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A training needs assessment of nurses in their delivery of service quality
Author
Sim, Serene Lee Eng
Supervisor
Williams, Michael D.
Abstract
A major Hospital in Singapore embarked on a service quality improvement program. As part of the on-going efforts, a customer survey was conducted and the result of the customer survey identified a delivery gap i.e. the actual service performance does not match the expectations of its customers. Management asked "What is going on here? why aren't the nurses doing what they are supposed to be doing? After all , we have taught them how to, why don't we see results?" Management felt that there is clearly some performance discrepancy in the midst of on going efforts in situations when employees ought to know how to demonstrate customer service skills.
The discrepancy was deemed important to rectify because management felt this would lead to lost business and poor organisational image and can cost the Hospital the Service Quality Award (SQA), a government-initiated certification for organization fulfilling a world-class status, which the hospital is working towards acquiring.
Not surprisingly, the hospital management immediate reaction to the "bad news" was to conduct further training for frontline service providers and their supervisors. Service Quality (SQ) Centre Pte Ltd, a training and consulting firm, where I am currently working as a senior instructional designer, was roped in for this very reason.
METHODOLOGY & FINDINGS
Clearly, some form of needs assessment is called for to understand the presenting problem prior to conducting training or taking actions of any sort.
The presenting problem for this study is "A perceived performance discrepancy between what existed in the way of service and what Hospital management wanted done about service delivery".
A TNA was called for to seek and assimilate information on the five research question :
● Optima's - What is the optimal performance? How do managers/ customers want people to behave and perform?
● Actuals - What and how are employees currently performing?
● Feelings - How do stakeholders feel about the situation?
● Cause(s) - What is causing the problem?
● Solution(s) - What solution(s) is preferred?
We first proceed by reviewing related literature on work done in this area, looking at what subject matter experts had to say about delivery service quality in a hospital context, and scrutinizing models on performance improvement and literature on how to conduct a systematic approach to training needs assessment.
Then, we went about collecting data on the optimals, actuals, feelings, causes and solutions through subject matter analysis, extant data analysis, survey, interview and facilitating small group meeting.
By analyzing the findings, the TNA effort was concluded with recommendations to deal with the performance gap. The results clearly revealed that in addressing performance gap, taking care of non-training issues such as reward and recognition and a sound performance tracking & reinforcement system are as critical, if not more critical than training solutions.
This study serves as a case study of a local hospital on-going journey towards performance improvement in the area of service excellence. And how the organization adopts a holistic, congruency alignment approach to integrate its vision/mission, strategic processes and cultural processes. More importantly this study focuses on one topic; training needs assessment (TNA) - a systematic study of a problem incorporating data and opinions from varied sources, in order to make effective decisions or recommendations about what should happen next.
The discrepancy was deemed important to rectify because management felt this would lead to lost business and poor organisational image and can cost the Hospital the Service Quality Award (SQA), a government-initiated certification for organization fulfilling a world-class status, which the hospital is working towards acquiring.
Not surprisingly, the hospital management immediate reaction to the "bad news" was to conduct further training for frontline service providers and their supervisors. Service Quality (SQ) Centre Pte Ltd, a training and consulting firm, where I am currently working as a senior instructional designer, was roped in for this very reason.
METHODOLOGY & FINDINGS
Clearly, some form of needs assessment is called for to understand the presenting problem prior to conducting training or taking actions of any sort.
The presenting problem for this study is "A perceived performance discrepancy between what existed in the way of service and what Hospital management wanted done about service delivery".
A TNA was called for to seek and assimilate information on the five research question :
● Optima's - What is the optimal performance? How do managers/ customers want people to behave and perform?
● Actuals - What and how are employees currently performing?
● Feelings - How do stakeholders feel about the situation?
● Cause(s) - What is causing the problem?
● Solution(s) - What solution(s) is preferred?
We first proceed by reviewing related literature on work done in this area, looking at what subject matter experts had to say about delivery service quality in a hospital context, and scrutinizing models on performance improvement and literature on how to conduct a systematic approach to training needs assessment.
Then, we went about collecting data on the optimals, actuals, feelings, causes and solutions through subject matter analysis, extant data analysis, survey, interview and facilitating small group meeting.
By analyzing the findings, the TNA effort was concluded with recommendations to deal with the performance gap. The results clearly revealed that in addressing performance gap, taking care of non-training issues such as reward and recognition and a sound performance tracking & reinforcement system are as critical, if not more critical than training solutions.
This study serves as a case study of a local hospital on-going journey towards performance improvement in the area of service excellence. And how the organization adopts a holistic, congruency alignment approach to integrate its vision/mission, strategic processes and cultural processes. More importantly this study focuses on one topic; training needs assessment (TNA) - a systematic study of a problem incorporating data and opinions from varied sources, in order to make effective decisions or recommendations about what should happen next.
Date Issued
2001
Call Number
RT73 Sim
Date Submitted
2001