customer, perhaps. Then explore the consequence – what can be improved. Finally, the action – what the person should be do next. This approach helps ensure that feedback is specific and in context, so the receiver can understand the line manager’s rationale and apply the lessons.

Tone also matters. With positive feedback, praise is a powerful motivator as it enhances confidence and satisfaction. When someone has failed to perform a task effectively, the blunt delivery of negative feedback will have the opposite effect. Instead, the challenge is to package feedback so that it’s constructive. Again, BOCA – describing what happened and discussing how things could be improved – promotes a more positive tone and outlook.

Effective delegation

Delegating tasks gives people an opportunity to develop skills and increase their confidence. The manager must judge the appropriate level of challenge and provide sufficient support so the worker learns and succeeds. Effective delegation is about empowerment. The manager needs to define the task clearly and set the objective, rather than detail the process. Your team member needs the required authority to accomplish the task, and the space. Monitor, don’t micro-manage, but be available for support or feedback.

And remember to reward and recognise effort, as well as results – so that employees are encouraged to pursue their ongoing development.

We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Ayming UK, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.