The Six Boxes - Application Workshops

The Six Boxes^TM Performance Needs Analysis Workshop

Trainers, Performance Consultants, Human Resources professionals and sometimes business Managers routinely conduct various types of needs analysis, also called front end analysis, opportunity analysis, and even performance requirements analysis. Unfortunately, these types of analysis are often focused more on what performers need to know than on what they need to do and produce on the job. And they often assume that the performance solution is training, or perhaps training and documentation. This approach can result in a solution that is more costly than necessary and less effective than possible.

The Six Boxes, combined with a focus on performance results, allows us to conduct analyses that yield highly cost-effective, systemic interventions or improvements in performance systems. Our methodology helps trainers become more performance-focused and to “get out of the training box” as they speak with business managers, clients, and the performers whom they observe and interview.

The Six Boxes Performance Needs Analysis Workshop shows participants how to:

Communicate about the goals, process, and results of analysis with business managers and other stakeholders to gain alignment and shared understanding about what needs to be done to optimize productivity and performance quality.
Describe performance starting with accomplishments (job outputs or deliverables) produced by individuals or groups and the behavior needed to produce those accomplishments.
Use The Six Boxes to gather information about the factors that support or improve required performance and those that obstruct or prevent it.
Use tools, including fact-finding questions, interview and observation protocols, and recording forms to acquire information about all the factors that influence performance.
Summarize findings using The Six Boxes and design interventions that combine all key behavior influences (Six Boxes factors) to produce optimally cost-effective performance improvement plans.

Using the Workshop to begin a Performance Needs Analysis: If you select The Six Boxes Performance Needs Analysis Workshop with a particular project in mind, consider adding a second-day Jump Start Work Session following the Application Workshop. We will use the afternoon of the Application Workshop plus the Jump Start Work Session to help you develop specific plans, protocols, questioning strategies, and data summary tools for one or more of your high priority needs analysis projects.