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.     

Employee engagement and performance management in the federal sector

Much research has demonstrated that employee engagement is significantly correlated with positive organizational outcomes such as productivity, customer satisfaction, and reduced absenteeism. This article focuses on the importance of effective performance management in driving engagement. The results of a government‐wide survey of federal employees are reported. Every one of the 37 positive performance management practices reviewed was employed more widely in the agencies with the highest percentages of engaged employees.     

Organizational effectiveness and mission orientations of two-year colleges

This study investigated the applicability of Cameron's (1978, 1983) nine dimensions of organizational effectiveness in a nationally representative sample of two-year colleges and examined differences in those dimensions for colleges that had decidedly different mission orientations. The results strongly support the applicability of these nine dimensions of organizational effectiveness in two-year colleges and indicate that the effectiveness of these institutions varies significantly depending on their mission orientation. From a global perspective, it appears that two-year colleges with tripartite and dual missions are the most and least effective, respectively, while those with a singular mission occupy a middle position. The implications of these findings for research on the effectiveness of two-year colleges and for initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of their management practices and institutional performance are discussed.An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Boston, November 1991.     

中国大陆教师专业学习社群的内涵与发展——基于对上海市中小学的调查研究

国际上越来越多的研究表明,专业学习社群能够促进教师专业发展及推动学校变革。本研究对专业学习社群进行概念化,并基于中国的学校背景,探索出一套教师专业学习社群的表现指标,对上海市7所中小学进行抽样调查。运用主成分分析法对数据进行分析,得到适用于中国大陆的指标体系,并进一步分析教师专业学习社群的内涵与发展状况。研究发现,所调查的学校在教师合作学习、专业能力、校长领导、结构支持方面均具有良好的表现,且组织变革障碍不大。可通过改善校长领导和结构支持,控制学校内部的组织变革障碍等途径促进教师合作学习和专业能力的发展,以进一步促进教师专业学习社群的发展。     

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.     

Implications of job rotation literature for performance improvement practitioners

Job rotations have existed as a means of developing individual knowledge and skills since the industrial revolution, and in today's dynamic global workplace, they afford organizations an opportunity to manage changing psychological work contracts and employee desires for self‐managed careers. Through the systematic mining of psychology, business, management, and educational databases, this literature review provides a summary of job rotation practices, individual and organizational benefits, likely costs associated with job rotations, and implications for practitioners. Findings indicate that while employees seek learning and marketability over job security and stability, organizations strive to maintain continuity and internal growth and development of their workforce. Job rotations can appease both individuals and organizations through enhanced knowledge and skills, facilitation of greater job satisfaction, and identification of individual strengths for optimal organizational performance. However, these benefits come at a price to the individual and the organization in the form of increased work/life conflict, potentially higher training costs, and possible lower work unit morale. Conclusions are presented on the practical implications and recommendations for implementing job rotations and integrating the practice into performance improvement models.     

Performance analysis case study of United States to India software development migration process

This performance analysis case study examines the migration of Custom Software Solutions, Inc. software development and maintenance, according to Gilbert's (1996) human performance theory, from teams in the United States to teams in India. Findings reveal the need for changes in project management guidelines, cross‐team communication, resources, and organizational clarity. Suggested interventions include improving project management and organizational communication practices and establishing new protocols such as Web‐based project forums and interactive learning modules.     

The KAIZEN Leader: Continuously Improving Administration

Organizations need high levels of human performance from all personnel, including leaders. Unfortunately, standard organizational practices in selecting and promoting leaders reinforce behaviors that interfere with high performance from them and those they supervise. The leap from current performance levels to high performance must occur in incremental steps based on a theory of management that requires nothing less than cultural and personal change. This article defines the term “KAIZEN” and describes the changes leaders must make in their attitudes and behavior if they are to create continuously improving organizations.     

Organizational Learning Capacity, Evaluative Inquiry and Readiness for Change in Schools: Views and Perceptions of Educators

In recent review of the literature on integrating evaluative inquiry into organizational culture, Cousins, Goh, Clark and Lee [Cousins, J.B., Goh, S., Clark, S. & Lee, L. (2004). Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation 19(2), 99–144] suggest that there is a link between evaluative inquiry and organizational learning in schools. However, there have been no published studies examining the views, perceptions and importance teachers and administrators attach to these practices and activities in their schools. This article reports results from a survey of 970 educators about their views on both of these topics – organizational learning and evaluation. Teachers and school administrators in 41 middle and secondary schools in Manitoba, Canada, responded to questions about current evaluation practices, attitudes towards evaluation and experience with systematic inquiry, as well as organizational learning capacity, school support structures and their readiness for evaluation and change. The survey results suggest that educators perceive their schools to have a moderate capacity for organizational learning. Similarly, respondents indicated that a moderate to low level of evaluation activity is currently taking place in their schools. Some implications for change in building a learning capacity and an evaluative inquiry culture in schools and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

借鉴企业管理提升高职院校管理水平和组织效能

随着时代的变迁及管理概念的兴盛，社会对于高等职业教育的要求日趋严格，借鉴现代企业管理理论和成功经验，运用有效的企业管理技术手段，以获取更高的组织效能及提升教学服务品质，是高等职业院校之必然走向。该文之主旨即通过向企业学习，借鉴和运用企业管理理论和经验，以战略为核心，以质量为重点，以绩效为目标，以服务为导向，从而有效提升高职院校管理水平和组织效能。     

Technical Training Evaluation Practices in the United States

Surveys have consistently shown that training evaluation is not as widely utilized as many think it should be. This study sought to determine the extent to which technical training, which is often thought to be easier to evaluate but has not been studied, utilizes accepted evaluation techniques. A survey was sent to a random sample of 334 members of the ASTD Technical and Skills Training Professional Practice Area, resulting in a usable response rate of 35%. Data were gathered on the types and methods of evaluation used, reasons for not evaluating, organizational training practices, and selected demographic information. The results showed that technical training evaluation practices were essentially the same as those reported for training in general. Furthermore, an examination of historical benchmarks showed that evaluation practices have not changed much in the last forty years. These findings suggest the need for a new research agenda on organizational training decision‐making processes.     

Retaining Staff Employees: The Relationship Between Human Resources Management Strategies and Organizational Commitment

Organizational behavior studies suggest that employee retention is dependent upon levels of organizational commitment. This study focused on the potential influence that human resources management (HRM) strategies have on organizational commitment levels among staff employees. The study collected data on human resources practices at thirty-four public institutions of higher education. In addition, staff employees from six of these institutions completed a survey measuring affective, continuance, and normative organizational commitment levels. Statistical analysis procedures found significant relationships between the HRM strategies and two of the commitment constructs, indicating that certain HRM strategies can affect organizational commitment and potentially influence turnover.     

The mediating effect of team‐level knowledge creation on organizational procedural justice and team performance improvement

This study examines how organizational procedural justice affects team performance through team‐level knowledge creation practices and the extent to which these practices mediate the association between organizational procedural justice and team performance. The target samples were drawn from six organizations in Korea. A total of 348 cases were used for this study. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed research framework. The results indicate that all the direct paths among the research variables were statistically significant. In addition, this research confirms the mediating effect of knowledge creation practices in the relationship between organizational procedural justice and team performance. Conclusions, implications for human performance technology, limitations of the study, and further research also are discussed.     

Transformational School Leadership Effects: A Replication

Most school restructuring initiatives assume significant capacity development on the part of individuals, as well as whole organizations; they also depend on high levels of motivation and commitment to solving the substantial problems associated with the implementation of restructuring initiatives. Transformational approaches to leadership have long been advocated as productive under these conditions, and evidence suggests that transformational practices do contribute to the development of capacity and commitment. Much less evidence is available, however, about whether these socio-psychological effects actually result in organizational change and enhanced organizational outcomes. Survey data from an achieved sample of 1818 teachers and 6490 students from 94 elementary schools in one large district were used to replicate an earlier study of the effects of transformational leadership practices on selected organizational conditions and student engagement with school. Similar in most respects to our earlier study, results demonstrated strong significant effects of such leadership on organizational conditions, and moderate but still significant total effects on student engagement.     

建立乡镇领导干部长效激励机制研究

长效激励机制是干部队伍管理的有效手段,旨在正确引导干部的工作动机,有效提升工作绩效,使组织目标与自身需要有机统一。乡镇领导干部是推动基层工作的骨干力量,是加强党的执政能力建设的直接实践者,也是发展低碳经济、建设低碳社会的基层领导核心。重新审视乡镇领导干部的动机与需求,分析当前乡镇领导干部激励机制面临的新情况、新问题,着...     

Correlation Between Organizational Culture and Compensation Strategies Using Charles Handy's Typology

Alignment between management strategies, policies, and practices with organizational cultures holds great potential to meet the challenges of retaining professionals and maintaining their commitment. In this article, authors consider that when it is aligned with company strategy, compensation acts as an incentive for developing common visions within organizational culture.     

有效人力资源管理实践活动:概化观和权变观

与组织绩效密切相关的人力资源管理实践活动即为有效的实践活动,对有效人力资源管理实践活动的研究出现在人力资源管理模式中。有效人力资源管理实践活动的概化观认为人力资源管理各模块之间关系密切且复杂,活动之间的相互支持和匹配组合模式(即一致性)能提高组织绩效。从对组织绩效的贡献来看,一些人力资源实践活动组合要优于其他组合。权变观则认为没有普遍使用的实践或组合,不同战略背景的组织其管理实践组合有显著差异,战略选择是重要的权变因素。     

Managing knowledge performance: testing the components of a knowledge management system on organizational performance

The main purpose of the current study is to validate the framework of knowledge management (KM) capabilities created by Gold (Towards a theory of organizational knowledge management capabilities. Doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) 2001) in a study of South Korean companies. However, the original framework did not provide a thorough explanation of the effect of incentives, which motivate and encourage the knowledge management process. In this study, the modified framework that includes incentives in the knowledge infrastructure capability was tested. Moreover, since there is a weak linkage between KM and organizational performance, this study used empirical evidence to identify the relationship between KM capabilities (KMC) and four perspectives of organizational performance. Since structural equation modeling (SEM) is mostly used to describe causal relationships among unobserved (latent) and observed variables, this study used SEM procedures to determine whether there were any structural relationships between knowledge management capabilities and four perspectives of organizational performance. Moreover, the SEM procedure is “a statistical test to find whether a model fits a set of data, whether it matches a theoretical expectation” (Vogt, Dictionary of statistics & methodology. Sage Publications Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, p 135, 2005). Therefore, this study also used SEM procedures to test a hypothesized model that had a good fit indicates that the model adequately describes the sample data. This study assumed that knowledge management capabilities could be divided into two types: knowledge infrastructure and process capabilities. The original hypothesized model showed that there was a positive relationship between knowledge management capabilities and organizational performance, but the overall model fit was insufficient to be accepted, because knowledge infrastructure and process capabilities were highly correlated. This study proposed two alternative models to find the best fit and found that knowledge infrastructure and process capabilities should be combined under the higher-order latent variable as subordinate latent variables. Lastly, there was a positive relationship between KMC and organizational performance. This study might not be free from common method bias to some degrees. It would be better to divide participants into two groups to respond to either the knowledge management capabilities survey or the organizational performance survey and to investigate the correlation between them. There are two main contributions for the field of knowledge management. First, this study attempted to integrate the fragmented literature of knowledge management into a holistic view and develop a framework for knowledge management. Moreover, this study found that there is a strong and positive relationship between KM infrastructure and process, which could refer that, to improve organizational performance, an organization should support KM processes, as well as build decent KM infrastructure. The results of this study would help KM practitioners to advocate the importance of KM to top managements.     

Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation

Classroom assessment is central to effective teaching and learning, making assessment literacy a core component for teacher education. The present study explores self-reported, differentiated assessment practices of Malaysian in-service teachers. The practices were evaluated using an analytic framework that was developed based upon the existing literature on components of differentiation. Data were collected from 32 in-service teachers using open-ended survey questionnaires. Twelve of the teachers also participated in in-depth interviews. Documents provided by the teachers were also analyzed. Data from the open-ended survey were analyzed using NVivo11 to develop codes for the analytic framework. The findings offer insights into teachers’ knowledge, application, and interpretation of differentiated assessment practices. The discussion explores teachers’ explanations of their own practices and, further, recommends ways to improve knowledge and application of differentiated assessment. The implications of the findings are discussed for assessment literacy-related professional development for teachers, school management and policies to facilitate implementation of differentiated assessment.     

Teachers’ conceptions of effective teaching and their teaching practices: a mixed-method approach

This study investigated Iranian high school teachers’ conceptions of effective teaching and examined the relationship of those conceptions to their teaching practices. The authors tried to achieve the purpose through questionnaires, observation, and interview. These teachers identified ‘being student-focused’ and ‘being exam-oriented’ as the most important indicators of effectiveness. ‘Encouraging the students’ involvement in learning,’ ‘being exam-oriented,’ and ‘using the novelty of methods’ were identified as the most common teaching practices. A high consistency between the teachers’ conception of effective teaching and their corresponding teaching practices was observed. Interview and observation confirmed the results of the survey. Implications for teacher professional development, teaching standards, and teacher improvement are discussed.