What is the most important concept you have learned in this course? How do you feel about it?

Upon reflecting, the most important concept I have learned in this course on “Needs Assessment” is the difference between need and wants? When conducting a “needs assessment” for anyone, the wants of the individuals are only small factors to the needs of the system being assessed. This is still true in assessing needs for the individual. The multiple factors in the systems one assesses will dictate the needs.

However, two concepts run parallel to the tug of war between “wants and needs”. Those are purpose/goal, and practical divergence. The purpose/goal of anyone or the organization is part of the “want”, which may not be a practical goal. Clarifying objectives and goals is a component we learned about in this course, which is often not clear. This could possibly do to an unclear vision in the leadership. When one goal is achieved, setting a new goal becomes the next goal. But what should that new goal be? This is where understanding the factors in the system dictates what the next goal should be.

Then next concept, practical divergence in this context, eludes to the willingness to let go of the wants and diverge towards meeting the needs the system requires of you or an organization to meet their practical goals for both the long term and the short term. A new path or new habits maybe difficult to institute in any organization or for any individual. The implementation of training is the resolution to implementing a practical divergence from how an organization functions in a system. This departure from the old behavior, trainings, or even purpose, may lead to new and positive effect in the current system, which is what a needs assessment explains.

Change is difficult and one must be flexible to implement this change. This leads to another dynamic issue in needs assessment. One can assess and organize the factors all they want in all the various manners with which this course has taught us, but this does not mean the resolutions will be identified. This identification of needs versus wants treads on two concepts, skills and ethics. First the skill to identify the needs is paramount. Secondly, the issue of giving the organization their wants over the needs is often a difficult process, since you are paid to help them achieve their goals, which may be very different from their needs. This is where the discomfort comes with needs assessment. Wants and needs for individuals and organizations are one in the same, but may be very different depending on the audience you are conducting them for.