by Guy W. Wallace, CPT


In Part Two of this three-part series, we focus on some common misconceptions and some very important concepts and precepts of empowerment.

Misconceptions Regarding Empowerment
Empowerment seems very logical and very simple at first blush. What is wrong with pushing the decision-making power further down into the organization? Many misconceptions abound, and the issues that empowerment raises are really more complex than they seem.

The first misconception is that empowerment exists as a powerful tool or technique on its own. Not true. Empowerment is a management tool or technique and requires a total systems approach, shared information, and better communications. Empowerment requires that the systems of performance improvement and sustainment be in place to support its efforts: improvement targeting, improvement teaming, hands-on and supportive leadership, reward systems, communication systems, and so forth. It cannot exist in a vacuum.

Second, employees may feel very strongly that if they have been empowered by management, their power is now absolute. Either they are empowered fully, or they are not empowered at all. The act or process of becoming empowered—of empowering—may not be fully understood. Just as personnel in the armed forces must earn their stripes, teams must earn the right to make decisions.

Management has to feel confident that, when they are handing over decision-making power, sound decisions will be made. When management does not have the most complete information to make the right decision but the empowered employee or team does, then the person or team should be empowered.

People need to realize that empowerment does not mean the right to dictate each decision. Decisions should always be made by the party most capable, given the particular situation and information known in regard to the issue.

There needs to be an understanding, however, that the individual’s or team’s decisions may be reversed by management without substantial rationale or support. It is a fact of life that you will not always know why things happen the way they do.

The third misconception is that it is easy to get from here to there, or that it is not a road fraught with pitfalls. Empowerment does not happen with a “quantum leap.” It requires a carefully orchestrated series of “baby steps.” You know, walk before you run; crawl before you walk; roll over before you crawl; lie there and observe before you even attempt to make your first move.

Concepts and Precepts of Empowerment
We are not presenting a definitive statement on empowerment, because there is not one readily agreed to by all involved in this issue. There are too many qualifiers required in a real world full of variability and change. One size will not fit all. So we must beg off with a list of concepts and precepts related to empowerment.

Concepts Related to Empowerment
Empowerment will result in better business decisions. If the decisions are made at the correct level, they will be informed decisions made through consensus rather than decisions made with limited information in a vacuum.

Empowerment should speed the decision-making process. When the right people are empowered as a team to work out an issue, they will not need to go continually “up the ladder” for approvals and incur additional requirements and delays.

Decisions are best made at the appropriate levels or job positions closest to the action (the source of the problem or solution). No one else can understand these issues or opportunities with greater clarity. No one hears the complaints or sees indications of dissatisfaction more frequently than they do.

Empowerment should be given to teams with cross-function or discipline expertise. Decisions are best made based on fact, not opinion. Facts are pieces of information derived from data. But usually, all the data and information do not exist at any one level or location.

Decisions to be made by the empowered should be duly influenced by all of the potentially conflicting requirements of the various stakeholder groups. These requirements need to be understood, sorted out, and balanced.

Employees do want to produce quality work and be proud of and satisfied with their work. Recognition, such as positive feedback from management, suppliers, or the customer, plays an important part in ensuring employee satisfaction. Rewards such as salary raises, gain-sharing bonuses, benefits, and so forth also affirm a job well done.

Precepts Related to Empowerment
Empowerment will never be absolute. Empowerment at the individual or team level will never result in the absolute best decision for the combined needs of all the stakeholders. There will be times when management must and should pull back the reins of decision making or reverse a decision made, and times when they will not fully explain their actions.

Empowerment inherently involves risks. Management needs to develop reward and consequence systems that reward the “baby steps.” Risk taking will severely decline if failures are unacceptable or met with punishment. The efforts of all teams and individuals need to be rewarded equally. Both failures and successes present opportunities for learning. It has to be culturally acceptable to try and fail for the lessons learned from failure to be shared. That means negative consequences for failures need to be removed from the work environment and neutral consequences put in place. And people will not now want to fail!

The success or failure of empowerment is within the control of management. Management must create the vision, sell the story, walk the talk, support and encourage, and truly communicate. Management must invest in the resources necessary to train all of those involved in the process and provide the tools necessary, even for themselves. Management must be willing to be upfront about their mistakes. They must open the environment to allow for communication upward, downward, and diagonally. They must remove any threats to the employees. They must support the slogans by their actions. People will listen, but most will watch, waiting to see whether management action is truly supporting the empowerment message being delivered.

In Part Three, we will finish with some guidance on the “baby steps” you might take in implementing empowerment in your organization. If you are interested in reading Part One of the article series found in the September issue, click here.

Guy W. Wallace, CPT, and past President of ISPI, has been an external performance improvement consultant since 1982 and has served over 39 Fortune 500 firms. His specialty is performance-based Curriculum Architecture Design, having recently completed his 74th CAD project. He may be reached via his website http://www.eppic.biz/.

Note: Modified from the original article printed in Pursuing Performance, Summer 2005 by EPPIC, Inc.

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Management must create the vision, sell the story, walk the talk, support and encourage, and truly communicate.



by Carol Haig, CPT, and Roger Addison, CPT, EdD


Our TrendSpotter this month provides an inside perspective on business trends. Tony Wickham is a Learning and Organizational Development Consultant at Kimberly-Clark Corp., a global supplier of health and hygiene products headquartered in the United States, where he is focused on organizational design and effectiveness in learning development. Tony may be reached at twickham@kcc.com.

Tony highlighted two significant trends that will change how employees do their work and how performance improvement will be different in his organization. Happily, these trends link to the outside perspective on business processes provided by Paul Elliott in the August 2005 issue.

Significant Trends
First, Kimberly-Clark is redesigning its organization to be more effective in global growth and profitability, using the STAR model. As part of that strategy, they are moving to business process alignment to improve capabilities that better meet customer needs and expectations, and to establish a strong connection with customers, shoppers, choosers, and users of their products. (Click here to read a related interview with Paul Harmon.) A key driver is their recently launched SAP implementation. The organization is experiencing some interesting challenges because they have been operating from a process-centric business model, aligned to a hybrid of business metrics, such as market share, function metrics, and sales goals. The nature of the SAP suite of applications will shift the organization to enterprise processes that will move them toward business process alignment, that is, consideration of how processes impact each other across business lines.

Additional trends have included organization redesign and mergers and acquisitions. The former will play an increasingly important role in the future to gain the efficiencies and synergies necessary to reach aggressive financial goals. Organizing effectively at a high level and then orchestrating all the essential activities is a continual challenge.

Implications for Organizational Results
As processes are aligned across the enterprise, there is the potential for huge savings in eliminating duplication of efforts among functions and businesses, such as accounting, which could be centralized at the enterprise level. As the implementation proceeds, the organization will identify other leverage points to achieve similar economies of scale. Ultimately, corporate income will improve as a result of business process alignment.

A particularly attractive feature of the SAP package is its performance management system. It will create and then support a feedback system for performers that could become a cornerstone of Kimberly-Clark’s corporate culture. The resulting performance feedback provided will be of higher quality than it is today and will be easier for employees to act on. Training on how to give feedback effectively will be provided to all leaders. Most significantly, feedback training will become part of a larger menu of leadership skills training currently in development.

SAP will eventually enable the alignment of business goals from the top of the organization to the bottom. All employees will see where they fit in and how their performance goals roll up through the structure.

The broad, enterprise view of the business that SAP provides will help the organization focus on success. SAP will make it possible for Kimberly-Clark to align with their large retail customers, through point-of-sale inventory control, for example, to more accurately predict buying trends and provide more precise customer, shopper, chooser, and user information for the supply chain.

Challenges parallel to those of business process alignment are expected as the organization analyzes the centralization of duplicate functions across businesses and, where it applies, for each merger or acquisition and the merits of economies of scale are explored.

Implications of These Trends for Employees
Because business process alignment is well served by large-scale implementations like SAP by bringing focus to the processes of the larger enterprise, jobs will change their emphasis from individual functions to cross-functional processes. There is likely to be a significant change in the context of work performed. Indeed, the work environment will be very different. For example, SAP shifts data-entry work to the employees receiving raw materials to be converted to a finished product, freeing others to focus on identifying business improvement opportunities and information analysis to support business decisions.

A critical issue derived from business process alignment, organization redesign, and ongoing mergers and acquisitions is that, historically, little attention has been paid to the effects of these trends on employees. Fortunately, a new high-level process is in development to align business procedures and jobs.

Effect on Tony’s Responsibilities
Currently, Tony is engaged in identifying employee issues that will be surfaced during the SAP implementation. The expected end result is the alignment of procedures and jobs. As an understanding of the importance of employees in this implementation grows, Tony reports increasing emphasis on organizational effectiveness and the performance drivers at the individual, process, and organization levels.

Along with this increased awareness is the transition from a training approach to one emphasizing performance improvement. This means moving from designing training to designing performance systems. At the individual and team levels, the change supports Tony and his colleagues in their efforts to design the right environment and the right feedback systems to further performance and helps internal clients see their performance consultants as valued partners at all three levels.

Internal clients benefit specifically because rather than just responding to training requests, Tony’s group will be able to spend the time on diagnosis so that the prescribed performance system provides the support needed for improved results.

Finally, attending ISPI’s 43rd Annual International Performance Improvement Conference in Vancouver reinforced Tony’s thinking about performance improvement and how best to approach it. He found much of what he has perceived supported by Human Performance Technology (HPT) and our research.

Potential Impacts for HPT
These trends draw attention to the importance of looking at the lower levels of your organization during large-scale system implementation, organization redesign, and mergers or acquisitions to ensure that the impacts on employees are thoroughly evaluated and addressed.

There is a strong need to properly diagnose, prescribe, and then design performance systems that support implementations and the employees involved.

Finally, performance consultants need good tools for use at all three levels.

Advice to New HPT Practitioners
Tony emphasizes the value of networking, both inside and outside your organization, to tap into different collegial perspectives. ISPI is an excellent place to build or expand your professional network. And finally, aim to address performance at all three levels of the organization, not just at the individual and team levels.

If you have been spotting trends that may be of interest to the PerformanceXpress readership, contact Carol Haig, CPT, at carolhaig@earthlink.net or http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ecarolhaig, or Roger Addison, CPT, EdD, at roger@ispi.org.

 
  


  

  



by William Solomonson, CPT


I feel truly privileged to have worked with some great people over the years. From both the vendor side and the supplier side, I have been inspired by and have learned from talented, smart, and driven folks. But I am still amazed by two things: first, otherwise savvy organizations failing to recognize the importance of effectively evaluating their HPI initiatives, and second, the lack of overall alignment between those initiatives and the organization’s business goals.

Remember CPT Standard #1: Focus on Results and Help Clients Focus on Results
This primary standard has to do with keying in on the outcomes generated by a performance improvement initiative. By assuring business goals are incorporated into the design of an intervention and then measuring the results, we are in the vanguard in creating a metric that can improve performance company-wide and reinforce the importance of the performance improvement function to the organization’s health, competitiveness, and growth.

Though all stages of a project’s lifecycle are vital to its success and impact, it is in the earlier upstream phases of the HPT Model that the most profound effects on outcomes can occur.

Here’s how our team stayed focused on business goals during the Intervention Selection and Design phase of a specific training course. In March of 2003, we were challenged with the task of rewriting a sizable and outdated inventory management Web-based course for an automotive company. This course was part of a broader, blended performance improvement intervention that also included instructor-led workshops and asynchronous interactive CD-ROMs.

To rewrite the course, we had the following inputs:

  • A mostly outdated Web course
  • A more recently written multi-module workshop binder
  • SME interviews

Our client’s data from its own internal needs analysis pointed to a lack of knowledge of newer personnel as being a barrier to attaining their business goals. Therefore, an effective training solution to enhance the knowledge of these employees was a valid intervention. Knowing who the audience was not only told us what we needed to write, but just as important, how we needed to write it. Further, a Web-based delivery would ultimately be the most effective medium because it allowed employees the opportunity to study on their own time, when being away from their desk would not affect customer satisfaction, or their paycheck.

How to Determine Business Goals—Just Ask!
As part of the assessment phase of the project, we asked our client to share their business goals. For the fiscal year 2003, three principal business goals were identified:

  • Increasing customer business
  • Contributing to profitability
  • Increasing customer satisfaction

These business goals set the foundation upon which to build our courseware. All learning objectives specifically aligned with at least one of these business outcomes.

Through proper assessment, we identified the business goals and the audience. Our instructional design and development then followed this chronological process:

  • List the business goals
  • Identify the subject matter
  • Write the learning objectives
  • Develop content

The strength of this simple process is that it is rooted in the business goals, thereby aligning the entire design and development of the course on the focused results of the audience to attain these goals.

Springboarding Creativity
We had a chance to have some fun by aligning a specific learning element to a business goal. In the workshop binder there was a nice laminated job aid, a Dealership Receiving Guide, which walked personnel through the process of receiving, tracking discrepancies, and returning received materials as needed. Using this piece as a template, we created a Web-based Virtual Receiving Guide job aid which, through a series of algorithmic “yes-no” questions, walked employees through any possible situation when receiving an item.

In order to apply this virtual job aid in an experiential learning environment, we utilized it in a simulation in which the student role plays as an employee within a hypothetical store and must solve a complicated shipping scenario. The student then uses the interactive Virtual Receiving Guide to help solve the problem. We also created downloadable versions of the Virtual Receiving Guide for students’ desktops and a printable version for the wall of their offices or receiving areas.

As a tool, the Virtual Receiving Guide improved efficiency by reducing guesswork (and subsequent errors and corrections) and research, thus saving time. This increased efficiency allowed workers to accomplish more tasks per shift, which had a positive effect on profitability (business goal #2).

Final Thoughts
As performance improvement professionals, we are constantly challenged to look beyond the many processes, theories, and deliverables that most of us deal with on a daily basis and to describe specifically what we offer to achieving the business goals of the companies that give us our daily bread.

When the time comes for budgets to be cut, performance improvement initiatives are often near the top of the list. It would behoove us all to be able defend their value appropriately. By assuring that these interventions are aligned to business goals, have a positive impact on some aspect of the bottom line, and are measurable during the evaluation phase, we are armed with the data that justifies our efforts.

Note: © 2005 ASTD, Alexandria, VA. All rights reserved. Copyright September 2005 from ASTD Links. Reprinted with permission of American Society for Training & Development.

William Solomonson is Vice President of MCM Learning, a company that helps businesses improve their bottom line by empowering their employees to perform. He has worked on award-winning learning solutions for several Fortune 500 companies and received ASTD’s Certificate of Human Performance from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, as well as a Master’s Degree in Performance Improvement and Instructional Design. William is also an ASTD/ISPI Certified Performance Technologist. He may be reached at bill@mcmlearning.com.

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Though all stages of a project’s lifecycle are vital to its success and impact, it is in the earlier upstream phases of the HPT Model that the most profound effects on outcomes can occur.




The International Society for Performance Improvement in affiliation with JB2D Performance, Inc. now offers a workshop designed specifically for the Human Resources professional. On December 9, 2005, at the University of Phoenix, Bellevue Campus, in Bellevue, Washington, workshop participants will receive an orientation of Human Performance Technology (HPT), and how it can be used as the overall strategic methodology for the HR professional and HR function. You will be introduced to the HPT concepts and methodologies to uncover performance opportunities and identify solutions targeted toward organizational success factors. Practical application of the HPT concepts will be provided through case studies familiar to HR. You will use HPT to create systemic solutions for the deeper and broader organizational issues that show up as symptoms, such as employee lawsuits, high attrition, poor talent utilization, and low employee engagement.

The workshop is designed for HR professionals who are the corporate owners of the HR department or functional areas such as job design, staffing, compensation and incentive plans, reward and recognition systems, training and development, and “employer-of-choice” initiatives and who seek to learn about HPT; and for knowledgeable HPT practitioners who seek to partner better with HR.

Participants will be able to: 

  • Analyze work deliverables to determine opportunities to optimize the Total Human Resources System
  • Analyze systemic performance gaps and identify systemic root causes
  • Identify, prioritize, and customize worthwhile solutions that positively impact the Total Human Resources System

Participants will receive:

  • Participant’s guide, supplemental tools, and resources
  • Practical application through use of case study analyses
  • Development of systemic solutions
  • Collaborative active problem solving
  • And, lunch

For more information about this workshop, contact Jane Brenneman at (206) 264-7825 or HPT4HR@jb2dperformance.com. To register, click here. Seats are filling quickly!

 
  



by Captain Matthew Peters, CPT, ISPI Director


The Performance Improvement (PI) community is getting noticed across the corporate world. The standout work by legions of Human Performance Technology (HPT) practitioners is being recognized, and a wide variety of organizations are beginning to debate how they should best integrate this capability into their organizations.

What happens if you are asked about the pros and cons of institutionalizing PI at your company? As the local expert, you need to be prepared to provide some thoughts in these types of discussions. You need to be able to participate, and potentially take a leading role, in the design and implementation of a dedicated PI department in your company.

Follow your proven HPT processes in this effort. What is the exact requirement? What is the current capability? Who is the sponsor? What are the barriers to success? The benefits and risks to establishing a permanently staffed PI office should be captured from that perspective. Benefits could include the ability to leverage experts already familiar with the company, to continuously archive lessons learned, and to matrix work across the enterprise. Risks might include a potential loss of objectivity and a stagnant workforce.

But…how should you proceed if you are asked to establish a corporate HPT office? What should you do first? Although clearly different in size and scope, this effort would be very similar to establishing and maintaining a long-term consulting relationship with a client. Build on those concepts as you design your team and start to work. Keep it simple—you will be embarking on a journey, not an overnight project. Remember the following basic themes as you proceed:

  • Develop Champions. Gain clear and vocal support from both formal and informal leaders throughout your organization. Aggressively develop and nurture these partners. Do not take credit for early successes—invest in your champions by touting their sponsorship!

  • Build a “High Performance” Workforce. Recruit employees based on their proven work ethic and aptitude. Ensure they are a good fit with your team. It is more important to get the type of employee you want versus specific professional credentials. Continually emphasize improved workforce proficiency.

  • Constantly Deliver Value. Concepts and visions are great, but you have got to constantly deliver products! Start small and continually expand based on your core business. Do not oversell your capability, but show early and regular successes. Work short-term pilot projects and long-term strategic issues simultaneously.

  • Focus on Key Processes. Logically and systematically develop your new processes, and evolve your team’s efforts to retain agility, responsiveness, and efficiency. Institutionalize best practices to ensure quality control, but do not stifle productivity.

  • Communications. Manage expectations and ensure accountability. Showcase new capabilities as they mature. Use public affairs professionals to assist in the branding.

Finally, remember that you and your team are HPT experts. Be sure to maintain that focus as your reputation spreads. You will be asked to provide an increasing array of services to an expanding customer base. Remember to keep your perspective—remember what made you successful and continually replicate those processes.
  
  


by Greg Robinson


My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary over Memorial Day and decided to escape from our three kids for a day. Wanting to surprise my wife with a small reward for putting up with me for the last 10 years, I booked a deluxe, lakefront room at the Ritz-Carlton (at $400 a night) because of its international reputation for exceptional service. Turns out I got a bargain.

We arrived about 4:00 in the afternoon and were greeted by delightfully professional staff, a glass of champagne, and an efficient and friendly check-in process. When we got to our room, instead of a 470-square-foot deluxe, lakefront room, we had a 700-plus-square-foot executive suite with two balconies, two televisions, and 1-1/2 baths.

I was curious as to why I had been upgraded to an executive suite. According to Michelle Valle, the Marketing Manager for the hotel, the front desk personnel are empowered to wow their guests. Staff training on profiling customers and well-defined policies on what staff members can do to delight customers allow staff to determine what actions they can take in the moment without management approval. By determining that my wife and I were here for our anniversary (customer profiling during the check-in process) and empowering staff to upgrade guests to the next higher category of rooms (clear policy), the front desk staff were able to provide my wife and I with an unexpected surprise.

Ms. Valle went on to say that during training staff members are taught how to subtly ask questions to determine the customer’s preferences and special occasions so that they can take actions to make the guest’s stay special. For example, a question about wine might lead to a welcome gift of a bottle of Chardonnay as opposed to Merlot. This attention to detail and customization of the service experience is in stark contrast to other hotels that may have a standard welcome gift (such as chocolates) for frequent guests that may not be appealing to everyone.

Staff members capture customer preference data in their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This allows for preferences to be viewed from hotel to hotel. For example, the CRM system allows customer preferences to be tracked at such a level of detail that a guest staying at another Ritz-Carlton might receive a soda without ice upon seating for dinner without asking for it based on preferences learned in a previous service encounter at a different hotel.

We had three hours to wait before our dinner reservation so we took a walk around the property and decided to have a drink by the pool. The bartender splattered some liquid on the bar while throwing away some fruit. Nothing hit us or the other guests at the bar (nor was anyone offended by his actions), but he paid for our drinks anyway.

Ms. Valle explained that the service recovery philosophy of the Ritz-Carlton is that in order to justify charging premium rates, they must deliver a superior customer experience. For them, this means giving staff the latitude to do what they believe is appropriate to turn a potentially negative experience into a pleasant one. Said in the language of customer loyalty, they focus on converting potentially negative word of mouth about an experience into positive word of mouth about the service recovery effort.

Every service recovery incident is documented in a Commitment to Quality Report. The staff member is responsible for completing this report at the end of his or her shift in which he or she explains the incident and the recovery action taken. The next morning the reports are shared with the entire hotel shift! They use these incidents as learning opportunities for the entire staff to discuss ways to prevent these incidents from happening in the future.

My impression of the Ritz-Carlton’s motto of “Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen” is that it is more than a tag line. It is an operating philosophy that is driven through every aspect of the hotel’s processes ranging from hiring to training to customer service to performance management and measurement. It is this comprehensive integration of the philosophy into the day-to-day actions of management and staff that creates and sustains a differentiated customer experience.

Greg Robinson is the CEO and President of Carpe Diem Consultants, Inc., a Melbourne, Florida-based consulting firm specializing in employee and customer loyalty issues. He may be reached at grobinson@loyalty-cdci.com.

 
 

Said in the language of customer loyalty, they focus on converting potentially negative word of mouth about an experience into positive word of mouth about the service recovery effort.




Fresh Perspectives
In conjunction with our “radical” conference theme, ISPI has invited seven outstanding thought leaders to talk about topics and issues that take a different slant from traditional ISPI perspectives. These special presentations are designed to provoke exploration into new territories while demanding empirical evidence. Presenters include: Clark Aldrich, Mariano Bernardez, Leeva Chung, Rich Pearlstein, Patricia Ryan, Richard M. Ryan, and Stella Ting-Toomey.

Learning the Best from the Best
Since we will have more than 1,200 performance improvement practitioners, thought leaders, and consultants assembled at the Annual Conference, we decided not to bring in an “outside” speaker for our second general session. This interactive program features structured activities to elicit, evaluate, and exchange best practices related to a variety of performance improvement interventions. During this session, you will not be passively listening, but actively swapping powerful ideas and systematically filtering them to identify the best of the best. Facilitated by a group of 30 “game wardens,” this session will provide you with tools that can be used in the human performance technology process. Do not miss this session because you will be a key participant—and presenter.

Special Event: Everything Texas
Howdy, Partner! Grab your hat, put on your boots, and kick up your heels for an evening of genuine Texas fun. Your destination, without having to step foot out of the hotel, is an authentic 23,000 sq. ft. ranch nestled in downtown Dallas. This ranch is not for city slickers—this here is the real thing. Begin the evening by feasting on mouthwatering Texas BBQ, with all the fixings. Then, get ready for the fun to begin, as Miss Lillie’s Red Garter Revue takes the main stage. If you prefer a more radical agenda for the evening, try your luck on a bucking bronco, learn the latest country line dance, play a hand or two of Texas Hold’em in the ISPI Saloon, or watch the Armadillo Races, referred to as “the sport of kings” in Texas. Yeeha!

For the most up-to-date information or to register for the conference, visit www.ispi.org/AC2006.


Are you interested in attending ISPI’s 44th Annual International Performance Improvement Conference but unable to afford the registration fee? If you are willing to attend pre-assigned sessions or workshops, are open to monitoring sessions you may not have selected on your own, and are able to distribute and collect evaluation forms and assist ISPI presenters, please send your name, complete mailing address, phone, fax, and email address to conference@ispi.org.

ISPI will significantly reduce or waive the conference registration fee for all conference volunteers. Volunteers will be responsible for their own travel, hotel, and other costs associated with attending the conference. Volunteers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. ISPI will contact you regarding your assignment in November.

 

  


by Carl Binder, CPT, PhD

“They” say that our field is incestuous when it comes to ideas and intellectual property. “They” also say that theft of intellectual property is rampant in our field—sometimes casual and under the surface, occasionally public and subject to legal action. These observations raise issues that I would like to acknowledge and discuss in this column.

Citing Sources in the Scientific Tradition
Trained scholars recognize that citing precedents in research and theoretical discussion is an essential prerequisite, a foundational element in any scientific or scholarly discipline. As our late colleague, Ogden Lindsley, a Gilbert Award recipient, recommended in his farewell letter to students and colleagues, “Stand on my shoulders as I stood on Fred Skinner’s shoulders. You see more big things from up here and you see further.” Hopefully, we build on the work of others as we develop our field.

As a student of Skinner and Lindsley, I was raised in a tradition founded on the discoveries that came before us, and trained to acknowledge those sources and teachers publicly and often. Such a practice keeps the record straight so that anyone can trace back to the origins of important ideas and discoveries. It also reinforces sharing of discoveries for the benefit of all, rather than keeping secrets. Giving credit benefits the field and its individual participants.

Failure to Acknowledge Sources
As we Human Performance Technology (HPT) practitioners often claim that our methods and processes are “research-based,” we ought to explicitly acknowledge the research, the researchers, and the practitioners on whose shoulders we stand. Unfortunately, some of us do not always follow this practice. For example, I know of several cases in which a well-known research-based, copyrighted, and trademarked method of structured writing was simply “lifted” from copyrighted materials without permission or acknowledgment. We have often seen HPT pioneers’ and thought leaders’ ideas used without any mention of their names. So-called “new” models and methodologies spring up, seemingly from nowhere, and only those who have been around for a while recognize the original sources of those ideas. I recall an instance in the early 1990s when collaborators in a client project “borrowed” a model that my team and I brought to the table and created a commercial product based on it. They did everything possible to suggest that the model was “in the public domain” and that their version was sufficiently different from ours that no attribution or compensation was “required.” It was both humorous and bittersweet when later clients recognized, without prompting, that the commercially available simulation based on our model bears a striking resemblance to our work. It would have been helpful, and honest, had our former colleagues at least admitted the origins of their ideas. This is an all-too-common situation in our field, and a frequent topic of discussion among some of our long-time, pioneering colleagues who have been “burned” repeatedly in this way.

Proper Attribution Strengthens the Field
It would be to our great advantage as a field to do a better job acknowledging our sources. For the most part, our thought leaders and pioneers want their ideas to be applied, and will often be helpful to those who attempt to “stand on their shoulders” and expand or advance the field. But using ideas without acknowledging their sources can leave the originators bitter and, even worse, can result in a less-than-thorough communication of the ideas themselves. It helps everyone involved to know the original sources and, where appropriate, to seek permission for using or adapting others’ ideas or materials. We should resist the financial and social incentives to do otherwise.

Most of us are not originators of the “big” ideas. Much of what I have done, for example, is based on ideas and methods that came from B.F. Skinner, Ogden Lindsley, Tom Gilbert, Eric Haughton, Joe Harless, Jack Zigon, Bob Horn, and a few others. I am happy, even proud, to acknowledge those sources and the lineage that preceded me. If I can help to communicate and expand upon those ideas, my own contributions will be obvious. Even in most business settings, where we might feel the need to be “an expert” for our clients, briefly mentioning the sources of our methods and models adds to rather than detracts from our credibility as professionals. I encourage my colleagues to mention sources and precedents more often, not less often. Our entire field will benefit, both in its intellectual integrity and depth, and in the social bonds that link us in community with one another.

Related Reading
Chevalier, R. (2002, November). Referencing the original source. PerformanceXpress.

  

 

Dr. Carl Binder is Senior Partner at Binder Riha Associates, a consulting firm that teaches clients to apply the FluencyBuilding™ training and coaching methodology, the Six Boxes™ Performance Management model, and practical performance measurement for evaluation and decision making. His easy-to-remember email address is CarlBinder@aol.com, and you may read other articles by him at www.Binder-Riha.com/publications.htm, access his work in performance management at www.SixBoxes.com, and read Measurement Counts!, his previous PerformanceXpress series.

 

 

Using ideas without acknowledging their sources can leave the originators bitter and, even worse, can result in a less-than-thorough communication of the ideas themselves.


by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner


Model the Way
The most important personal quality people look for and admire in a leader is personal credibility. Credibility is the foundation of leadership. If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won’t believe the message. Titles may be granted, but leadership is earned. Leaders model the way by finding their voice and setting an example.

Leaders are supposed to stand up for their beliefs, so they’d better have beliefs to stand up for. Leaders must be clear about their guiding principles. They must find their own voices, and then they must clearly and authentically give voice to their values. Yet leaders can’t simply impose their values on others and expect commitment. They have to engage others in common aspirations. Modeling the Way begins with the clarification of personal values and involves building and affirming shared values that all can embrace.

Eloquent speeches about common values are not nearly enough. Exemplary leaders know that it’s their behavior that earns them respect. The real test is whether they do what they say: whether their words and deeds are consistent. Leaders set an example and build commitment through simple, daily acts that create progress and build momentum.

The personal-best projects we studied were distinguished by the fact that all of them required relentless effort, steadfastness, competence, and attention to detail. It wasn’t the grand gesture that had the most lasting impact. Instead it was the power of spending time with someone, of working side-by-side with colleagues, of telling stories that made values come alive, of being highly visible during times of uncertainty, of handling critical incidents with grace and discipline, and of asking questions to get people to focus on values and priorities.

Encouraging the Heart
The climb to the top is arduous and long: people can become exhausted, frustrated, and disenchanted. They’re often tempted to give up. Leaders encourage the heart by recognizing contributions and celebrating values and victories. Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward. For example, Alan created a workplace that was a fun place to be and found creative ways to ensure that people’s contributions were noted. Lindsay made it a point to let each person, as well as the entire team, know about the good work being done.

Exemplary leaders set high standards and have high expectations of their organizations. Leaders also expect the best of people and create self-fulfilling prophecies about how ordinary people can produce extraordinary results. By paying attention, offering encouragement, personalizing appreciation, and maintaining a positive outlook, leaders stimulate, rekindle, and focus people’s energies.

Part of the leader’s job is to show appreciation for people’s contributions and to create a climate of celebration. Encouragement can come from dramatic gestures or simple actions. In the case we collected, there were thousands of examples of individual recognition and group celebration, including marching bands, ringing bells, T-shirts, note cards, and personal thank you’s. Leaders know that in a winning team, the members need to share in the rewards of their efforts. Public celebrations let everyone know that “we’re all in this together.”

Yet recognition and celebration aren’t simply about fun and games. Neither are they about pretentious ceremonies designed to create some phony sense of camaraderie. Encouragement is a curiously serious business. By celebrating people’s accomplishments visibly and in group settings, leaders create and sustain team spirit; by basing celebrations on the accomplishment of key values and milestones, they sustain people’s focus. Encouraging the heart is how leaders visibly and behaviorally link rewards with performance and behavior with cherished values. Leaders know that celebrations and rituals. When done with authenticity and from the heart, build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through turbulent and difficult time. Caring is at the heart of leadership.

  

 

For more information about The Leadership Challenge, 3rd Edition by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, contact Eric Lauer, Leadership Consultant at Wiley Publishing at elauer@wiley.com, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256, Phone 800-753-0655 x23523, Fax 317-572-4523.

 

  


by Todd Packer


We adopt new standards; we adapt standard practices. Inspired by the U.S. designation of November as National Adoption Month to raise awareness about foster children seeking families, this month we will explore links that connect Human Performance Technology (HPT) with adopting standards of excellence for all types of organizations. Bring your signum.

These are the general categories I use for the sites featured:

  1. E-Klatch: Links to professional associations, research, and resources that can help refine and expand our views of HPT through connections with other professionals and current trends.
  2. HPT@work: Links to job listings, career development, volunteer opportunities, and other resources for applying your individual skills.
  3. I-Candy: Links to sites that are thought provoking, enjoyable, and refreshing to help manage the stresses and identify new ideas for HPT.

Any listing is for informational purposes only and does not indicate an endorsement either by ISPI or myself. I hope you find these resources useful, and your feedback is greatly appreciated.

E-Klatch
For a great description why a profession should adopt standards, visit the “About Standards” site of the The Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM). You can also find information on their annual conference taking place May 16-18, 2006, submit a case study to their E-Doc magazine, and review research articles and white papers on Enterprise Content Management (“the technologies used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes”), including “Effective Records Management in Today’s Business Environment.” AIIM also offers free access to research, audio presentations, and more via industry specific Solution Centers for financial services, health care, and government.

HPT@work
The International Organization for Standardization is the standard of standards, as it were, for practically everything including quality management, nuts and bolts, music, and wine tasting. For international business, the ISO has become a recognized name for developing the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards. While ISO itself does not carry out certification, their informative website contains valuable resources for performance technologists seeking to improve management systems and environmental impact, including “The Magical Demystifying Tour of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000” (where we learn that ISO “certification is not compulsory” for implementing ISO), a code of ethics, an international meeting calendar, job opportunities at their Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters, a free e-newsletter, and other resources. And next year, mark your calendars: October 14 is World Standards Day.

I-Candy
Can’t bear adopting any more standards? Imagine if you were a “standard bearer,” or signifier, for the ancient Roman army. From a site of the nonprofit History World International, we learn: “The signifier or standard bearer carried the signum of the unit. This standard served both as a rallying point for the soldiers and to communicate simple visual commands to the troops in battle. The task of carrying the signum in battle was dangerous...The signifier also assumed responsibility for the financial administration of the unit and functioned as the legionaries’ banker.” Check out some nice images of ancient Rome at this photo gallery.

Until December, observe standard operating procedures for excellence as you surf the Internet.

I-Spy continues to advocate for a day, week, or month in honor of HPT and our excellent profession. Please send your suggestions to tp@toddpacker.com, and we’ll share some ideas in a future column.

When he is not Internet trawling for ISPI, Todd Packer can be found improving business, non-profit, government, and individual performance through research, training, and innovation coaching as principal consultant of Todd Packer and Associates, LLC, based in Shaker Heights, Ohio. For sample articles on performance innovation and additional information, please visit www.toddpacker.com. Todd may be reached at tp@toddpacker.com.

 
  
  
  




CPT Application Deadline Just 15 Days Away
The Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) designation is awarded by ISPI to experienced practitioners in the field of performance improvement and related fields such as instructional design and organizational development whose work meets the 10 Standards of Performance Technology and other application requirements. Join the nearly 1,000 CPTs who have received this designation worldwide. The deadline to submit your application to ISPI is November 15, 2005. If not received by this deadline, it will be held until the next processing deadline of June 15, 2006. Visit www.certifiedpt.org for more information on becoming a CPT and to download the application.

ASTD is no longer affiliated with ISPI to market the CPT designation to its members. ISPI will honor our commitment to ASTD members for the fees associated with the initial application and re-certification.

ISPI Launches New Two-Day Certification Workshop
The Standards of Performance Technology can serve organizations in selecting, developing, and advancing their performance improvement professionals. Further, the Standards serve as the basis for individual professional development and designation as a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT).

ISPI now offers a two-day workshop that focuses on the application of the Standards of Performance Technology. Various exercises are conducted to reinforce participants’ understanding and use of each of the 10 Standards. Participants review their readiness to apply for certification using a self-assessment guide; then the CPT application and review process will be presented. CPT application fees are included in the price of the workshop.                                       

As a result of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the value of the Standards of Technology for their professional development and as a means of selection, development, and advancement of performance improvement professionals within their organizations
  • Assist each other in their continued professional development
  • Assess their readiness to apply for the CPT designation and develop a plan for their professional growth so that they can apply for the CPT designation within three years
  • Complete their applications for the CPT designation
  • Understand the CPT application review process

All applications for the CPT designation are subject to the regular peer evaluation process by two CPTs who have been trained to review applications. For more information, contact us at certification@ispi.org.
 




The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) has three special honorary awards that recognize outstanding individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to Human Performance Technology and to the Society itself. The awards are the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award, the Distinguished Service Award, and the Honorary Life Member Award. As done in the past, the membership is asked to submit names of qualified individuals for consideration for the Distinguished Service Award. If you are interested in nominating an ISPI member, please email the following information to april@ispi.org:

  • Name of award
  • Name, telephone number, and email of nominee
  • Name and telephone number of nominator
  • Brief supporting information for the nominee

This year’s recipients were Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award: William R. Daniels, and the Distinguished Service Award: Christine Marsh. The Honorary Life Member was not awarded in 2005. The deadline to receive nominations is November 18, 2005. For more detailed information on the guidelines used for selecting individuals to receive these awards, visit www.ispi.org or click here.

 


  



We would love to hear from you. Share your testimony about how ISPI has helped you in your professional career, and help us show the world the value of membership in ISPI. Whether you have attended one of our performance improvement conferences, HPT Institutes, or workshops, or read the PI journal and newsletter, we want to know what aspect of ISPI has been most instrumental in your practice and implementation of performance technology.

To submit your testimonial, send an email to membership@ispi.org and include your full name, title, company, city, and state. If you’d like to include a photo of yourself, please attach a color photo to the email (preferably JPG format). Your testimonial and photo will be posted on the ISPI website. For more information or questions, contact Francis George at 301.587.8570, ext. 110.

 

  


Performance Marketplace is a convenient way to exchange information of interest to the performance improvement community. Take a few moments each month to scan the listings for important new events, publications, services, and employment opportunities. To post information for our readers, contact ISPI Director of Marketing, Keith Pew at keithp@ispi.org or 301.587.8570.

Annual Conference Sponsors
Understanding your business processes is key to improved business performance. GEM’s Process Power™ solutions include training in process modeling, process assessment, and gap analysis, leading directly to enhanced employee process knowledge. Our GEMWorX FlowModeler® process tool supports your business improvement goals. Visit GEM, or call 215-706-4190.

Conferences, Seminars, and Workshops
Add performance and pizzazz to your training. Whether it’s a 45-minute presentation or a week-long workshop, Thiagi can make your training come alive with interactive experiential activities. Nobody does instructional design faster, cheaper, and better than Thiagi. Visit http://thiagi.com/game-design-services.html.

DSA Workshops on Instructional Design, Criterion Referenced Testing, and Web-based Training. Design ready for registrations at http://www.dsink.com/. The Criterion Referenced Testing, the Instructional Developer, Designing Instruction for Web-Based Training, and the Course Developer Workshops online anytime.

ISPI offers a two-day workshop focused on using the Standards of Performance Technology as preparation for applying for the CPT designation. CPT application fees are included in the price of the workshop. For more information, please contact us at certification@ispi.org.

ISPI and JB2D Performance, Inc. offer a new workshop designed for the Human Resources professional. On December 9, 2005, receive a specialized orientation of Human Performance Technology. For more information, contact Jane Brenneman at HPT4HR@jb2dperformance.com or click here to register!

Don’t miss ISPI’s Workshops for the Performance Professional! Peer-to-peer, two-day workshops: Geary Rummler’s Introduction to Serious Performance Consulting; Judith Hale’s Implementation: Assuring the Adoption; and Robert Brinkerhoff’s Evaluation of Training: Making Sense of the Morass and Building Sensible, Practical, and Useful Approaches.

 

  

Education and Career Resources
HR.com’s Metrics and Measurement Executive Council. In today’s competitive economy, it takes innovation, education, and experience to reach the top and achieve unparalleled levels of success. Our Executive Council addresses the most critical issues facing your organization. Visit www.hr.com/executivecouncils.

ISPI Online CareerSite is your source for performance improvement employment. Search listings and manage your resume and job applications online.

Magazines, Newsletters, and Journals
The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (IJCO) is a professional journal, published quarterly to provide reflection and critical analysis of coaching in organizations. The journal offers research and experiential learning from experienced practitioners representing various coaching schools and methodologies.

Performance Improvement journal is ISPI’s premier HPT publication, reporting on the latest applications, trends, and ideas in the field. A subscription to PI is a benefit of membership, and non-members can subscribe for only $69 in the United States ($119 international).

Performance Improvement Quarterly, co-published by ISPI and FSU, is a peer-reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of HPT through literature reviews, experimental studies with a scholarly base, and case studies. Subscribe today!

 
 


Are you working to improve workplace performance? Then ISPI membership is your key to professional development through education, certification, networking, and professional affinity programs.

If you are already a member, we thank you for your support. If you have been considering membership or are about to renew, there is no better time to join ISPI. To apply for membership or renew, visit www.ispi.org, or simply click here.

 

  



ISPI is looking for Human Performance Technology (HPT) articles (approximately 500 words and not previously published) for PerformanceXpress that bridge the gap from research to practice (please, no product or service promotion is permitted). Below are a few examples of the article formats that can be used:

  • Short “I wish I had thought of that” Articles
  • Practical Application Articles
  • The Application of HPT
  • Success Stories

In addition to the article, please include a short bio (2-3 lines) and a contact e-mail address. All submissions should be sent to april@ispi.org. Each article will be reviewed by one of ISPI’s on-staff HPT experts, and the author will be contacted if it is accepted for publication. If you have any further questions, please contact april@ispi.org.

 

  

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PerformanceXpress is an ISPI member benefit designed to build community, stimulate discussion, and keep you informed of the Society’s activities and events. This newsletter is published monthly and will be emailed to you at the beginning of each month.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact April Davis, ISPI’s Senior Director of Publications, at april@ispi.org.

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