Are any of you out there finding it harder to keep up with all the new technologies used these
days for learning? When I heard someone mention podcasting when discussing
e-learning options, my internal alarms went off. My ego was frantically
saying, “There is a whole new medium out there I know nothing about?
How can I be an effective solutions designer if I do not know about this?”
I immediately set out to find out about using podcasting for learning. This turned out to be more difficult than I initially thought. Apparently, not many people are using podcasts for learning…yet. For news releases, entertainment, and blogs–yes. But for e-learning?
What Is Podcasting?
If you are not using an iPod, you may not know anything
about podcasting. Here is a formal definition of podcasting on Wikipedia:
A Podcast is a method of publishing audio broadcasts via the Internet.
Here is the definition I developed that is a bit more descriptive:
It is a way for individuals and companies to create audio programs and allow people to download, listen, and subscribe to them very easily. You can subscribe to podcasts and have fresh content download to your computer or iPod whenever it is available.
Who Is Listening to Podcasts?
You have seen all those teenagers
and twenty-somethings with headphones attached to a little device? What
about that guy at the gym running on the treadmill with headphones on?
These folks are using devices called iPods or other MP3 players. They
all play audio, and the more advanced versions play video as well.
A recent study indicates that 22 million adults own MP3 players and 29% have downloaded podcasts or listened to podcasts that have been “pushed” to them. With this many adults already using iPods, how many will have them one year from now? Two years? You can now buy devices for your iPod to play your music or podcasts over speakers in your home or in your car. What other innovations are on the horizon to make these devices even more attractive?
Who Is Offering Podcasts?
Many radio shows have started
offering their shows as a downloadable podcast. In addition, I have found
that those who have the video iPods can download episodes of some television
shows. You can also purchase audio programs on many Internet stores.
Try www.audible.com as
an example of this service.
Who Is Using Podcasting for Learning?
I cannot possibly find everyone who is using podcasting because new companies
and institutions are joining the list daily, but here is a short list
of some of the organizations I did find:
- Duke University (undergrads)
- Ninth House (still experimental)
- Prentice Hall (salespeople)
- IBM
- Capital One
- Keane, Inc.
According to CLO Magazine, Prentice Hall is using podcasts for e-learning for their sales force. It is part of a three-pronged approach for new product launches that follows blogs and simulations.
Duke University gave iPods to their entire 2005 freshman class so they could receive podcasts that included university news, class work, and social content. iPods will be a part of Duke University’s new Digital Duke University. They plan to integrate technology broadly into the teaching and learning process.
Capital One University distributed 3,000 iPods to support corporate training and communications.
I spoke with a representative from Ninth House. They are experimenting with different ways to deliver a learning message using video podcasting.
What Are the Advantages of Podcasting?
Why would someone
prefer podcasting over traditional web-based training (WBT)?
- You can multi-task while listening to a podcast. You can work out, drive your car, ride in an airplane, clean your kitchen, or perform other non-audio tasks while you listen to a podcast. This makes it attractive to…you guessed it–salespeople!
- This medium carries voice. With voice you can convey conviction, compassion, empathy, experience, ethnicity, and gender.
What Are the Disadvantages of Podcasting?
Some of the disadvantages
of audio messages are:
- They are linear in nature. The learner cannot scan the message as with print media. However, the technology is available to create chapters so learners can skip around.
- You must create value right away. Your audience must see the value from the beginning of the message or they will “tune out.”
- Unless learners have a more recent player, there is no visual message.
- The learner must have an iPod or similar device!
What Messages Are Being Delivered by Podcasting?
Okay–we
want to jump on the podcast bandwagon. What message should we deliver?
Here are other messages being delivered:
- Stories: I interviewed a company called StoryQuest at length. They are using podcasts to deliver “stories” as part of audio Knowledge Management. For instance, a successful salesperson will tell a story of a great sales call, a nightmare sales call, or a great save. These are well received by novice salespeople.
- Management Skills: Ninth House is experimenting with offering their “Instant Advice” video and audio snippets via podcast and PSP.
- News: The most prevalent use of podcasting is news. News is delivered via RSS feeds. Learners can either download it, or they can listen to the news right on their computers. Learners receive the data on a daily basis–whenever it is provided.
Why Should My Organization Podcast?
Well, maybe you should
not. Every solution is not for every organization. You need to evaluate
your learners, the technology available, the message you need to send,
and corporate culture before you determine if podcasting is right for
your company.
In any case, if you are an instructional designer, you should learn about this as an option!
Leigh Anne McIntyre has more than 14 years of experience in the field of instructional design. She has her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from West Georgia State University and her master’s degree in Human Resource Development from Georgia State University. Leigh Anne has won three Telly Awards and the GSU Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Application of HRD in the Workplace. She may be reached at leighanne@instructionaldesigngroup.com.
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A recent study indicates that 22 million adults own MP3 players and 29% have downloaded podcasts or listened to podcasts that have been “pushed” to them. |
by Carol Haig, CPT, and Roger Addison, CPT, EdD
With us this month is Margo Murray, CPT,
past president, Outstanding Member, and Member for Life of ISPI. Margo
is president and chief operating officer of MMHA
The Managers’ Mentors, Inc.,
an international consulting firm she founded in 1974. Her contribution
to the TrendSpotters Open Toolkit is the MMHA Operating Concept
Model for Facilitated Mentoring©, which
is supported by more than 30 years of research and client experiences.
Genesis of This Model
The Operating Concept Model for Facilitated Mentoring is
both a model and a tool. It is also heuristic because it illustrates
rules of thumb rather than the linear view of a process. Margo developed
it to help her clients focus on the systematic and systems alignment
of a facilitated mentoring process, rather than attempt to force fit
this very flexible approach into a series of sequential steps. First
published in an earlier form in Margo’s book, Beyond
the Myths and Magic of Mentoring, the current model illustrates
the evolution of client experience with the MMHA Operating Concept
Model for Facilitated Mentoring©.
Model Description
The model shows the relationship
of four key participants in the mentoring process: mentor, protégé,
supervisor, and coordination team. Each role has unique responsibilities,
and all have shared interaction. You can show alignment with other
functions in your organization by adding, for example, recruitment,
pay and benefits, and formal training.
To establish a common understanding, let’s define mentoring as the deliberate pairing of two people with different skills and experiences with the objective of almost always transferring those skills and experiences both ways. One person is the mentor–a trusted guide, tutor, or coach; and the other is the protégé–one whose career is enhanced by feedback and coaching from an experienced person.
How to Use This Model
The model shows the linkage
of a mentoring process to an organization’s vision, mission, goals,
needs, and opportunities, and each performer’s contribution to results. When the performer
enters into a mentoring relationship to enhance knowledge, skills,
or experience, the responsibilities are often ambiguous. This model
clearly communicates that the protégé owns the responsibility
for further development that will lead to greater results. It also
illustrates the necessary alignment with other organizational strategies
for improving performance.
Success Stories
Several years ago, MMHA partnered
with General Motors to solve an automotive industry problem–the
shrinking labor pool for service technicians. They created the Automotive YES program
to pair a vocational-technical school student with a master service
technician in a dealership. The results were phenomenal: Young people
were employed at unexpectedly high wages, dealers had an increased
labor pool, parents’ opinions of the job of technician rose dramatically,
and vocational-technical instructors upgraded their teaching methods.
At the 2006 ISPI Annual Conference in Dallas, a participant in Margo’s
session told the group that Automotive YES continues to be a
highly successful and growing program. This model shows the additional
roles in the AYES implementation–parents or guardians,
teachers, and counselors–and reflects results at the societal
level.
The second success is also a current community implementation. To help address the spreading pandemic of HIV/AIDS, high levels of maternal mortality, and infant mortality in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Margo’s mentoring process was implemented to leverage the investment made in developing leaders in reproductive health improvement. It works like this: A limited number of potential leaders from seven African/Asian and five Latin American countries receive a fellowship to a program designed to strengthen their skills in leadership and update their knowledge of sound reproductive health practices and commodities. To continually expand the number of such leaders, each fellow agrees to become a mentor to one to three additional potential leaders in his or her country. Imagine–a growing number of leaders of programs to improve reproductive health education and practice (five fellows x 3 = 15, those 15 leaders x 3 = 45, 45 x 3 = 135, and so on). The fifth year program results show decreased fertility rates, slowed spread of disease, and improved impact of scarce resources through collaborative problem-solving efforts (Clark & Murray, 2005).
Late breaking news: In its seventh year in
Advice to Users of the Operating
Concept Model for Facilitated Mentoring©
The model is flexible and can serve several purposes.
Use it to illustrate the key roles in a facilitated mentoring process.
Participants will be positively motivated by the clarity of the separate
and shared responsibilities. The model clearly shows the channels of
communication and can help participants avoid conflicts. Most important,
use the model to communicate to the organization or community the efficacy
of a facilitated mentoring process to improve performance and increase
measured results.
Link to the Performance Technology Landscape
The Operating
Concept Model for Facilitated Mentoring© supports
these principles of Performance Technology:
| R | Focus on Results: by looking beyond implementation to how best to sustain and institutionalize the product, process, or service |
| S | Take a System(s) viewpoint: by moving from the episodic to the systemic |
| V | Add Value and focus on the business or organizational purpose: by evaluating results in each step of the project |
| P | Establish Partnerships and work collaboratively: by forging a partnership between the performance consultant and the client |
Application Exercise
Use the Operating Concept
Model for Facilitated Mentoring© to:
- Consider mentoring as a strategy and determine who in your organization might be in each of the key roles
- Assume one of the roles and determine how you would communicate to others to set clear expectations and help the process to be successful
The Operating Concept Model for Facilitated Mentoring© can help you unlock the power of mentoring.
Reference
Clark, S.C. & Murray, M. (2005).
Mega-planning in population. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 18(3), 17-25.
If you have an HPT model or tool that supports you in your performance improvement activities, contact Carol Haig, CPT, at carolhaig@earthlink.net or http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ecarolhaig, or Roger Addison, CPT, EdD, at roger@ispi.org.
PPC Cement was established in
“Organisations are like automobiles. They cannot run themselves–except downhill.” –Manfred Kets de Vries
From 1994 to 1999 PPC ran downhill. The share price dropped from R115 (approximately $18.67 USD) in 1994 to R36 (approximately $5.85 USD) in 1999.
Value Based Management
PPC used a business model called Value Based Management
(VBM) to analyse its business woes. VBM uses an economic measure called
Cash Flow Return on Investment (CFROI) as a predictor of share price.
PPC’s CFROI
was lower than its cost of capital. It was a signal to investors to take
their investment funds elsewhere.
Action Stations! All Hands on deck!
For PPC to get its CFROI above its cost of capital,
it had to increase its margin by getting its selling price up and its
cost of production and cost of sales down. This required:
- Greater throughput with fewer assets and fewer employees
- Continuous cost reduction in an inflationary climate
Utilisation of Plant and Equipment
In 1994, PPC’s plant was being utilised at about
80% of its design capacity. The plant was 36 years old, and utilisation
levels were considered “pretty good.” When plant engineers
were told that doubling the CFROI would require pushing utilisation of
the plant to at least 90% of design capacity, they said it could not
be done, especially not while reducing cost.
Utilisation of Human Capital. All Hands on Deck?
When
surveyed in 1999, levels of “employee engagement” were
low. Only 11% of PPC employees said they understood PPC’s goals
and were committed to them, and 38% professed themselves to be indifferent.
The rest were “somewhere in-between.” Management “guestimated” that
it was effectively utilising less than 40% of the human energy and intellect
available to achieve PPC’s business goals.
The way in which a system is configured will determine the outputs of that system. If different outputs are desired, the system and its subsystems must be reconfigured.
The PPC system had to be reconfigured so as to:
- Increase levels of employee engagement to make more discretionary effort available
- Harness increased levels of discretionary effort and focus it on delivering increased throughput, fewer assets, and lower costs
It was hoped that if “workforce” utilisation could be improved from 40% to 70%, then plant utilisation could be increased from 80% to 90% of design capacity, with cost reductions.
The cyclist had to be coached to pedal faster, rather than making modifications to the racing bike.
PPC developed its own systems approach to improvement of employee engagement and the application of the energy produced to business performance improvement.
Appreciative Inquiry–Learning
to Listen to the Voice of the Workforce
PPC took its general managers (mostly engineers) from
their factories and formed a performance improvement team. This team
interviewed most PPC employees, finding out what elements of the existing
system were retarding their performance and reducing their levels of
engagement. The following were distilled from thousands of responses:
- Failure to provide clear purpose and challenge
- Failure to generate participation and involvement
- Failure to generate learning and growth (continuous improvement)
- Failure to give recognition
- Failure to attend to the “small” issues critical to the creation of a supportive climate
- Failure to provide performance feedback and effective performance coaching
Employees were then asked to envision (to specify the systems and outputs of) a workplace that “engaged” them.
The engineers of the PPC performance improvement team worked with employees to design the systems and subsystems that would deliver the output of “employee engagement” and also designed ways in which to measure it. The systems had to be integrated as part of daily business operations.
Alignment–Creating “Line of Sight” for
Every Employee
The team, using business process mapping and benchmarking
techniques:
- Designed “stiff” targets to be achieved by every part of the organisation.
- Redesigned the organisational architecture so that each position had a clearly defined contribution to make to the overall effort.
- Defined the competencies essential for performance in each position.
- Coached extensively regarding the meaning of the targets and the measurements.
High Performance Teams–Mobilising
the Workforce
In PPC, teams were extensively coached in techniques
that would assist them to continuously improve their performance. Every
team was monitored and performance improvement was measured. Each team
had a performance coach. High-level recognition was given daily to even
the smallest performance improvements.
Within a year, levels of employee engagement began to increase measurably. The energy created in these teams was harnessed and focused on doing things cheaper, better, and faster to increase throughput, reduce assets, and reduce costs.
“Great organisations are those that allow ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.” –Tom Peters
The results achieved by this systemic reconfiguration and redesign have been legendary.
- In
2005, PPC was voted by its employees as the best the company to work
for in
- PPC has effectively harnessed the discretionary effort created by its systems of employee engagement. It has for the past three years received four implemented improvement suggestions per employee per year, thus generating throughput improvement and millions of rands of cost savings.
- In 1999, PPC plant and equipment was operating at 80% of design capacity. The high-performance teams have relentlessly improved performance, and for the past two years the plant has consistently run at 120% of design capacity.
- PPC has more than doubled its CFROI, and, as predicted, the share price has moved from R36 in 1999 (approximately $5.85 USD) to over R350 (approximately $56.91 USD) in 2006. This illustrates that investors will always show an interest in a business that is able to mobilise its workforce to sustainably create value by means of continuous performance improvement.
Rod Burn joined PPC Cement in 1999 as Director, Organisational Performance. Prior to that, he held positions in the retail, mining, and food manufacturing industries. Rod has a peculiar combination of qualifications in law and clinical psychology, but is probably a frustrated industrial engineer at heart. He may be reached at rod.burn@standardbank.co.za.
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Combine your next professional development opportunity with
some fun. From July 25-27, 2006, the city of Chicago, Illinois,
will host baseball (White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins), ISPI, and you. Are
you trying to achieve systematic, measurable, and reproducible performance
improvement within your organization? Do you have all to tools to accomplish
your performance improvement goals?
Optimize your organization’s investment in human capital by attending ISPI’s Principles and Practices of Performance Improvement Institute.
Principles and Practices of Performance Improvement provides the foundations of systematic, measurable, and reproducible performance improvement. You will learn how to analyze performance problems and present possible solutions.
Read what attendees from our recent Dallas program have to say:
- I’m back at work and wanted to let you know how excited I am about the things I learned at the Principles and Practices Institute.
- The tools and job aids from the Principles and Practices Institute are great.
- In three days, I have the Performance Improvement foundations from ISPI’s Principles and Practices Institute: focus on results, take a systems viewpoint, add value, and partner with my clients. Thanks!
- The cases and the stories used in the Principles and Practices Institute are helpful in understanding the Performance Improvement fundamentals.
- The faculty practical experience and examples with the Principles and Practices of performance improvement are outstanding. Thank you!
So, what are you waiting for? Register today, come to Chicago in July, learn from experts in the field of performance improvement, and maybe take in a baseball game.
by Clare Elizabeth Carey, CPT, EdD, ISPI President
I am writing this column in a Tex-Mex
restaurant waiting for my departing flight from Dallas. I want to
thank the 1,000-plus participants for making ISPI’s 44th Annual
Conference such a spectacular success. During my handshakes with
attendees (at least 996 of them), I received overwhelming positive
feedback on the value of the institutes, workshops, keynotes, sessions,
and special events. First-timers repeatedly cited ISPI’s hospitality
and practical value.
- “I have so many great handouts and job aids; my suitcase is now over the airline weight limit.”
- “The caliber of the presenters here far exceeded all my other conference experiences.”
- “ISPI is now my professional home!”
Dan Pink, our keynote speaker, outlined fascinating trends and identified the needed mindsets for future performance success. To find out why right-brainers will rule, read Pink’s A Whole New Mind. He challenged us to apply our technology and skills in whole brain ways.
In addition to serious pursuits, there were abundant formal and informal opportunities for networking. During the second general session, Thiagi and his game wardens engaged the entire audience. It was amazing to see the crowd collaborating on creative ideas for ISPI engagement and sharing their performance success stories. The “Everything Texas” night was a social hit complete with local food, great music, and a range of fun entertainment. The racing armadillos were particularly impressed with our agile members and are now considering applying for their own CPT designation.
Teasing aside, I want to send heartfelt kudos to:
- Our participants for making this conference such a success.
- Our volunteers for their service and smiles.
- Donna Vaught, Matt Richter, Rick Battaglia, and the ISPI staff for their relentless energy and seamless effort in creating an exceptional performance event.
- Thiagi and the 2005 Board members (Andrea, Marilyn, Mariano, Matt, and Bob) for their service and contributions to our Society.
- The new Board members Jim Fuller, Darlene Van Tiem, and President-elect, Jeanne Farrington joining Past President, Thiagi, and Directors, Matt and Bob. We have a stellar leadership team for the coming year.
Myriad colleagues have asked me to articulate my vision for the coming year. As your President, it is my desire, to emphasize those values that first connected me to this Society. What I like to call, the three “I’s” of ISPI:
- Inclusion: We are an international and global society, and ISPI welcomes and embraces diverse people and divergent ideas. Regardless of our size or geography, our Society’s intimacy enables our members and guests to have access, attention, and affiliation. I want to cultivate a level of intensity that ensures active engagement of our members, partners, and stakeholders at all levels.
- Innovation: We promote performance, apply research, and use data to create solutions that truly make a difference. We respond proactively with a focus on results and celebrate both success and learning.
- Integrity: We abide by our principles, standards, and ethics in our strategic directions and decisions. We accept and protect our values seriously. HPT is an honorable profession, and ISPI is a noble organization.
With help from our brilliant Board of Directors, support from our very competent staff, and continued work from dedicated Task Forces, committees, and loyal members, I look forward to building on these I’s of ISPI and bringing our 2007 Annual Conference theme, Performance Beyond Borders, to life throughout the coming year.
To summarize, let me share a few words from my daily reflection for April 11, 2006, the day our new Board assumed office.
“You can tell a lot about which direction your life is heading by looking at the people with whom you’ve chosen to spend your time and your ideas. Their values and priorities impact the way you think and act. If they’re positive people dedicated to growth, then their values and priorities will encourage you and reinforce your desire to grow.”
Such words could not be more fitting as your 2006-07 leadership team begins its journey forward. Here’s to you and to ISPI…and let’s meet again next year in San Francisco!
Jean Dames,
director of Professional Development for Xerox Global Services,
recently received the coveted “Award of
Excellence” from ISPI for a new program she designed and rolled
out in 2005 called the Principal Leadership Program. Although the program
was the result of a six-month instructional design and development cycle,
Jean had been working on it independently for almost 20 years.
In the late 1980s, when she was an IBM marketing manager, Jean and her sales team won the coveted Golden Circle award, recognizing them as one of the top teams in the country. But when IBM began their move to a “services-led” strategy, Jean recognized that it was a whole new ballgame. Now, they had to learn to bill customers for things they had given away as “added value” when hardware margins were fat. They had to prepare and promote their resumes along with the quality hardware they had sold for years. Good references were not optional, but required right up front in the sales cycle. And, they had to close a billable entry offering in approximately three calls or less or they would find themselves giving away the services for free, and equipping the client to do it themselves. That is when Jean began to reflect on these and other differences between selling products and selling services. Unfortunately, IBM downsized 1,400 customer-facing employees in the greater Philadelphia area, including Jean, while they attempted to change their business direction. Recognizing the enormous waste of well-trained and loyal employees, Jean then began to formally research and write about this product-to-services shift, and became an independent performance consultant. She offered services to help other product companies avoid “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” as they moved into selling services. In 1989, when Xerox was looking for a sales trainer to help them learn to sell services that would eventually dovetail with Xerox Corporation hardware, Jean saw her opportunity to redeem the loss she witnessed at IBM. She saw tremendous value in the well-trained and loyal Xerox sales force and hoped to assist them in making the transition as Xerox moved to a services-led strategy.
Fast forward to 2006 to see where Xerox and Jean have come. Services is now one of Xerox’s three strategic growth planks and is currently responsible for 22% of their revenue. It is an even more important target for revenue growth in the future. Jean continues to focus on equipping Xerox people to effectively sell services. She and her teammates partnered with The Forum Corporation in development and delivery of the four-day training called the Principal Leadership Program. At Xerox, the principal is a technical expert in a service area and is often required to makes a sales support call regarding the details of a particular offering. The program equips principals with tools and skills for learning to make “The Un-Sales Call” required for effective selling of services (as opposed to selling products). The Un-Sales Call is a high-impact “consultation-type” call that signals a transition from the non-billable sales cycle to billable services delivery, and promotes initial contract signing. The skills taught help the principal to be viewed less as a salesperson and more as a “trusted advisor” to clients. Highlights of the program include an electronic toolkit and a web-based knowledge sharing portal. The program is a key component of Xerox’s transition to a services-led strategy.
To further enhance the value of the award and to ensure greater exposure of the program throughout the Society’s membership and the profession, ISPI has asked the 2006 Awards of Excellence recipients to contribute an article to PerformanceXpress highlighting their projects.
In its effort to develop a government
community of practice in the field of performance improvement, the
Navy’s Human Performance
Center (HPC) recently hosted its second annual Performance Technology
Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Representatives from the Department
of Energy, the National Security Administration, the Institute for Nuclear
Power Operations, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and members from
the
Over the course of the two-day conference, participants explored the universal applications of Human Performance Technology (HPT), and how it can be most effectively utilized for military and government performance improvement. The HPC has actively supported the sharing of HPT implementation progress through its pursuit of partnerships with other military and government agencies. The goal of these alliances is aimed at sharing the intellectual capabilities of each organization, with a special emphasis on performance improvement endeavors.
For decades, military and government organizations have relied upon accountability systems to ensure workforce efficiency. Over the past 40 years, however, performance metrics have evolved considerably and have steadily revealed some common misconceptions regarding workplace performance. The most notable of those misconceptions caters to the belief that training is one of the most effective performance improvement tools available. HPT has shown that training is only one of many diverse solutions that address performance problems.
HPC commanding officer and ISPI Board member, Captain Matt Peters, has led this development of a collaborative government effort to develop partnerships. Captain Peters stated, “We are all in different stages of our performance improvement efforts. My goal is to determine how each of us can leverage our knowledge and experiences in an effort to help each other move forward. That is the power of establishing these critical partnerships; we are forging relationships from which we can all benefit.”
The next Government Performance Technology Partnership Conference will be during the Coast Guard’s Fifth Annual Human Performance Technology Workshop in Williamsburg, Virginia, that runs from September 6-8, 2006. For more information on the Coast Guard’s HPT conference, please visit http://learning.uscg.mil/hpt. For more information on the Government Performance Technology Partnership, contact Sherrall Fonner, the HPC’s strategic business director, at sherrall.fonner@navy.mil.
HPT has shown that training is only one of many diverse solutions that address performance problems. |
Tactical Steps for Moving From an Academic to a Performance Model
Many training organizations are working
to move from an old activity-based, academic-style model to a performance
model. The performance model offers numerous advantages, including the
ability to measure business results and to better serve internal business
partners. The challenge is in how exactly to transition from an activity
model, where success is measured by the number of courses offered, to
a performance model, where success is measured by financial and other
key business measures. Simply put, how do you get from where you are
to where you want to be?
Here are tactical steps recommended to clients who want to become performance-based:
- Gain clarity on your organization’s business
goals and strategies.
One of the key indicators of a performance-based organization is that it links training activities to business goals and strategies. So, the first step to becoming performance-based is to know exactly what the organization is trying to accomplish. - Review all requests for training to be certain
that the request meets a real business need.
If there is no linkage between a training request and business goal or strategy, then it’s not worth the expensive investment of both development and participant time. - Meet with key business partners to determine how
they will accomplish their business goals.
Begin to develop relationships with your key business partners–understand their goals and explain the support you can provide. Drill down from the goals to the jobs (either new or existing) that will be responsible for accomplishing those goals, and find out if those people are fully prepared to do what will be required. Get the buy-in and support for your team’s participation in making certain people have the skills, motivation, and workplace supports they’ll need to be successful. - Ensure the training organization’s structure
and staffing can support the needs of the business.
Determine if you can support what the business needs to accomplish. Your organization has to be a model for a performance-based organization–team members need clear expectations for performance, continuous feedback and coaching, and appropriate consequences for both performance and non-performance. - Make certain your team has the skills to apply
analytical tools and procedures.
If you are currently following a traditional, academic model training organization, your team will need new skills to become performance-based. Most important, the team needs to be able to apply performance analysis in order to identify and deliver full performance solutions that overcome skill, motivation, and environmental workplace obstacles. - Apply a performance-based methodology for overcoming
all of the obstacles that get in the way of desired performance.
Application of the Criterion-Referenced Instruction (CRI) methodology guarantees that people will have every skill required to meet expectations before training ends, and that all the other obstacles to desired performance will be removed. - Document and market the results.
Build on your successes by documenting results in business terms and then communicating those results to other people of influence within the organization. By marketing your wins, you’ll encourage others to come to you for your services and support the move to a performance-based organization.
Note: Reprinted with permission of CEP, The Center for Effective Performance. For more information, contact Paula Alsher at 770.458.4080 or palsher@cepworldwide.com.
The first step to becoming performance-based is to know exactly what the organization is trying to accomplish. |
In much of the world, the World Cup represents
the quadrennial event that has started and stopped wars and is the event
that rivets the whole world’s attention. What kid in the back street
of San Palo or Des Moines, Iowa, has not started dreaming of joining
the World Cup? What performance practitioner has not dreamed of joining
in the Annual Conference and being a part of the glamour and excitement
of the greatest performance event on earth? Why wait four years? If you
want to live your dream, you have to start getting ready.
First, plan to attend the 2007 International Performance Improvement Conference in San Francisco, April 28 through May 3, 2007. This conference will be in partnership with the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO) and will have a very international feeling. The theme is Performance Beyond Borders. There will be over 2,000 participants, keynotes, masters series, more than 200 educational sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions, the Community Space, and all the excitement of San Francisco.
Second, contribute to the proceedings. Plan to submit a proposal for a session–either 45 minutes or a full 90 minutes. It is easy: Download a copy of the call for proposals, pick a topic that you want to share, follow the directions, and submit your application by August 31, 2006. If you have a half-day, full-day, or multi-day workshop you want to present, follow the directions in the call for proposals. The deadline for a workshop is July 31, 2006.
Is a session or workshop more than you want to present? Consider presenting at the Cracker Barrel–a 20-minute presentation repeated three times. You will add to the body of performance knowledge, stimulate new thinking and ideas, and have a great time interacting with attendees.
Third, volunteer as an “Ambassador.” This is an entirely new role but one that will be key to the success of San Francisco. Ambassadors will be a part of our Community Space, a central meeting place at the conference. Speak a foreign language? Then, volunteer to chat with others about insights and ideas in that language. Have a favorite performance topic you would like to discuss? As an Ambassador, you can lead that discussion. Are you in a particular industry or focused on a particular area of the performance world? San Francisco is an exciting place with lots to see and do, you can lead a small informal tour and see it with new friends. Everybody eats, and so do you. Why not lead a small group to dinner. Ambassadors will help to make this the most networked and friendliest ISPI conference ever.
To be involved, you just have to be there, be willing to share what you know, and volunteer to be part of the main performance event in San Francisco (little physical coordination is needed). Check out our website at www.ispi.org/ac2007 to learn more. If you’d like to contribute and want to find out what kind of job you could do, send an e-mail to Luise.Heeren@pd-international.de.
The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) has three special honorary awards that recognize outstanding individuals
and organizations for their significant contributions to Human Performance
Technology and to the Society itself. The awards are the Thomas F. Gilbert
Distinguished Professional Achievement Award, the Distinguished Service
Award, and the Honorary Life Member Award. As done in the past, the membership
is asked to submit names of qualified individuals for consideration for
the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award and
Distinguished Service Award. If you are interested in nominating an ISPI
member, please email the following information to april@ispi.org:
- Name of award
- Name, telephone number, and email of nominee
- Name and telephone number of nominator
- Brief supporting information for the nominee
This year’s recipients were Honorary Life Member: Judith Hale, Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award: Ruth C. Clark, and the Distinguished Service Award: Carol Haig. The deadline to receive nominations is August 18, 2006. For more detailed information on the guidelines used for selecting individuals to receive these awards, click here.
How
Has ISPI Radically Enhanced Performance?
In keeping with this year’s Annual Conference theme, “Researching
the Radical,” Performance Improvement (PI) journal invites
readers to submit a special feature about how ISPI membership, conference
attendance, CPT certification, or PI journal tips and tools have
radically enhanced your individual or organization’s performance
and have inspired you to think innovatively about the practice of HPT.
Guidelines
- Manuscripts should not exceed 1,500 words
- Deadline: May 22, 2006
- Judging criteria include Human Performance Technology (HPT) relevance, creativity, and appeal to PI readers
- Include your name and postal address with your entry
- You may send more than one entry (but you can only win once)
What’s In It for You?
The winning entry will receive a paid registration to next year’s
conference, along with points toward CPT re-certification for being published.
The winner will also receive:
- Heightened visibility for your HPT efforts
- The satisfaction of contributing value-added performance solutions to the profession
- Publishing credit for your career portfolio or resume
Results
Results will be announced in the October 2006 issue of PI and
the winning tool will be published in the November/December 2006 issue.
All entries will be acknowledged in the journal.
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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. |
| Conferences, Seminars,
and Workshops Have you subscribed to Darryl L. Sink & Associates, Inc’s Learning and Performance “TIPS” bimonthly e-newsletter at www.dsink.com? The Learning and Performance Conference returns on June 20-22, 2006, in Monterey, CA with The Thiagi Group. Mark it now on your new 2006 calendar! Education
and Career Resources ISPI Online CareerSite is your source for performance improvement employment. Search listings and manage your resume and job applications online.
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Magazines, Newsletters,
and Journals Performance Improvement journal is ISPI’s premier HPT publication, reporting on the latest applications, trends, and ideas in the field. A subscription to PI is a benefit of membership, and non-members can subscribe for only $69 in the United States ($119 international). Performance Improvement Quarterly, co-published by ISPI and FSU, is a peer-reviewed journal created to stimulate professional discussion in the field and to advance the discipline of HPT through literature reviews, experimental studies with a scholarly base, and case studies. Subscribe today!
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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, visit www.ispi.org, or simply click
here.
ISPI is looking for Human Performance Technology
(HPT) articles (approximately 500 words and not previously published)
for PerformanceXpress that bridge the gap from research to practice (please,
no product or service promotion is permitted). Below are a few examples
of the article formats that can be used:
- Short “I wish I had thought of that” Articles
- Practical Application Articles
- The Application of HPT
- Success Stories
In addition to the article, please include a short bio (2-3 lines) and a contact e-mail address. All submissions should be sent to april@ispi.org. Each article will be reviewed by one of ISPI’s on-staff HPT experts, and the author will be contacted if it is accepted for publication. If you have any further questions, please contact april@ispi.org.
Feel
free to forward ISPI’s PerformanceXpress newsletter to your
colleagues or anyone you think may benefit from the information. If you
are reading someone else’s PerformanceXpress, send your complete
contact information to april@ispi.org,
and you will be added to the PerformanceXpress emailing list.
PerformanceXpress is an ISPI member benefit designed to build community, stimulate discussion, and keep you informed of the Society’s activities and events. This newsletter is published monthly and will be emailed to you at the beginning of each month.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact April Davis, ISPI’s Senior Director of Publications, at april@ispi.org.
ISPI
1400 Spring Street, Suite 260
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
Phone: 301.587.8570
Fax: 301.587.8573
info@ispi.org
http://www.ispi.org