Innovation and Performance Improvement Integration

G2000's HR Execution Excellence—Retail Attendance System was one of the innovative projects to receive the ISPI Award of Excellence in 2016. It is a continuous improvement project that applies the concept of holistic human performance improvement using an ISPI human performance technology (HPT) model (ISPI, 2012) to streamline the front‐end and back‐end processes of our Retail Attendance System. As a result, it leads us to achieve one of our business goals: employment regulatory compliance. In our case, the project team was tasked with seeking solutions to ensure that the payroll process for retail staff could be performed accurately and in a timely manner. After applying the HPT model to conduct the gap analysis and identify the causes or factors that were limiting our performance, we integrated the concept of human‐centered design approach at the solution‐design phase of the project, to lead us to innovative solutions.     

Where social and professional networking meet: The virtual association chapter

Online Capella University wanted to sponsor an International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) chapter. Using social networking platforms, a new type of chapter was designed. The virtual chapter breaks new ground on more than the chapter's platform; it is also the first university‐sponsored chapter and has a unique approach to accomplishing chapter work. Service orientation, technological innovation, and alignment to the society's strategy helped the ISPI Capella University Virtual Chapter become a Chapter of Excellence.     

Training older workers and learners: Maximizing the performance of an aging workforce by James L. Moseley and Joan Conway Dessinger

JAMES L. MOSELEY is associate professor of instructional technology at Wayne State University College of Education. He teaches program evaluation and human performance technology courses and advises graduate students at the doctoral level. He has won numerous awards for teaching and mentoring and frequently consults with business and industry. JOAN CONWAY DESSINGER is a senior consultant and founder of the Lake Group, a consulting firm that specializes in analyzing, designing, developing, and evaluating workplace learning and performance interventions. Moseley and Dessinger have coauthored five books, and, with colleague Darlene Van Tiem, received the 2001 and 2003 ISPI Award for Excellence in Instructional Communication. In 2007, Moseley and Dessinger won ISPI's Outstanding Human Performance Communication Award for coauthoring Confirmative Evaluation. Training Older Workers and Learners: Maximizing the Performance of an Aging Workforce (ISBN 978‐0‐7879‐8117‐4) is published by Pfeiffer (price: $50.00). This publisher may be reached online at http://www.pfeiffer.com.     

Abstracts for Performance Improvement Quarterly,volume 23, issue 2

Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer‐reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of human performance technology (HPT) through publishing scholarly works. Its emphasis is on human performance technologies such as front‐end analysis or evaluation. It also offers literature reviews and experimental studies with a scholarly base, and some case studies. Below you will find abstracts for articles appearing in PIQ 23(2). ISPI members may subscribe at the member rate of $45. Call ISPI today at 301‐587‐8570 to subscribe.     

Abstracts for Performance Improvement Quarterly,volume 23, issue 4

Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer‐reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of human performance technology (HPT) through publishing scholarly works. Its emphasis is on human performance technologies such as front‐end analysis or evaluation. It also offers literature reviews and experimental studies with a scholarly base, and some case studies. Below you will find abstracts for articles appearing in PIQ 23(4). ISPI members may subscribe at the member rate of $45. Call ISPI today at 301‐587‐8570 to subscribe.     

Abstracts for Performance Improvement Quarterly,volume 24, issue 4

Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer‐reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of human performance technology (HPT) through publishing scholarly works. Its emphasis is on human performance technologies such as front‐end analysis or evaluation. It also offers literature reviews and experimental studies with a scholarly base, and some case studies. Below you will find abstracts for articles appearing in PIQ 24(4). ISPI members may subscribe at the member rate of $45. Call ISPI today at 301‐587‐8570 to subscribe.     

Abstracts for Performance Improvement Quarterly,Volume 24, Issue 2

Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer‐reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of human performance technology (HPT) through publishing scholarly works. Its emphasis is on human performance technologies such as front‐end analysis or evaluation. It also offers literature reviews and experimental studies with a scholarly base, and some case studies. Below you will find abstracts for articles appearing in PIQ 24(2). ISPI members may subscribe at the member rate of $45. Call ISPI today at 301‐587‐8570 to subscribe.     

Strategic Planning: From Training to Performance Technology Within Three Years

Many corporate Human Resource Development (HRD) department staff are type-cast as trainers. They have tried to become human performance technologists and have found it difficult to accomplish. This article describes how developing and implementing a set of strategic plans guided one HRD department through its evolution from delivering conventional training to delivering multiple performance improvement interventions. It will show how projects were selected, developed, and managed over a three-year period to meet the customer's critical business issues and the HRD department's strategic plan.     

Abstracts for Performance Improvement Quarterly,Volume 23, Issue 1

Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer‐reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of human performance technology (HPT) through publishing scholarly works. Its emphasis is on human performance technologies such as front‐end analysis or evaluation. It also offers literature reviews and experimental studies with a scholarly base, and some case studies. Below you will find abstracts for articles appearing in PIQ 23(1). ISPI members may subscribe at the member rate of $45. Call ISPI today at 301‐587‐8570 to subscribe.     

Historical background for HPT certification standard 2, take a systems view,part 1

The first four ISPI Certification Standards (referred to as RSVP) assert that excellent human performance technology (HPT) work achieves results (R) that are system enhancing (S) and value adding (V) through partnering (P). This two‐part series demonstrates that the system standard (S) reflects and supports ideas that have been part of the performance improvement field since before ISPI was founded in 1961. The purpose is to emphasize and clarify what taking a systemic view means in practice.     

Measuring the Results of Performance Improvement Interventions

In this study, a web‐based questionnaire was used to measure attitudes of members of a professional performance improvement organization relative to adoption and implementation of Level 4 or results‐oriented evaluation. Participants were 274 members of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). It was expected that frequency of Level 4 evaluation use could be explained by innovation diffusion or change variables. Findings suggest that the adoption of effective performance improvement measurement systems and processes at the organizational level is relatively low compared to other types of evaluation. This level of adoption is impacted by a complex array of factors. Stakeholder participation in the adaptation of evaluation systems to increase their compatibility with current practices, and experimentation with this type of evaluation on a limited or trial basis may increase the rate of adoption. Management support of the development and adaptation of a results‐oriented evaluation system is seen as providing the opportunity for the change process to move forward. Implications for diffusion of this type of evaluation within organizations will be discussed within the context of a HPT Change framework.     

The ISPI HPT model applied to a university television broadcast system upgrade

This is a case study describing the application of the traditional ISPI human performance technology (HPT) model at CHWK, a campus television channel broadcast from a southeastern American university cable system. CHWK's issues with delivery options, labor‐intense work flow, and continual staff training were identified as the performance problems. Computerization of the system, including the installation of new hardware and data processing methods, was recommended as the intervention to solve the performance problem.     

Evaluating impact: Evaluation and continual improvement for performance improvement practitioners by Ingrid Guerra‐Lopez

Ingrid Guerra‐Lopez, PhD, is an assistant professor at Wayne State University. She publishes, teaches, consults, and also conducts research in the areas of organizational effectiveness, performance evaluation, needs assessment and analysis, and strategic alignment. She earned her master's and doctoral degrees from Florida State University. She is co‐author of Practical Evaluation for Educators: Finding What Works and What Doesn't with Roger Kaufman and Bill Platt. Evaluating Impact (ISBN:1‐59996‐051‐6) is published by HRD Press and ISPI (price $19.95). The publisher may be reached online at http://www.hrdpress.com or by telephone at 800‐822‐2891.     

How are we doing? “Best of ISPI” Appreciative Inquiry member survey

The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Board of Directors undertook a study to uncover the “best of ISPI” to enhance their strategic planning. The approach used Appreciative Inquiry methods, which emphasize discovering “what's working.” This article describes the study and concludes with some thoughts on how to use this information to enrich member experiences and provide new benefits.     

Change,choices, and consequences: A guide to mega thinking and planning by Roger Kaufman,CPT

Roger Kaufman, CPT, is professor emeritus from Florida State University, director of Roger Kaufman & Associates, and Distinguished Research Professor at the Sonora Institute of Technology. He has published 38 books and over 250 articles on strategic planning, performance improvement, quality management and continuous improvement, needs assessment, management, and evaluation. Change, Choices, and Consequences (ISBN: 0–87425–924‐X) is published by HRD Press and ISPI. The publisher may be reached online at www.hrdpress.com or by phone at 800–822–2801.     

Human Performance Technology and Knowledge Management: A Case Study

ABSTRACT As organizations respond to competitive environments and strive to enhance performance, knowledge management (KM) has increasingly become a strategic activity. A KM strategy entails consciously helping people share and put knowledge into action. A key challenge is how to develop and implement KM solutions that provide performance support to knowledge workers and seamlessly integrate KM into business processes. We propose that human performance technology (HPT) provides a systematic framework to help guide KM initiatives. Specifically, HPT provides a holistic view of a knowledge worker's performance environment by considering the complex interdependencies between the organizational context, business processes, and individual performers. Via a case study, we describe and illustrate how HPT guided one organization in its journey to identify the content and structure to best support performance and manage knowledge in a core business process. Based on the case study, we offer lessons for other firms on how HPT can be used to guide KM initiatives.     

Historical background for HPT Certification Standard 2, take a systems view,part 2

The theory, research, and validated application literatures show that systems concepts have been part of the field for more than 50 years. Relevant practices, including use of a validated systems model, specific process improvement and management technology, and organization performance improvement technology, were first developed during the 1960s and 1970s. ISPI Certification Standards were developed in that historical context and require exemplary work in the field to take a systems view to achieve value‐adding results.     

Modified team‐based learning strategy to improve human anatomy learning: A pilot study at the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla,Colombia

As part of an institutional program sponsored by the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia, we developed an educational research study on two sessions of human anatomy in which we combined team‐based learning (TBL) and the use of iPads. Study data included the TBL, assessments applied during the course, student's grades on mid‐term examinations and students' perceptions of their experiences. Students reported a positive attitude toward the use of the TBL sessions, and the results showed a significant improvement in their learning between the first and second sessions. Significantly positive correlations (P < 0.05) were obtained between (a) the individual students' readiness test performance 1 and mid‐term examination 1, (b) the individual readiness test performances from Session 1 to Session 2, and (c) the group readiness test performances from the first and second sessions. These results point to positive learning experiences for these students. Analyses of the students' reflections on their activities also pointed toward future challenges. Anat Sci Educ 7: 399–405. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.     

Key Competencies Required of Performance Improvement Professionals

Despite the growing literature about the criticality of a performance focus in our field, the literature on empirically formulated competencies for performance improvement professionals reflecting this shift has been scarce (Dean, 1999). While this study was being conducted (2000–2001), there were no formally recognized standards to guide performance improvement professionals. What the literature did offer was standards for instructional designers, specifically, the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI) released the third edition of Instructional Design Competencies: The Standards (Ritchey et al., 2000). Around this same time, The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) was simultaneously, and independently, working on developing such standards. This study pursued similar efforts through two overarching purposes. The first purpose was to identify competencies required of competent performance improvement professionals. While previous studies had generally addressed what constitutes ideal practice, no data had been collected on current practice. Thus, the second purpose was to determine how often performance improvement practitioners believed they (1) should be, and (2) are currently applying each of the identified competencies. The relationships and gaps between these two indicators were also examined.     

What ISPI and performance improvement mean to me

This year, the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) celebrates its 50th anniversary. Over the past half century, our field has moved from programmed instruction to performance and instruction to performance improvement. This new column reflects on 50 years of member memories and what the organization and the field have meant to each of this column's contributors. If you would like to add to the dialogue, please contact the PI journal editors: publications@ispi.org