Strengths and Weaknesses

You would hope that any course would leave you with a feeling of having been worth the effort you put into it. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. With 528 I was concerned that it might be a repeat of other HPT learning experiences. Gratefully it was not. In fact, either I was asleep in those other courses or my Alzheimer’s is worse than I thought. This course was a great experience in a short period of time for a whole lot of learning.

My two key take aways were first, performance is the bigger lens by which to view the learning experience; and two, training is used to treat the symptoms of poor performance when other interventions would be more appropriate.

Today I sat in a meeting where a recent employee satisfaction survey was discussed. The focus of the discussion was “what training do we need to offer to solve these problems?” I was not leading the discussion nor was I leading the project or even on the project team (read: keep my mouth shut) but I finally had to ask “what are we solving for?” My comment didn’t do much to move the discussion. It was clear that training was the lens that would be used for the analysis.

I am amazed at the blindness that we often exhibit towards new ideas when we are the promulgators of the idea of learning and improvement. We will follow if we are following that which we are comfortable with. In the case of the Employee Survey, the idea that performance is a training issue is almost sacrosanct. After all, that’s what we do – train. I believe that part of this idea stems from our skill or will mindset (raising hand now to admit guilt). That is, if something isn’t happening it’s because they don’t have the skill or they don’t have the will. What HPT has done for me is to throw in another option – environment. I might have the skill. I might have the will. But I don’t have the tools, rules, guidelines, roadblock free paths, or a myriad of other environmental issues that I am having difficulty overcoming. HPT = cool new lens.

Strengths and areas to work on (weaknesses)

One of my least favorite questions to answer is “what are your strengths or weaknesses in this area?” I don’t like it because I don’t know what I don’t know. I’m not aware of my most glaring weaknesses or of my strengths, for that matter. The requirement remains. I’ll do my best

Strengths

One. I like to know why. (Cause-conscious) I am curious about why something is happening the way it is happening. How come a group of competent adults have difficulty meeting their goals or outcomes? Why, when is all said and done, is a team significantly behind in their numbers but the team next to them is hitting highs? How do similar individuals arrive at completely different outcomes? These types of questions drive me.

Which leads to two. I want to fix things. (Create performance improvement implementation plans). Not only do I want to understand why something is performing in a particular way, I want to fix it if it isn’t up to par. It is a great driver for me and it keeps me going when I should just be tossing in the towel.

So, naturally, strength three arises - What’s the So What? (Focused on Client Need) Another related strength is this belief I have that something drives nearly all actions and the outcomes that result are important. If not, why care? I have to know the so what of the what and why.

My fourth strength is an unwillingness to accept surface answers to in-depth questions. (Conduct performance gap analyses). I am amazed at how quick we humans are to accept the first answer that comes along and seemingly answers our questions. I’m like that annoying four-year old that keeps asking “but why?”

Lastly, I believe in people. (Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal, group-process, nd consulting skills). I am bothered, even annoyed, by those cynics that say individuals never change. If they don’t, then why are we even bothering to try. People change. People are the one catalyst that will solve nearly every problem. People are great – I like being related to them.

As for weaknesses or areas of improvement– I have a few.

First would be my project management skills. (Plan, manage, and monitor performance improvement projects). My skills are adequate in this area. I’ve led my share of projects but I’ve never felt “competent.” It’s more like I’m faking my way back. I’d like to change that up with some additional training.

Second, I am not the most organized. (Organized, rigorous, and prudent). I am not disorganized but my file-by-pile approach has gotten me in trouble a few times. Frankly it seems to be my fatal flaw but I improve each project.

Third. At times I can get caught up in my own perceptions. (Sensitive of the need to verify perceptions). I can go down the wrong trail fairly quickly if I don’t stop and think about the outcomes I’m seeking. I don’t feel like I get way off track, but it can waste my time fairly quickly.

Fourth. Technology is my mistress. (Avoids technology seduction). I love technology. I like finding solutions that incorporate technology as part of the solution. However, I am not blinded by technology. If there is a simple paper solution – press on McDuff! I do get caught up at times in using technology to diagnose and or assess issues when I don’t need to.

Fifth and last, I am not patient (not in one of the lists) with those that refuse to open their minds to alternative possibilities. It just seems so counter intuitive. Remember that meeting I mentioned earlier? That is the essence of what I am referring to. We need to get out of our box every once in a while and look at alternatives.

All in all, I would say that HPT is my preferred way of looking at my performance world. Training is important but in too many cases it’s bad policies or managers; lack of communication or micromanagement; that are leading to performance issues, not the lack of training.

I am trying on a daily basis to incorporate the above skills in my daily work. It’s my current responsibility and I want to be the best at what I do.

Why HPT will continue to be a hard sell

Pearlstein, R. B. (2012). Why HPT will continue to be a hard sell. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 25(1), 75–84. doi:10.1002/piq.20132

It isn’t often that you come across an article that has such broad strokes yet makes you feel personally validated. Pearlstein takes his years of consulting experience and makes a case for why HPT is a hard sell to leaders in all industries. He identifies 5 reasons that are worth mentioning here.

1.     HPT is not part of standard business jargon

2.     Organizational executives associate both HPT and HPI with HR.

3.     Managers in large organizations think they are the primary problem solvers.

4.     Executives support subject-matter expertise more than performance improvement.

5.     Managers want magic bullets.

Each of these points are discussed and examples given. He goes on to give some basic guidelines that help ease the difficulty but points out that it still hard going. This should be a must read for any new HPT student/consultant.

I found the article very enlightening. I could relate directly with many of Pearlstein’s points, with the discussion of jargon and HR related issues coming to the forefront. Pearlstein points out that much of his data is not valid statistically (he uses Google searches for much of his comparison data) but is quick to provide anecdotal evidence as well. I feel this article directly relates to what I should do as a HPT professional. I agree whole heartedly with his statements and plan to take many to heart going forward.

If I were to question his conclusions it would be about the lack of value that HR brings to the table. I think that it is more of the way HR is structured rather than HR in general that makes for the negative view of HPT coming out of the HR mold. I have worked in organizations were both structures have existed. In the successful HR experience, Employee Development was seen as a solutions center serving a functional role across all divisions. The quality of the work and the marketing by the group went a long ways to validating the value being brought to the organization. The other structure buried the employee development group and suffered that it be limited to training classes an minor consulting situations

Human performance technology and its future

Kaufman, R., & Bernardez, M. L. (2012). Human performance technology and its future. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 25(1), 5–11. doi:10.1002/piq.20131

Kaufman and Bernardez posit that the future of HPT is dependent on how willing professionals are to discarding, adopting, and adapting. They suggest that there is a need to move beyond the reactive state and include the proactive mindset. Additionally, the authors put forward the argument that practitioners should make sure that all interventions align with the Organizational Elements Model (OEM). This would insure that value is added at all levels. The authors state in closing, that “HPT has a choice: change or die.”

The intended audience is the practitioner of HPT. I found the arguments very brief and poorly argued from the view of the practitioner. Yes, change is important. Yes, the work we do should add value and be aligned with the OEM. But I am left with the question, what are they solving for? They argue that HPT has had a history of change and is moving constantly in a positive direction. So who is it they are trying to convince that HPT must “change or die.” It seems overstated, misdirected, and ineffective.

The article relates directly to the field of HPT and I can relate to the direction in general.  But I don’t see myself referring back to it in the future to add value to my job. I would keep the charts handy. They are a great historical insight and the OEM is interesting as well. But these seem separate from the article and their value is intrinsic to themselves.

I was hoping for more.

Design, Data, and Display

Harbour, J. L. (2011). The Three “Ds” of Successful Performance Measurement: Design, Data, and Display. Performance Improvement, 50(2), 5 – 12. doi:10.1002/pfi.20195

Dr. Harbour covers three critical aspects of performance measurement: Design, Data, and Display. He posits that Design is often overlooked as a key element that needs to be carefully thought through before any other steps are taken. He recommends a top-down approach in order to avoid missing important data during the collection process. Data is presented as straightforward metrics. Display is discussed as a critical tool in analyzing the data collected. He points out that it is important to select the right data categories to display; that the “dash-board” is only as good as it’s design and inputs.

The audience for this article is the HPT practitioner. His discussion on the Display aspects is worth the read on its own. It is not obtuse or overly academic, but rather takes a practical application approach. I found myself wondering about the display portion as it relates to some of the projects I am currently working on. I am hoping it will provide some clarity that is currently needed.

All in all, a worthwhile read.

Laff, M. (2008). Say Good-bye to the Blame Game. T+D, 62(6), 46-51.

Say Good-bye to the Blame Game is an introduction to HPT for trainers. The author takes the view that HPI is more than a passing fad and is something that is often confused with training. It visits the common misconceptions about HPT and gives multiple examples of how HPT has solved problems for various industries. The common theme running through the article is that good application of HPT does away with the blame game – that is, blaming problems on others instead of finding root cause and resolving the problems.

The article is intended for the learning and design practitioner that may not be familiar with the concepts of HPT. The information is basic and solid. It meets its intended audience’s needs without getting technical. The article would be a great “hand-out” to introduce leaders to the idea of HPT.