OD and Human Performance Technology

Adding Human Performance Improvement to Your Toolkit: A Key to Ensuring Success with Your Clients

September 23, 2008 Presenters: James Alexander

Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network

Agenda for “Adding Human Performance Improvement to Your Toolkit: A Key to Ensuring Success with Your Clients”

September 23, 2008

• Opening Remarks• Group Introductions• HPT Introduction Presentation• Group Activities: HPI Priorities Exercise and

Case Studies• Lessons Learned and Wrap-Up• Program Evaluation

The Terms

• Human Performance Technology (HPT)International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)

• Human Performance Improvement ( HPI)American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

• Performance Consulting (PC) Numerous authors, e.g., Dana Robinson and Judith Hale

Block’s Flawless Consulting Model

• Expert

• Collaboration

• Pair of Hands

Peter Block, author of Flawless Consulting

Context for Performance Improvement

• Improving the overall performance of your client

-- by identifying and facilitating the

closure of performance gaps

• Improving your effectiveness as a consultant

-- by using Human Performance Technology along with your OD knowledge

Performance Consulting,HPT/HPI Defined

“HPT is the systematic process of discovering and analyzing important human performance gaps, planning for future improvements in human performance, designing and developing cost-effective and ethically justifiable interventions to close performance gaps, implementing the interventions, and evaluating the financial and non-financial results.”

The Business Case for Human Performance Technology

The Business Case for Human Performance Technology

There are several reasons why organizations are moving to HPT, and thus are moving beyond training and development

•Most performance problems stem from the work environment, not from individuals•Training is a solution for only one kind of problem, and managers are seeking solutions to all their problems

Examples of HPI InterventionsCurrent state Intervention Improved performance

 Lagging sales 

 Increased commission

 Soaring sales

  High error rates

 Feedback on error rates with comparisons across work teams 

  Low error rates

  Waiting customers

 Increased number of customer service representatives 

  No waiting customers

 Inefficient use of new software 

 Training and job aids

 Efficient use of software

 Reports late

 Removal of interfering tasks 

 Reports on time

A Brief History: Where Does HPT Come From?

• Founded by Behavioral Psychologists.• Much of the groundwork that forms HPT today

was conducted in the 60s and 70s by thought leaders such as B.F. Skinner, Ph.D., Susan M. Markle, Ph.D., then Thomas Gilbert, Ph.D., Dale Brethower, Ph.D., Robert Mager, Ph.D., Joe Harless, Ed.D., Geary Rummler, Ph.D., Don Tosti, Ph.D., Roger Kaufman, Ph.D., and others.

• Evolved to encompass all disciplines that work to improve the workplace performance of organizations and individuals who work in them.

Three Levels Of Performance

• Individual

• Process

• Organization

“Pit a good employee against a bad system and the system will win most

every time.” “Geary Rummler: Training Skills Isn’t Enough.”

Rummler, Geary, Training, 1983, V. 20, Ed. 8, pp. 75-76

2-5

HPT’s Systematic Model

Performance Analysis> Identify any gaps between the organization’s mission, vision and goals, and the environment.> Identify opportunitiesand/or any performancegaps that exist between present and desired levels of performance.

Cause Analysis> Identify environmental causes that contribute to the performance gap.> Identify characteristics of the workforce that contribute to the performance gap.

Intervention Selection, Design and

Development> Select appropriate intervention techniquesto improve performance.> Design/develop the necessary intervention strategy and tools.

Intervention Implementation

and Change> Coordinate the overall intervention strategy.> Ensure that each of the techniques is used appropriately.

Evaluation of the Process and the Results> Conduct formative evaluation of the analysis

and design processes used.> Evaluate immediate reaction and application.> Evaluate individual and organizational performance

improvement and Return on Investment.

Performance ConsultingKey Roles:

• Client Liaison

• Performance Analyst

• Change Manager

• Impact Evaluator

Expanding the OD Practitioner’s Influence

• Transition to Performance Consulting

• Use HPT along with OD solutions to improve organizational -- and individual -- performance

• Partner with Performance Consultants

• All of the Above