Advertisement |
 |
Would you like to advertise in this space? Contact marketing@ispi.org
March 2008
Using Action Plans to Align Performance with Desired Results
Consider the following scenarios: A dynamic manufacturing environment seeks to increase organizational capacity through standardized continuous improvement processes and practices. A state agency determines that management skill gaps in coaching and development have adversely impacted attraction and retention of key personnel and that competency-based management development programs and processes are the key to closing gaps. A call center initiates a performance improvement initiative designed to reduce call escalations by an intensive, structured, on-the-job training strategy for call center staff.
What do each of these scenarios have in common? Each initiative addresses a critical business need; each represents a substantial investment of time and resources; each effort commands high visibility and management interest; and each requires the accomplishment of specific, measurable performance objectives that are linked to strategic business goals. In addition, each of these interventions lends itself to the use of action planning as a method to drive on-the-job application of the critical skill sets needed to achieve desired results.
What Is an Action Plan?
Action planning is a powerful and flexible process for managing and measuring the performance objectives of a human performance technology (HPT) solution and ensuring that objectives are effectively aligned with desired business results. A key output of the process is an action plan document in which project or program participants outline detailed steps to accomplish specific goals connected to targeted performance objectives. Plans can be completed individually or in teams. The action plan answers such questions as:
In cases where action planning is used to measure business impact measures and return on investment (ROI), an action plan can also provide data about:
These data help answer questions about the value of a performance improvement solution and allow HPT professionals to set priorities, eliminate unsuccessful programs, or reinvent those that are successful but expensive.
The Link to Standards
The action planning process provides links to each standard of performance technology, with special emphasis upon:
Summary
Most HPT projects are undertaken to deliver business value. Trends show that there is greater pressure on employees to produce performance results and on HPT professionals to show how their products and services provided performance support, added business value, and achieved “financial validity.” Using the action planning process to link results to targeted business measures and collect results data at multiple levels of impact is an effective way of demonstrating the value of HPT projects and adding credibility to the performance improvement function. By addressing systemic enablers and barriers and showing financial and non-financial indicators of project success, action planning also positions HPT solutions to add value with a broad-based, strategic “line-of-sight,” which extends beyond a simple financial or ROI calculation. Finally, the action planning process is a proven resource for HPT professionals seeking to clarify what HPT is and what it can do for business organizations.
Learn how the action planning process can be used to close performance gaps and link business needs, on-the-job performance goals, and business-impact measures. Register today to attend Holly’s half-day workshop on Using Action Plans to Align Performance with Desired Results, April 5, at ISPI’s upcoming conference in New York City. Practical job aids, case study examples, skill practice scenarios, and proven implementation tools will be provided.
Holly Burkett, CPT, MA, SPHR, principal of Evaluation Works, is a certified ROI professional with more than 18 years’ experience in performance improvement and measurement. Editor in Chief of ISPI’s Performance Improvement journal, she recently co-authored The ROI Fieldbook with Jack and Patti Phillips and Ron Stone (2006). Holly may be reached at burketth@earthlink.net.
Would you like to advertise in this space? Contact marketing@ispi.org |
|||
TrendSpotters: The Systems Input-Output Matrix
We are pleased to welcome Ray Svenson, CPT, to TrendSpotters. As president of Ray Svenson Consulting, he is focused on the planning and design of complex human performance systems such as training departments, sets of business processes, and learning systems. Ray, ray@raysvenson.com, has been an active ISPI member since 1978 and is a regular presenter at ISPI’s annual and fall conferences. He shares his Systems Input-Output Matrix with us this month.
Genesis of this Tool
Anyone who has attended one of Ray’s presentations is doubtless acquainted with the huge wall charts he creates to show the relationships and interdependencies among project components. The Systems Input-Output Matrix is one such chart. As we at TrendSpotters learned more about this matrix, we were pleased to discover how versatile a tool it is.
The Systems Input-Output Matrix owes its origins to systems engineering in the 1960s or earlier. This type of matrix was used in the telecommunications engineering community and is one such tool Ray adapted from systems engineering to apply to the realm of human performance improvement.
Matrix Description
The Systems Input-Output Matrix is a scalable tool that the performance improvement professional builds to make visible critical components in a project. The smaller sample in Figure 1 lets us get acquainted with the structure of the matrix.
Figure 1. Sample Systems Input-Output Matrix
The Systems Input-Output Matrix shows all the important interfaces between systems, subsystems, or processes in an organization as they relate to a particular performance improvement project. Build the matrix as follows:
Building a Systems Input-Output Matrix usually comes at a point in a project when there is enough information to accurately identify all the subsystems or processes—usually during, or at the conclusion of, the analysis phase. Ray emphasizes that the matrix is a work-in-progress and can be altered or expanded as new information is developed. At an appropriate point in the project’s life cycle, the matrix should be frozen.
How to Use the Matrix
This is a great tool for use in a variety of ways. You might start by assembling your project team in a room with a large wall chart of known subsystems or processes listed in matrix format:
The Systems Input-Output Matrix is scalable and can also be used by an individual practitioner, working alone, simply to make visible the information he or she has or to check for duplications. The matrix can be as large or as small as the project requires.
Success Story
As part of an HR initiative, a company had five separate teams working in parallel to develop designs for five systems that had important interactions. Ray introduced the Systems Input-Output Matrix between the analysis and design phases. By gathering the teams together with charts and sticky-notes as described above, a number of significant advances were made in the project, including:
The resulting Systems Input-Output Matrix from this project is larger and more complex, reflecting the nature of the project.
Advice to Users of the Systems Input Output Matrix
Remember that the matrix is an evolving, interpretive tool. Be clear on the categories of subsystems or families of processes that you are using. To build a Systems Input-Output Matrix, you will need a high-level structure for your project or an early design prototype. Be sure that all users of your matrix understand how to use it.
Links to the Performance Technology Landscape
The Systems Input-Output Matrix supports these principles of performance technology:
| R | Focus on Results: Identifies outputs as results and who is accountable for each |
| S | Take a System view: Demonstrates a total systems approach |
| V | Add Value: Eliminates duplication of efforts, saves money and time |
| P | Establish Partnerships: Enables shared outputs, agreements on tools and usage |
Application Exercise
Take the Systems Input-Output Matrix template to your next project team meeting to build as you participate. For a project with a single system, meet with each stakeholder to identify the appropriate inputs and outputs, and then add them to your matrix and share your findings. Or, use the matrix to build service level agreements among several divisions, departments, or functions.
TrendSpotters Open Toolkit
Visit the TOT to view a valuable array of tools and models that you can download for your use. In addition, you may browse all the past TrendSpotters interviews published since March 2002.
You may contact Carol Haig at carolhaig@earthlink.net or at http://home.mindspring.com/~carolhaig; and you may contact Roger Addison at roger@ispi.org.
Financial Statement Analysis for the HPT Practitioner
The practice of human performance technology (HPT) begins and ends with analysis and evaluation. If we review the ISPI HPT Model, it is clear that analysis and evaluation are key components at every step of the process. In the performance analysis phase, we analyze (or evaluate) the organization’s current state and environment, and describe the actual and desired performance states. In cause analysis, we collect data to support our diagnosis of the cause of our performance gap. Intervention selection is supported by the data collected in the previous step and includes financial systems as a potential solution. In the evaluation phase, formative, summative, and confirmative evaluations provide us with the information we need to determine whether or not we have achieved our goals and to perform mid-course corrections in our interventions.
While an improvement in efficiency, reduction in waste, or correction of an ergonomic issue may be the proximate cause for a performance intervention, the vast majority of performance improvement projects arise out of a desire on the part of management to improve profits or reduce costs. Many of our performance gaps and interventions will involve non-financial activities; the key metric in the evaluation of business performance is, ultimately, the bottom line. The fruits of these endeavors end up on the line in the P&L called net profit.
The primary method of evaluating a business’s performance is by analyzing the financial data that appear in the financial statements. Some private or closely held businesses do not publish traditional financial statements, but most provide these data to their accountants or bankers for tax or financing purposes. Performance technologists can use these financial data to evaluate the results of their interventions and, perhaps more important, to provide evidence to management of the value of their contribution to the organization.
Many performance technologists, like HPT itself, have evolved from the disciplines of training and education. While HPT is applied extensively in the business environment, most practitioners do not have formal business, finance, or accounting backgrounds or training. A survey of ISPI members conducted in 2005 revealed that approximately 21% had a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a business or business-related discipline, while 55% had at least a bachelor’s degree in instructional technology, performance technology, or education (Witucki, 2006).
It seems to follow from these data that performance technologists need to know something about business finance to be able to accurately evaluate the results of their interventions. And, it is probably the case that they have not had the opportunity in either their formal education or on-the-job training to acquire this knowledge. In addition, performance technologists who are independent consultants not only can use financial analysis tools to evaluate the performance of their clients’ businesses and the impact of their interventions, they can use financial analysis to evaluate the status and health of their own business!
Alan’s half-day workshop during ISPI’s upcoming conference in New York City on April 5, The Financial Statement Analysis Workshop, includes the key elements of business accounting and financial analysis in a format designed to provide a variety of effective and easy-to-use tools for all performance technologists.
Reference
Witucki, A.P. (2006). Factors Affecting Knowledge and Usage of Specific Performance Improvement Interventions by Novice and Expert Performance Technologists. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Wayne State University.
Alan P. Witucki is an experienced trainer and educator. His professional experience includes 8 years as a training specialist at Chrysler Corporation, 25 years in corporate finance, and 8 years’ experience as an adjunct instructor at Macomb Community College and at Wayne State University. He presented two sessions at the 2001 ISPI Conference and moderated a panel discussion on expertise at the 2007 Conference. Alan has a PhD in Instructional Technology and an MBA in Finance. He may be reached at awitucki@hotmail.com.
Would you like to advertise in this space? Contact marketing@ispi.org |
|||
Research: Know-How that Leads to Results
Whether you are a researcher or practitioner, faculty or student, novice or veteran, each of us has an obligation to engage in valid and reliable practices. But, fulfilling this obligation is a tall order. Can you distinguish sense from nonsense, fact from folklore, science from serendipity? The ISPI Science and Research Professional Community and the Research Committee invite you to these special sessions taking place at The Performance Improvement Conference next month in New York City, designed specifically to make your practice more evidence based.
Sunday, April 6, 11:00 am
Temporal Motivation Theory: A Simple Unified Theory of Motivation
Piers Steel
This session will present a new integrated theory of motivation—Temporal Motivational Theory—that unifies a range of theories of human nature under a single mathematical model, including goal setting, personality, and behavioral economics. Recently published in the Academy of Management Review, this integration greatly simplifies the motivational field, which has suffered under a superabundance of formulations. Practical applications are numerous for both individuals and groups, helping to inform, for example, procrastination, compensation, and job design.
Sunday, April 6, 2:00 pm
6th Annual Research Exchange
Tony Marker, PhD, and Linda Huglin, PhD
Today’s ideas, investigations, and results become the HPT principles and practices that you will need to solve tomorrow’s problems. Will you be prepared for tomorrow? Invest in your future, come to the 6th Annual Research Exchange to discover the relevance of cutting-edge investigations and the application of original and influential studies, and to identify emerging issues that support our current and future HPT practices. Hear several 12- to 15-minute presentations from established and new researchers such as Frank Nguyen, Ray Pastore, Shameem Farouk, Kevin Taylor, and Shelley Berg.
Monday, April 7, 1:30 pm
Research and Evaluation Methods Roundtable
Linda Huglin, PhD, and Tony Marker, PhD
Do you have data that you want to collect, but need help deciding how to proceed? Join our intimate discussions with experienced HPT researchers as they present several alternative methods for collecting and making sense of data. Through interactive roundtable discussions, you will be able to select those methods that best apply to your own situation and get personal feedback on how to implement them. Discussion hosts are likely to include Mary Norris Thomas, Doug Leigh, Ryan Watkins, Ingrid Guerra-Lopez, and others. Sponsored by SciComm.
Tuesday, April 8, 1:30 pm
Science and Research Community Caucus: Future Directions
SciComm, as it changes from a community of practice to a different organizational structure, will be gaining greater control over its own programs and direction. This session will focus on the creation of an academic chapter with a small and intimate conference of its own. The ISPI Science and Research Community invites your contribution to pivotal discussions facilitated by distinguished Community leaders. Roll up your sleeves, and join the discussion.
From the Board
Big Thank-You’s on the Way to New York
For my last PerformanceXpress article of this Board year, I want to first thank my wonderful Conference Committee, under the patient and thoughtful guidance of Ireta Ekstrom, for their two-year effort to put together our upcoming Performance Improvement Conference. They have done a fabulous job, and I hope you will make a special effort to thank them for it! The conference is just around the corner; it is almost time to start packing!
Already you can participate via HPT Connections on our ISPI website. Ireta has written a warm and welcoming letter to you (later in this issue), describing our conference day by day. Personally, I want to attend every keynote and Masters’ Series session and way too many regular presentations. My dance card will be full! I also look forward to spending time in the Community Center (I will be there during every break possible) to meet and talk with many of you. And, I am so looking forward to seeing the Statue of Liberty aboard our cruise during our special event on Monday night.
We still have a few weeks to go, but I also want to thank our amazing Board of Directors for their hard work, professionalism, and dedication to ISPI. Every day, before their work starts with ISPI, all of these folks are really busy, but they roll up their sleeves and contribute countless hours of effort, intelligence, and good humor to improve ISPI’s value and operational excellence over and over again. Kudos to Clare Carey, April Davis, Timm Esque, Jim Fuller, Miki Lane, Matt Peters, Mary Norris Thomas, and Darlene Van Tiem for a job well done.
At the end of the conference, I will be turning the presidential reigns over to Matt Peters, who has been such a strong leader and contributor these past three years on the Board. I know he will continue to take us forward in a positive direction. We will be welcoming new Board members in April as well, holding a joint meeting of “old” and “new” Board members just before the conference.
I want to offer special thanks to Clare Carey, who is stepping off the Board after what must be the longest continuous Board service in Society history. Always insightful, always gracious, often sharing her sense of humor and wit. If you have a chance to meet and talk with Clare, be sure you take it! She has been a great friend, role model, and counselor to me and many others. Some people are treasures, and we are lucky to have Clare in ISPI.
As always, we want to remember our Committee and Task Force chairs and members, those who write books and articles, our editors, our staff, our partners, our chapters, and everyone who makes ISPI a success.
Last, but oh-so-far from least, I would like to thank April Davis, who stepped up to the position of Interim Executive Director for us in October. She has helped us to steer the Society down the right path as we implement ISPI’s positive transition forward. April’s energy and enthusiasm for ISPI, over nine years’ experience in the organization, relationship-building skills, and amazing work ethic have helped all of us on the Board to breathe a lot easier these past five months.
Would you like to advertise in this space? Contact marketing@ispi.org |
|||
Crossing the Chasm with the Six Boxes® Model
You may already be familiar with the Six Boxes® Model, our plain-English descendent of Thomas F. Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model (BEM). The Six Boxes Model evolved over a period of about five years during the 1980s when we were attempting to find language that would communicate easily with our clients and non-human performance technology (HPT) colleagues without unnecessary jargon or explanation. It had been our experience that Gilbert’s BEM was conceptually powerful as a comprehensive framework for the variables that influence human behavior, but that the language confused listeners. It did not allow us to flow easily into discussions with ordinary people about performance challenges and improvement opportunities, and thus undermined efforts to partner with and enlist clients and program participants in efforts to improve organizational performance.
The result of many rounds of revision and testing the language in discussions with clients was a model (now copyrighted and established as a standard in our practice) that we could introduce to practically anyone in 10 minutes or so. People immediately “got” the meanings of the categories and could apply the underlying understanding of behavior influence that they convey, at least in simple situations. With this framework, we could now quickly move people out of the training box, or any other partial view of the variables affecting behavior that they might hold, into a systems view of performance analysis and design. We created in this model an enormously powerful communication tool for all kinds of discussions, analyses, designs, and planning exercises.
It was only a few years ago, however, when we decided to move the Six Boxes out of our relatively private consulting tool kit (shared only with associates and clients) by offering Six Boxes workshops, that we began to realize the far-reaching implications of our plain-English approach. We found a link to understanding one of its advantages in Geoffrey Moore’s marketing concept of crossing the chasm, describing a problem that I believe currently limits the spread of HPT. Moore describes the adoption of a technology or product as it moves from acceptance by early adopters and innovators to early majority or pragmatists. He points out that early adopters and innovators are enthusiasts, willing to take risks and invest in promising technologies, despite complexity and difficulty of use. We need such enthusiasts but they are a very small portion of any total market—less than 5%. Only by “crossing the chasm” to the early majority does a technology achieve widespread acceptance and use. To make that leap, it must become easier to describe, understand, and use.
I believe that HPT is stuck in the early adopter and innovator stage, for the most part. As I watch our field develop, it becomes more complex and difficult, not less so. The algorithms become more intricate, the required job aids and stages in the process differentiate and increase in number, and the training and support needed for application become longer and more costly. Even HPT software programs, supposedly designed to make the process easier, are relatively complicated.
In contrast, we jokingly refer to the Six Boxes approach (which includes the model plus additional elements) as “HPT for Dummies.” We have reduced HPT to a relatively simple one-page procedure, suggest only two job aids, and attempt to make the model and its tools useful after an initial brief workshop. The goals are to provide a rapid ramp-up for almost anyone interested in understanding and improving human performance, to lay a good foundation for approaching more complex methodologies and applications, and provide a means of infusing whole organizations with a culture of what we call performance thinking using a shared, plain-language vocabulary.
The Six Boxes Model is an attempt to cross the chasm, and many people seem to be responding, including some of our ISPI colleagues who privately admit that they have never really been able to implement other approaches but find this one immediately usable. We have had important adoptions of the model as a foundation framework by such organizations as Microsoft’s Engineering Excellence Group and the prestigious LG Academy in the Republic of Korea, among others. We hope in this small way to help ISPI and HPT cross the chasm so that the powerful and elegant methodologies that have developed in our field can become more accessible and more widely adopted.
To learn more, check out www.SixBoxes.com or sign up for the one-day Six Boxes Workshop at ISPI’s upcoming conference in New York City on April 5.
Carl Binder is senior partner at Binder Riha Associates, provider of Six Boxes Workshops and consulting services and a frequent contributor to ISPI publications and conferences. You may contact him at CarlBinder@SixBoxes.com and read many of his published articles at www.Binder-Riha.com/publications.htm.
Getting Excited About the ISPI Conference in NYC. Check.
OK. Time to make sure I am ready for the ISPI conference…
Here is a look at what we are doing this year at The Performance Improvement Conference. We have a great lineup of sessions with HPT pioneers and veterans as well as new faces in our field. It is a wonderful mix.
The first evening—a conference address from two of our ISPI treasures, Dr. Roger Addison and Dr. Judy Hale, Performance Improvement: A Spotlight on the Profession. Immediately following is a welcoming event in the Community Center. This is a great chance to catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances. It is also the start of two themes that run through every conference: learn something new every day and networking makes us grow.
Our first morning, we start with the Apple Barrel. Energetic, always fun, highly rated by conference goers—we will be up and ready for the rest of the day. Then, we will have sessions from our HPT colleagues and luminaries, capped off by the first set of Masters’ Series presentations—award-winning ways to build workplace competency, tying our work to organizational results, and how to do something about performance-stealing procrastination. Whew, that is going to be a full day of learning, contributing, and networking.
Monday, we are thrilled about our keynote address, The Future of Learning, from IBM’s Nancy J. Lewis and her colleague, our own Dr. Brenda Sugrue. After that, there will be more sessions and opportunities to interact with other conference speakers and attendees. That evening, and this is a first for us—a chance to continue our conversations and share dinner on the Going Places with HPT harbor cruise. Do we have our own poem for the Statue of Liberty? Give me your organization’s gaps and possibilities. Give me your tendency to procrastinate…
Tuesday morning, we have more Masters’ Series presentations—improving performance with the help of technology, trends and technologies for working with the next generation, and working at the intersection of people and processes. Then, more sessions and time to interact. To wrap up the educational part of the conference, we have our closing session presentation by Roger Chevalier about translating new insights into clear messages when we go back to work. This last day is crowned by our Awards Banquet. We celebrate the significant achievements of our award winners, usher in our new Board of Directors, and enjoy the Big S—the Society in ISPI.
In addition to our educational events, we will have frequent networking breaks and an amazing Community Center, with our ISPI bookstore, a new take on the Graffiti Wall and Photo Corner (bring your digital camera!), a place to join HPT Connections (our new online social network community), Fireside Chats, and the “So you want to” discussion area.
Don’t forget to work into your schedule a half-, one-, or two-day workshop, HPT Institute, CPT workshop, a view of the Award of Excellence submissions, and informal talks with the best people in the field. As the planning winds down, it is time for your participation to ensure a great conference.
Also new this year will be a CD with presenter’s handouts for everyone (you can still purchase a complete packet of recorded sessions and handouts, too) and a Career Center with coaching and workshops.
This conference is the premier event in our field. We are excited to offer it to you!
OK, now I am making a checklist of people to see and things to do while I am in New York City. Are you ready? If not, there is still time. Let’s meet at the Community Center right after the Apple Barrel. I cannot wait to see you!
ISPI Announces Election Results!
The votes have been tallied, and the following candidates have been elected to serve as members of ISPI’s 2008–2010 Board of Directors.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Darlene Van Tiem, CPT, CPLP, PhD President-Elect |
Steven J. Kelly, CPT Director, Internationally- Based |
Paul Cook, CPT Director |
David Hartt, CPT Director |
The following Board members retain their seats: Matt Peters, CPT, (who becomes president in April), Timm J. Esque, CPT, Mary Norris Thomas, CPT, PhD, Immediate Past President Jeanne Farrington, CPT, EdD, and April S. Davis, CAE (ex officio).
A special thanks to departing Board members: Jim Fuller, CPT, Miki Lane, CPT, and Clare Elizabeth Carey, CPT, EdD for their hard work and dedication to ISPI.
Recruit the Best, Forget the Rest
In the words of Jim Collins (author of Good to Great), “The ultimate throttle on growth for any company is…the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”
No surprise there. We understand that the hiring process is critical to the success of our companies. Done well, it can help grow your business; done poorly, it can increase turnover and stunt your staff.
So how do we do it right? How do we lower the risk of making a hiring mistake?
After years of hiring folks who either lacked the necessary skills or did not fit the organization’s work environment, I found behavioral interviewing—a systematic, analytical, and objective interviewing technique. I am convinced it is the way to go.
It involves preparing targeted questions based on the job and its outcomes, using the principle that past performance is the best indicator of future behavior. Specifically, it assumes that the way a job applicant has used his or her skills in the past will predict how he or she will use them in a new job. Managers should design questions to draw out candidates’ stories of real-life experiences that illustrate their ability to perform the essential functions, reach the applicable goals, and excel in the job.
Good behavioral interview questions allow you to draw out the candidate’s strengths, areas for development, and suitability for your open position. They also will help you determine if the applicant will fit into your work environment.
Those good questions will often start with:
For instance, if the person you hire must be flexible, consider asking, “Give me an example of a time when priorities were shifted. How did you react?” Is quality of work important? “Tell me about a time when your boss was not satisfied with an assignment you completed.”
You cannot always expect applicants to know how to best answer good behavioral interview questions. So be prepared to guide the interviewee somewhat. Ask some good follow-up questions like “How did you do it?” “What specific steps did you take?” and “What was the end result?”
But questions alone—even great ones—do not make an interview good! What does? The interviewer’s capacity for listening effectively, avoiding quick judgments, accepting silences, and remaining objective.
Remember, attracting and retaining skilled staff is one of your most important strategic priorities. To make a successful hire, have a clear understanding of the job, prepare targeted behavioral interview questions, and be a good listener. Your job during the interview is to objectively assess the applicant by describing the job and the work environment positively and honestly, creating goodwill for your company—whether the applicant is hired or not.
Once a candidate is hired, it is time to celebrate, orient, and assimilate the new staff member.
Career Center
During ISPI’s upcoming The Performance Improvement Conference, April 5–8, the Career Center, hosted by Marshall Brown & Associates, is offering programs and services designed to meet the career needs of all conference attendees, whether you are actively seeking a new position or finding ways to enhance a current position.
Complimentary Career Coaching (a $225 value)
Would you like to discuss your career goals with a professional coach? Do you want to have your resume reviewed? Want to practice your interviewing skills and get immediate feedback? Don’t miss an opportunity to meet with a career coach one on one. Space is limited. Contact Francis George at francis@ispi.org or 301.587.8570 x110 to reserve a time slot.
Sharon Armstrong has more than 20 years of experience as a human resources consultant, trainer, and career counselor. She has facilitated training, completed HR projects, and provided career transition services for a wide variety of clients in the profit and nonprofit sectors. Sharon is the co-author of a humor book, published by Random House. Heeling the Canine Within: The Dog’s Self-Help Companion was published in 1998. Her book, Stress-Free Performance Appraisals—Turn Your Most Painful Management Duty into a Powerful Motivational Tool was published by Career Press in July 2003. Her next book, The Essential HR Handbook—A Quick and Handy Guide for Any Manager or HR Professional, is due out in summer 2008. She is an associate of Marshall Brown & Associates and will be presenting and providing one-on-one coaching sessions at the annual conference.
A Focus Forward: Transforming ISPI, 2008–2013
The International Society for Performance Improvement is an insightful, evolving, and emerging organization. ISPI leadership works to ensure that ISPI remains vibrant. This article is about the Board’s latest work on their Focus Forward Transformation.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. Who are we and what do we stand for? As evidence of this emerging, evolving, and insightful tendency, ISPI has gone through many new initiatives. ISPI was originated by a lively and committed group of primarily academics devoted to refining programmed instruction and self-instruction. Gradually, it became clear that training alone often did not lead to desired results. Society leaders challenged each other with human performance technology (HPT) as the outcome.
ISPI’s Focus Forward Transformation strategic planning has four phases. Phase one is completed and is the plan for what will change. Phase two will be implementation planning, which includes the realigning of the ISPI staff and how the strategic plan will be accomplished. Phase three will be the actual implementation progress tracking and course corrections, as needed. Phase four will be an internal audit that will monitor policies and decisions to ensure that ISPI processes and efforts are aligned. Phase four will be ongoing. The Focus Forward Transformation will result in more CPTs; increased capacity for educational programs; web connectivity and social networking; increase collaboration with chapters; and much, much more.
One watchword of ISPI members is connectivity, which stimulates collaboration. We need to take full advantage of the new ideas from emerging talent and global members. ISPI members place great value on engagement with recognized HPT leaders, those who worked hard to build the culture and tradition of ISPI.
Do not expect radical changes; you will gradually experience the innovations. For example, the awards committee is now coaching applicants and offering extensive feedback. As a win-win value-add, award recipients are invited to become mentors for new applicants. The awards applications are now aligned with CPT Standards of Performance Technology. ISPI is aligning energy to maximize impact.
Everyone has a role in making Focus Forward a success. So, join with us and contribute to the forward momentum.
Business Alignment: Linking Needs Assessment with Evaluation
Business alignment is a critical issue in the learning and development field and the performance improvement field. There are three stages where much occurs to obtain business alignment:
Most professionals in this field understand the concept of evaluation levels. Our research shows that almost 90% of learning and development professionals, for example, are using the concept of levels of evaluation. This is based in part on Kirkpatrick’s definitions of the levels and our refinement of the definitions of those levels, with the addition of the fifth level, ROI. Even those individuals who are not conducting ROI studies clearly acknowledge the fifth level of evaluation.
Most professionals realize objectives must be set when collecting data for evaluation. Objectives are cascaded on the same levels—levels of objectives match the levels of evaluation. This linkage is described in Figure 1, which represents a V-model and is the basis for establishing business alignment.
Figure 1. Acheiving Business Alignment
Finally, most organizations have some preferred method of needs assessment. Unfortunately, needs assessments are not often perceived as occurring at different levels. As shown in the exhibit, the needs assessments should reflect the same levels. For example, a needs assessment at Level 4 is the business need that drives a particular program. The impact objectives at Level 4 are the business measures that will be influenced by the program. The evaluation at Level 4 is the change in the business measure driven by the program. This is the same measure. The challenge for most organizations is that the front-end analysis should reflect the different levels so that these levels are constant throughout the process. It is necessary to explain this process first to reach the primary objective: to show how business alignment is achieved.
How business alignment is achieved is straightforward. There are three proof points. First, referring to the exhibit, business alignment occurs when the initial analysis includes the business need. This happens when the initial needs assessment and analysis are elevated to the business needs level. The term elevated is used because often requests initially arrive as a learning need—“Will you teach them this?” However, the analyst must push the requestor to the business needs level so there is a clear understanding that there is a business need for the program.
The second time a business alignment issue is addressed is when the impact objectives are developed. These impact objectives, which focus directly on business measures, provide the desired direction and attention to the business. In essence, the business impact objectives give direction to the designers and developers, provide guidance to the facilitators who teach the program, and offer a clear line of sight to the business for the participants who are involved in the program. Sponsors then clearly see the outcomes in terms they understand—business impact objectives.
The third time that business alignment occurs is during the follow-up evaluation when business impact data are captured, showing the actual amount of improvement. The final business alignment step occurs when a specific technique is used to isolate the effects of the program on the business impact improvement. Now, we know the business alignment. In essence, these three points define the opportunity and the process for obtaining business alignment.
For the past two decades, Jack and Patti Phillips have been teaching professionals in this field to link their programs to business and evaluate those programs, including ROI. A major part of these workshops includes exercises, discussion, and content about business alignment. Jack Phillips wrote the first book in the
CPT News from Around the World
Special Work by CPTs
Last month we reported on the type of work CPTs are doing for which they can earn points toward their recertification. Two observations stood out: 1) the number of CPTs with, or in the process of earning, advanced degrees, and 2) the number engaged in volunteer work at the local, state, and national levels. This month features a CPT who exemplifies a dedication to the pursuit of education.
Edith Bell, CPT, PhD, or as she points out to friends “the right honorable and revered Dr. Bell,” recently received her doctorate from Capella University. It was not until she began her studies at Capella that she realized what she had been doing much of her professional life was human performance technology.
The following article in PIQ journal served as inspiration for her dissertation topic:
Ripley, D., Hudson, I., Turner, R., & Osman-Gani, A. (2006). Cross-cultural similarities and differences in employee perceptions of issues in the work environment: The implications of context beyond national culture for the design of employee performance improvement interventions. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 19(1), 41–66.
The title of her dissertation is “Multigenerational Workplace Performance: Generational Similarities and Differences in Employee Perception of the Work Environment.” Two questions directed her line of inquiry for this quantitative study: (1) To what extent can four distinct generations of employees in a 21st-century workplace be differentiated by their perceptions of the work environment? and (2) Which environmental variables could significantly influence selection and design of effective interventions for generational cohorts in a small business work setting? Her dissertation also addresses the question “Are generational differences significant enough to justify designing interventions geared toward meeting individual needs of each generation?”
Here is an excerpt from the dissertation’s abstract:
Literature suggests limited understanding and information exist regarding generation-defined employee groups and their perceptions of the work environment, regarding how these work environment perceptions influence behavior, and regarding how these perceptions and influenced behaviors affect human performance systems. In addition, literature offers limited analysis of each generational cohort’s characteristics and work environment perceptions to determine the most effective interventions to improve individual and organizational performance within the multigenerational workplace. Literature on human performance technology suggests that practitioners should consider these factors when selecting and designing performance improvement interventions.
This study was significant for four reasons. Human performance is an essential component of organizational performance. Employee perception influences behavior and performance. The twenty-first century workforce is composed of individuals from multiple generations. Diversity of values likely affects the level of respect, communication, and interaction among employees; thus, influencing organizational and individual performance…. This study offers implications for intervention selection especially from the multigenerational workforce perspective.
Edith’s dedication to HPT is evidenced through her approach as president of Bell Design Technologies, Inc. She focuses on environment and performance support tools from four perspectives:
To learn more about Edith’s research findings and her work, you may contact her at ebell@belldesigntech.com or check her website: www.belldesigntech.com.
CPT Clinic in
New York—Get Connected & Get Inspired!
This year’s CPT luncheon and clinic will be held on Tuesday, April 8, from noon–3:00 pm. The luncheon will be at Junior’s, a restaurant across the street from the Marriott hotel and the clinic will begin at 1:15 pm. Featured this year are:
The clinic and luncheon are open to CPTs who are registered for The Performance Improvement Conference but you must submit your RSVP in advance to certification@ispi.org.
Your Story
If you have a story to tell, send it to judy@ispi.org.
ISPI Bestows Honorary Awards to Three Longtime Members
The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) has three special honorary awards that recognize outstanding individuals for their significant contributions to human performance technology (HPT) and to the Society itself. Those awards are the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award, the Distinguished Service Award, and the Honorary Life Member Award. ISPI is pleased to announce this year’s recipients: Diane M. Gayeski, Jean Strosinski, and James A. Pershing. The awards will be bestowed at The Performance Improvement Conference 2008, April 5–8.
Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award
Named after a foundational contributor to the field of Human Performance Technology, this award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of HPT. This year the award is presented to Diane M. Gayeski, PhD.
Diane is currently the associate dean of Faculty and professor of Strategic Communication in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, where she has taught since 1979 in areas of organizational communication and learning and performance at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
She has also been an active consultant since 1976, focusing on helping organizations develop innovative and forward-looking approaches to communication, collaboration, and learning in their organizations.
In her “spare time,” Diane has authored 14 books, including books on managing communication and learning as business assets and mobile technologies. She has also written more than 100 book chapters and articles.
Ask around and you will find that she is considered a pioneer in interactive media. Diane was active in developing early pre-Internet applications of interactive videotape and videodisc and computer-assisted instruction starting in 1979.
Diane has been an active member in ISPI since 1984. She has made countless conference presentations and pre-conference workshops as well as two Masters’ Series presentations at conferences. Wanting to continue the ISPI legacy, Diane has done research and presentations with many students and clients, bringing them into the Society. Joining her at this year’s conference will be her son Evan, who started helping out with her ISPI presentations when he was 3. He is now 21 and has been a regular conference participant.
Distinguished Service Award
This award, determined by a unanimous vote of the ISPI Board of Directors, recognizes long-term, outstanding, and significant contributions to the betterment of ISPI. This year’s award goes to Jean Strosinski, CPT.
Jean has accumulated an impressive record of ISPI service and accomplishment at both the Society and local chapter level. She has been a talented and prolific volunteer, author, presenter, and project lead who handled some of the toughest projects with the highest degree of aplomb while participating in countless ISPI conferences and New Mexico ISPI Chapter meetings over the past 15 years.
Jean has served in many roles in the New Mexico Chapter, including tours as chapter president, secretary/treasurer, and board member. She has led many New Mexico Chapter initiatives, including services as a NM Professional Alliance founding member, the winter workshop chair, the “4 Corners” regional chapter coordinator, the international board liaison, and the CPT Mentoring Pilot Program. She represented chapter equities at the Society level as well by chairing the Chapter Partnership Committee (CPC) in both 1996 and 1997. As the CPC chair, she worked closely with the ISPI Board in developing and implementing the initial Chapter partnership contracts.
Jean has also actively supported the international Society, including participation on the 2004 Conference Planning Committee, the Professional Community (ProComm) initiative, and most recently establishing and chairing the Volunteer Committee. In each of these roles, she has distinguished herself with exceptionally high levels of effort, commitment, and productivity. She has supported multiple conferences as a track chair and proposal reviewer, and she served in many roles within the ProComm initiative, including authoring the guide book and serving on the overall ProComm Steering Committee. Finally, her tremendous passion while designing, coordinating, and establishing the new Volunteer Committee has epitomized the Society’s core values of selfless service and support. She put together a terrific team that quickly identified both volunteer opportunities and Society members who wanted to increase their level of participation. Jean developed and implemented a multiyear plan for the Volunteer Committee that, as with all of her other projects, far exceeded all expectations.
Jean has served as a positive role model and coach to countless Society members. She is an amazing team player, communicator, and, best of all, a welcome friend with total commitment to ISPI.
Honorary Life Member
Selecting the recipient for this award represents considerable reflection to identify an ISPI member who has made significant outstanding contributions to the field of Human Performance Technology and the Society. It is not bestowed easily. It requires the unanimous vote of two consecutive ISPI Boards of Directors, making it the Society’s most prestigious award. This year, ISPI honors James A. Pershing, CPT, PhD.
Jim was the editor for ISPI’s most recent Handbook of Human Performance Technology (2006, 3rd Edition). He has served on the Research, Membership, and Publications Committees; chaired the Certification Committee; and served on the International Board of Directors. Jim continues to do research to validate ISPI initiatives. He has delivered workshops and made many presentations over the years at ISPI International Conferences, Fall Conferences, and regional conferences, such as ISPI Europe. Jim’s contribution to ISPI’s International Conference is noteworthy. He has been a presenter each year since 1998 and has participated in the planning and evaluation of the event.
Jim has also promoted ISPI through presentations to other professional groups, such as the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO) and the Association of Educational and Communication Technology (AECT).
He has published in numerous journals, books, and media to communicate achievements and findings in HPT, including Performance Improvement, Performance Improvement Quarterly, HRD International, HRD Quarterly, TechTrends, International Journal of Educational Technology, and Strategic Human Resource Development Review. He served as the editor of the Performance Improvement journal.
Jim is a full professor at Indiana University. He has mentored ISPI members both within his university role and outside it. Many of the over 300 students Jim has mentored have gone on to assume leadership positions throughout the world in instructional or performance technology in business and industry, government, the military, and academia. Also, through long-term consulting and professional development projects for a variety of national and international organizations, Jim has mentored scores of instructional and performance improvement leaders. The list includes leaders in organizations such as AT&T, Delco Electronics, Eli Lilly, General Motors, LG, NCR, SK, Samsung, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo.
Jim’s work on the Handbook and his many presentations, publications, teaching, mentoring, and research accomplishments contribute to the distribution and understanding of our knowledge base. Jim’s chapter in the latest edition of the Handbook provides a succinct and useful summary of the evolution and current status of HPT. In that chapter, he offered his own performance improvement process model that provides a helpful and distinct perspective.
Avoiding the Outsourcing Trap:
Leading HR to Operational Excellence
Outsourcing vendors in the HR arena argue that organizations can easily save up to 30% to 40% of the costs associated with providing HR services. However, organizations get to enjoy this cost benefit only as long as their HR function has not been optimized yet. Compared to a fully optimized HR function, outsourcing HR services to an external vendor rarely results in cost benefits larger than 4% to 6%. The remaining cost difference between providing HR services internally or outsourcing them can be explained with economies of scale, synergy effects, and potentially lower labor costs based on offshoring and nearshoring.
Although cost reduction remains an all-time favorite of senior management, HR also has been told over and over again to provide better quality for each dollar or Euro spent. Many have interpreted better as more strategic services and, hence, have relabeled themselves as so-called business partners. The problem is that simply putting a different label on it does not change what is inside the box.
So, how about starting to change what is really inside the box to provide better quality for less money? How about starting to work as an actual business to be perceived as a valued and equal partner by the business?
If HR wants to achieve this challenging goal, it needs to start functioning as a business by essentially focusing on three levels:
Translated into the common HPT terminology, the what question relates to the results and outcomes dimension of any good HPT model. The answer to the what question are HR products that clarify the service relationship between the business units and HR, based on clearly defined parameters in terms of quality, scope, and cost per each product item. Typically, an HR function offers about 250 distinct products that can be aggregated on a higher level (e.g., payroll, retirement services, training and development, etc.).
Looking at the process level of the HPT framework, we can find answers to the how question, i.e., how can a given product effectively and efficiently be produced. The how question also relates to a modern IT infrastructure because shifting parts of the product creation process to the consumer via web-based self services and supporting HR internal production processes with other means of IT automation, help reduce production costs tremendously.
The third question, who does it? encompasses the issue of matching the right people (right both in terms of quantity and qualification) to the right task and how to organize these people into functional groups. Not surprisingly, when thinking in terms of truly running HR as a business, these groups not only entail specialists who produce and deliver the pre-defined HR products but also experts in selling these services to their clients.
Here, the actual strategic expertise of HR comes into play: helping a client identify the best HR product for a given business issue or problem by explaining its impact on the business. Fabricating this product so that it meets over and over again the defined levels of quality for the best price is not a question of strategy but of operational excellence, and that is what HR is about 90% of the time—not more but also not less!
If HR manages to achieve this level of strategic and operational excellence, it will become valued by the business in the true sense of the word and nobody in senior management will even think about outsourcing the HR function anymore.
Chris Voelkl, CPT, leads the advisory practice of E&E information consultants AG, a Germany-based business consultancy for organizational performance and information management systems. He has worked in academia and for professional services firms on both sides of the Atlantic. Chris is a former president of ISPI Europe and a former Masters’ Series presenter. He may be reached at c.voelkl@gmx.de.
ISPI Welcomes Two New Advocates
On behalf of the ISPI Board of Directors, ISPI staff, and fellow Advocate organizations, ISPI is pleased to announce the two newest members of the Advocates—Administaff and Lowe’s.
Administaff is the nation's leading professional employer organization, serving as a full-service human resources department for small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States.
Lowe's has been helping their customers improve the places they call home for more than 60 years. Lowe's operates more than 1,525 stores in the United States and Canada.
ISPI’s Advocates represent international, national, and regional organizations that are committed to improving performance and support ISPI at the highest level. The Advocates meet twice each year, at our spring conference and during a fall event hosted by an Advocate member organization. These meetings offer Advocate members an opportunity to network and learn from each other in a collegial atmosphere. If you are interested in learning more about the Advocates, please contact Keith Pew at 301.587.8570.
ISPI Recognizes Excellence in the Field of HPT
The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Awards of Excellence program is designed to showcase the people, products, innovations, and organizations that represent excellence in the field of instructional and human performance technology. The recipients below will be recognized during the Closing Banquet at The Performance Improvement Conference, April 8, 2008, in New York City.
Outstanding Human Performance Communication
This award recognizes an outstanding communication that enables individuals or organizations to achieve excellence in Human Performance Technology.
Improving Workplace Performance
Roger Chevalier, CPT, PhD
A Manager’s Guide to Improving Workplace Performance provides managers and supervisors with insight and tools to create a work environment where their people can succeed. The book addresses the traditional role of manager as coach while adding a systematic approach to improving workplace performance. A Manager’s Guide contains numerous examples, job aids, exercises, and case studies to enhance the knowledge and skills of managers and supervisors in coaching and developing their people as well as for comparing present and desired levels of performance, determining the causes for performance shortfalls, developing appropriate solutions, implementing those solutions, and evaluating the results.
Four Secrets to Liking Your Work
Edward G. Muzio, President & CEO, Group Harmonics, Inc., Deborah J. Fisher, PhD, Visiting Research Professor, University of New Mexico, and Erv Thomas, PE, Program Manager, Intel Corporation
Four Secrets to Liking Your Work is for anyone who dislikes aspects of his or her job. It presents practical perspectives that help to identify, understand, and respond to difficulties in the workplace that lead to “Monday morning dread.” A great coaching or intervention tool for a host of problems! Specific exercises guide the readers, from line workers to CEOs, to solution. The reader—any reader—regains measures of both happiness and productivity. And as employees actively work to create a better environment for themselves, they unknowingly pave the way for performance improvement initiatives of all kinds as their engagement spirals upward.
Outstanding Human Performance Intervention
This award recognizes outstanding results derived from the successful application of Human Performance Technology to human performance problems, needs, or opportunities.
87' Coastal Patrol Boat Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS)
United States Coast Guard Training Center, Yorktown, Virginia
Performance Technology Center
When the Coast Guard acquired a new vessel, the Performance Technology Center (PTC) was asked to analyze the crew's new performance requirements. The analysis revealed numerous gaps in required skills and knowledge. A performance intervention, the 87' Coastal Patrol Boat Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS), was designed and developed to help close these gaps. Three years after implementation, the PTC evaluated the EPSS to determine if it provided the crew with adequate performance support. The evaluation proved the crew liked and used the EPSS; the intervention positively affected vessel operation; and the intervention provided an estimated 11:1 return on investment to the Coast Guard.
Desktop Learning: Implementing Visual Fluency and Desktop Tools
to Impact Learning and Performance
Online Learning Department
DIRECTV Customer Care
Janet Emery, Director of Online Learning, Antonio Gonzalez, Online Learning Specialist, Deborah Diamanti, Senior Online Learning Specialist, David Barnes, Online Learning Specialist, Kris Benney, Online Learning Specialist, Joe Sanchez, Manager, Web Development, and David Cross, Senior Customer Service Systems Specialist
A needs assessment was conducted to determine gaps in performance in a high attrition industry. Data collection was triangulated and causes were analyzed. There were eight outcomes: (1) the intranet team combined with the e-learning team creating one Online Learning team, (2) the CRM tracking was fixed, (3) the old procedures tool was retooled becoming an on-demand performance support tool, (4) existing online tools were re-designed, (5) online DSS tools were implemented replacing text scripts, (6) flowchart job aids were implemented replacing text scripts, (7) an LMS was launched unifying training delivery, and (8) other job aids were introduced.
Crown Equipment Corporation
DP LeadSafe
Doug Hall, Ron Brewer, and Keith Leffel, Crown Equipment Corporation
Lift truck accidents and injuries can be devastating to individuals, their families, and the organizations they work for. Lift truck operators are required to be trained before they can operate a lift truck, but studies have shown that supervisors play a critical role in reinforcing skills taught during this initial training. Crown’s Demonstrated Performance (DP) LeadSafe program is a performance-based workshop designed to teach supervisors how to identify proper and improper forklift operation, how to give feedback to operators, and how to identify and correct potentially hazardous warehouse conditions.
TCU XP2 Core Processing System Conversion
Teachers Credit Union—Training & Organizational Development
Delta College Corporate Services
i3Logic
TCU was challenged with a major core processing system conversion during 2007. Determined not to repeat the extensive problems experienced 10 years previously during the last major system conversion, a comprehensive systematic and systemic approach was employed.
By utilizing this approach, critical areas were addressed from involvement of sponsors to project team membership to equipment and application testing to process development to learning systems. All of the integrated interventions resulted in a successful conversion that was seamless and transparent to the members and the staff.
A Joint Project between Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma and L-3 Communications
LCDR Tom Jacobson, HSCM Kent Cook, HSCS Glenn Royes, HSCS Donald Swanger, HS1 Michelle Hinson, HS1 Michael Anderson, HS2 Russ Lawson, Terry Wall, Stephen McKnight, Deborah Klein, PhD, and Rick Krigstein
The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma and L-3 Communications developed a job performance aid for health services technicians (HST) to standardize the development of diagnoses and treatment plans for patients presenting with common complaints. The HST has an extensive library of approved references that are comprehensive; however, they are medical references that are generic to the field of medicine and do not address the protocols or formularies used by the Coast Guard. The Differential Diagnosis of Common Complaints Job Aid not only addresses specific Coast Guard protocols, it provides high utility for classroom and distance learning and serves as an on-the-job quick reference. Evaluation data indicate that diagnosis and treatment planning determinations made by using the job aid are completed in half the time with the same or greater accuracy.
Merchandising Excellence 2006–2007
Fuels Marketing Performance Group, Imperial Oil
Anna Marsico, Barry Murphy, and Louise Leone, Imperial Oil
Christine Link, Daniel Cully,
Imperial Oil operates over 500 company-owned service stations across Canada. These sites include services such as fuel, convenience stores, car wash, and fast food. The sites are operated by independent third-party sales associates (retailers) who follow the Esso system in a similar way to a franchise. Changes in the marketplace in the past five years have created a new and challenging environment for the petroleum retail industry. As gas margins continue to shrink, they are no longer sufficient to sustain viable business strength in the market. Imperial Oil’s viability must be linked to non-fuel revenue sources.
United States Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma’s Petty Officer Indoctrination Program
CAPT Brian Marvin, CAPT Gregory Sundgaard, CDR Stephen Sabellico, CDR Russell Davidson, LCDR Stefanie Lincoln, LCDR Richard Molloy, CMC Timothy Bensley, BMC David Padley, YN1 VanDell Dawson, and Peter Gray
The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma runs seven entry-level technical schools for enlisted members of the Coast Guard. The students at the schools are very new to the Coast Guard and are typically between the ages of 18 and 23. At the end of 2005, a rash of serious disciplinary problems among the students caused the command to conduct an analysis to determine the cause of the performance problem. The analysis led to the development of the Petty Officer Indoctrination Program, a two-week program at the beginning of school that establishes expectations for the students, provides them with life-skills, and helps them transition into the training environment.
t-6 Countdown to Launch
Cisco
Susan Chamblee, Bob Chen, Todd Craig, Hiren Desai, Sam Fahid, Maureen Griffin, Dora Hamilton, Morris Hansen, Cheryl Herms, Steve Hunt, Laura Neal, Dev Patel, Jamie Riley, Sajida Syed, Albert Tang, Lisa Tripp, Jack Wilson, and Rick Worth
The t-6 Launch Project refers to the process of readying Cisco’s WWSE programs six months prior to the launch of new products so that there is a comprehensive package of sales tools available for account teams on day one of a new product launch. This package is intended to increase the account team’s ability to successfully sell our new products and solutions. Success was measured by comparing the deals for that product line from account managers who had used the WWSE services versus the deals from account managers who had not used the services.
Lead CRA Essentials
PRA Institute
PRA International
Karen VanKampen, CPT, William H. Strong, John A. Berg, Catherine Allen, Shirley Wildey, Melissa Nezos, Kelle Simpson, and Sherry Palmateer
PRA International, a leading clinical research organization, identified that lead clinical research associates (Lead CRAs) were not performing their role to management expectations. Additionally, PRA was experiencing high turnover in this position. Because Lead CRAs play a critical role in client interaction and quality deliverables, it was important to:
Results, from current evaluation data for Lead CRA Essentials, include:
SkillCast: Learning Without Leaving Your Desk
Are you finding it a challenge to keep up, professionally? Got a stack of books and articles you keep meaning to get to? Let ISPI provide that vital professional boost with our new SkillCast series. Designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of the performance improvement professional, each month ISPI will feature the latest thinking from the experts you rely on for your continued professional development. In just an hour a month, you’ll come away with new ideas, perspectives, and tools that you can put to work immediately. Put your focus on your own results, for a change, and join us online!
2008 Schedule of Events
For more information, or to register, visit www.ispi.org/webcasts.
Performance Marketplace
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.
Books Conferences,
Seminars, and Workshops Learning/Training Tools |
Education
and Career Resources Magazines,
Newsletters, and Journals Performance Improvement Quarterly 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.
|
ISPI Membership: Join or Renew 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, simply click here.
Newsletter Submission Guidelines
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:
In addition to the article, please include a short bio (2–3 lines) and a contact email 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.
About PerformanceXpress
Feel free to forward ISPI’s PerformanceXpress newsletter to your colleagues or anyone you think may benefit from the information. If you are reading someone else’s PerformanceXpress, send your complete contact information to april@ispi.org, and you will be added to the PerformanceXpress emailing list.
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 at april@ispi.org.
ISPI
1400 Spring Street, Suite 260
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
Phone: 301.587.8570
Fax: 301.587.8573
info@ispi.org
www.ispi.org
