A Phenomenon We Can't Ignore: Performance Improvement Interventions to Address Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying is a significant problem impacting both individual performance and performance of organizations as a whole. This article describes how a systematic approach was utilized by focusing on the organizational subsystem of human resources as it relates to preventing, identifying, and addressing workplace bullying. Human resource (HR) professionals play a vital role in applying anti‐bullying policies and performance improvement interventions. The article outlines the interventions and policies utilized by HR professionals to alleviate and manage bullying that have been cited in the literature.     

A Selected Review of the Underpinnings of Ethics for Human Performance Technology Professionals -Part Two: Professional Resources

Professionals serving as internal and external consultants, whether as performance technologists, human resource development facilitators, training specialists, organizational development change agents, or quality improvement engineers, are uniquely positioned to influence ethical awareness in the workplace. Yet it is unlikely that they will be able to exert much influence without knowledge of the factors that influence ethical behavior in organizations and knowledge of ethical decision making. Although the literature on ethics is proliferating, little of it is directly related to performance improvement professionals. Those who want to educate themselves in ethics have been left to their own devices. Part One in this series of two articles presents a review of key ethical theories and research. Part Two is a list of references available for those who are ready to examine the ethical responsibilities of HPT professionals, who have encountered ethical issues, who want to include an ethics audit in their needs assessment tool box, or who need to suggest ethics-related solutions to performance problems.     

Using strategy maps to prioritize learning and performance improvement agendas

There are best practices that organizations can employ to link their learning initiatives to corporate strategy. Human capital and human performance technology (HPT) professionals need to push their organizations to embrace a performance improvement agenda that is linked to strategy, and organizations need to include a learning representative in the strategic development process. If the human capital or HPT professional and CEO work together toward a common goal, the business can achieve the greatest benefit from learning initiatives.     

Current status,future trends,and issues in human performance technology,part 1: Influential domains,current status,and recognition of HPT

Fifteen human performance technology experts participated in a survey investigating HPT's current status, future trends, and issues. Although HPT is not fully recognized in many organizations, such strengths as systems thinking and multidisciplinary approaches to performance problems are valued. Weaknesses reported are the rare use of HPT in small organizations, falling for quick fixes, and shortcomings in evaluation. HPT professionals need to do better at clarifying HPT principles, communicating HPT values, and demonstrating HPT's organizational impact.     

A comprehensive performance analysis and improvement method

Performance analysis and improvement are critical skills for the performance technologist. A comprehensive approach to these tasks, which includes techniques from industrial and organizational psychology, industrial engineering, and organizational behavior management, is described. The approach comprises four steps: (1) conducting an organization‐wide survey to identify general improvement areas, (2) objectively pinpointing performance improvement potentials, (3) systematically identifying performance constraints, and (4) selecting or designing an improvement technique. Survey results for 63 organizations are presented and the effect of management practices on management span of control are examined. Eighteen performance constraints are organized into a decision tree that is used to select 1 of 27 improvement techniques. The results of this approach to performance analysis and improvement are described for 58 improvement projects in a medium‐sized bank.     

Approaching Knowledge Management Through the Lens of the Knowledge Life Cycle: a Case Study Investigation

More organizational leaders are recognizing that their greatest competitive advantage is the knowledge base of their employees and for organizations to thrive knowledge management (KM) systems need to be in place that encourage the natural interplay and flow of tacit and explicit knowledge. Approaching KM through the lens of the knowledge life cycle allows for the design and development of KM solutions that are systemic and address the dynamic nature of organizational knowledge. In this paper we provide a review of the literature regarding how organizational knowledge may be studied and propose a methodological framework for investigating the knowledge life cycle. To illustrate the framework we present a recent case study in which it was successfully used. This framework is intended to be useful to learning and performance improvement professionals who work in organizational KM as well as to researchers who wish to conduct further research in this area.     

Developing trust in virtual teams

Rapid globalization, advances in technology, flatter organizational structures, synergistic cooperation among firms, and a shift to knowledge work environments have led to the increasing use of virtual teams in organizations. Selecting, training, and socializing employees in virtual teamwork has therefore become an important human resource function. This article provides an overview of the research on trust in virtual teams, its importance, and how to overcome some challenges of trust development in virtual teams. Recommendations for virtual team developers and human resources professionals are presented.     

The key to organizational performance improvement: A perspective of organizational knowledge creation

The primary purpose of this research is to explore the impacts of knowledge creation practices on organizational performance improvement. Research has been empirically assessed on the basis of the collected data from three Korean private organizations. The concept of knowledge creation theory was adapted as the theoretical framework of this research (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995). Structural equation modeling has been used in order to assess the fit of the hypothesized model with the collected data. The result of the confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the hypothesized measurement model is a reliable and valid construct in the Korean context; multiple regression analysis reveals that knowledge creation practices have a positive and strong influence on performance improvement. Conclusions, limitations, and implications for human resource development are discussed.     

Learning from Failure: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Study Which Resulted in Unfavorable Financial Outcomes

This article describes a cost-benefit analysis study which resulted in unfavorable financial outcomes and discusses how this result became a learning opportunity for human performance development (HRD) professionals in the organization. Demonstrating the contributions of human performance development/performance improvement (HRD/PI) programs through cost-benefit analysis is a continuing need in organizations. However, most cost-benefit analysis case studies have reported favorable financial results. While these results may help raise the perceived status of the field, in fact, reporting unfavorable results may provide a richer professional learning opportunity than otherwise might be available.     

A Review of Organizational and Human Performance Frameworks

The frameworks or models used to conceptualize workplace performance are as diverse as the organisations they attempt to mirror. The purpose of this review was to examine a sample of the frameworks used to model human performance in organizations with respect to: 1) change orientation, 2) theoretical basis, 3) organizational results level, 4) unit of analysis, and 5) performance analysis. Organizational system and performance system frameworks were contrasted with systematic process models of performance improvement. Frameworks are defined as system‐orientod representations of the flow or linkages of resources, inputs, processes, goals, and results within and external to an organization. Performance improvement process models are defined as representations of systematic processes that define steps to be taken to implement a particular solution or identify a problem. It is recommended that solution designers blend frameworks of organizational system and performance system architectures into systematic, participatory design processes.     

Managing Pressure in Organizations

Humans have an innate sense for recognizing and responding to pressure. Many outcomes of pressure in organizations have been studied in the personal and organizational improvement literature, including stress, turnover, employee health, and organizational performance. Surprisingly, very little research focuses on the two alternative forces of pressure, tension and compression, and how these forces affect individual, group, and organizational‐level outcomes. Nor has research studied antecedents to the rise of either type of pressure in organizational life. Notwithstanding this void, tension and compression create the social and structural order that allow pressure to have an impact on individual decisions, organizational culture, and performance. This article contributes to our understanding of performance improvement by developing a theory about and providing practical applications for managing pressure in organizations.     

Aligning business needs and instructional assets (recycling instructional assets)

High‐performing organizations and performance improvement professionals frequently speak about the alignment of their instructional curricula with the needs of the business. However, they often lack a systematic methodology for performing that alignment. This article presents such a method. The process provides the ability to better support current business initiatives, increase organizational responsiveness, and reduce curriculum acquisition and development costs.     

Heterogeneity or Homogeneity

While research has focused on the effects of diversity on individual and group level outcomes, there has been little inquiry concerning the organizational level. Cox (1994) states that the most frequently asked question by executives regarding workforce diversity involves how it affects the performance of organizations. In order to manage the growing diversity of the workforce, organizations need to implement systems and practices so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized and the potential disadvantages are minimized (Cox, 1994). While the goal of these programs is organizational success, from a human resource perspective they introduce unique challenges. In particular, these challenges relate to activities such as the socialization of culturally diverse employees. Therefore, in an effort to increase understanding of the effects of cultural diversity on organizational performance, this paper examines the moderating impact of socialization tactics on the relationship between cultural diversity and firm performance.     

Examining the boundaries of HPT through the lens of communities of practice

Despite its existence for over six decades, the practice of human performance technology (HPT) has not been widely accepted within organizations. Varying levels of confusion surround the understanding of HPT, which has been influenced by myriad fields and disciplines. Although HPT is focused on improving performance at the organizational, team, and individual levels, it does not own the practice of performance improvement. The goal of optimal performance across various functions and levels within an organization is not confined to HPT but extends to process improvement, human resource development, organizational development, knowledge management, and several other areas. Therein lies the problem: A lack of consideration about the boundaries that delineates the field has ramifications for both the research on and the practice of HPT. This study examines the domains and disciplines that HPT proponents consider central to the field.     

Using Evaluation to Build Organizational Performance and Learning Capability: A Strategy and a Method

More than ever organizations need to achieve the very best training and performance improvement possible. Today's competitive environment requires a workforce that cannot only learn quickly, but that can rapidly and consistently transform new learning into enhanced individual, team, and organizational performance. Thoughtful, efficient, and constructive evaluation is at the heart of continuous improvement and is vital to unlocking the desperately needed potential of learning for performance improvement.     

Applying Case‐based Reasoning in Knowledge Management to Support Organizational Performance

Research and practice in human performance technology (HPT) has recently accelerated the search for innovative approaches to supplement or replace traditional training interventions for improving organizational performance. This article examines a knowledge management framework built upon the theories and techniques of case‐based reasoning (CBR) and Nonaka's (1991, 1994) knowledge conversion model to shed light on how organizational performance can be enhanced by leveraging organizational knowledge represented as cases to support learning, working, and innovation of knowledge workers. This framework offers HPT practitioners new ways of thinking and methods for the design of performance support interventions by which organizational knowledge is stored, codified, delivered, and acted upon in context, on demand, and at the point of need. This paper describes a project, Knowledge Innovation for Technology in Education (KITE), which was designed to support professional development of teachers using CBR and knowledge conversion theories.     

How the Organizational Learning Process Mediates the Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices on Performance in Korean Organizations

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the structural relationships among several workplace‐related constructs, including strategic human resource management (HRM) practices, organizational learning processes, and performance improvement in the Korean business context. More specifically, the research examined the mediating effect of the organizational learning processes at three levels—individual, group, and organizational—to explain the relationship between strategic HRM practices and performance improvement. A total of 640 cases were used for data analysis, with general multivariate analyses and structural equation modeling. The results suggest that the learning processes at the three levels have a significant direct impact on organizational performance and that they also serve as a mediating interaction construct to maximize the effect of strategic HRM practices. The article provides conclusions, discusses the limitations of the research, and makes further recommendations.     

A Study of the Journey from Training to Performance

This is an exploratory study questioning progress in the shift from training to performance. A total of 62 training and performance professionals responded to a survey administered at two professional conferences, ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement) and ASTD (American Society for Training and Development). The survey, constructed by two people admittedly keen on performance technology, queried respondents about concepts relevant to performance perspectives: analysis, solution systems, cross-functionality, customer and collegial expectations, and shared knowledge. We also inquired about perceptions of how to move their organizations beyond the status quo. Overall, organizations report that they are making progress in the transition from an emphasis on training to the concepts associated with performance technology, although room for progress remains. Bedrock human performance technology (HPT) concepts, such as analysis-first, data-driven decisions about solutions and collaboration with colleagues across the organization, are reported to be more typical aspects of organizational culture. On the other hand, customer and colleague perceptions lag, and measurement and boundarylessness are only occasionally components of the organizations described by respondents.     

The Relationship of Learning and Performance Diagnosis at Different System Levels

The importance of performance diagnosis to the success of performance improvement interventions is widely recognized. Yet, while research in the last decade has sought to distinguish between learning and performance improvement, the relationship between learning and performance diagnosis remains unexamined. It is important to examine this relationship because human resource development professionals are urged to develop expertise in performance diagnosis, and it should be clear whether they are supposed to learn better or something else. This paper examines learningad performance diagnosis, separately and in relation to each other, asthey function in organization systems. Using a three-levels of performance model, the relationship between learning and performance diagnosis are examined at the individual, process, and organizational levels.     

Organizational Culture and Socio‐cultural Values: Perceptions of Managers and Employees in Five Economies in Transition

This survey‐based study compared socio‐cultural values and perceptions of organizational culture characteristics held by more than 3,300 managers and employees in twelve business organizations in Hungary, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. Significant differences were found between the five countries on all socio‐cultural and organizational culture dimensions. The relationship between socio‐cultural values and the organizational culture perceptions was only moderately significant. The paper concludes with implications for professionals seeking to enhance organizations' performance in these countries and suggestions for further research.