In this issue:

Five Strategies to Optimize Employee Productivity

Ad: 2010 Conference

TrendSpotters

Web 2.0: A Community-Based Adoption Approach

Ad: Book Series

Selling Yourself

From the Board

New Professional Certificates in Partnership with Ithaca College

THE Performance Improvement Conference

Member Spotlight

How ’Bout Anyway?

ISPI’s Board of Directors Candidates

ISPI Advocates: Noun or Verb?

Call for Applications: Distinguished Dissertation Award

Tales from the Field

CPT News from Around the World

One ISPI Europe Conference, Two Views

Invitation To Participate in Research Study

ISPI Announces New Organizational Members

Are Your Recognized for Your Work?

Career Center

Performance Marketplace

Join ISPI Now!

Newsletter Submission Guidelines

ISPI Board of Directors

ISPI Advocates

Back Issues

www.ispi.org

Five Strategies to Optimize Employee Productivity

by Kim Ziprik, MS, PHR, IQ Business Group

According to recent economic impact studies, including one by Salary.com, at least 52% of U.S. organizations have reduced their staff through layoffs in the last year, while 60% have implemented hiring freezes. In many cases, this has left one employee doing the job of two or more. Add to this the accelerated rate of change in today’s business world, where employees are asked to learn new and complex skills in shorter time frames, and it is easy to understand why employee productivity has suffered in today’s economic downturn.

But what can frontline managers do when there is no choice but to squeeze every ounce from their diminished team? How can cost-conscious organizations minimize risks, while improving output? The answer may not lie in the number of people employed, but in how well prepared individuals are to execute their jobs while keeping up with changes in their industry.

Most companies rely heavily on traditional training methods such as memorization and formal classroom structures to meet employees’ common learning needs. While these strategies are effective to a point, they are also time-consuming, cost-prohibitive, and interrupt the workflow.

Today’s business environment demands a better solution that does not dictate when, where, or what learning takes place. Smart managers are embracing innovative tools and resources to help employees gain critical knowledge at the moment of need, while they work.

How can your company improve productivity? Implementing these five strategies will provide for a quick return on investment:

1. Leverage technology and human strengths: Research shows employees who utilize their strengths are six times more likely to be emotionally engaged on their jobs. Unfortunately, many people spend a significant part of their workday executing predictable, repetitive tasks. Smart companies realize that a more effective use of human capital is to relegate these processes to technology-based solutions and leverage their peoples’ skills in solving complex business problems, enhancing the customer experience, or creating innovative products and services.
2. Make it easy to keep up with change: The way we do business is changing and it is accelerating exponentially. For example, the first commercial text message was sent in 1992 and today the number of texts sent daily exceeds the population of the planet. There are currently 540,000 words in the English language, five times as many as when Shakespeare was alive. The amount of technical knowledge is doubling every year. Who is affected the most by this rapid pace? Staff. Consider building and deploying a Systematic Performance Support tool (PST) or online coach to help employees keep current. PSTs allow management to quickly relay updates in process, product, and pricing, practically eliminating employee errors. Helping employees “get it right” each and every time is imperative to improved bottom-line results and keeping up morale.
3. Capture your corporate wisdom: In today’s information age, the key to productivity is getting important data and best practices out of people’s heads and into tangible and usable formats. With fewer people on staff, the experience and wisdom of veteran employees are more valuable than ever. By systematically documenting best practices and processes, along with the company’s systems and regulations, forward-thinking organizations are dramatically decreasing training time and costs. Building a repository of knowledge is invaluable to the bottom line and feeds future growth.
4. Encourage social learning: It is estimated that 80% to 90% of learning occurs informally on the job. Yet many companies fail to take advantage of this knowledge base by making it accessible to all employees. In today’s highly socialized and media-driven world, providing employees with easy-to-use authoring tools can have a positive impact quickly and with minimal investment. Encouraging employees to author blogs or wikis or manage discussion forums will allow information to be shared quickly. Providing employees with the resources to create, add to, or modify content leads to greater collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving skills.
5. Develop coaches and mentors: Experienced employees are one of your company’s greatest assets; it is imperative to utilize their skills in optimizing the learning process. Leverage seasoned employees as subject matter experts (SMEs) and coach them to be mentors. This role provides them the opportunity to show off their natural strengths while fulfilling a vital business role. Additionally, today’s manager must learn how to be an effective coach. Providing real-time feedback is imperative to productivity and improved performance. Together these roles are critical to growing the company’s greatest asset, its human capital.

By integrating the learning process into ongoing, daily processes, many companies are improving productivity by up to 60%, while cutting overall training costs in half. If your organization is looking for innovative ways to maximize employee performance, consider incorporating these strategies into your business. You will not only improve collaboration, competence, and productivity, you will empower your best people to succeed.

Kim Ziprik is responsible for leading IQ’s Hi-Performance Learning Practice, focusing on the strategic direction of the learning consulting solution and implementation of the firm’s technology platform, the IQ Business Brain™. She is involved in the design, development, and implementation of learning solutions that lead change for improved organizational performance. Kim’s learning and performance improvement experience spans a variety of industries with expertise in learning strategy and design, eLearning deployment, and distant learning technologies. Kim holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, is a certified Human Resource (PHR) professional, and an active member in ISPI, ASTD, and SHRM.

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TrendSpotters
2009 Recap

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

With the ongoing positive response of our readers, 2009 saw TrendSpotters’ continued focus on models and tools you can use. Our guests generously shared how the models and tools they contributed:

• Successfully produced results
• Could be adapted to a variety of situations
• Support the RSVP+ standards
• Add value in challenging economic times

Before we move ahead in 2010, we thought readers might appreciate a summary of the offerings in this space from 2009, along with a chance to revisit those of particular interest. Herewith, the TrendSpotters 2009 Recap.

2009 Columns

Willy Pullen, Integrating HPT, February 2009. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) successfully moved from a traditional wants-based training approach to a contemporary needs-based approach to learning. From there, the RCMP was able to complete the transition to a results-driven approach to performance improvement. Willy shares highlights from this journey including Key Transition Points, Systemic Embedding of HPT, and What Works that can help you in your efforts to integrate human performance technology (HPT) in your organization.

Darryl Sink, Superframes™, March 2009. To craft great learning experiences and ensure transfer of new skills back to the job, Darryl and his team chose to use standardized job aid formats within formal training and then added proven learning activity frames to provide practice and reinforcement. This resulted in a facilitated formal training program rather than an expository training program, adding much higher learner engagement. SuperFrames™ ensure that the learning activities provide authentic structured practice and reinforcement in the correct use of the job aids.

Jim Hill, The Moxie Coefficient, April 2009. Do you have moxie? Moxie may be just the leverage you need to make a difference in your organization’s performance and in your career. The Moxie Coefficient is a simple, 10-item assessment that helps people determine whether or not they are ready to strongly advocate for a project or program. That level of readiness is an indicator of one’s personal level of confidence, or Moxie. The questions ask about the nature of the project followed by a number of self-assessment items. Totaling the answers leads to an appraisal of the situation and either advises caution or encourages going forward.

Karen Medsker, Instructional Systems Design Model, May 2009. Karen shares her version of the ISD Model with us. She evolved the current format over years of teaching ISD at the graduate level, ensuring that the model was simple, logical, and user-friendly. Readers familiar with other versions will note that Karen’s provides outputs rather than activities for each phase. The ADDIE acronym still applies to the phases in the ISD model. Karen reminds us that spending the most time in the Analyze and Design phases yields the best results in ISD.

Klaus Wittkuhn, The Leverage Finder, June 2009. The Leverage Finder is a large-format worksheet that guides the consultant through the initial information-gathering meeting with a client. This is a high value tool that supports the consultant in forging a partnership with the client and guides them through a refining process to elicit all the components of the problem or opportunity. Everything is made visible on a single sheet of paper, and the client is educated along the way. The Leverage Finder can be customized for individual clients.

David Hartt, The 8-Button Analysis Model, July 2009. David identified the need for an analysis model that spoke the language of clients and made the technology of performance improvement more easily accessible. He thought that some less complex projects could be completed more quickly with a simpler, more streamlined analysis, and newer practitioners in the field could be successful with a more basic model. He chose the BEM as the framework for his 8-Button Analysis Model and enhanced it with buttons rather than Gilbert’s familiar boxes. The buttons came from David’s view of the “easy button” we often push to choose a training solution without first thoroughly investigating the driver or cause of the performance problem or opportunity.

Interview with Rick Rummler, “Should” Enablers Chart, August 2009. The “Should” Enablers Chart is a feedback tool that helps a project team articulate the particulars of the change design in writing and structure a feedback discussion with those stakeholders who will develop, support, or operate the changes. The chart helps designers discover if the change or an aspect of it may not be technically viable or cost or time feasible. The stakeholders then become valuable partners in finding alternative approaches.

Aubrey Daniels, 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money, September 2009. Aubrey has identified a number of common management practices that scientific knowledge tells us are not effective. A lack of knowledge about behavioral science is not unusual in business circles so that some of the 13 Management Practices, and others like them, are found in most organizations. And, if “everyone” is following these practices, how would we know they are ineffective?

Ruth Clark, The Scenario-Based Learning Model, October 2009. Sometimes called problem-based learning or case-based learning, the design process for this type of instruction is exacting, and the Scenario-Based Learning Model helps direct the efforts of the designer or developer. While scenario-based learning includes a case study, it is not constructed in the same way as the traditional case study. Conventionally, a case is presented as a learning experience, often as a culminating event at the end of a larger workshop or course. Scenario-based learning uses the case as the frame within which the learning for the workshop or course is embedded.

Jim Kirkpatrick, Return on Expectations, November 2009. Despite the significant contribution the original Kirkpatrick four levels of evaluation made to the design and development of training over the years, users of the model spent so much time at Levels 1 (Reaction) and 2 (Measure Learning) that they rarely got to Levels 3 (Measure Behavior) and 4 (Measure Results) where the real value of the model lies. When users fail to specify the results they want their training to produce, they lack the critical information needed to evaluate at Levels 3 and 4, limiting the effectiveness of their training efforts. The Kirkpatrick Business Partnership Model directly addresses this discrepancy by starting with the desired results.

Preview 2010

With our readers’ continued interest and support, TrendSpotters will spotlight models and tools again this year. In addition to exploring how to use the models and tools our guests so generously share, we will ask them to tell us, from where they sit in the world of performance improvement, what they see ahead for our profession and the clients we serve.

See you next month!

Find all the models and tools featured in TrendSpotters at http://www.ispi.org/archives/perfXpress.htm#trendToolkit.

You may reach Carol Haig at carolhaig@earthlink.net or at http://home.mindspring.com/~carolhaig; Roger Addison may be reached at rogeraddison@earthlink.net. Roger blogs at http://rachekup.blogspot.com.

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Web 2.0: A Community-Based Adoption Approach

by Brian Richardson, 2010 Conference Presenter

Globally, people of all demographics are participating in online social networking and online communities. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites are growing in popularity, influence, and impact. As a result, corporations, government agencies, and non-profits are increasingly looking to leverage similar technologies, commonly referred to as Web 2.0, to link their customers, suppliers, and employees. Solutions that harness the relationship capital within social networks can address a number of critical business issues, including:

• Brand awareness, value, and reputation
• Innovation capabilities
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Strategic talent, learning, and recruiting initiatives
• Collaboration and knowledge management (KM) strategies

Effective social networking solutions enable organizations to leverage their relationships in ways that strengthen culture, augment business performance, and respond to competitive pressures. While the promise of these tools is significant, results thus far have underwhelmed. In a recent McKinsey survey (McKinsey, 2008), 22% of executives voiced strong dissatisfaction with these tools and only 21% reported being satisfied overall with their use of these tools.

For those organizations that consider their implementations successful, one of the most-commonly cited best practices (Burton Group, 2009) was the use of a managed community (vs. technology-centric) approach to implementation. This approach facilitates voluntary organization of individuals into one or more groups with a shared purpose aligned to overall organizational goals. These groups interact, network, and create social structures as they produce shared intellectual and social capital. An effective managed community approach addresses several key elements critical to adoption and lasting success:

1. People and Process. Starting with communities before implementing new technologies establishes the structure, process, organization and communication channels required. This allows organizations to identify and implement the tools, features, and functions required to avoid the pitfalls of a tool-centric approach where “cool” technologies are implemented in an “if you build it, they will come” mode, with adoption as an afterthought. Communities can be established with or without any set of technologies, and with the community as the starting point, any technology that makes the work of the community easier, faster or more effective is likely to be embraced.
2. Management (but not over-management). Having a central, responsive governance structure and policy for communities ensures that communities align to overall goals and identify sponsors and leaders accountable for content and adherence to organizational policy. It is important that the governance be robust enough to ensure communities do not duplicate efforts or set goals that are at odds with organization strategy, but light enough that it does not stifle the grassroots innovation, creativity, and energy of potential community members and leaders.
3. Flexibility. Communities can and should be started, expanded, sub-divided and dissolved relatively quickly and easily without significant impact to the larger organization. Any topic, practice area, or set of focused goals can spawn a community. A mature managed community approach can even create a virtual organization structure to organize motivated, talented individuals quickly around important topics, goals and objectives without the expense, risk or complexity associated with changing overall organization alignment. For example, a company organized around customer segments could create communities to focus on product or service development or support. A community could be formed to attract a cross-functional group to study and respond to pending legislation or recent market events.

Done well, communities are an incubator for new ideas and a dynamic engine for lasting and successful change. In order to flourish, they need enough process to get started, manage administrative tasks, overcome common issues and benchmark their progress, but also enough autonomy to define their goals and methods to achieve them. A typical community lifecycle includes five phases:

1. Initiation. A request for a new community is made and assessed by a central governance team, which reviews for overlap with other communities and alignment to organizational strategy. A charter is created stating the goals and purpose for the community. These goals should align to an overall organization strategy establishing the leadership team responsible for execution and policy adherence. It also identifies experts to guide and mentor as well as validate the content.
2. Planning. A core team generates the initial content, develops a marketing plan for the community, and establishes responsibilities for facilitating key initiatives.
3. Activation. The marketing plan is executed, community members are recruited, the community is launched, and key initiatives are kicked off.
4. Execution. The community works toward achieving the goals established in the planning phase. Mentoring relationships are established and both social and intellectual capital is created and enhanced.
5. Monitor and Control. The community is assessed in terms of time spent, goal achievement, and member and expert satisfaction. Adjustments are made to roles, goals, organization and process.
6. Closure. Communities that have fulfilled their charter, lost momentum, or are no longer aligned to organizational strategy are closed in an orderly fashion. Key milestones and lessons learned are documented and content is transitioned or archived.

With a managed community approach established, Web 2.0 can be a powerful enabler of a robust organizational capability, rather than the tail wagging the dog. Online profiles, content and expert search, blogs, wikis, content management, social networking and other technologies can be positioned, tested and implemented as accelerators for the existing workflow and social structure, greatly enhancing the likelihood of adoption and ultimate success.

Brian is one of more than 100 presenters sharing their knowledge and expertise at THE Performance Improvement Conference, April 19-22, 2010. If you want to learn more, you can attend his 90-minute presentation, Driving Organizational Change through Communities of Practice.

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Selling Yourself: Six Essential Steps Required to Sell the Most Important Product—YOU!

by David E. Coad, President and Founder, DEC Consultants

January 20, 2010, 1:00 p.m. EST Register for Webinar Online

Get the job! Master the six vital steps to sell yourself in catastrophic economic times. With 10% of the population looking for work today, you must have a competitive advantage against the 25 million Americans currently looking for work to obtain an offer. Participate in learning how to differentiate yourself from the competition, sell yourself, and get the job!

Participants will be able to:

• Create enthusiasm to establish rapport quickly
• Learn how to uncover needs through open-ended probes
• Master the power of listening
• Present your features and benefits through EARs
• Handle concerns and objections
• Close hard

About the Webinar Presenter

David E. Coad founded DEC in 2001 after a successful career in medical device sales, sales management, and marketing. During this time, David hired, managed, mentored, motivated, and promoted numerous individuals in diverse locales throughout the United States. Today, this experience informs DEC’s unique proprietary process. During a 10-year sales and marketing career at U.S. Surgical—the world’s largest maker of wound-closure products—David learned what it takes to measure up to tough standards. He completed one of the industry’s most grueling and comprehensive training programs, was recertified as a Certified Stapling Technician annually, and achieved “Presidents Club” status twice. David is experienced in both domestic and international sales and marketing. David left U.S. Surgical in late 1999 to become regional sales director for Boston-based PTC. There he hired and managed a team of five, quickly earning “Presidents Club” status for closing multimillion dollar licensing agreements with HP and other enterprise customers, and increasing sales revenues 300 percent. David later marketed e-business solutions to San Francisco-area pharmaceutical and biotech firms for Dallas-based i2 TECHNOLOGIES. These and other successful sales experiences give David and DEC a deep understanding of what companies look for in sales and marketing candidates. DEC’s full-time staff—trained in our exacting service standards—successfully places professional candidates worldwide. In the last decade DEC has placed over 600 professionals—accomplishing a 95% retention rate after one year with 30% of them advancing their careers within their placement. First Interview Network affiliates around the world supplement these efforts.

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From the Board
Chapters and Society Working Together:
One Society

by Paul Cook, CPT, ISPI Director

We first started talking about re-engaging our Chapters in 2008 in an effort we call “One Society.” In 2009 we extensively revised of the Chapter Affiliation Agreement to provide our chapters with services to support their members with programs, marketing, and leadership support. Some examples include:

• Communicating chapter messages directly to ISPI international members and associates in the chapter’s area of operation
• Access to the Chapter Partnership Committee’s chapter leaders’ quarterly Reach Out conference calls, the final session is March 11, 2010. Contact John Chen for more information.)
• Free access to a speaker and presenter resource list featuring the best performance improvement experts in the world
• Application for the Certified Performance Technologist designation at the ISPI member rate
• Access to two recorded ISPI international SkillCast presentations
• One free Annual Conference registration per Chapter drawn from the local chapter membership
• Shared leadership and membership tools, resources, and networks to IPSI chapter leaders through the Chapters’ page on the Society’s website

In the agreement’s reciprocal relationship, chapters are asked to deliver programs, resources, and excellence vital to building One Society by building ISPI and advancing our field. Some of these include:

• Conducting programs on the 10 Standards of Performance Technology on which the Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) designation is based
• Striving to conduct programming that allows the chapter to earn the Chapter Award of Excellence
• Provide chapter membership information to ISPI international regularly

A big part of bringing the new agreement to life was the revitalized Chapter Partnership Committee (CPC) led by Mark Laurin and including Ildi Oravecz, New Mexico; Jim Voska, Kansas City; Eileen Banchoff, Michigan Chapter; Gary DePaul, Tampa Bay/Armed Forces; Rose Noxon, Capella University; Jim Marken, Hampton Roads; Jean Strosinski, New Mexico; Dan Roberts, New Mexico; Keith Bearup, Arizona; Janet Sprimont, St. Louis; Bonnie Beresford, Michigan; Denise Friant, Chicago. All done in a working in partnership with our chapter professional John Chen, the CPC has made great strides in delivering services to our Chapters.

In 2010, Chapters are going to be big at THE Performance Improvement Conference, April 19–22, 2010. There will be the long-popular Chapter Leaders Workshop (CLW), April 19, 8:30 am–4:30 pm. This is “free” to all current Chapter board members, “soon to be” Chapter leaders, and those interested in forming a local geographic or virtual chapter. This day-long workshop will be by Rose Noxon, Capella Chapter, and her team with Gary DePaul, Tampa Chapter, as the workshop’s lead facilitator. It will be all about Chapter programs, marketing, operations, volunteer recruiting and development, Chapter lifecycles, and enabling technologies, and it will be very hands-on. If past years are any guide, the “Chapter crazies,” a term coined at last year’s CLW, will end the day simultaneously jazzed and exhausted. If you are considering forming a local Chapter in your area, this workshop is a MUST attend!

This year, Eileen Banchoff has inaugurated a new role on the Conference Committee—Chapter liaison. Working with the CPC, there will be an all new Chapter Clinic, a 90-minute hands-on conference session focused on chapter operations. The new Chapter Chat & Chew sessions will give chapter types personal time with experienced chapter veterans to discuss better programming, marketing, and operations. Added to the venerable Cracker Barrel will be at least five different chapter-centric topics. All of these programs are for and by chapter leaders geared to build engagement to provide opportunities for their further involvement in our Society. It is a given that Chapter leaders will find the rest of the Conference a great way to meet some of the best performance improvement gurus on the planet to preview and invite for their Chapter’s programs.

More needs to be done. It is clear that Chapters are often the first place where many hear about performance improvement, human performance improvement (HPT), CPT, and ISPI. They are incubators of new members and Society leaders. The latest Volunteer Survey found 49% of Society leaders got their start as chapter leaders. With over 1,300 chapter members and over 1,100 who aren’t yet members of the Society, it is clear that chapters are vital to the growth of our Society.

At the same time, our Chapters rely on the Society for intellectual capital, development of the field, professional rigor, and support services. None of this happens without lots of passion, hard work, and, inescapably, money.

So the key to the long-term success of building one Society is to develop a sustainable business model providing both Chapters and Society with the resources they need to thrive. In November 2009, the Board of Directors committed our Society to fully implement such a model no later than 2015, as well as agreeing on the metrics constituting a “Chapter Dashboard.” If that seems like a long time, consider our Chapter Affiliation Agreements have two-year terms, so our strategy is phased implementation over the next two agreements.

The initial plan will be developed in time for the Annual Conference where we will seek the input from all our members including our chapter leaders. You will be hearing more as this evolves.

There is a long and proud lineage of IPSI leaders who persisted, acted, and contributed year after year and whose dedication and contributions bring us to this zeitgeist of collaboration and possibility. In 2008 “One Society” was a slogan. In 2009 it was an agreement. In 2010 it is a plan and a road map, and by 2015 it will be here—One Society. We’ve waited for this moment, join us.

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New Professional Certificates in Partnership with Ithaca College

More than ever, essential work is being performed by virtual teams of mobile employees and outsourced vendors. Do you have the skill sets to lead networked organizations and virtual teams? 

Add value to your organization by completing the Professional Certificate, Leading Networked Organizations and Virtual Teams through Ithaca College. Developed by longtime ISPI member and supporter Diane Gayeski, PhD, an international expert in corporate communication and training, in collaboration with Jeff Stamps, PhD, and Jessica Lipnack, co-founders of NetAge, and leading consultants in managing networked and virtual organizations, this certificate program builds the skills you need to manage networked and virtual organizations. Choose four of these seven, online seminars to complete the certificate:

• 21st Century Leadership for the Networked Organization
• Making Virtual Work “Work”
• Launching and Sustaining Virtual Teams
• Collaboration Maturity: Designing Partnerships for Trust and Synergy
• Working with Teams for Innovation
• Evaluating Emerging Technologies
• Managing Across the Generations

Ithaca College’s professional certificate programs offer the full benefits of online learning—flexible scheduling, networking with peers, instruction led by experts in the field, immediate application, and contemporary resources. Enroll today to earn a professional certificate, or participate in stand-alone class to advance your professional development. ISPI members received a discounted registration fee. To learn more about all the certificates available or to register, click here.

Performance Improvement in the Workplace:
The Hot Topic in San Francisco

Join Our Global Who’s Who in Performance Improvement April 19–22, in San Francisco, California for THE Performance Improvement Conference.

• Rear Admiral Timothy S. Sullivan, Commander, Force Readiness Command, US Coast Guard
• Diana Whitney, PhD, President, Corporation for Positive Change
• Irada Sadykhova, Director of Learning Strategies, Microsoft Corporation
• John Baldoni, Baldoni Consulting, LLC
• Marshall Goldsmith, PhD, Co-founder, Marshall Goldsmith Partners
• Executive Roundtable: Margie Tatro, Director of Fuel and Water Systems, Sandia National Laboratories, David Stanasolovich, General Manager Information Technology Platform Engineering Capability Intel, & Stephen E. Cooper, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Skyler™ Technology
• Curtis Jay Bonk
• Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, Resident Mad Scientist, The Thiagi Group
• Ann W. Cramer, Director Americas, IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs

This is just a preview of more than 100 presenters providing over 120 educational sessions covering topics such as:

• Success at Genentech: Increasing Performance While Reducing Time to Competency
• Lessons for Leadership in 99 Words or Less
• Pushing Management's Buttons to Improve Performance
• Using HPT to Achieve Strategic Business Ends
• Promoting Training in Tough Economic Times: Speak the Language of Business
• Stop! Don't Chase that Training ROI Wild Goose
• Virtual Instructor Training: You Can Get There from Here!
• Applying Organizational Socialization and Turnover Research to a Job-training Program

Just Announced

Come a day or two early an experience a one- or two-day workshop. Whether you are new to the field or looking to enhance your skills, our workshops will advance your professional know-how and knowledge in a specific topic area.

April 18 & 19, 2010

• SDI Level 1 Facilitator Certification; Tim Scudder

April 18, 2010

• Faster, Cheaper, Better: Alternative Approaches to Instructional Design; Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan & Tracy Tagliati
• Motivation & Behavior: Focused Leadership Tools to Achieve Increased Performance; Edward G. Muzio & Steve Overcashier
• Organizational Intelligence: How to Add Value to Your Organization; Lynn Kearny & Kenneth H. Silber
• Performance-based Instructional Design: Practical Techniques & Tools that Engage Learners; Gary DePaul
• Strategically Thinking Outside the Box; Suzanne J. Ebbers
• Training’s NOT the Answer! Using a System’s Approach to Performance; Lisa Jasper & Adelee Licir

April 19, 2010

• Designing Scenario-based Multimedia Learning; Ruth Clark
• Interactive Strategies for Improving Performance; Tracy Tagliati & Sivasailam Thiagarajan
• Kaiser Permanente: Maximizing Business Results through a Sustainable Learning Structure; Monica Goodale & Katica Roy
• Linking Jobs to Processes; Danny Langdon & Kathleen Whiteside
• Matrix Management: Key Management Practices for Effective Cross-Functional Cooperation; Bill Daniels
• The Six Boxes^® Approach: An Introduction to Performance Thinking; Carl Binder

Act now—register by February 12, and SAVE! ISPI members may take advantage of our special $875 rate. Non-members save with a rate of $1,125. For only $1,000, non-members may join ISPI and register for the conference at the same time! For more information, visit www.ispi.org/ac2010.

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Member Spotlight
An Interview with lldi Revi, CPT

Welcome to ISPI’s Member Spotlight! This column focuses on our members—some you may know, some you may not. Each month, we will explore what brought them to ISPI, how they use the principles of performance improvement and their insights into the value of membership. This month our interview is with Ildi Revi, President of Leopard Forest Coffee Company, LLC.

ISPI: Ildi, how long have you been a member of ISPI

Ildi: I joined years ago in the mid 90s. Then I went to Africa and I let my membership expire. I rejoined in 2002.

What got you involved in performance improvement and ISPI?

My Master’s is in adult education with an emphasis on organizational learning. During my Master’s I was working for a diversity training consultant. We went to different workplaces and developed diversity training programs. I kept asking myself, "Why are we doing these training programs if factors XYZ aren't changing in the organization." I didn't realize that there was this world of HPT until I stumbled across it and realized I wasn't the only one that thinks this way.

What do you think you have brought to the field of performance improvement?

I bring my international and my small business experience. As the CEO of a small company I use the model on a daily basis as part of my operating tool. I have to live with the decisions and the effect it has on my company.

Tell us about the work you were doing in Africa.

The U.S. embassy job in Mozambique was to jumpstart local businesses. Mozambique is a Portuguese speaking country surrounded by English speaking countries. I was there to get their teach their English teachers to go into businesses and set up workplace English programs.

Did your work in Africa reveal anything about how you could apply HPT differently?

I think the whole issue of cultural difference. As Americans we tend to be more collaborative and open. Over there, a lot of performance related issues might be seen as signs of weakness. If you were performing an organizational analysis you would only be able to do it with the top person. They don't want to reveal their weaknesses to anyone. Here we would be able to talk to the line worker and talk about the mission and values of the organization. I think we are much more open to that type of openness [in the U.S.].

Where have you used HPT outside of the corporate environment?

My daughter is learning to read. I use HPT principles to figure out the gap in her performance of why she isn't connecting ABCD. I look at it systematically to determine what I need to do. I've seen how her teacher works with her, I see her applying HPT principles and she doesn't even know it.

What is that the most important thing that keeps you as a member of ISPI?

I love getting PerformanceXpress and the Performance Improvement journal. There's almost always an article that I see and think to myself "Yeah, that's good".

What would you tell a person who has heard about performance improvement? What would you tell them?

We focus on how people are doing at work. What stops them from performing at their best level? We do that through an unpinning of research and methods, practices, and systems that have been tested and tried. It’s about the people, their work, how they performing, and what stops them from performing at their optimum. It examines what has and hasn’t worked in the past through a systematic process of studying the organization, the environment, and determining the gap.

What would you say to someone who is interested in joining ISPI but isn't really sure what/who it is?

I think your membership fee is very reasonable. The resource library that someone can access and the discounts to the online bookstore are worth the membership fee. I love your website. When I'm in the middle of something and I can quickly access the website find the resource or information I am looking for and be on my way. That saves me time. If you figure at $25 an hour, there's 6 and a half hours right there, its easily saved me 6.5 hours of research time in the last year.

Lastly, what advice would you give to other small business owners?

It goes back to the very basic organizational analysis - in the HPT chart. What is your vision? What is your mission? Even the small little corner cafe needs a mission. Serving the community, being a place where people can gather and meet, showcase their talent on mic etc, whatever it is. You have your mission and that's what you need to drive it. But those owners who try to keep their day job and keep their small business on the side - they lack a special connection that's the joy of all of this.

Know of a member who you think would make an interesting member spotlight? Is there someone you think has an interesting story to share? Send your recommendations and nominations to John Chen at johnc@ispi.org.

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How ’Bout Anyway?

by Edward Muzio, 2010 Conference Presenter

My oldest niece has always been very expressive. As an infant she would sing and make faces; as an elementary school student she now weaves fantastic stories with complex plots. Even as a toddler, she had a way with words. “How ’bout cookie?” she would ask a parent in a singsong voice. Wanting to play along but unwilling to spoil her dinner, my brother or sister-in-law would answer with “how ’bout no?” Her smile never left as she tried again: “How ’bout anyway?” In other words, despite your apparently important and logical objections, let’s just do it anyhow.

I’ve been thinking about my niece and her cookie-seeking conversations lately as we’ve been brainstorming possible names for my second book. Now tentatively entitled Make Work Great, the spring 2010 release will be a guide for anyone at any level to do what its subtitle promises: Supercharge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence, One Person at a Time. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, I maintain that these things are possible, at least to some extent, if you take the right actions.

What does this have to do with my niece? More than you might think.

When we released Four Secrets to Liking Your Work in 2008, we received much positive feedback, including an Award of Excellence from ISPI. Yet, a small subset of readers came back with a concerning response. “This all sounds great,” they would say, “but I’ll never be able to do these things where I work.” While the specifics of the stories varied, they all shared a common theme: “my workplace environment is simply too problematic to do anything productive until someone else – [usually more senior management] – takes action first.” I came to call this type of feedback “THEY Syndrome,” as the word “they” inevitably entered into the problem statement of whomever seemed to suffer from it: “I can’t do anything until THEY fix things!” Despite its apparent logic, THEY Syndrome is a recipe for frustration and inaction – akin to standing before a cold fireplace and proclaiming, “I will give you some wood as soon as you give me some heat.”

In our first discussions about how to address such concerns, my responses to THEY Syndrome were rather simplistic. “People have three choices,” I would say, “they can leave, they can stay and do something, or they can stay and do nothing. If they are going to stay anyway, why not at least try something?” I credit my friend and coauthor of Four Secrets, Dr. Deborah Fisher, with encouraging me to come up with a more complete solution. Staying with my assertion that it’s better to do something than nothing, Dr. Deb helped me to realize that I can be a good deal more specific regarding the question of what that something might be.

That, in a nutshell, is the purpose of Make Work Great: to get people at all levels to participate in the business of improving workplace culture. There are many ways to do this, and I will be sharing some of them during my educational session at THE Performance Improvement Conference in 2010.

Here’s a simple, powerful example of what I mean: No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you can create and use what I call the Verbalized Summary Objective statement. The “VSO” is a 90 second statement of what output you are attempting to produce, and how you are using resources to produce it. It gives you an easy opener or topic of conversation with people around you – think of it as the output-focused version of an elevator speech – and it automatically begins to train others as to what types of requests they should or should not be making of you. The process helps you clarify your own goals, advertise your purpose, and reduce distraction and stress, all in about fifteen minutes. You can learn more about the VSO by watching this video, or by attending my session at the conference.

When ice forms on a pond, it doesn’t matter where it starts, or whether it starts in one place or in multiple locations simultaneously. Culture and environmental change at work are analogous. Despite our fondest wishes, these changes do not emanate one-directionally downward from those above us in the hierarchy. In fact, the executive and leaders who know how to create significant shifts are those who are successful at getting their subordinates at all levels to adopt new patterns of activity themselves. Get one or more seed crystals started, and let the ice spread out from there.

It follows, then, that nobody needs to wait for anyone else to start. Whatever your job, however high or low your place in the hierarchy, if you perceive a problem in your surrounding environment, you can take steps to correct it. If the steps are effective, you will create a small shift in the way things are done around you. One step leads to another, and others who perceive value in your new patterns of activity will begin to adopt them too. Before you know it, your pond is freezing over.

It is the members of the system that change it. Nobody else can.

Make Work Great is, among other things, a systems solution to THEY Syndrome. Once it is published, when I hear any suggestion to make improvements being met with a litany of reasons why someone else has to take action first, I’m just going to silently hand over a copy. And when I hear “I want to but I can’t,” I’m going to take a cue from my niece, and fill in the missing words from her cookie conversations of years ago: “Despite your apparently important and logical objections, let’s just do it anyhow.”

Or perhaps better yet, the book should simply be entitled, “How ’Bout Anyway?”

Ed is one of more than 100 presenters sharing their knowledge and expertise at THE Performance Improvement Conference, April 19-22, 2010. If you want to learn more, you can attend his 90-minute presentation, Build Your Own Workplace Culture: Real Changes Start With You. In addition, Ed is conducting a one-day workshop with Steve Overcashier on April 18, Motivation & Behavior: Focused Leadership Tools to Achieve Increased Performance.

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ISPI’s Board of Directors Candidates

Below are the candidates, as submitted by the Nominations Committee, for the International Society for Performance Improvement’s Board of Directors election.

This year our membership will vote to fill two President-elect positions. First on the ballot is the President-elect who will join the Board immediately and assume the role of President in April 2010. The second President-elect (three-year term, President-elect, President, and Immediate Past President) will join the Board after the Annual Conference with two newly-elected Directors (two-year term) and one International Director (two-year term). In total, the membership will vote for five open Board positions.

The following Board members retain their seats: Carol Lynn Judge, CPT, Fred Stewart, CPT, Immediate Past President Darlene Van Tiem, CPT, PhD, and April S. Davis, CAE (ex officio).

All of our candidates are capable, experienced, and eager to serve you as a member of ISPI’s Board of Directors. To review their skills, qualifications, and goal for the Society, click here.

President-elect; immediate/President; assumes position in April 2010

• Miki Lane, CPT
• Mary Norris Thomas, CPT, PhD
• Gary W. Craig
• Mariano Bernárdez, CPT, PhD

President-elect 2010-2013

• Judy Hale, CPT, PhD
• Roger Chevalier, CPT, PhD

Director 2010-2012

• Paul Swan, PhD
• Ann Battenfield, CPT
• Al Folsom, PhD
• Dawn Papaila, CPT
• Lisa Toenniges, CPT, MEd

International Director 2010-2012

• Luise Schneider, CPT
• Megan Young

Thank You Nominations Committee

ISPI would like to thank the members of this year’s Nominations Committee for their hard work. The committee consisted of Charline Wells (Chair), Andrea Moore, Richard Pearlstein, Janet Weisenford, and Anne Apking.

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“Advocates—Noun or Verb?” Both Types of Advocates Proudly Support ISPI

by Carol Lynn Judge, CPT, ISPI Director

Who are the International Society for Performance Improvement’s (ISPI) Advocates? The ISPI Advocates represent international, national, and regional organizations that are committed to improving performance and support of ISPI at the highest level. ISPI’s Advocate Program enables select leading performance improvement practitioners to come together in a collegial atmosphere to network and learn from each other. Membership in this elite program provides opportunities to share knowledge and experience with other Advocates and to learn from well-known individuals in business, government, and academia. The program offers Advocates and their organizations a unique opportunity to shape the field of performance improvement by working closely with ISPI leadership on strategic initiatives. Membership in the Advocate Program is limited to maintain small group interaction. Current members include: Administaff, Amgen, Carlson Marketing, Defense Intelligence Agency, Lowe’s Corporation, Maritz, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems.

Advocates are encouraged to stay involved and communicate throughout the year; the Advocates officially meet twice a year. One meeting is held in conjunction with THE Performance Improvement Conference each spring. One highlight of this meeting is an exclusive dialog with the conference keynote speakers. The second meeting is typically held during the fall and winter months at the site of an Advocate member. This meeting provides a wonderful venue for Advocate networking.

Recently, the group had an outstanding two-day session during their fall meeting put together by the Lowe’s team (Cedric Coco, Greg Nell, Shasta Wyland, and English Wallace). From the three Human Capital models shared by Cedric Coco in the opening presentation to the HPT Tools Workshop (Worker, Work, and Workplace; Tips, Tools, and Techniques) presented by Roger Addison, CPT, EdD, on day one, and the outstanding presentation by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz on his New Model for Planning and Development and the unique NASCAR Performance Instruction & Training (PIT) experience on the second day—this experience raised the bar for the Advocates’ meetings. The Advocates were given the opportunity to observe and execute what they had learned over the two days, network with each other, and share best practices and lessons learned from their own organizations’ performance improvement efforts.

The Advocates’ next meeting will be equally fun and exciting. It is planned for the San Francisco Marriott, April, 18-19, 2010. Your organization is invited to join the Advocates group, and assist in their activities. We have many Advocate representatives that are stepping forward to volunteer and display their “advocacy,” and many exciting activities are planned. These activities include planning a fun-filled learning adventure for the spring meeting; development of a new award to be selected by the Advocates to recognize individuals or companies for their advocacy of performance improvement; and an Advocates’ committee to further define the many roles and opportunities afforded ISPI Advocates (this committee’s products will be used to recruit, set expectations for, and mentor new Advocate members).

There are many benefits of becoming an ISPI Advocate. Advocates:

• Have access to information on performance improvement practices taking place in other Advocate organizations
• Become well-connected and informed about new ideas and opportunities
• Are recognized as supporters of performance improvement and ISPI
• Have direct access to the leaders of ISPI and experts in the field of performance improvement
• Receive over $5,000 in direct benefits from ISPI including an individual ISPI membership for the primary representative; complimentary registration to attend an ISPI Institute; attendance at the two Advocate meetings per year for the Advocate representative and a colleague; registration for the Advocate representative to attend the Annual Conference; ISPI products and services at discounts; and network access to, and influence of, performance improvement experts throughout the year (which, of course, is priceless!)

The Advocate Program benefits ISPI by giving it access to a group of leading performance improvement and management professionals that are a source of new ideas for the future development of ISPI and the field of performance improvement. The Advocates provide a strategic perspective to guide ISPI’s leadership and leveraged influence through name recognition of the Advocate organization as well as financial support because each Advocate organization makes a three-year commitment to the Advocate Program at a cost of $5,000 per year. The Advocate Program is considered the “best value” for an organization committed to performance improvement, since ISPI is the world’s leading professional association for performance improvement.

For more information on this outstanding program, please contact Rodger Stotz or Carol Lynn Judge, Advocate Board liaison.

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Call for Applications: Distinguished Dissertation Award Competition

The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is currently accepting applications for the 2010 Distinguished Dissertation Awards. This initiative funded by the Research Committee aims at honoring excellence in student research. Three tiers of reward accompany the awards ($1500 for first place, $1000 for second, and $500 for third). Only doctoral dissertation research defended between May 31, 2006 and December 31, 2009 are eligible. Dissertations must be defended and approved by the student’s committee prior to applying for the award and may be applied for by students of any accredited university throughout the world. Studies not conducted as part of dissertation research, as well as recipients of ISPI’s Distinguished Dissertation Award from previous years, are not eligible. Applicants from prior years who did not receive the award, may reapply so long as they meet all other requirements. Half of recipients’ monetary reward will be paid upon announcement of award winners with the remaining funds to be paid upon submission of a manuscript for consideration in Performance Improvement Quarterly (which must be received no later than August 30, 2010). Award recipients are also encouraged to consider submitting a proposal to present at the 2011 annual conference.

To apply for the award, please submit the following:

• A double spaced two-page (maximum) cover letter describing a) your research, b) its alignment with one or more of Human Performance Technology Standards (HPT) (available at www.ispi.org/content.aspx?id=418), and c) the utility of the study for both HPT scholars and practitioners.
• A 350-word (maximum) abstract describing your study’s background, purpose, research questions or objectives, importance, instrumentation, methods, findings and conclusions. Please do not submit a references list or bibliography, though any citations should be included within the text.
• An emailed letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor addressing your study’s rationale (why your topic merited investigation) and value (the applied and theoretical benefits of the study). Please ensure contact information is available.
• Your current curriculum vitae and contact information.
  

Application Deadline: January 8, 2010. Please submit completed applications to Hillary Leigh, Chair of the ISPI Research Committee, via email to hleigh@wayne.edu with the subject “ISPI Dissertation Award.”

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Tales From the Field
Taking PowerPoint to the Next Level

by Leslie Harper and Kayleen Grage

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.

The Situation: What’s Happening and Why?

In September 2008, a team of instructional designers (IDs) was asked to update a training program provided to welders at a U.S. forklift manufacturer. Welders are expected to meet established quality assurance (QA) specifications on all welds. The problem was that the company’s 66 welders were producing too many welds that did not meet these specifications. Based on client data (surveys, focus groups, and weld defect statistics), the IDs determined welders did not know how to use the specifications to assess the quality of a specific weld.

The existing training program consisted of a PowerPoint presentation given by a veteran welder. The PowerPoint slides used a variety of colors, fonts, animations, and clipart. Some slides listed only topics while others included difficult-to-read screen shots, and still others showed content from a quality assurance document that was readily available to all welders. The trainer said, “I don’t teach; I do familiarization training.”

The Solution: What Should Be Done?

To remedy this situation, the IDs decided to shift the focus of the training program from familiarization to application. Rather than simply informing the welders of the quality assurance specifications, the goal of the updated training program was to teach welders how to use those specifications to evaluate the quality of their own welds. This would help them prevent defective welds, which would reduce waste and improve product quality.

To accomplish this, the IDs used Merrill’s (2002) “first principles of instruction.” Merrill suggests that we can improve learning by incorporating five principles:

• Problem-centered. Engage learners in solving real-world “problems,” defined by Merrill as whole tasks representing something the learners will encounter outside of the training program.
• Activation. Use existing knowledge as a foundation for new knowledge.
• Demonstration. Show the new skill to the learners.
• Application. Provide learners with opportunities to practice the new skill.
• Integration. Help the learners transfer the new skill to their on-the-job work.

The IDs created two lessons, each highlighting a different category of welding defects. Lesson 1 highlighted defects that require measuring tools. Lesson 2 highlighted defects that can be seen with the naked eye. Each lesson incorporated Merrill’s principles, as shown in the following table.

By the time they finished the new training program, each welder had evaluated at least 20 welds and received feedback on his or her evaluations. This emphasis on application ensured that the welders achieved the goal of using established quality assurance specifications to evaluate weld quality.

IPT-Grounded Advice

Effective instruction is much more than content presentation. It should include systematic steps to facilitate application of knowledge and produce desired performance outcomes. To do this, IDs should:

• Determine the specific skills to be learned and concentrate on the application of those skills
• Provide ample opportunities for learners to practice solving relevant real-world problems
• Gradually reduce the amount of coaching provided to the learners to increase their confidence and allow self-evaluation or correction of their performance

References

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. Educational Technology Research & Development, 50(3), 43-59.

Leslie Harper is a program manager at EchoStar Technologies, LLC, in Denver, Colorado. She will complete her master’s degree in Instructional and Performance Technology (IPT) in 2011 and may be reached at leslie.harper@echostar.com. Kayleen Grage is the academic technology project coordinator for Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. She will complete her master’s degree in IPT in 2010. She may be reached at kayleen.grage@gmail.com.

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CPT News from Around the World

Welcome Our New CPTs

• Antonia Chan, Amway Corporation
• Karen Eravelly, Sprint
• Sheri Levi, Abbott
• Angela Moxely, Sprint
• Rose Noxon, CACI International
• Alstar Nyaude, Nyaude Learning Academy
• Lynnette Pryce, General Dynamics
• Pat Rasile, The Church Pension Group
• Colonel Daniel R. Walker, United States Air Force
• Corey Welch, Learning Integrity Center

Recognizing CPTs in Emergency Management

Last month you were introduced to a unique group of CPTs who work in emergency management. One member of that group, Dean Larson, CPT, PhD, CEM, CSP, and I will deliver a webinar for the Emergency Management Forum on how human performance technology (HPT) can improve the return on the investment in training and exercises (simulations).

This month we’re sharing an article by Bonnie Mattick, CPT, MAEd, MBA: Using HPT to Enhance Emergency Response Training.

Companies gain long-term results using human performance technology (HPT) to gain improved job performance and create policies and procedures, including in the development of emergency response training. I have worked in highly technical areas for the Department of Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as in soft skill areas for the financial and insurance industries, and all of them have benefited from HPT processes. These jobs required going into many types of work areas.

While working as a senior training specialist for EG&G, a Department of Energy contractor at the Nevada Test Site, I supported the Environmental Safety and Health Department. I helped develop the training and conduct the exercises for the Radiological Emergency Response Operations, which were sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). We had emergency response personnel from different state and federal agencies who came to Nevada for the training. They were subject matter experts from all types of emergency response work. I needed to understand their jobs and they needed to explain their job roles to others.

HPT tools enabled me to be more effective in helping these technical experts describe how they performed their jobs. In the process, we asked a series of questions, and the answers often led to another level of questions, for example:

• What concerns do you have regarding your emergency response team’s performance?
• How do you identify the knowledge and skills required for a job?

In another situation, while I worked at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), a high-level nuclear waste site for the Department of Energy, I developed a facility orientation program that would enable four separate facilities to efficiently and quickly provide facility hazard orientation to emergency responders. This project helped familiarize the emergency responders with the hazards at the WVDP and also facilitated the orientation of new employees. I interfaced with four division managers and helped develop a company-wide procedure that addressed the requirements and compliance issues for the federal regulations.

Also, at WVDP, I conducted train-the-trainer programs for radiological protection personnel, and showed them how to describe radiation protection to inexperienced personnel. We used training tools and mock settings to help them correlate their jobs to more common situations, making it easier to describe and understand their job tasks.

Whether it’s train-the-trainer or on-site regulatory training, we ask the trainers or subject matter experts to practice and deliver training to others. I had a participant announce that he was going to teach me (the instructor) on how to do a vehicle inspection on an 18-wheel truck—an emergency response vehicle. I became the student, and learned the 12 steps critical to a walk-around inspection of an 18-wheeler!

If it’s a technical job setting, or consulting in a financial institution, HPT has given me the strategies and processes with a systematic approach to solutions in these job situations.

Bonnie is based in Phoenix, Arizona, where she helps companies who want to improve productivity, reduce costs, and retain their top performers. She has worked with several Fortune 500 companies to examine organizational performance issues through performance assessments, process mapping with job analysis, and competency alignment with job requirements. Her expertise includes facilitating work groups, instructional design, training delivery, and interactive team-building sessions. She speaks and conducts workshops on learning, performance improvement, and gaining lasting results through a process that ensures accountability.

Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Education from Arizona State University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada. She is co-author of “The Effect of Training on the Bottom Line”, published in ISPI’s Performance Improvement journal, May 2006. She also wrote “Teamwork Pays,” published in the Journal of Quality & Participation, January 2007; and “Create SME Champions” published in Training Magazine, October 2008. Her workbook SMEs—Your Secret Training Weapon was published in 2008. You can reach Bonnie at Bmattick@q.com and learn more about her work at www.bonniemattick.com.

Do you have a story to tell? Contact ISPI at certification@ispi.org.

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One ISPI Europe Conference, Two Views

The ISPI Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) conference was held in Galway, Ireland, on November 5-7, 2009. While the number of attendees was low, the quality of the presentations was high. Pictured below are 23 of the 31 participants who attended. Canada, France, India, Ireland, Kosovo, The Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States were all represented at the conference.

The various sessions complemented a simulation in which three teams interviewed members of a city management team, analyzed the information, and proposed next steps toward a solution. Based on a real performance improvement project by Carol Panza and Ed Schneider, the simulation gave participants an opportunity to practice what they had learned and to learn from each other.

This was my first experience with the EMEA annual conference, and I am delighted to say I look forward to attending again. It was a truly amazing experience to focus on performance improvement issues with professional peers from so many different countries. I hope that you are able to attend this event in the future.

—Roger Chevalier, CPT, PhD

This year’s ISPI Europe/EMEA Conference continued its innovative practice of engaging everyone (presenters and attendees) in a simulation that opens and closes the conference. At the beginning everyone is assigned either a client role or to a team. During the conference time is set aside for teams to interview client representatives (Major, Chief of Police, etc.) and they present their recommendations to the “client” at the conference closing where they are given feedback. This was my second ISPI Europe/EMEA conference, and I was again delighted by the quality of the sessions and the enthusiasm of the teams as they embraced the simulation. In the photo are the people who made this year’s conference a success. When you see them, introduce yourself and ask about the simulation and the 2010 conference in Sweden.

—Judy Hale, CPT, PhD

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Invitation To Participate in Research Study

Dear HPT Professionals,

My name is Ann Chow. I am a doctoral candidate of Instructional Technology program at Wayne State University. Dr. James L. Moseley is my dissertation advisor.

I would like to invite you to participate in an online questionnaire of a needs assessment of finance competencies. It will take you approximately 30-35 minutes to complete this questionnaire. Participants will have the option of entering a random drawing to receive one of five $50 VISA gift cards.

Your participation is crucial and pivotal to the findings of this study. I believe the findings of this study will benefit not only our professional practice but also our future research. Drucker once said, “It is the practitioner rather than the scholar who develops the discipline, who synthesizes experience into testable concepts, that is into theory, who codifies, who fines and tests new knowledge, and who teaches and sets the example.” I encourage you to participate by clicking on this link: http://education.wayne.edu/financecompetencies.htm.

The results of my study will be summarized in a future issue of PerformanceXpress. All information collected about you during the course of my study will be kept without any identifiers. If you choose to participate in the drawing, you will need to provide your name, telephone number, and email address on the questionnaire. This information will be removed from the survey after the drawing.

Please email or call me if you have questions on participating in or learning more about this needs assessment. I may0 be reached at achowsurvey@gmail.com or (313) 577-1720.

Sincerely,

Ann Chow
Doctoral Candidate
Wayne State University

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ISPI Announces New Organizational Members

Achievement Awards

Achievement Awards Group is an end-to-end incentive and performance improvement organisation. Our products and services are aimed at improving your business results through your people. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.awards.co.za.

Genentech

Founded more than 30 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

THE SCHWAN FOOD COMPANY

THE SCHWAN FOOD COMPANY is a privately held, multibillion-dollar business that manufactures and markets fine frozen foods through home-delivery, retail-grocery and food-service channels. Its many popular brands include Red Baron®, Tony’s®, and Freschetta® pizza, Mrs. Smith’s® and Edwards® desserts and Schwan’s® fine frozen foods. Headquartered in Marshall, Minn., for more than 57 years, the company's subsidiaries employ about 18,000 people in the United States, Canada and Europe. To learn more about Schwan, visit www.TheSchwanFoodCompany.com.

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Are You Recognized for Your Work?
Submit it to ISPI!

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:

• Models
• Interventions
• “How-to” guides
• Ready-to-use job aids
• Research articles

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:

• Process improvement
• Organizational design and alignment
• Analysis, evaluation, and measurement
• Performance management
• Instructional systems
• Management of organizational performance

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.

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ISPI Career Center

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 Career Center:

Director, Organizational Development
Volunteers of America
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: Alexandria, VA 22314

Director of Instructional Design and Training
GroupSystems
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: Colorado, New York, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan

Senior Manager, Organizational Design
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: Bentonville, AK 72716

Senior Organizational Development Specialist
Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc.
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: Marysville, OH 43040

Sr. Consultant, Organizational Development (HCM Change Management)
CareFusion
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: San Diego, CA 92130

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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 our marketing department at marketing@ispi.org or 301.587.8570.

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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 500–700 words and not previously published) for PerformanceXpress that bridge the gap from research to practice (please, no product or service promotion is permitted). Below are a few examples of the article formats that can be used:

• Short “I wish I had thought of that” articles
• Practical application articles
• The application of HPT
• Success stories

In addition to the article, please include a short bio (2–3 lines) and a contact 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.

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 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.

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