A Framework for New Scholarship in Human Performance Technology

This article introduces a strategic argument and examples, in subsequent articles in this special issue, about sociocultural research opportunities for HPT practitioners and scholars. The authors take the view that recent criticisms of Instructional Systems Design have merit when considered from an organizational performance point of view. We see the problem as historic overuse of one theoretical perspective at a microlevel of theory and application. We argue that adding recent sociocultural perspectives and expanding the levels of theory to include groups and complex organizational structures will offer an opportunity for more rigorous and diverse research agenda and create new insights for problem solving in practice.     

Evaluation in the Design of Complex Systems

We identify literature that argues the process of creating knowledge‐based system is often imbalanced. In most knowledge‐based systems, development is often technology‐driven instead of requirement‐driven. Therefore, we argue designers must recognize that evaluation is a critical link in the application of requirement‐driven development models because it provides the information that keeps the iterative developmental process on track. In this study we took a closer look at the decision‐making in the design of a complex performance system in a non‐profit organization. The purpose was to gain insights into the roles and functions of evaluation during the process of building a performance support system. This study adopted an exploratory case study as its inquiry method. Findings suggested that effective communication is as important a function to evaluation as is decision‐making, and that the implementation of evaluation seldom follows the textbook guidelines. That is, evaluation practice is a patchwork history of the designers' knowledge and experience. Further, neither complexity nor the informality of the evaluation protocols seems to influence the quality of decision‐making.     

How to Build a Better Online Community

There have been many attempts to design online communities of practices (CoPs) as social contexts in which teachers can work together for their professional development. In practice, however, the realization of such a community is far from what is promised in theory. One of the most significant reasons for online community failures is our general lack of understanding of the potential influences of teachers' of‐fline cultures. Thus, this study explores the interaction of online and offline teachers' cultures to better understand which offline cultural influences might affect teachers' participation in the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), an online community of practice hosted by the Center for Research on Learning and Technology (CRLT) at a mid‐western university. Using a qualitative case‐study approach, data were collected by conducting document analyses, holding online and face‐to‐face meetings, and conducting interviews with designers, researchers, and teachers. Weidentified seven cultural influences that negatively affected the teachers' rate of participation in the ILF: (1) lack of time, (2) their isolated working culture, (3) lack of reflection on their practices, (4) lack of technological support, (5) pressure from state‐mandated standards, (6) pre‐existing mistrust directed at the university, and (7) preferences for face‐to‐face interaction. These findings will inform future designers, so that they may continue to improve the utility of online CoPs for teachers' professional development.     

Communities of Practice in Workplaces

Since the 1990s we have seen an increase in consideration of social and cultural aspects of learning as a way to foster organizational learning and human performance. Despite strong interest among practitioners and scholars, the study of organizational learning is lacking in empirical research. The study described here calls attention to the importance of informal learning in designing effective learning environments for the training of professionals. The study examines how people share and construct their knowledge in a Public Defender's Office and conclude that there are six attributes of communities of practice (CoPs) that serve as scaffolding for organizational learning. The attributes are (1) a group of professionals, (2) development of a shared meaning, (3) informal network, (4) supportive culture‐trust, (5) engagement in knowledge building, and (6) individuals' negotiation and development of professional identities. Implications for education and training in relation to the concept of CoPs are discussed.     

An Instructional Development Model for Global Organizations: The GOaL model

While there is a great demand to share training programs globally, there are few methodologies to implement effective instructional development processes in multicultural organizations. Based on lessons learned from a Fortune 500 company, this article presents an instructional development model for global organizations. Three main gaps are identified in a practice of instructional design (ID) model for international settings: language, culture, and needs gaps at local sites. In order to solve these problems, the proposed model includes a decentralized process and collaborative efforts between the originating site and local sites. The virtues of the proposed model are just-in-time training, flexibility, and adequateness. The current situations in global organizations are ill-structured and require the sharing of multiple perspectives through collaboration in order to accomplish social consensus. The characteristics in the presently proposed model are that a) there is limited predetermined content, b) there is a sharing of multiple perspectives, c) there is needs negotiation, and d) learning is occurring within a context.