ABSTRACT
The phases in action research are often cyclical as the evaluation phase may highlight a new need or inform an improved design of the intervention, which would start another iteration of the planned change process. Although the phases may mutually impact each other in a cyclical manner, the process of planned change always begins with the identification and assessment of needs, with very few exceptions. The needs identification phase of planned change involves the HRD professional assessing the current situation and investigating any known or suspected issues or opportunities. Common needs assessment tools include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, documents, and artifacts. The information from the documents and artifacts could form the basis for creating follow-up questions that might be answered through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations. When designing HRD interventions, some contingencies that come into play include readiness for change, capability to change, organization cultural context, and capabilities of the change leader.
