台湾寿险业务员训练需求评估Delphi

台湾寿险业务员训练需求评估Delphi

摘要

本研究要紧目的是要硅3忍台湾在此燮化迅速之璟境中，如要成熟一位耦^之春除棠矜

fi，其必须具倩之能力鹰篇何。本研究幺里德来法(Delphi)等相AM性研究(qualitative

research)舆室攵量方法(quantitativeresearch)之愿用，得知事家学者任，所一致共同碓言忍

之十项毒除廛具借之能力。本研究赞现喜家擘者封此十项魔具借能力之重要性排序

有^著之差臭。毒除公司人力资源管理者在规副毒^教育到年来之果程畴鹰把焦黠集中

在本研究所碓言忍之十项鹰具借能力，而十项鹰具借能力之排序，可落助人毒保除公司人力

资源管理者授定匐1.穗荀•副诗之参考，如此才能在有限^算舆畤^内，it到最大之割I、辣效

果。有助於提高台湾人毒保除棠矜^之却I、辣^效。

用由筵字：needsassessment,Delphistudy,lifeinsurance,salesrepresentatives,necessary

competence.

TrainingNeedsforTaiwanLifeInsuranceSales

Representatives-DelphiStudyApproach

ABSTRACT

Needsassessmentsforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentativesshouldbeupdatedtofita

rapidlychangingenvironmentinTaiwanandthetrainingcoursesalifeinsurancecompany

deliversneedtoadapttolearnerneedsanddesires.

Needsassessmentisthefirststeptodevelopatrainingprogramandthisprocessshould

considerfactorsoforganizationalandjobneeds.ThelifeinsurancemarketinTaiwanchanged

duetoglobalization,populationaging,andinformationtechnologyinnovation.Atthesametime,

manyfinancialinstitutesbegantoreorganize,suchasmergingandacquiringeachotheror

becameamemberofafinancialholdingcompany.

Thepurposesofthisstudywereto:(a)conductaneedsassessmenttoidentifyupdated

necessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentativesfortherapidlychanginglife

insuranceenvironmentinTaiwan;and(b)identifyprioritytrainingforsalesrepresentativesin

lifeinsurancecompanies.

Amixed-methodapproachwasemployedinthisneedsassessmentresearchandidentified

rankingsofnecessarycompetenciesfortheinsurancesalesrepresentatives.Theemphasiswason

qualitativedatafromthreeroundsofstandardizedinterviewsviaDelphiresearchtechnique,with

quantitativedataanalyzedbyWilcoxonSignedRankTestwasusedtohelpranknecessary

competenciesandinterpretresultsfromthequalitativedata.TheDelphipanel(N=10)was

selectedbypurposivesamplingofpeoplewithaknowninvolvementorexpertiseinlife

insurancesalestraining.

Besidesthesevennecessarycompetenciesidentifiedbythisstudyinthefirstplace,the

Delphipanelistssuggestedthreeadditionalnecessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesales

representatives.TheDelphipanelistsalsoindicatedasignificantlydifferentagreementlevel

betweensomenecessarycompetencies.

Thefindingsofthisstudymayhelplifeinsurancecompaniesdesignmoreeffective

trainingfortheirsalesrepresentatives.Moreover,thisstudymayhelplifeinsurancecompanies

identifypriorityoftrainingneedsundershortageoftimeandbudget.

INTRODUCTION

Anumberofstudieshavelookedattherelationshipbetweentrainingandproductivityand

foundevidenceofadirectlink.Holzeretal.(1993)conductedasurveylookingathow

productivitychangeacrossfirmswasrelatedtochangesintraining.Bartel(1994)studiedthe

linkbetweentrainingandproductivityandworkedwithsamplesofapproximately150firms.

ThefindingofBartersstudyrevealedapositiveeffectoftrainingonproductivity.Inaddition,

accordingtoresearchfundedbytheBritishEconomic&SocialResearchCounciTsFutureof

WorkProgrammer,companiesimplementingtrainingmayberewardedwithgreaterproductivity

(''TrainingandDevelopment”,2003),aswellassolidifyingtheirpositioninachanging,and

increasinglycompetitivemarketplace.

Thefinancialserviceindustry,includingbanks,insurance,andsecuritiesusuallyfaceissues

ofcompliance,security,andregulationinpractice.Theseissuesputpressureoncompaniesto

traintheiremployeestodotherightthing(Harris,2004).Therefore,humanresource

managementneedstopaymoreattentiontoinvestingandtrainingsalesrepresentatives

effectively,aswellasprovidingthetoolstheyneedtohelpbusinessesbeproductive(Shephard,

2001).AccordingtothefindingsofasurveyconductedbyMellonFinancialCorporationin2003

("TrainingandDevelopment,2003),trainingwashelpfulforsalesrepresentativestoimprove

theirproductivity.

Inrecentyears,Taiwanhascontinueditsprivatization,liberalizationandderegulation

process(Kwon,2002).ItintroducedtheFinancialInstitutionsMergerLawin2000,theFinancial

HoldingCompanyLawin2001,andtheFinancialSupervisoryBoardLawin2001.Theselaws

offeralegalbasisforthecreationoffinancialholdingcompaniesthatofferbanking,insurance,

securitiesandfinancialservicesthroughtheirsubsidiaries,andalsopermitjoint-marketing

effortsamongsubsidiariesoffinancialholdingcompanies(Kwon,2002).In2002,Taiwan

becameaWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)member.Inresponse,itwasexpectedthatdomestic

financialinstitutionswouldfacestrongcompetitionwithforeigninstitutionsand,asaresult,

triggeratremendouschangeinthefinancemarket(Chiu,2000).Atthesametimethatbusiness

competitionwasheightened,alackoftrainingtoimprovenecessarycompetenciesincreasedthe

unhappinessofsalesrepresentatives(Myers&Torrington,2001).

AccordingtheInsuranceInstituteofTheR.O.C.(HROC)(2004),91%oflifeinsurance

employeesweresalesrepresentatives.Moreover,trainingpracticesintheU.S.A,basedona

surveyofmorethan2,30()businessesandsalesrepresentatives,representedapproximately

11.3%ofthetotaltraininghours,andaccountedfornearly$5.7billioninexpendituresin1994

(Gillian,1995).Itmighttakemonths,andpossiblyevenyears,beforeafirmisabletorecoup

thistraininginvestment(Reichheld,1996).Thesedataimplythattrainingsalesrepresentatives

maybethemostimportanttaskinthelifeinsuranceindustry'strainingprogram.

Thetrainingcontentdeliveredtothelearnersdependsonthetraininggoalsetbythetrainer

(Noe,Hollenbeck,Gerhart,&Wright,2003).Often,traininggoalsdemandbehaviorthatlearners

areincapableofperforming,donotcatertolearnerinterests,ormaylistoutcomesthatlearners

havealreadyattained.Asaresult,trainingprogramsmaybejudgedunsuccessful(Omstein&

Hunkins,1998).

TheLifeOfficeManagementAssociation(LOMA)offersaconvenientandaffordable

trainingprogramwhichincludes100coursesclassifiedintofourcategories:life&health

insurance;retirementplanning;moneymanagement;andsecurities.Thesecourseshelpsales

representativesearncontinuingeducationcredits,andthentorenewtheirlicenses(Donaldson,

2003).Althoughagoodfirststep,thechangingmarketplaceputsmoreresponsibilityonsales

representativestounderstandandreacttochangequicklyandappropriately.Therefore,training

needsgobeyondtakingaseminarorearningcontinuingeducationcreditstowardsales

representatives5licenserenewal(Pannenter,2004).

BasedonRegulationsGoverningtheAdministrationofInsuranceSolicitorsofR.O.C.,

lifeinsurancesalesrepresentativeshavetoattendastandardtrainingprogramandpassthe

licenseexaminationbeforetheysellapolicy(IIROC,2004).Besidesthestandardtraining

program,lifeinsurancecompaniesinTaiwanalsohaveanobligationtoprovideadditional

trainingprogramsfortheirsalesrepresentatives.Mostoftheseadditionaltrainingprogramsare

importedfromeitherLOMAortheLifeInsuranceMarketingResearchAssociation(L1MRA).

BothLOMAandLIMRAareinternationalinstitutionsfoundedintheU.S.A.whichfocuson

offeringtrainingcoursestohelpsalesrepresentativesmaintaintheirlicense(Donaldson,2003).

Therearcsometrainingproblemsemerging.Thefirstproblemisthatneedsassessmentsforlife

insurancesalesrepresentativesmightbeupdatedtofitarapidlychangingenvironment.Second,

thetrainingcoursesalifeinsurancecompanydeliverneedtoadapttolearnerneedsanddesires.

subsidiariesofafinancialholdingcompany(IIROC,2004).Manyfinancialinstitutions,inorder

tointegratebusinessandexpandfinancialterritories,begantosearchformergersoracquisitions

toincreasetheircompetitiveability(Kwon,2002).AccordingtothefiguressurveyedbyOECD

andG7from1996to2000,theinformationshowedthattheinsurancepenetrationratiohad

grownmuchfasterinTaiwanthaninOECDorG7countriesduringtheperiodofstudy(Swiss

Re,2001).ItalsoimpliedthattheinsurancebusinessofTaiwanwasanattractivemarketforthe

internationalinsurancecompanies(Kwon,2002).

Trendofanagingpopulation.Thiswasalreadyevidentinthe1970saccordingto

demographers(Pontremoli,2002).ThecommitteeofDomesticAffairsDepartmentofTaiwan

(MOIStatisticalInformationServices,2002)concludedthatin2021,peopleover65willbe

9.86%oftotalpopulation.Thisratioobviouslyexceedsthe7%thatwasdefinedastheageof

populationsocietybytheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO).

Growthofe-commerce.AccordingtoPearson's(2002)survey,thefirsttrendinthe

insuranceindustrywastechnologyinnovationwhichloweredcosts,changedthefocusof

competition,andmovedinsurersfrombeingriskcarrierstoprovidersofcomprehensive

information.Usingtechnologytoimplementcustomerrelationshipmanagementstrategies

enablesaninsurancecompanytoserveitscustomersefficiently,andinturnwinlong-term

loyalty(Sodano,2000).Therefore,Stiroh(2000)emphasizedthataneffectiveinformation

technologyinfrastructureallowedfirmstoprovidenewproducts,reducecosts,andbetterserve

existingcustomers.

NeedsAnalysisofaLifeInsuranceSalesRepresentativeJob

Necessarycompetenciesforglobalization.Thechangingnatureofworkhasbeenshaped

bytherealitiesofcompetinginaglobaleconomyandcustomers'demandsforqualityand

service(Losyk,1996).Moreover,inseekinggreaterflexibilityandresponsiveness,organizations

underglobalizationmovetowardsflatterteam-basedstructures,multi-skillingandamore

diverseworkforce(Dufficy,2001).Thisimpliesthatorganizationsneededtohireadiverse

spectrumofpeopletosolveproblemswithacustomerbasethatisincreasinglymulticulturaland

moreglobal(Copeland,1989).Inaddition,globalizationinducesculture-shockintheworkplace

(Stromquist,2002).Tominimizecultureshockandconflict,workforceundertheglobalization

shouldbeeligibletothecompetenceofcommunication,thenworktogethertoachieve

outstandingservice(Henderson,1994;Losky,1996).

Necessarycompetenciesforadvancedinformationtechnology.U.S.LaborSecretary

ElaineChaosaidthatHigh-Techtrainingshouldbethelaborpriority("VocationalTraining,“

2001).Meanwhile,accordingtoasurveyconductedbyGlen(2003),theworkforceincreasingly

needscompetenciesinInformationTechnology(IT)applicationtosatisfytheirjob.Mostofthe

publishedempiricalstudies(e.g.Brynjolfsson&Hitt,2000;Dewan&Kraemer,1998;Hitt,Wu,

&Zhou,2002;Kudybs&Diwan,2002)foundsignificantpositiverelationshipsbetweenIT

competencyvariablesandproductivityandperformancemeasures.Thesestudiesconcludedthat

theInternetunquestionablyrepresentedasignificantchangeinthecompetitivelandscapeby

offeringtraditionalfirmsnewandinnovativewaystoincreaseefficiencies,strengthen

communicationefforts,forgebettercustomerrelationshipsandbuildstrongerbonds.Employees

ininsurancecompanieswhichwerebecomingmoresophisticatedintheuseoftheInternetin

marketingcommunicationneedcompetenceinusingtheInternettomarkettheirproductand

establishcustomerrelationships(Rohm,2002).

Necessarycompetenciesforanagingpopulation.Pensionneedsoftherapidlyaging

population(Pilla,2003).Asaresult,thelifeinsuranceindustryneedsnewknowledgeand

productsdesignedrelatedtopensionstofitthischangeindemography(Kwon,2002).

NecessarycompetenciesforM&Aandfinancialholdingcompanies.Asstated,Merge

andAcquisition(M&A)andfinancialholdingcompaniesarecurrentlythemajorreorganization

trendinthefinancialserviceindustryofTaiwan.Thisnewshapeofcompetitionrequires

recognitionoftheimportanceofconsumersandthenecessitytoaddressconsumerneedsthrough

innovativeproducts(Kamathetal.,2003).Italsorequiresprovidingmultipleproductsandwork

tocreateneweconomicproductsandservicesforconsumers(Stiroh,2000).

CulturalconflictmightexistafterM&Aoranorganizationjoiningwithafinancial

holdingcompany,andmayimpacthowacompanyoperatesandhowemployees,customers,and

otherstakeholdersinteract(Bramson,2000).Asaresult,employeesneedculturalcompatibility

competenceintheirworkplace(Bhawuk&Brislin,2000).

Asstaled,M&Aandfinancialholdingcompaniesoftentriggerorganizational

restructuringorreorganization.Thischangeoftenaffectsemployees'motivation,andworkplace

attitude(Faulkner,Pitkethly,&Child,2002).EmotionalIntelligence(EI)istheabilityto

adequatelyrecognizeandidentifyone'sownemotionalreactionsandthoseofothers(Cherniss&

Adler,2000).EmotionalIntelligenceinvolvestheabilitytomanageone'semotions,toutilize

themtomakecorrectdecisions,andtobehavesufficiently(Mayer,Salovey,&Caruso,1998).

Thus,trainingemployeestohaveemotionalintelligencecompetencecouldsolvethismotivation

problem.Researchandpracticehasdemonstratedthatemotionalintelligencecanbelearned

("HarvardBusinessReview”,2004).

11owever,Sandberg's(1994)researchfoundthatcompetencewasnotconstitutedinterms

ofaspecificsetofcontext-freeattributes,suchasknowledgeandskillsrelatedtoaseparate

work.Hence,inordertobecomeasmarterworkforce,employeesneednotonlytoimprovewhat

constitutesindividualcompetencebutalsocollectivecompetence(Sjostrand,1985).Inother

words,employeeswiththeabilitytoshareexperiencesandskillsfromcoworkersinthe

workplacecanimprovetheirperformance,andthisisthemostimportantfeatureofcollective

competence(Gerber&Lankshear,2000).

Underthisrapidlychangingenvironment,traditionaltrainingcoursesmaynotsatisfy

organizational,job,andindividualneeds.Theliteraturereviewsuggestsseveralnecessary

competencies:(a)communication,(b)problemsolvingwithacustomerbase,(c)using

informationtechnology,(d)havingsufficientknowledgeofvariousfinancialproductstooffer

diversifiedfinancialservice,(e)culturecompatibility,(f)sufficientemotionalintelligence,and

(g)collectivecompetencearethenecessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives

underthisrapidlychangingenvironment.

METHODOLOGY

Amixed-methodapproach,whichcanfacilitateexplanation,prediction,anddevelopa

moreholisticview(Jick,1997;Perryelal.,1999),wasemployed.Qualitativedatafrom

interviews,alongwithquantitativedatawereusedtohelpranknecessarycompetenciesand

interpretresults.

AmodifiedDelphiresearchtechniquewasused.ResearchrelatedtoDelphistudy

describesitas,(a)aneffectiveprocessinallowingagroupofindividualstodealwithcomplex

issuesandconcepts(Linstone&Turolf,1979);(b)usefultoobtainjudgmentsthatmayinform

planning,problem-solving,andoveralldecisionmaking(Dunham,1998;Masini,1993);and(c)

helpfultoprovideinsightstopossibleproblemsolutions(Scott&Walter,2003).TheDelphi

studymethodologycollectedandbroughttogethertheideasofpanelistsonagivensubject.

Participants.TheDelphipanel(N=10)wasselectedbypurposivesamplingofpeople

withaknowninvolvementorexpertiseinlifeinsurancesalestraining.Purposivesamplingis

mainlyusedforopinionsurveys(Singh&Chaudhary,1996;Williams,1978).Forthisstudy,

participantswererequiredtobeinamanagementroleandhaveknowledgeofeducationor

trainingdevelopmentinsales,especiallyinlifeinsurancesales.Participantswerealsoidentified

basedontheirpublicationswithinpractitionerandacademicjournalsregardinginsurancesales

forcetraining.Interviewswereconductedviaphonewith10Delphipanelparticipants,fivefrom

modellifeinsurancecompaniesinTaiwan,fivefromtheDepartmentofInsuranceandRisk

Managementattwouniversities.

DatacollectionandInstrumentation.TheDelphipanelinterviewsprotocolwas

developedbasedontheliteraturereview.Theinterviewsexploredmorefullytheperceptionsof

expertsaboutthenecessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.TheDelphi

panelinterviewquestionsconsistedofasetofquestionscarefullywordedandarrangedforthe

purposeoftakingeachrespondentthroughthesamesequenceandaskingeachrespondentthe

samequestionswithessentiallythesamewords(Johnson&Christensen,2000).

Thepossiblenecessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentativeswerederivedfirst

fromtheliterature,andthenwereevaluatedbyaDelphistudypanelatleastthreetimes.

AccordingtoJohnsonandChristensen(2000),cross-checkinginformationandconclusions

throughtheuseofmultipleproceduresorsourcestrategiespromotesqualitativeresearchvalidity.

SimilarDelphipanelinterviewquestionswereusedinthefirst,second,andthirdroundof

Delphistudyprocedures.Thisminimizedvariationinthequestionsposed,andimprovedthe

reliabilityoftheinterviews.InstrumentsusedinthisDelphistudyminimizedthevariationofthe

questionsposedtointerviewees.

Dataanalysis.Thequalitativedataanalysiswasachievedbynotetaking,transcribing,

reading,rereadingandcoding.Thedatawerecodedrelativetothemesexploredthroughthe

questionsaskedineachroundofinterview.TheWilcoxsignedranktestswereusedtorankthe

necessarycompetenciesforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.

RESULTS

Delphipanelistswereaskedtojustifytheiranswerstoquestionsidentifyingnecessary

competenciesandtoratetheirlevelofagreementtowardnecessarycompetencies.Thoseresults

areinTable1.Thesequalitativeresponseshelpedtoelaboratethequantitativeresponsestothe

standardizedquestions,andqualitativethemeswereindicativeofopinionsraisedbyalarge

majorityoftheDelphipanelists.

NineDelphipanelistsStronglyAgreedthat“solvingproblemswithacustomerbase”

wasanecessarycompetencyforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.Thefollowingquote,bya

35-ycar-oldlifeinsuranceacademicfemale,illustratedtheimportanceofthis

competency.^Customerswillbesatisfiediftheproblemcanberesolvedimmediately.”

SixDelphipanelistsStronglyAgreedthat“communication“wasanecessarycompetency.

OneoftheDelphipanelists,a43-year-oldmalewhohaddesignedseveral

Table2

DescriptiveStatisticsofAuittidestowardeachNecessaryCompetenciesalInterviewRound2and

Round3

NecessaryAttitudetowardNecessaryCompetencies*

CompetenciesSAAUDDSD

ProblemSolvingR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

80%90%20%10%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=8n=9n=2n=ln=Gn=0n=0n=0n=0n=0

CommunicationR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

60%60%40%40%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=6n=6n=4n=4n=Gn=0n=0n=0n=0n=0

UsingITR2R3R2R3R2F3R2R3R2R3

30%30%50%50%20%20%0%()%()%0%

n=3n=3n=5n=5n=2n=2n=0n=0n=0n=0

DiversifiedFinancialR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

Service20%20%80%80%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=2n=2n=8n=8n=0n=0n=0n=0n=0n=0

CultureCompatibilityR2R3R2R3R2F3R2R3R2R3

10%20%60%50%30%30%0%0%0%0%

n=ln=2n=6n=5n=3n=3n=0n=0n=0n=0

Table2

DescriptiveStatisticsofAttitudestowardeachNecessaryCompetenciesalInterviewRound2and

Round3

NecessaryAttitudetowardNecessaryCompetencies*

CompetenciesSAAUDDSD

EmotionalR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

Intelligence80%80%20%20%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=8n=8n=2n=2n=Gn=0n=On=0n=0n=0

CollectiveR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

Competence50%50%50%50%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=5n=5n=5n=5n=Gn=0n=0n=0n=0n=0

EthicsR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

10%10%90%90%0%0%0%0%0%0%

n=ln=ln=9n=9n=0n=0n=0n=0n=0n=0

ProfessionalR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

Knowledge20%20%0%0%40%40%40%40%0%0%

n=2n=2n=0n=0n=4n=4n=4n=4n=0n=0

UnderstandCustomerR2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3R2R3

Needs40%40%0%0%60%60%0%0%0%0%

n=4n=4n=0n=0n=6n=6n=0n=0n=0n=0

*FiveAttitudestowardNecessary'Competencies:StronglyAgree(SA),Agree(A),Undecided(UD),Disagree(D),

andStronglyDisagree(SD)

trainingprogramsformanylifeinsurancecompaniesinTaiwan,stated“Throughappropriate

communication,lifeinsurancesalesrepresentativescanrealizethecustomer\needs.”

EightDelphipanelistseitherStronglyAgreedorAgreedthat“Usinginformation

technology^^wasanecessarycompetencyforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.Forexample,a

48-year-oldmalewhoisahumanresourcesmanagerofamodellifeinsurancecompany

explained,t4Lifeinsurancesalesrepresentativescanimprovecustomerservicebyusing

informationtechnologyefficiently.”

TenDelphipanelistseitherStronglyAgreedorAgreedthecompetency“offerdiversified

financialservice"wasanecessaryoneforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.Oneofthe

insuranceacademiesstated,ltDuetothetrendofsettingupafinancialholdingcompanyinthe

Taiwanfinancemarket,lifeinsurancesalesrepresentativesneedtounderstandallrelated

financialproductstofacilitatetheirone-stop-shoppingservice.”

ThreeDelphipanelistswereUndecided,andsevenAgreedthat^culturecompatibility,,is

thenecessarycompetencyforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.A43-year-oldfemale,whois

thechairoftheeducationandtrainingdepartmentoftheInsuranceInstitutionofRepublicof

Chinastated,<4Lifeinsurancesalesrepresentativesneedculturecompatibilityintheworkplace;

thereforeacooperativetasktargetcanbesetupeasily.”

EightDelphipanelisisStronglyAgreedthat“emotionalintelligence“wasthenecessary

competencyforlifeinsurancesalesrepresentatives.A48-year-oldmaleinsuranceacademic,said

“Liftinsurancesalesrepresentativescannotnegatethemselvesduetocustomerrejectiontobuy

insurance.^^

"Collectivecompetence“wasratedasStronglyAgreedbyfiveDelphipanelistsasa

necessarycompetency.Aformerchairoftheinsurancedepartmentinauniversityemphasized,

“Learningfromcoworkerscanmaketaskseasiertoaccomplish.”

Theoriginalsevennecessarycompetenciessuggestedatfirstbythisstudyweregenerally

allsupportedbytheDelphipanelists.Moreover,anotherthreenecessarycompetencieswere

proposedbytheDelphipanelists:(a)ethics,(b)professionalinsuranceknowledge,and(c)

understandcustomerneeds.

TworesponsethemesrelatedtotheDelphipanelists*perceptionsabout“ethics“fbrlife

insurancesalesrepresentativesemerged:(a)utmostfaithcontractandethics,and(b)trustand

ethics.Thefollowingquote,bya43-year-oldworkforcetrainingexpert(Delphipanelist)inalife

insurancecompanyillustratesoneoftheimportantthemes,^Insuranceisanutmostfaithcontract.

Ethicsareessentialtoimplementacontract.^^A46-year-oldseniormarketingworkforcetrainer

fromamodellifeinsurancecompanyinTaiwanstated,''Customerstrustethicallifeinsurance

salesrepresentativeswiththeirinsurance.

Thethemesidentifiedbythisstudywithrespecttothecompetency"'professional

insuranceknowlcdgc,'included:(a)identifyriskbaseduponknowledgeofriskmanagement,and

(b)propercoveragerecommendeddependsonsufficientinsuranceknowledge.OnemaleDelphi

panelistfromtheinsurancedepartmentofauniversitystated"Withoutaconceptofrisk

management,alifeinsurancesalesrepresentativecannotidentifyrisksfbrtheircustomers.”

AnotherDelphipanelistfromamodellifeinsurancecompanyagreedstating,uIflifeinsurance

salesrepresentativescannotidentifyriskfortheircustomers,aproperandfullcoveragefora

clientwouldnotbedesigned.

Twoemergentthemesrelatedtothecompetency''understandcustomerneeds,,emerged:

(a)customer'sneedisthecoreofaproduct,and(b)satisfyingcustomerneedisprimarytaskof

salesrepresentatives.A40-ycar-oldmaleDelphipanelistfromamodellifeinsurancecompany

volunteeredthefollowing:

Consumerneedsisthecoreofaproduct.Customersneedaninsuranceproductwhichcan

covertheirdamage.Therefore,customersarenotgoingtobuyinsurancewithoutproper

coverageforthem.

AnotherDelphipanelistwithbothinsuranceandmarketingdegreesstaled,“Howto

identifythecustomer'sinsuranceneeds,ofcourse,isaprimarytaskfbrlifeinsurancesales

representativestosatisfytheircu