Training Needs Assessment
Using the Scaled Comparison

The Scaled Comparison uses the following format to compare job-related skills and activities:

Question: Which skill is more important in the job of Supervisor? Much More Important More Important   Equal   More Important Much More Important Dealing with ambiguity and change Developing groups into effective teams

Each respondent is presented with many decisions like this.  On one page, each skill is compared with each other skill in many different ways.  As many as 40 to 60 skills can be assessed. Traditional training needs surveys ask "What skills would you like more training in?" or simply try to identify the most important skills, and train them.

The Scaled Comparison approaches the assessment of training needs from 3 perspectives.  The first question asks about the importance of the skills for a particular job or family of jobs:

Question: Which skill is more important in the job of Supervisor? Dealing with ambiguity and change Developing groups into effective teams Oral presentation skills Motivating self and others Coaching employees Communication skills Goal setting Time management Delegating effectively Negotiation skills Negotiation skills Developing groups into effective teams Dealing with ambiguity and change Motivating self and others Oral presentation skills Communication skills

On the second page, the process repeats itself with a different question.  It can never be assumed that the most important skills are always the skills most in need of training.  Indeed, in organizations with ongoing and extensive training, the most important skills may be less in need of training than others.

So the second question asks, about the same list of skills, which is in greater need of training:

Question: In which skill do Supervisors need more training? Dealing with ambiguity and change Negotiation skills Motivating self and others Time management Oral presentation skills Goal setting Coaching employees Developing groups into effective teams Delegating effectively Communication skillsl Communication skills Negotiation skills Dealing with ambiguity and change Time management Motivating self and others Goal setting

It would be nice if we only had to look at those two questions to determine the content of our training programs.  Unfortunately, we have all seen excellent programs developed to train very important skills, only to witness the organization "wash out" the new skills when the people return to their jobs.  The fact is that many organizations authorize the training of skills, but do nothing to prepare the workplace for the new abilities.  They have old norms, or even formal procedures that extinguish the new skills almost immediately.

So the third question tries to learn whether the skill is likely to be rewarded in the job.  Training alone has never been an effective organizational change strategy.  So training programs for skills that will go unrewarded or even punished should probably be delayed until some good organizational development efforts have prepared the workplace.

Question: For which skill is a Supervisor more likely to be rewarded? Negotiation skills Coaching employees Developing groups into effective teams Dealing with ambiguity and change Communication skills Goal setting Motivating self and others Time management Delegating effectively Oral presentation skills Coaching employees Communication skills Dealing with ambiguity and change Negotiation skills Goal setting Developing groups into effective teams

What do the results look like? The Scaled Comparison produces four different reports that illustrate and summarize the way the respondents view the training needs of the job being studied. The Gap Analysis shows the results of the three questions for each skill assessed.  Skills that are high in importance, training need, and reward are the top candidates for training programs.

The High / Low Matrix presents the same data in a slightly different format.  In the example shown, you can identify skills high in both importance and need for training, as well as skills that may be high in one but not the other.  Separate reports show the relationships with the reward question.

How do I get more information?