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I attend numerous conferences, symposia, and workshops each year—both as a participant and a contributor. I am increasingly frustrated with my colleagues’ and my own performance. In general, the issue is our misuse and overuse of the standard presentation format: bulleted slide after bulleted slide.
Presentation software, such as PowerPoint, has increasingly received criticism with regard to its misuse and overuse. For example, Edward Tufte a leading expert on the visual representation of data and a vocal opponent of PowerPoint, compares it to a prescription drug whose side effects “induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication” (Tufte, 2003). Although harshly stated, it is hard to argue with Tufte’s assessment of this program’s limitations; we have all sat through presentations that he could use as exemplars of his point, as illustrated by these choice comments:
Because I am frustrated with presentation abuse, I am constantly looking for better ways to deliver presentations without relying on the standard format. To this end, I have recently been exploring an interesting format for presentations called Pecha Kucha (pronounced peh-cha ku-cha). The basic format of a Pecha Kucha presentation is 20 images/slides, with 20 seconds allowed for each image/slide (so, just under seven minutes per presentation). Developed by two architects (Pecha Kucha, n.d.) as a way to structure presentations of architectural designs (and creative work in general) in an efficient, informal, and non-detrimental-to-the-message way, Pecha Kucha is gaining in popularity. As Daniel Pink, former ISPI Annual Conference keynote speakers and well-known contributor to Wired Magazine, shares, “The result, in the hands of masters of the form, combines business meeting and poetry slam to transform corporate cliché into surprisingly compelling beat-the-clock performance art” (Pink, 2007).
For an online example of Pecha Kucha, see Daniel Pink’s YouTube video on the topic of emotionally intelligent signage. There are also several examples of Pecha Kucha in face-to-face settings available via YouTube.
To achieve “surprisingly compelling beat-the-clock performance art,” here are a few guidelines:
To explore Pecha Kucha further, experience it in-person. Pecha Kucha Nights are popping up all over the world. I recently attended Pecha Kucha Night in Denver, Colorado, and found the experience insightful in terms of understanding how the format plays out. I also enjoyed connecting in a live, physical space with like-minded practitioners, all interested in design and creative expression.
If you have been looking for a way to spice up your presentations during conferences, workshops, meetings, and classes, consider Pecha Kucha. When done well, this format stimulates creativity, enthusiasm, high-energy, and engagement. It can be used to help us avoid death by PowerPoint, and change our pattern of misuse and overuse to one of effective use. And if not done well, it is over in 6 minutes and 40 seconds!
Pecha Kucha. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha.
Pink. D. H. (2007). Pecha Kucha: Get to the Powerpoint in 20 slides then sit the hell down [Electronic Version]. Wired Magazine, 15(9). Retreived from www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-09/st_pechakucha#.
Tufte, E. (2003). PowerPoint is evil [Electronic Version]. Wired Magazine, 11(9). Retrieved from www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html.
Joanna C. Dunlap, CPT, PhD, is an associate professor of instructional design and technology at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). Her research interests focus on the use of sociocultural approaches to enhance adult learners’ development and experience in postsecondary settings. Joanna has served on the board of the Front Range Chapter of ISPI for over 10 years, including a term as chapter president. She may be reached at Joni.Dunlap@ucdenver.edu.
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On October 29, 2008, ISPI and the business world lost one of performance improvement’s finest contributors. A man who tirelessly searched for better solutions to the challenges companies face, Geary Rummler shared his expertise with clients and colleagues, contributed insightful articles and books, Serious Performance Consulting According to Rummler, gave presentations and workshops, and actively engaged with ISPI.
Like many of you, we were influenced by Geary’s work and enjoyed his friendship of many years. Without his relentless encouragement, our book, Performance Architecture—The Art and Science of Improving Organizations, probably would not exist. As we look ahead to publication by Pfeiffer in April 2009, we would like to share with you our remembrances of the book’s conception in the summer of 2006 with Geary in the unlikely role of midwife.
Have you been to Arizona in July? There is a reason why many residents leave this fine state in the summer, and why numbers of businesses close for the season, sensibly re-opening when the temperatures descend to more comfortable levels. Geary, however, loved the southwest in all seasons. He and his wife, Margaret, built a wonderful home and office in the Tucson hills. We journeyed there for an intense working weekend because Geary said, “Come to Tucson, and I will take you through a process to design your book. And you won’t leave until we have an outline.”
Lynn Kearny, who joins us at TrendSpotters Central for this special column, shares her impressions of our arrival at the Rummler compound:
I am struck by the art and architecture of the place. There is a courtyard with interesting desert plants, the glass wall of the house on our left, and the adobe walls of the office on our right. Two alert and handsome cats regard us from behind the glass wall. Some of the courtyard’s adobe walls are painted strong desert-country colors: pumpkin, purple, and around the corner one that’s chartreuse. A few pieces of handsome metal sculpture hang on walls, and there is a ramada shading a fireplace and comfortable patio furniture. Grouped around the courtyard are large, sculptural barrel cactuses in tones of green and yellow.
The office is a separate adobe building with its own big room and a wonderful art collection. This is the room where we will work with Geary as our host, sponsor, and facilitator. There is a huge table, long and wide enough for at least 10 people to work comfortably. There is a larger-than-life-sized painting of a Native American, a stunning buffalo, and a wonderful painting of a wolf with a calligraphic poem worked into the painting. I think this is Geary’s wolf; it shares something in spirit and independence with him.
Geary does not lead the meeting so much as help us keep moving forward, offering us free use of his materials, and chiming in only when asked or when we are floundering. He listens intently, then drifts to the side to work briefly on his business, then drifts back. We are energized, encouraged, and focused just by having him there. I want him back.
With our three laptops on the job, flip charts on the walls, materials everywhere, and the four of us around that table, Geary kept his promise. When we look now at our original plan and the outlines we developed for each chapter during those sweltering days, we see the bare roots of a project systematically fed ideas and concepts, then supported by changes and enhancements as we wrote those outlines to ultimately produce a finished manuscript.
Here are some of our original ideas that stayed in play as we wrote the book:
Regular readers of TrendSpotters know we always show how the featured model or tool supports the principles of performance technology. In his work, Geary epitomized these principles in action:
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Focus on Results: Geary always started by identifying the results. |
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Take a System view: If you know anything about Geary, you know that his models and his approach were always systems driven. |
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Add Value: Geary was scrupulous about measuring the results of his work. |
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Establish Partnerships: Geary was a partner to ISPI, to his colleagues, and to his clients. |
Lynn’s impressions round out our days in the desert:
In the mornings and throughout the day there are coffee, sandwiches, wonderful art, and great views of the surrounding landscape. We have arrived just after an unusual period of heavy rain, and Tucson is hot and humid. The desert there is completely different from the desert we’re used to in New Mexico or California, which have sparse growth.
Every square foot of the Sonoran desert is home to at least a dozen plants and animals. There are cacti, creosote and sage, grasses, and plants I can’t identify. Most of the saguaro cacti have bloomed and are fruiting—the fruit that crown the tall head and arms of the saguaro are fermenting in the sun. Local doves are eating them and getting drunk—we hear them cooing and giggling every time we go outside. Small troops of quail run across the roads everywhere.
At the end of the day when we have wound down, Geary and Margaret take us out to a local restaurant for good food, wine, and conversation. As the evening comes on, the mountains darken and turn deep purple, reaching out with shadows. Behind them the sunset goes from rose and gold to scarlet, orange and fuchsia.
It’s hard to realize that Geary is gone. However, his work and his influence are very much alive. And as Geary reminds us…
“Improving Performance—It isn’t magic, it’s science.”
Carol Haig may be contacted at carolhaig@earthlink.net or http://home.mindspring.com/~carolhaig; Roger Addison may be contacted at roger@ispi.org; and Lynn Kearny may be contacted at lkearny@sprintmail.com.
What ails your network? Most people’s networks are underdeveloped. People join groups and then assume that they have networking relationships with the other members. Here’s a fresh look at the various kinds of relationships that are possible with contacts. Even more important, if you know what kind of relationship you have with someone, the next step you can take to develop the relationship becomes obvious. Imagine your network as a bull’s-eye made up of five circles.
Accidents float around outside the concentric circles. You are in seat 14A. Next to you, in 14B, is an accident. An accident is a person you will never see again, unless you make it happen—exchange contact information and get back in touch. In one study, 27% of people developed a relationship with someone they met on an airplane. But it is not smart to rely on meeting people by chance.
Inside the outermost circle, put the word “Acquaintance.” An acquaintance is a person you could find again if you had to because you know someone in common. Think of the architect you met at your cousin’s daughter’s wedding. But you are not going to run into him in the normal course of your life. Remember your acquaintances when you want more diversity in your network. Cultivating an acquaintance will bring you in touch with people you do not normally see.
Inside the next circle, put the word “Associate.” An associate is a person who belongs to a group you belong to. That means you will see that person repeatedly.
We believe it takes six to eight meetings before two people know and trust each other enough to go to bat for each other. So associates, whom you will see again and again, are your easiest contacts to develop. However (and this is one of the biggest mistakes networkers make), if you do not develop these relationships, you will remain only co-members of a group. You will not have begun to act as resources for each other.
Once you have acted—exchanged something of value, such as a tip, resource, or information—associates become actors. Actors are people you are in activity with, or in exchange with. When you give first, you plug into a quirk of human nature that is the basis for strong networking relationships: the Reciprocity Principle. It goes like this. If you give somebody something, he or she will try to give you something back. Two-way swaps are the meat and potatoes of networking.
But there are ways to make relationships even more relevant. When that happens, you and your contact will be able to help each other even more. Advocates (inside the next circle) know you so well and trust your character and competence so completely that, when they see an opportunity with your name on it, they will grab it and give it to you. Because you have taught them so much about yourself, they will unhesitatingly pass your name along to others. Advocates can give vivid examples of you in action—serving a client, saving the day, solving a problem.
Finally (in the center of the bull’s-eye), you will have a few allies. Allies are on your personal board of directors of your life. They know where you are headed and will do all they can to help you reach your goals. They will seek out opportunities for you. You will do the same for them. They will celebrate with you when things go well and commiserate with you—and even tell you the truth—when things go wrong.
Take a minute to think about your networking contacts. Draw out the bull’s-eye and decide which “A” best describes each contact. Then you will be able to determine what your next step could be with each person. If you want to move from actor to advocate with a contact, for example, tell stories so your contact will be able to describe your capabilities to others. Ask for stories from your contact so you can reciprocate.
Using this as a model will help you create a fully developed network and help you make networking an art, not an accident. You can put the tools of networking to work in the service of business and career goals when you know where you are with someone, and can be strategic about what to do and say next.
Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon are co-founders of Contacts Count and co-authors of five books on networking and career management. The most recent is Make your Contacts Count (AMACOM, 2007). They are professional speakers and trainers. Their company trains freelancers throughout the United States and Canada who deliver their Contacts Count Networking Programs at association and corporate events. Anne and Lynne may be reached at www.ContactsCount.com.
Join Lynn Waymon on March 11 for her SkillCast on “How The Unconnected Employee Hurts Your Business & What To Do About It.” Register today.
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Order today and save! The holiday season is just around the corner. Make sure everyone on your list receives the latest books in the field of performance improvement. For a limited time, professionals in the field (non-members) receive the 15% ISPI member discount on every purchase! When checking out, enter code: ISPIA. Click here to browse our online bookstore. This discount is good on all Wiley books purchased through the ISPI bookstore, so you can also shop for the latest Betty Crocker cookbook or Frommer’s travel guide or Holiday Decorating for Dummies.
The Nominations Committee has announced the slate of candidates for the upcoming 2009-2011 Board of Directors election. This year the membership will elect a President-elect (3-year term, President-elect, President, and Immediate Past President) and two Directors (2-year term). They will join the President, three continuing Board members, and the non-voting Immediate Past President and Executive Director who make up the nine-member Board.
The slate was developed by the Nominations Committee, which received nominations from the membership and determined the willingness of those nominated to run. All the candidates meet the qualifications and criteria of the positions. For further information on the qualifications and criteria, click here. By early-January, the Candidate Statement from each nominee will be posted on ISPI’s website.
As a reminder, ISPI holds its annual Board election electronically, and active members vote for candidates to the Board online. Since your link to the “voting booth” is sent via email on January 21, 2009, it is important for ISPI to have your most current email address. To review your record, visit www.ispi.org and click on Login. Or, you may call us at 301-587-8570.
The candidates for the 2008-2010 Board of Directors, listed in random order, are:
For President-elect:
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For Director:
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Now that the slate of candidates is complete, ISPI would like to thank the members of this year’s Nominations Committee for their hard work. The committee consisted of Sharon L. Gander (Chair), Susan Pavelek, Deondre House, John Swinney, and Jim Hill.
In addition, ISPI would like to commend all the nominees for their willingness to serve the Society. The committee received more well-qualified nominees than the final ballot required and selecting the candidates was difficult.
Imagine the next generation whizzing around the globe, extending our human performance technology (HPT) collaboration anywhere in the time it takes us to fly from New York City to Mexico City now? “Wired and webbed” will be the communication norm. Web-conferencing will empower partnerships maximizing the potential of all. There will be no remote area in the globe. International collaboration will be the norm.
HPT has unbelievable potential to impact situations everywhere. We add value and make a difference, we get results. ISPI members and colleagues from India may collaborate with members and colleagues from Australia on a project in Paraguay.
How will HPT practitioners connect? How will they know who has similar interests? How can they establish networks so that strong, effective teams can be assembled? How will new alliances be forged?
ISPI will be so globally focused and providing international services and new knowledge that ISPI will be the place to connect to create optimal solutions. Our Society will live the tag line, “Where Knowledge Becomes Know-How” in every way. We will share among practitioners and share with clients and partners. ISPI has already made strides to move forward.
In 2008, a worldwide taskforce, chaired by Monique Mueller with Dee Caudel as co-chair, fulfilled the ISPI Board’s need to have a prioritized list of global requirements. The taskforce provided the following list of priorities:
The ISPI headquarter staff in Silver Spring, Maryland, is channeling their efforts to support the following strategies:
To plan in detail, more information is needed regarding global strengths and opportunities. Working closely with members around the world, ISPI will survey for ideas and suggestions so that future planning will be on target. The findings will be incorporated into past survey findings to enhance understanding of global values, needs, and strengths to offer to the Society.
There is considerable interest in forming effective groups to bring HPT and the Certified Performance Technologist designation to local communities. We are analyzing membership data looking for regional clusters that might be interested in either virtual or local communication. For several years, ISPI Europe, Middle East, and Africa have been meeting annually to share case studies and global perspectives. Next November, they will be sponsoring the 2009 annual conference in Galway, Ireland. (For further information, contact Carol Panza at cmp@orgmap.com or Arnoud Vermei at info@webperforamnce.info.) You can expect fun discussions, lively activities, perhaps a castle tour and dinner, case study examples to facilitate application in your own practice, and brilliant minds fostering new thinking. Also, the 2009 Galway conference will feature a simulation that will run throughout the conference as another creative way to allow participants and presenters to get actively involved and maximize their return on investment of time and energy to attend.
In addition, ISPI needs to collaborate with our global members to send out the word. We will need a larger international marketing mail list. Besides purchasing mailing lists, ISPI needs appropriate contacts from you. Consider sending us information regarding your global network, worldwide customers, and clients. With our new marketing and communications ISPI staff member, Angie Johnson (angiej@ispi.org), we will promote conferences, publications, certification, and much more about global ISPI.
Please consider this an invitation to get involved! Begin by thinking globally! Extend yourself at THE Performance Improvement Conference in Orlando, April 19-22, 2009, to share ideas with participants from many other countries. Attend educational sessions presented by HPT practitioners from around the globe. When preparing for presentations, include examples or co-presenters from countries other than your own. Establish your own personal global network. Most important, notify April Davis (april@ispi.org), ISPI Executive Director and international staff liaison, or Darlene Van Tiem (dvt@umich.edu), ISPI President elect and Board liaison to the international effort, and tell us what you would be interested in doing.
Students representing five universities from across the country prepare to take part in the first case study competition sponsored by the International Society for Performance Improvement. This pilot program will offer teams of four students from five universities the opportunity to practice performance improvement for a panel of expert judges and receive the benefit of their experience and judgment. The competition will begin in January 2009 and will conclude at THE Performance Improvement Conference in Orlando, Florida, April 19-22, 2009.
We invited five universities for the pilot test of the case study competition and our hope is to allow more universities to participate in the future. The following universities are set to participate:
We are excited to have these universities participate in the inaugural case study competition and want to thank their faculty sponsors for donating their time and energy.
Graduate students will benefit from this competition by working through an authentic case study prepared by expert performance improvement practitioners and provide feedback on deliverables throughout the competition. In addition, the final deliverables from this competition will be accepted as part of their Certified Performance Technologist application.
The top three teams will be invited to present their case study findings at THE Performance Improvement Conference in Orlando, Florida, April 19-22, 2009. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams with members of the top team receiving the following:
We are eager to begin this case study competition and wish good luck to all of the teams.
You do excellent work every day with great results. Submit your accomplishments and research to one of ISPI’s prestigious journals and get the recognition you deserve, and share your findings and ideas with your peers.
Performance Improvement (PI) journal publishes articles about all types of interventions and all phases of the Human Performance Technology (HPT) process, as well as hands-on HPT experiences, including:
PI also publishes updates on trends, reviews, and field viewpoints. The common theme of articles is performance improvement practice or technique that is supported by research or germane theory.
To submit an article, download and read the Author Guidelines, then email your article as an attachment to the editor, Holly Burkett, at pijeditor@ispi.org. PI is a benefit of ISPI membership, but if you are not a member you can still subscribe. If you are interested in joining ISPI, please click here.
Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research, theory, and literature reviews relevant to improving the performance of individuals, groups, and organizations. As a scholarly forum for the HPT field, the journal seeks to integrate and expand the methods, processes, and findings across multiple disciplines as they relate to solving problems and realizing opportunities in human performance. HPT work focuses on valued, measured results; considers the larger system context of people’s performance; and provides valid and reliable measures of effectiveness. The journal values both methodological rigor and variety, and publishes scholarship related to:
To submit an article, download and read the Author Guidelines, then email your article as an attachment to the ISPI Publications Office at pubs@ispi.org. A subscription to PIQ costs only $45 for ISPI members, so be sure to take advantage of this valuable resource. If you are not a member, but interested in joining ISPI, please click here.
As you know from reading this online newsletter every month, PerformanceXpress (PX) publishes exciting feature articles highlighting current developments and ideas in the field of performance improvement, as well as regular columns written by dedicated professionals spotting trends, Tales from the Field, and CPT News from Around the World. And, that is just the beginning. What contributions and ideas do you have to add to PX? “I wish I had thought of that” articles, practical application articles, articles about the application of HPT, or success stories? Read the Newsletter Submission Guidelines and send us your work to px@ispi.org.
When Geary spoke, a crowd was always sure to follow. I know I did. He was my performance improvement “rock star”. In my 10 years with ISPI, I have met a number of intriguing and insightful people but none have impacted my world as much as Geary. From our first encounter in 1998 to our last in late September, I could always count on a warm smile, a kind embrace, and a great takeaway to improve my performance and that of ISPI. Though I may no longer be able to scramble for a seat in the front row to hear you speak, I will remember you always. Thanks for adding a special something to my life.
To honor Geary, ISPI is holding a public remembrance in conjunction with THE Performance Improvement Conference, April 19-22, 2009, in Orlando, Florida. Details will be available after the new year. In addition, ISPI will work with several guest editors to compile a tribute edition of the Performance Improvement journal. Below is a wonderful remembrance of Geary’s life:
Dr. Geary
A. Rummler was the founding Partner of the Performance Design Lab (PDL), where
he was continuing his life-long work on organizational performance improvement
in complex systems. He died on October 29, 2008. His immediate family held a
private ceremony in his honor, but did not wish to have a traditional funeral,
in accordance with Geary’s own wishes.
At the time of his death, Geary was working with his partners on two books. One was about the process improvement and management “movement” and was intended as a follow-up to Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart, the 1990 groundbreaking work about process that became popularly known as the “White Space” book. The other book was to address management and the design and operations of an effective management system. Both of these books are well underway, and the remaining partners of PDL do intend to finish and publish them, partly in Geary’s honor and partly to continue the spread of his ideas to organizations that have benefited so much from him.
Prior to founding the PDL, Geary was the founding partner of The Rummler-Brache Group, an organization that became a leader in the business process improvement and management business in the 1980s and 1990s. Prior to that, Geary was President of the Kepner-Tregoe Strategy Group, specialists in strategic decision making; co-founder (with Thomas F. Gilbert) and president of Praxis Corporation, an innovator in the analysis and improvement of human performance; co-founder (with George S. Odiorne) and director of the University of Michigan's Center for Programmed Learning for Business.
Geary was a pioneer in the application of instructional and performance technologies to organizations and brings this experience to the issue of organization effectiveness. His clients in the private sector included the sales, service and manufacturing functions of the aircraft, automobile, steel, food, rubber, office equipment, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, chemical and petroleum industries; as well as the retail banking, and airline industries. He also worked with such federal agencies as IRS, SSA, HUD, GAO and DOT. Dr. Rummler's research and consulting took him to Europe, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, China and Mexico.
In addition to consulting, teaching and presenting at conferences, Geary published a steady stream of articles and a variety of books ranging from labor relations to the development of instructional systems and his articles appeared in numerous professional and management journals and handbooks. In 1988, he co-authored Training and Development: A Guide for Professionals, with George S. Odiorne. In 1990, he co-authored Improving Performance, How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart with Alan P. Brache. Geary received his MBA and PhD from the University of Michigan and served as:
Geary’s professional accomplishments include:
Those wishing to express private condolences may send them to The Performance Design Lab, PO Box 215, Belmont, MI. PDL also added a special place on their website where you can share your feelings about Geary or his relationship to you.
Those wishing to honor Geary with a gift may make a donation in his name to his alma mater:
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
University of Michigan
Attn: Terri Janni
701 Tappan St., W3700 Wyly Hall
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234
Phone:
734-615-4215,
Fax: 734-736-9170
tparks@umich.edu
Being held April 19-22, 2009, THE Performance Improvement Conference is the leading annual conference focusing on the principles and practices of performance improvement and the results achieved. With this eagerly anticipated educational event, ISPI continues to shape the future of performance improvement through learning, sharing best practices, and networking with the smartest minds in the industry from around the globe.
Orlando, Florida is expected to welcome 52 million tourists next year and is pleased to host ISPI in April 2009. The city is well known for the many tourist attractions in the area, most notable the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, where our guests will be staying at the Dolphin Hotel. Orlando is also known for its wide array of golf courses. So, in addition to attending the best professional development experience of 2009, you may want to make time for some fun!
The Compelling Economics of Enterprise Engagement
Don Peppers, Peppers & Rogers Group
Recognized for well over a decade as one of the leading authorities on customer-focused relationship management strategies, Don Peppers is an acclaimed author and founding partner of Peppers & Rogers Group. Don’s vision, perspective, and careful analysis of global business practices has earned him significant citations attesting to his thought leadership by internationally recognized entities such as The Times of London, Business 2.0 Magazine, and the United Kingdom’s Chartered Institute of Marketing.
In his keynote presentation, Don will address how in today’s volatile economic marketplace and in the future, the competitive edge will go to companies that create a community of excellence and who deliver a superior customer experience around their brands. Learn more.
Imperatives of Leadership—2010–2020
Frances Hesselbein, Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter Drucker Institute)
Frances Hesselbein is the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Leader to Leader Institute and its founding President. Frances was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998, is the Editor-in-Chief of the award-wining quarterly journal Leader to Leader, and a co-editor of a book with the same title. She is also a co-editor of the Drucker Foundation’s three-volume Future Series.
In her keynote presentation, Frances will address the need for effective, ethical leaders at every level of every enterprise. Leaders in many societies are finding the old answers do not fit the new questions, hence the Imperatives of Leadership. Learn more.
We look forward to welcoming you to Orlando. Click here to register today!
ISPI is developing a list of all universities with programs relating to human performance technology in the United States and abroad. To add your school to this list, please provide the following information:
Get your school or alma mater added to our list. Your help is greatly appreciated! Please submit information to John Chen at johnc@ispi.org with the subject “University Listing.”
Don't miss out on this opportunity. This list is set for completion in Janauary, 2009.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a commitment to ethical behavior through corporate citizenship to honor three areas of responsibility: economic, social, and environment. Resulting in a triple bottom line, this effort must be an environmental and human focus that is profitable for the organization. Through corporate social responsibility, organizations create value and long-term stability while contributing to society at large.
The HPT professional has a unique business opportunity to help organizations close the gap between current practices and new CSR practices that support sustainable development. The process of aligning practices to CSR begins with embedding this value in the core of the organization’s culture.
The culture of an organization has, at its core, a small set of guiding principles that serve as the basis for organizational life. These core culture principles collectively define the foundation for “why” the organization is in business and the framework for “how” employees distinctively and strategically do their work.
Core culture consists of the vital Purpose, the distinctive and enduring Philosophy, and the strategic Priorities of the organization. Use these questions to decide if CSR is a part of your core culture:
Your challenge is to integrate all core culture principles—the purpose, the philosophy, and the priorities—throughout your organization. Thus, if CSR is part of your core culture, then all organizational activities must be aligned with CSR. This is where the remaining Ps of “Aligning the Five Ps” fits in. You must align CSR with your “Practices”—internal and external—as well as your “Projections.”
CSR is a mindset and a principle that must be embedded throughout your culture. To be it, you must live it in all that you do. Begin by defining your core culture to include CSR and then assess and close the gaps in living this valued principle.
Beverly Oviedo, CMP, is founder of Sustainable Solutions by Design. She is an instructional designer and communication specialist with over 20 years of business management experience. She is a member of the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) Committee for Sustainability, United States Green Building Council, Green Meetings Industry Council, International Society for Performance Improvement, Meeting Professionals International, and Society of Government Meeting Professionals. Beverly may be reached at boviedo@ssbydesign.com
Sheila L. Margolis, PhD, is president of the Workplace Culture Institute. She publishes books, consults, and speaks on organizational culture and change. Her latest workbook on core culture and aligning the five Ps is Building a Culture of Distinction: Activities and Tools to Lead Organizational Change. Sheila may be reached at smargolis@CultureofDistinction.com or www.CultureofDistinction.com.
The ISPI Board of Directors is inviting anyone and everyone, ISPI members and non-members, to join in and produce, and then post their own mini-movies of themselves or others talking about human performance technology (HPT). There is a simple six-point script everyone is following for this year’s contest:
Joe Harless agreed to be one of the first. Just like with HPT itself! See his podcast via the link below.
It is all happening on “HPT Connections”—an ISPI website hosting a social network and HPT content. For instructions and tips for creating and posting your own video podcasts, use the pull-down menu labeled “More In This Group” and get on with it! Sign up as a group member (select the “Join Group” icon) to keep informed as additional podcasts are added. Or, you can click on the “Subscribe” option.
The “contest” part? There will be three prizes in each of the following categories:
The prizes are: a conference registration (1st place), free membership (2nd place), and a copy of the 3rd edition of the HPT Handbook (3rd place). First, second, and third place will be awarded for each category.
So create your video podcasts—and add them per the instructions at HPT Connections—and share with all of us! The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2008. The HPT practitioner podcasts are at HPT Connections at http://community.ispi.org/members/group.asp?id=29283.
Due to popular demand, ISPI has launched its own group on the popular social networking site Facebook. As many of you know, Facebook is a social networking website where users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and regions to connect and interact with other people. Users can add friends and send them messages, update their personal profile, and notify friends about their activities.
ISPI encourages everyone (members and non-members) to join the group. To join ISPI’s group all you need is a Facebook account and search for “International Society for Performance Improvement” or click here to view ISPI’s group page. Simply click “Join this Group” and begin networking with other ISPI members and practitioners in the field. The group includes events, SkillCasts, conference information, and important reminders. But most important, we want to provide you with a place to network with each other. Visit now to check out our photos from our 2008 Fall Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
ISPI’s ProSeries Workshops are an unique, two-day, peer-to-peer educational opportunity led by exceptional performance improvement professionals. Before “lean,” Six-Sigma, Knowledge Management, or one-minute cures, our presenters were breaking new ground in the principles and practices of performance technology.
In the spirit of collegial sharing for which ISPI is known, join these consummate performance professionals to expand your knowledge and skills. Work with proven tools and techniques, and merge new approaches with your own to enhance your value to your organization and your clients.
February, 17-18, 2009Judith Hale’s Implementation: Sustaining Initiatives will enlighten you on how to continue the advancement of corporate initiatives beyond their initial launch with guidance through the phases and processes required to support and fulfill the promise of increased workplace performance.
Alan Ramias and Richard Rummler’s Introduction to Serious Performance Consulting will take you beyond job-level performance improvement for individual workers to an exploration of the process and organizational levels of performance improvement where HPT practitioners really can make a lasting contribution to their organizations.
February 19-20, 2009Roger Chevalier’s A Manager’s Guide to Improving Workplace Performance will present techniques on how to teach managers and supervisors to apply HPT on a tactical level in their divisions, departments, and workshops.
Klaus Wittkuhn’s Performance Improvement Tools and Techniques invites you to an intensive program to utilize contact time with your internal clients, and change the stereotypical view of you and your department from trainer to human performance consultant with a wide range of tools and tips to improve your clients’ understanding of your potential.
Click here for more information or to register today!
Tales from the Field, a monthly column, consists of reports of evidence-based performance improvement practice and advice, presented by graduate students, alumni, and faculty of Boise State University’s Instructional and Performance Technology department.
St. Mary’s Hospital has been serving the south central region of Wisconsin since 1912. It offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient treatment and diagnostic services in primary care and nearly all specialties. The mission of the hospital is “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.” The hospital strives to accomplish the mission by achieving the following goals—exceptional patient care (clinical outcomes, safety, and satisfaction), exceptional commitment (employees and physicians), and exceptional financial performance and growth.
In support of the mission and goals, the hospital’s Sterile Processing Department provides supplies and equipment used in patient care, in a manner that ensures maximum safety, economy, and efficiency. Functioning 24/7, the department has five functional areas: decontamination, prep and package, sterilization, storage, and distribution. There are 27 employees, including two who provide clerical support and six who are assigned to a “shift charge” role to oversee the job tasks of the respective shifts. The entry-level education requirement is a high school diploma. Many of the employees are over 50 years of age and are long-term employees.
The Sterile Processing Department’s 2006 employee satisfaction survey identified specific opportunities for improving employee satisfaction. For example, one of the opportunities related to the employees’ perceptions toward developing fair and clearly stated standards for performance. The current department results showed that 51.8% of the employees were satisfied on this issue. A goal for 2007 was set to improve employee perceptions by 25%. (Note: These two percentages are not the actual values to protect the confidentiality of the organizational information.) The department manager initially requested an interpersonal skill training program as a method to increase satisfaction with clearly stated performance standards. However, the author further investigated the issue as a class project in Professor Yonnie Chyung’s IPT 536 Foundations of Instructional and Performance Technology class at Boise State University.
According to Thomas Gilbert (1996), “when behavior is inadequate for competent performance, we may alter it either by altering a person’s repertory or by changing the supporting environment; or, of course, we might do both” (p. 81). Using Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model (BEM), the author developed specific questions to help determine potential contributing factors of the employee satisfaction issue. During the analysis, she employed interviews, focus groups, and a survey using the elements of performance within the job description. The following list reflects sample questions from each category of Gilbert’s BEM.
Environmental Supports:
Person’s Repertory of Behavior:
The analysis revealed deficiencies in the two areas of the BEM—data and instruments/resources. Specifically, the following problems were identified:
Those problems also resulted in providing inconsistent training to new employees, which in turn contributed to causing them to think that their supervisors used inconsistent or unfair standards for evaluating their performance.
As a result of the analysis for the improvement area, the department manager agreed to take the following actions to establish and support fair standards of performance:
As this tale shows, performance improvement practitioners need to conduct a thorough cause analysis to find the sources of a performance issue before considering solutions to the performance problem. This tale showed that although the initial request was to provide an interpersonal skill training program, by building rapport with the manager and working together to apply the BEM, the improvement approach took a different course to improve employee satisfaction.
Gilbert, T. F. (1996). Human competence: Engineering worthy performance (Tribute ed.). Washington D.C.: The International Society for Performance Improvement.
Joanne Letourneau is employed as an educational specialist in the Human Resources Department of St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a registered nurse and is currently enrolled in Boise State University’s Master’s degree program in Instructional and Performance Technology. She may be reached at joanne_letourneau@ssmhc.com.
Have you considered attending one of ISPI’s HPT Institutes? Before you answer, consider the following questions:
If you are struggling to answer, you must attend ISPI’s Principles and Practices of Performance Improvement Institute, a three-day educational program that will teach you the human performance technology (HPT) process and the application of performance consulting skills and tools to analyze a workplace performance problem, present solutions, and evaluate your results. From January 27-29, 2009, ISPI and our talented faculty will be in San Francisco, California.
Attending this educational program will help optimize your organization’s investment in human capital. From day one, the knowledge gained is immediately applicable in the workplace and is designed to produce the highest return on investment for participating organizations.
Join us January 27-29, 2009, at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
Sir Francis Drake Hotel
450 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
800.227.5480 or 415.392.7755
reservations@sirfancisdrake.com
www.sirfrancisdrake.com
A special group rate of $159.00 single/double, plus tax is available to ISPI guests until January 1, 2009. You must call the hotel directly to make your reservation. Group Code: ISPI.
For more information, click here, or call us at 301.587.8570. Group registration discounts are available. Principles & Practices is also available onsite at your organization.
The following people submitted their work for peer review and were awarded the Certified Performance Technologist designation. Please help me in congratulating them.
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Erika Gilmore, CPT, PhD, works for Eli Lilly Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. She recently earned her doctorate from Indiana University under the guidance of Dr. Jim Pershing. The reason you should know her has to do with her work experience and her research. On the work side, Erika is one of those “line managers,” someone who knows first-hand what it means to be accountable, motivate workers, produce quality products, and devise interventions that are creative, efficient, and impactful. In addition to working in the pharmaceutical industry, she spent 10 years working in the automotive industry in operations and quality leadership roles. Given this experience, she represents our customers, the people we say we most want to influence, impress, and engage in human performance technology. This makes her a legitimate critic of our claims about performance improvement.
At some point in her career she decided to learn more and pursue a doctorate, which brings me to her research. We claim “training is not performance” but where is the proof? Erika decided to find out. To test our claim, she conducted a study based on Wile’s taxonomy that classifies performance causes and interventions (Wile, 1996). Wile alleged, like many others in our profession, that most performance problems are due to deficiencies in the work environment not in the worker. For those of you not familiar with Wile’s work, it is quickly captured in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Wile’s HPT Model
Erika studied 30 published case studies that described the problem, goal, causes, and chosen solutions in performance improvement situations. She found that Wile was overwhelmingly correct, but with some interesting twists. Most causes of performance problems were due to deficiencies in the work environment that can be classified into three different categories. But what was particularly interesting is she also found that, on average, interventions from four different categories were used to improve performance. One of the four was training! Other common solutions included cognitive support tools, changes to incentives, and improvements to the organizational systems. It seems that training was an appropriate solution, because changes in the work environment and the introduction of support tools may have introduced or exacerbated a deficiency in skills and knowledge.
To learn more about her research, look for her upcoming articles in Performance Improvement journal and Performance Improvement Quarterly where she describes her methodology and her findings in greater detail.
Wile, D. (1996). Why doers do. Performance & Instruction 35(1): 30-35.
If you have a story to tell that you think others would value, send it to judy@ispi.org.
We are currently seeking student volunteers to join us in Orlando, Florida between April 19-22, 2009 at THE Performance Improvement Conference. If you want to become part of the volunteer team, now is the time to let us know. We only have a limited number of volunteer opportunities available.
We are accepting applications for a limited number of hard-working, knowledgeable, enthusiastic people who are interested in serving as conference volunteers at THE Performance Improvement Conference in Orlando, Florida. Volunteers receive the following compensation:
To learn more about the available opportunities, and to tell us how you’d like to be involved, contact Ellen Kaplan at conference@ispi.org.
The
International Society for Performance Improvement’s Career Center will
revolutionize how you search for jobs and source candidates! Our job board,
powered by career services leader JobTarget, makes it easier than ever for ISPI
members to enhance their careers and stay connected within the performance
improvement community. Below you
will find the most recent job postings added to ISPI’s
Amegy Bank of Texas
Learning & Development Manager
Job Location: Houston, Texas, 77027
Job Type: Full Time
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Director, Human Capital Management Group
Job Location: Baltimore, Maryland, 21244
Job Type: Full Time
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Leadership Development Specialist
Job Location: Atlanta, Georgia, 30301
Job Type: Full Time
Church Pension Group
Senior Trainer
Job Location: New York, New York, 10016
Job Type: Full Time
Wellpoint
Instructional Designer
Job Location: Indiana
Job Type: Full Time
Join us for SkillCast webinars presented by Marshall Brown and Sharon Armstrong of Marshall Brown & Associates.
The series includes Building Success Through Strong Networking, February 24, 2009, and Behavioral Interviewing, March 24, 2009.
These SkillCast webinars culminate at the Career Center workshops presented at THE Performance Improvement Conference 2009 in Orlando Florida, April 19-22. You do not want to miss out!
For more information, or to register, visit www.ispi.org/webcasts.
With the re-launch of ISPI’s SkillCast webinars with a new vendor, Boston Conferencing, ISPI is proud to announce you can view our past SkillCast webinars at your convenience beginning with July’s presentation. If you missed the opportunity to attend Jim Hill, Ruth Clark, Margo Murray, or any of our past live SkillCast webinars, you can hear the recorded session and obtain the handouts. For more information and to order these webinars, visit www.ispi.org/content.aspx?id=390. As we move forward in the coming months, all SkillCast webinars will be recorded and made available approximately 48 hours after the conclusion of the live event.
For more information, or to register, visit www.ispi.org/webcasts.
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 Career Resources Conferences,
Seminars, and Workshops Take part in Principles and Practices, January 27-29, 2009, in San Francisco, CA. Register today! |
Attend the ProSeries Workshop, February 17-20, 2009, in Las Vegas, NV. Professional development designed for the performance professional. Register today! Join us for THE Performance Improvement Conference, our Annual Conference, April 19-22, 2009, in Orlando, FL. Register today! 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. Discounted to ISPI members.
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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.
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 johnc@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 johnc@ispi.org.
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 johnc@ispi.org,
and you will be added to the PerformanceXpress email 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 John Chen at johnc@ispi.org.
Stay informed: add ispi.org to your Address Book and/or Safe Senders list to ensure you don’t miss important announcements and valuable offers from ISPI!
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