Needs Assessment: Trends and a View Toward the Future -- CONTENTS -- EDITORS' NOTES -- 1 A Primer on Needs Assessment: More Than 40 Years of Research and Practice -- Introduction -- Needs Assessment and Evaluation -- Opposition to Needs Assessment and the Emergence of Hybrids -- A Timeline for the Development of Needs Assessment -- The Approaches of Witkin and Kaufman -- Summary -- References -- 2 Needs: Defining What You Are Assessing -- Introduction -- Why Needs Are Important in Evaluation Practice -- Searching for Meaning -- Conceptualizing Needs -- Needs Versus Solutions -- Noun Versus Verb -- Needs Versus Wants -- Absolute Versus Relative Needs -- Individual Versus Group Versus Societal Needs -- Need Versus Type of Need -- Influence of a Definition -- Designing Your Assessment -- Implementing Your Assessment -- Making Recommendations Based on Your Assessment -- Summary -- References -- 3 Needs Assessment: The Perspective From the Public Sector -- Introduction -- Background -- What You Find in the Literature -- Needs Assessment and Extension -- One Example From the Extension Service -- Other Examples-Extension and Aging -- Glass Half Full -- Glass Half Empty -- Lessons Learned -- References -- 4 Needs Assessments in the Private Sector -- Background -- Common Business Practices -- What's Missing? -- Simple, Systemic, and Organic Needs Assessment -- Wedman's Performance Pyramid -- The Pyramid in the Private Sector: Real Performance Problems and Solutions -- Example 1: Flip-Flops in the Workplace -- Example 2: Too Much to Learn -- Example 3: Human Systems Integration Not Integrated -- Selling Needs Assessment and Performance Improvement -- Linking Needs Assessment and Evaluation -- Conclusion -- References -- 5 Needs Assessments to Determine Training Requirements -- Orchestrating an Assessment -- Assessment at Work in Ohio -- Getting Started.

Gaps in Health and Human Services -- Addressing the Nontraining Needs -- Analysis Leading to Competencies -- Competencies Leading to Additional Analysis -- Shifting Perspectives on Training -- Implications for Workforce Development -- Assessment Lessons and Considerations -- The Assessment Process -- The Assessment Levels -- The Assessor and the Sponsor -- The Assessor and Postassessment -- Assessment in Harmony -- References -- 6 International Perspectives: Similarities and Differences Around the Globe -- Introduction -- Why Needs Assessment? -- Are We on the Same Page? -- Needs Assessment in International Settings -- Strategies for International Needs Assessments -- Needs Assessment Capacity -- Summary -- References -- 7 Needs Assessment and Asset/Capacity Building: A Promising Development in Practice -- An Introduction to Asset/Capacity Building -- The Needs Assessment Counterpoint -- Asset/Capacity Building and Needs Assessment: Definitions and Comparisons -- Comparisons of Asset/Capacity Building and Needs Assessment -- A Hybrid Needs Assessment and A/CB Framework -- The Assets Rubric -- Some Notes About Methods for Determining Assets -- Case Studies of Hybrid Implementation -- Across the Cases -- A Few Points to Ponder -- References -- 8 A Final Note About Improving Needs Assessment Research and Practice -- Introduction -- Evolving Methods -- Big Data and Real-Time Data -- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) -- Mobile Technologies -- Social Networking -- Globalization -- Concerns -- Summary -- References -- INDEX -- Order Form -- EULA.