Select Or Create An Organization For Authentic Assess 614656 ✓ Solved

Select Or Create An Organization For The Authentic Assessment In This

In this assignment, you will develop a training needs analysis (TNA) for an organization of your choice or one you create. The organization should be selected based on specific parameters such as product/services, size, geographic reach, and workforce attributes. The purpose is to identify a high-level training issue or need that affects the organization’s performance—not focusing on individual training deficiencies but on broader organizational challenges.

Once the organization is chosen, you will describe its general profile, including details about its products or services, size, geographical location(s), and workforce demographics. Following this, you will determine the specific training or performance issue at the organizational level, such as a deficiency or a predicted need arising from operational changes.

Next, identify the target audience for the training, elaborating on demographic information, roles, location, and other relevant characteristics. This helps tailor the training to the unique needs of the group or individual employees impacted.

You will then create a training needs assessment questionnaire aimed at uncovering the root causes of the identified performance issue. The questions should focus on understanding the underlying reasons for the performance gap—they may include perceptions, feelings, or factual insights that help clarify why the issue exists. This questionnaire will be included as an appendix in your report and will not be administered but analyzed conceptually.

Additionally, explain how the questionnaire will be utilized to inform the development of training outcomes and learning objectives. The key here is to demonstrate how the data collected from the questionnaire will guide targeted training solutions.

Finally, identify at least three training outcomes—specific, measurable results that the training aims to achieve. For each, describe the expected performance of the group or individuals after training and how this performance will address the organizational performance gaps. Your analysis should focus on the performance improvements that training can facilitate and how these improvements align with organizational needs.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The selected organization for this training needs analysis is Seventh Sense, a retail CBD company that has been experiencing declining sales and decreased customer retention. Seventh Sense operates in the highly competitive and evolving CBD industry, offering various hemp-derived products such as oils, edibles, and topicals. The company has a modest footprint, with approximately 150 employees across three retail locations in the southwestern United States. It employs a diverse workforce, including sales associates, store managers, and customer service representatives, with an age range primarily between 25 and 45 years old. The company's operational challenges include inconsistent customer engagement, limited product knowledge among staff, and inefficient sales processes.

Organizational Profile and Needs

Seventh Sense’s core product offerings revolve around wellness and health, which require employees to possess comprehensive knowledge of product benefits, legal regulations, and sales techniques. The company’s size and geographic dispersion necessitate a cohesive and well-trained sales force to maintain competitive advantage. Currently, sales performance indicators reveal a decrease in overall sales volume, accompanied by customer complaints about product information accuracy and difficulty in upselling, indicating a deficiency in product knowledge and sales skills at the organizational level.

The primary training issue at Seventh Sense involves enhancing the product knowledge and sales competencies of frontline staff to improve customer interactions and increase sales conversion rates. This challenge is not due to a lack of training per se but reflects a performance gap linked to insufficient product expertise and sales techniques that align with evolving customer preferences.

Target Audience for Training

The targeted audience for the training includes sales associates and store managers across all retail locations. The demographic profile of these employees predominantly consists of individuals aged 25-40, with some part-time staff, and a mix of experience levels. Most employees are directly involved in customer engagement, requiring hands-on training that emphasizes product information, legal compliance, and effective sales strategies. The geographic distribution across multiple locations suggests that the training needs to be flexible and possibly delivered via a blended approach—combining online modules with in-store coaching.

Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire

Sample questions included in the appendix aim to explore employees' perceptions of their product knowledge, confidence in sales interactions, and perceived barriers to upselling or providing comprehensive information. The questions focus on understanding the emotional and factual dimensions of the performance gap. For example:

• How confident do you feel when explaining the benefits of our products to customers?
• What challenges do you face when trying to upsell or recommend other products?
• Do you believe additional product training would help improve your sales performance?
• How comfortable are you with explaining legal regulations related to CBD products?
• What areas of product knowledge do you feel most need improvement?

The questionnaire will be used analytically to identify specific issues such as gaps in product knowledge, confidence levels, and perceived barriers—forming the basis for tailored training objectives.

Utilization of the Questionnaire Data

The plan is to analyze the responses to pinpoint the most critical training needs, such as enhancing legal knowledge or sales confidence. The data helps to craft targeted learning objectives, such as improving product familiarity, boosting sales confidence by 30%, and reducing customer complaints about product misinformation by 20%. The insights will guide the development of training content, structure, and evaluation metrics.

Training Outcomes

• By the end of the training, sales associates will demonstrate a 25% increase in product knowledge as measured through post-training assessments and role-play evaluations.
• Customer satisfaction scores related to product explanations will improve by 15%, reflecting more effective communication skills.
• Employees will report increased confidence levels in explaining product benefits and legal regulations, with a target improvement of 30% in self-assessed confidence surveys.

The overall goal is to close the performance gap in product knowledge and customer engagement, leading to increased sales, higher customer retention, and a more knowledgeable, confident workforce.

References

• Biech, E. (2018). Training Courses: Planning, Developing, and Delivering Effective Programs. ASTD Press.
• Caffarella, R. S., & Daffron, S. R. (2013). Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A Practical Guide. Jossey-Bass.
• Noe, R. A. (2020). Employee Training and Development (8th Ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Saks, A. M., & Burke, L. A. (2014). Training transfer: A review and future research agenda. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(6), 761-784.
• Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2012). The Science of Training and Development in Organizations. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(2), 74-101.
• Arthur, W., Bennett, W., Edens, P. S., & Huffcutt, A. I. (2018). Conducting Effectiveness Research on Training. In R. P. Craig & S. G. Rogelberg (Eds.), The Sage Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
• García, E., & Amao, A. (2020). Effective Adult Learning Strategies in Corporate Training. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 20(3), 45-59.
• Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2019). Enhancing Motivation and Engagement in Adult Learners. Adult Education Quarterly, 69(4), 298-316.
• Holton, E. F. III (2011). Proven Strategies for Improving Transfer of Training. Human Resources Development Quarterly, 22(4), 389-394.
• Kirkpatrick, D. L., & Kirkpatrick, J. D. (2006). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.