TNA – Building on strengths way...

TNA – Building on strengths way...

Training Need Analysis is very important aspect which would drive productivity of the entire organisation… So let us spend some time in philosophically understanding what exactly TNA does…

While driving increased productivity we are talking about driving Change in the way things work. We identify the target followed by what is ‘Ideally’ needed to achieve the target and then finally evaluate what we have and what’s missing as compared to ‘Ideal’ list… When we do the same with human competencies by comparing what is and what’s missing with ‘Ideal’ list of competencies required, we are doing an analysis to derive at what trainings are to be imparted… Simple enough, isn’t it?

What we have always been doing, hence what we find easy to do is look for what’s missing and train people on it. We focus on what’s wrong in the system as compared to ‘Ideal’ requirement. Over a period of time we develop an excellent eye for detail to pick on what’s missing, we can do it almost instantaneously and effortlessly. This method works and has been working for ages with people and organisations. The question is, is it the best way to get the most from an individual???...

Going to basics of understanding how Human Mind works, how they take decisions and how to get the best ‘Productivity’ of them…. One very familiar way of driving people is motivation by fear. Fear of losing job, losing that promotion, losing that increment, losing that social status, losing respect (insult), losing losinglosinglosinglosing… It certainly drives people, but drives only to the extent of getting them in a state when they don’t lose what they’re afraid of… It certainly works, but equally certainly doesn’t get us the best in people…

Let us look at few things that also work about people…

• What people speak of, think of constantly becomes their reality
• People love to speak about what they are and what they understand the best, it gives them space to express themselves openly
• While given freedom, respect and trust, people can use their existing strengths amazingly creatively achieving heights possibly never imagined earlier
• People have the power of defining the list of what is needed to achieve something and only people have the power to redefine that list
• The biggest possibilities created by people lie in their ‘intellectual creativity’ of using their existing strengths

Let us look at few crude analogies relating to these facts about how Human Mind works…

Biryani recipe

Picture this. You have few guests coming to place at short notice and you are to prepare Biryani for them. You know that biryani recipe needs about 16 ingredients, but you have only 12 wherein only 10 are from the required ‘Ideal’ list and 2 of something else. This doesn’t stop you from making the biryani. Infact you use you ‘intellectual creativity’ and use these 12 ingredients to make the biryani. You never know it may even turn-out to be better than what you initially set-off making… By focusing on what you already have and building on it (using it in ways never used before) you didn’t just achieve what was required, you achieved something way beyond it…

This philosophy works in many ways of life… We can easily google ‘Indian Jugaad’ to see numerous examples of building on strengths and making them so large that the weakness becomes irrelevant…

Using the same philosophy in organisations, when we have an ‘Ideal’ list of competencies required to deliver a task, we need to understand that those are merely guidelines and every individual has required ‘intellectual creativity’ to change the list. Use their strengths in innovative ways to achieve the results.

We as HR professionals should facilitate building on these strengths and creating an environment that drives motivation to explore their ‘intellectual creativity’ and not drive merely Rewards or Punishment methods… Below is a slide I usually use while highlighting the distinction between approaches while addressing Change Management initiatives…

This piece of article does not give you any new tool or technique of doing the analysis. It speaks of using the results in manner that maximizes productivity; it’s a philosophy of looking at Change. You may use all the existing tools and techniques you are comfortable with, execute TNA – Building on strengths way…

Warm Personal Regards,

Deep Mody

A Change Leader!

Helping Humans do what they do the best - Be Human