UNLEASHING THE POWER OF CONNECTIVITY Debt Management Needs Assessment & Curriculum Design Debt...

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


Objectives

• Background

• Define Needs Assessment (NA)

• Discuss the Process of NA

• Results of NA Research

• Curriculum Design

• Implications


“More consumers are getting bad advice and access to

fewer real counseling options”

Consumer Federation of America, 2003


Government RegulationsGovernment Regulations

Business PracticesBusiness Practices

Public RelationsPublic Relations

Employee PerformanceEmployee Performance


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


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 ?


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


• 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


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)


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)


• 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


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


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


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


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


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


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


• 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


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


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


Common Job Duties

• Preparation • Qualifying the Client • Presentation / Counseling / Education• Administrative • Customer Service

• Creditor Contact• Team-work


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


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


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


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


Key Differences

SpecializationSpecialization

AutonomyAutonomy

StructureStructure


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


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


Necessary Elements

• Training objectives provide a framework for: – Organizing instructional

activities– Provide a structure to

evaluate student learning– Guide the efforts of the

trainee


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


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


Evaluation

• Have learners acquired the knowledge & skills required by the objectives ?

• Knowledge tests

• Scored exercises

• Reaction surveys

• Customer ratings


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:


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 ?


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?


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


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


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


Summary

• Needs Assessment

• Process of NA

• Impact of NA Research

• Curriculum Design

• Implications & Future Research

UNLEASHING THE POWER OF CONNECTIVITY Debt Management Needs Assessment & Curriculum Design Debt...

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