Business Analysis of Employee Development

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1. Assessments are critical in an employee's developmental process. Assessments are also fundamental for organizational development as well. It allows organizations to take a comprehensive inventory of the workforce. It enables employees to improve their current skills level. Most organizations consider assessments as a significant method for measuring overall performance. It contributes to the decision making process in which case management may differentiate the strong performing employees from the weak performing employees. "The use of an assessment or program evaluation has grown rapidly because information is needed to meet organizational obligations of providing effective services" (Posavac and Carey, 2007). An assessment is an excellent tool to identify an employee's strengths and weaknesses. Job functions are allocated according to an employee's unique abilities or qualifications. Employers must determine how to assess an employee. For instance, if management desires to develop a team of individuals for a specific department, management may decide to assess employees based on the employee's interaction with people. An assessment may ask loaded questions about an employee's temperament where others are concerned, such as:
*How does the employee interact with other people?
*Are they more comfortable working in an isolated environment or do they thrive in a high-pressured team environment?

"Upon learning employee strengths and weaknesses, an employee assessment enables management to decide what type of training employees need to perform their tasks [more effectively]" (Mayhew, 2012). An assessment is one of many methods used to bring out the best in employees. An employee may discover that his or her assessment was unsatisfactory and will work diligently to reverse his or her current status. Some organizations will evaluate an employee's performance and conduct a disciplinary action. For example, if the results of the assessment are negative, management will more than likely place the employee on probation for three months, until the employee's performance improves. If the results are positive the employee may be rewarded for good performance.

2. It is my belief that organizations should not rely on one particular employee development tool. Assessments provide general insight into an employee's current skill level; however, if he or she is vying for a position that requires cognitive skills, an assessment may not be the best stand alone option for what the employer is looking for. For example, an employee who is seeking employment with the police department is evaluated based on three specific criteria: physical abilities, mental acuity, and vision. Each criterion examines a candidate's capacity for ...