Photos from ISPI 2012 Principles and Practices of HPT Workshop

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

Here are several photos from the ISPI Principles and Practices of HPT Workshop, taken by Tunde, one of the participants. You can read more about my experience with this workshop here.

The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Roger Addison (shown in the photo below) and by Dr. Miki Lane. Also in the photo is Angeles, one of the participants in the workshop.

A nice action shot of several participants (with me looking incredible on the left).

Most of the participants in the workshop. This photo was taken on the final day.

Dr. Richard Clark - HPT Conference Interview

In recent posts I reported my Experience at the ISPI 2012 Performance Improvement Conference. While there, Dr. Richard Clark, one of the keynote speakers, spoke on the importance of using research-based practices to improve human learning and performance. At the conference, Dr. Clark was interviewed by Guy Wallace, on his experiences and insights on Human Performance Technology and ISPI. I've embedded the video below.

You can learn more about Dr. Clark's work at http://www.cogtech.usc.edu/.

The 2012 ISPI Conference - Ideas and Experiences

As you may have read in my earlier posts, I recently attended the ISPI Performance Improvement Conference in Toronto, Canada. I had an outstanding experience and blogged some of what I learned throughout the week. If you missed the conference, these links share my experiences.

Before the Conference
Here are a few posts before the conference and during the trip to Canada.

• Preview to the conference
• My irritations when flying
• The hotel that looked like an IKEA display

Principles and Practices of HPT Workshop
In Toronto, I first attended the Principles and Practices of HPT Workshop, which was outstanding. My notes and thoughts from this workshop:

• Photos from the HPT Workshop
• Day 1 What is Human Performance Technology?
• Day 2 Tools for analyzing performance problems
• Day 3 Conversing with others about human performance issues

Podcast:
While I was at the conference, I had a few minutes to talk with my brother about some of the things I had learned and describe some of the basic concepts of the field of Human Performance Technology.

• Podcast: ISPI Conference Ideas and Experience

ISPI Performance Improvement Conference
After the workshop, I attended the ISPI Performance Improvement Conference. The ideas and the knowledge presented were astonishingly powerful. Here are my reactions from the conference.

• Day 1 Evidence-based practice and Return on Investment
• Day 2 Debunking common HPT myths
• Day 3 The HPT Model and Conference Themes

ISPI Performance Improvement Conference - Day 3

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

I have been attending ISPI's Performance Improvement Conference 2012, and today is the final day of the conference. I had to leave this afternoon to get to the airport, so I missed the afternoon presentations.

Morning Session - Eileen Maeso, CPT  How do You Apply HPT?

This was the last session I attended at the conference, and it served to really help me take things back a step and see things from the big-picture. Eileen went over some of the key terminology in the field, described some of the key models used in the field, and then had us practice using the “ISPI-adopted HPT Model” to a simple case study. It was nice to work through a sample situation and it really helped me to sort of blend everything back together as I completed my time at the conference. 

This model seems somewhat overwhelming when you look at the big picture, but it really follows the same general phases of ADDIE Process for designing instruction. Once you think of it in these terms, you can follow each of the phases and use the HPT model as a guide. It really is powerful. The funny thing is that all of these strategies on their own seem practical and straightforward, but it is the systematic application of all of these strategies that really creates the powerful results.

*     *     *     *     *

Additional Themes from the Conference

Communicating HPT Ideas Effectively 

It is crucial that knowledge be communicated clearly. I've recently come from the academic world where researchers use very methodical steps for presenting their work, but in the world of business, this kind of rigor and extraneous detail wastes a great deal of time. Here are a couple of ideas for communicating problems, solutions and results:

• Present your ideas in clear, simple terms. The goal is to help others understand the problem and solution very quickly. It is important to make your deeper analysis visible, but this should only be made available if requested. 
• Use the fewest words possible. If you can say it with less, do it.
• Use effective visuals to communicate complex things. Visual presentation can be very powerful, as well. I find that I naturally think this way, and I will use this approach more effectively as I do my work. This can be as easy as using simple graphics or laying out a page in a visually appealing way.

Systems-thinking

Everything operates in a system in which everything is interrelated. Focusing on a minor component might have positive impact on that component but the system might not be affected positively. And sometimes changing one component can negatively impact the system.  We should be aware of the larger system in which we work and live. For example, we have limited resources on earth, and we must figure out how to align our lives, our communities, and our businesses with that larger system or there will be terrible consequences.

Working Systematically

This is related to systems thinking but it somewhat different. In systems thinking one looks at things as a whole interacting system. But working systematically means working in an objective-oriented manner, it means thinking critically and using proven processes to identify and solve problems.When we are working systematically, we analyze and design before we begin implementing solutions. We gather data and consider our needs before we act. There are several things that make it difficult to work systematically:

• Human nature. It is efficient to use knowledge we already have, and if we didn't have this capacity, we would have to relearn almost everything we do. The problem is that it is often not effective.
• Lack of time. We are often so busy that we do not have time to do a proper analysis and to really identify an overall goal, to discover what is getting in the way of reaching that goal, and to identify the most effective path for reaching that goal.
• Overload. We are so often buried by the constant flow of information and pressure that our minds literally become overloaded and we are unable to take the time to do what is effective.

In a future post, I will share a podcast in which I discuss my experience at this conference with my brother, instructional designer J. Clark Gardner, on the EdTech Dojo.

ISPI Performance Improvement Conference - Day 2

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

I have been attending ISPI's Performance Improvement Conference 2012, and today was the second day of the conference. I missed the keynote speaker this morning to attend church. (I normally attend the LDS church but missed the bus to get to the chapel so I attended Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral which is right on Bond Street. A beautiful Cathedral and a very nice service).

Morning Session - Tim Brock, PhD, CPT, Peggy Meli, PhD - HPT Backyard Research: Tales From the Frontline

I attended a presentation by Tim Brock and Peggy Meli. (By the way, Dr. Brock is an adjunct faculty member of the Instructional Design and Performance Technology Masters Degree Program at Franklin University). They described how they have applied a sort of action-research approach to their own HPT work. Their ideas were really practical and showed how a practitioner can reflectively apply their knowledge and iteratively improve the work they are doing as  they do it. A great presentation.

Afternoon Session - Debunking Common Myths

The afternoon session was somewhat unique - I had never seen this kind of format at a conference. Several researchers presented for 20 minutes each on several erroneous ideas that are often heard in the field and debunked them with solid research. The idea is that basing our practice on strategies supported by research is the most logical and effective route. It was actually very insightful, here are some highlights:

1. Designing instruction based around Learning Styles does not work. (I have written about how to combat this error in a previous post.)
2. "Digital Natives" do not learn any differently than older learners.
3. The media used doesn't increase learning, it is the strategies used that improve learning.
4. IQ is actually a very good predictor of success at many things.
5. Learners need guidance to learn most effectively - that is, minimal guidance works very poorly.
6. Learner reactions are a very poor way to evaluate learning.

Some More Notes From the Conference

At the Principles and Practices of Human Performance Technology Workshop, Jim Hill visited with us for a few minutes and gave some really sound advice for beginning performance consultants (in my own words):

• Apply the HPT tools that you are learning to yourself first. This is a good way toget started.
• Start on smaller projects so that you can manage them easily. You can later start to expand to bigger projects.
• When talking with people, make the complex seem simple. Instead of saying you will increase sales by X%, say that the goal is to have "one more deal per sales rep." This is very simple, easy to understand, and seems easy to apply.
• Don't be afraid to use big numbers, though. People like to invest in big ideas.

*     *     *     *     *

This conference has been an incredible introduction to HPT tools and practices. The Principles and Practices Workshop was a great introduction, and I am now having that knowledge reinforced and expanded as I attend the presentations.

I feel like I am reaching cognitive overload. I find that my mind has gained about all that it can, and I will need to reflect on and begin to apply what I have learned over the coming weeks and months. I am thinking more long-term, now. It will likely take another couple of years of conferencing, practicing, and learning before I feel like I have a level of expertise. It is frustrating because I have gained expertise in other (related) fields, but I must remember that it took years of study and practice.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of the conference, it has been such an experience.

ISPI Performance Improvement Conference - Day 1

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

I have been attending ISPI's Performance Improvement Conference 2012. Yesterday was the final of the 3-day Principles and Practice of Human Performance Technology workshop, and today was the first day of the conference.

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Richard Clark

I was excited to see that Dr. Clark was the keynote speaker- I have heard him speak before and in the past he has complimented me on some of my writing. Today he presented on the need to use evidence-based practices. He stated that as a society, ISPI should be willing to research what the evidence shows, to promote research, and to share it more completely.

After his presentation, I overheard someone saying that Dr. Clark is disconnected with the real world, that in business we have to just work with what we have due to pressure and constraints. I agree that practitioners must act quickly; however, I don't believe that Dr. Clark was saying that practitioners need to do research. He was saying ISPI as a society should create, promote, and share research and that there should be a conscious effort toward making this happen. Is he disconnected from the real world? Yes, and I think he is consciously disconnected in the right direction. We should base our actions on the evidence, on what we know works.

As a side note, in his presentation, Dr. Clark mentioned First Principles of Instruction as a research-based framework for research and practice. I have previously written and published an article about how these principles can be used: Applying Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. 

You can also view a recorded interview with Dr. Clark at the ISPI Conference.

Morning Session - Patti Phillips, CPT, PhD - ROI Basics

Dr. Phillips presented on Return on Investment in a performance improvement project. This topic is new to me (since I am an academic with no financial background to speak of) and it was eye-opening. She provided three great resources: (1) a guide for the workshop, (2) a really nice fold-out of a very clear model demonstrating how to measure ROI in a performance improvement project, and (3) her book The Bottom Line or ROI.

I was really surprised about how practical and logical her ideas were. She and her husband Jack really created a very powerful set of tools. For some reason, thinking in this way is totally new to me. I want to apply the knowledge, but realize that as a novice, it will be difficult. I think I will start small by just gathering data on what is happening with my program so that I have more information with which to make decisions. I think that the more performance data I have available, the greater the opportunity to calculate ROI and make useful decisions.

 I also attended several afternoon sessions that were very powerful. I find that my mind is filled with some really great knowledge, but new exposure to an entire field can be overwhelming. Several things give me an advantage in understanding the principles taught- my ISD background, my experiences as a corporate trainer, and my understanding of the goal-setting process - but it is still a lot to take in.

I am excited to see what I learn tomorrow. I am confident it will be worthwhile...

HPT Workshop: Day 3

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

I have been attending ISPI's Performance Improvement Conference 2012. Yesterday was the final of the 3-day Principles and Practice of Human Performance Technology workshop. In the previous 2 days, we spent a great deal of time discussing different analysis methods, which are design to help identify what is contributing to performance needs or gaps.

In this final day of the workshop, Dr. Addison introduced us to several models and tools for Selecting and Implementing an intervention. The first tool he gave us what he calls the Performance Map Quick Check (by Roger Addison). This tool can be used when working with an organization to help clients understand that there are multiple solutions to a performance problem and that the solution they are requesting might not fit their needs. Here is a simplified version of the Performance Map Quick Check:

High Rating Competence – Do the performers have the knowledge, skills, and abilities Low Rating	Motivation-based solutions (the why) These solutions might include feedback, consequences, incentives, coaching, etc.	Environment-based solutions (the where) Physical layout, equipment needed, furniture, lighting, etc.
	Structure-based solutions (the what) Mission, vision, values, goals, job functions and tasks, talent recruitment, etc.	Learning-based solutions (the how) Job aids, training, e-learning, information, etc.
	Low Rating                                                High Rating                   Confidence – confidence they will perform

In this basic plot diagram there are 2 continuum to consider - the Competence Continuum, and the Confidence Continuum. When using this tool, first seek to determine whether the group has the competence (the knowledge, skills and abilities) required to do the work. Next determine of there is confidence that the learners can apply what they have learned.

Depending on how you might rate the performers on competence and confidence, you would end up with the following possibilities:

1. High Competence and High Confidence: environment-based solutions may be appropriate
2. High Competence and Low Confidence: motivation-based solutions may be appropriate
3. Low Competence and High Confidence: learning-based solutions may be appropriate
4. Low Competence and Low Confidence: structure-based solutions may be appropriate

Once the client sees that training may not be the answer, it gives you greater opportunity to start diagnosing and ultimately implement the appropriate solution. I particularly liked one think Dr. Addison said:

"It's the questions that drive the solutions... The best thing a performance consultant can do is ask the right questions and then observe to confirm the answers."

Very insightful - I have learned this as a researcher, and as an instructor and I look forward to applying the same principle when analyzing a performance problem. 

*      *      *

So, as the workshop has come to a close, here are my final thoughts.

This workshop did a great job introducing key concepts related to performance technology. I really appreciated the stories that were shared and really felt like I learned a great deal from my peers in the workshop. They each had unique perspectives that were refreshing, sometimes challenging, and always insightful.

I think I would like to a few more stories that related what we were learning to the models we learned. I find that listening to stories that are linked to the tools is very helpful. The presenters did a good job with this, and I found that I wanted more. This is probably a good thing - I am left with a strong desire to learn as much as I can, and I am already seeing that the ISPI Performance Conference is giving me much of what I am looking for.

I would highly recommend this workshop and this conference to anyone who would like to enter the world of Human Performance Technology. The people are wonderful, the knowledge is powerful, and I really feel like I am gaining meaningful knowledge.

Thanks to Dr. Addison and Dr. Lane for a great workshop!

HPT Workshop: Day 1

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

I have been attending ISPI's Performance Improvement Conference 2012. Today was the first day of the 3-day Principles and Practice of Human Performance Technology workshop. The workshop is being facilitated by Roger Addison, EdD, CPT, and Miki Lane, PhD, CPT. Both have a great deal of experience as performance consultants, and share meaningful experiences that help make the content seem more relevant. I also met several excellent co-attendees at the conference. We have worked as teams for several exercises, and I am getting to know and appreciate the knowledge and experience of my team members. I'll write more about these team members in a later post.

We spent the morning getting an overview of the field of human performance. We then spent much of the afternoon learning important techniques for analyzing and identifying business needs and opportunities, and it sounds like a significant part of tomorrow's workshop activities will also focus on analysis.

Performance Definitions

One of the things I found interesting was the distinction between Performance Improvement and Performance Technology. In a previous post, I've described The Difference Between Instructional Design, Instructional Science, and Instructional Technology. I will add on what was learned in today's workshop to include similar categories. Here are the four components I think are relevant to understanding the field of human performance:

• Performance Improvement is the GOAL of the performance consultant. 
• Performance Science is what we know about what works in improving human performance. These can be called "best-practices" or "evidence-based practices."
• Performance Technology is the means for reaching the goal of improving performance.
• Performance Consulting is the use of performance technology (based on performance science) to reach the goal of performance improvement. It usually involves the following major steps: (1) the diagnosis of performance problems and opportunities, (2) the implementation of research-based strategies for improving performance related to those problems and opportunities, and (3) the evaluation and follow-up to see how effective those strategies have been. 

Levels of Performance Needs

 When diagnosing performance problems and needs, it can be useful to identify the level of the performance problem, need or gap. These levels are:

1. Worker (individual level)
2. Work (process level)
3. Workplace (organizational level)
4. A fourth level can also be added: World (society level)

All About the Money?

One of the most important things I learned this first day was that when we are analyzing a problem or a need, we should always link that need to how it affects the financial success of the organization. If an organization has the goal of profits, then all activity should be focused on increasing profits in sustainable ways. For some reason this seemed new to me, something I had never considered. This is possibly because I work as an academic in higher education where making a profit does not seem to be at the forefront of my (nor my peers') thinking. But the discussions and the activities in our workshop today helped me realize the importance of this kind of thinking.

Higher Education

I wonder when higher education institutions will finally realize the importance of linking performance to the bottom-line. And if/when they do, how will they deal with the potential conflict between profitability and academic freedom? It's clear that some for-profit organizations are focused on financial gains and have had some success at being very profitable, but at what point does this compromise the mission of the organization? I have a close friend who works at a for-profit university, and he describes increasing pressure to allow students to pass poorly-designed courses, even when he knows the students do not have the skills needed to move on. Even if the institution reaches its goal of profit, it abandons its goal to provide quality education to its students, thereby failing to fulfill its mission as an institution of higher education.

 What About the World Level?

The other consideration is the World (society) level that is now being considered by many in the HPT field. We live in a society in which there are limited natural resources, and without responsible use of these resources, we might find them damaged or totally depleted. The famous Dodo bird provided very valuable feathers centuries ago, but those in the feather-finding business did not consider the World level when following their business plan and eventually eliminated all Dodo birds, thereby halting their own performance. What if this same thing happened with ore, water, or fuel? The broader mission of an organization should (in my opinion) consider the impact of its work on the global scale, including impact on natural resources and on things like international relationships and society in general. 

*     *     *

So, there are my thoughts and reflections from day 1 of the Principles and Practices of HPT workshop. I will continue to write as I progress through the workshop and the conference. (Here are my thoughts on day 2).

What is Human Performance Technology?

#ISPI2012 
I am on my way to ISPI's Performance Performance Improvement Conference 2012. What will I be learning at the upcoming Principles and Practices of Human Performance Technology workshop? The ISPI website defines Human Performance Technology:

"Human Performance Technology (HPT), a systematic approach to improving productivity and competence, uses a set of methods and procedures -- and a strategy for solving problems -- for realizing opportunities related to the performance of people. More specific, it is a process of selection, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to most cost-effectively influence human behavior and accomplishment. It is a systematic combination of three fundamental processes: performance analysis, cause analysis, and intervention selection, and can be applied to individuals, small groups, and large organizations."

I have a pretty solid grasp of the basic steps and phases described in this definition. What will likely be new to me are the methods and procedures used. I have spent many years of my life working to improve my own performance as an individual in my personal and professional life. I am also very familiar with systematic processes for achieving results. So I think that I have a good foundation for what I am about to learn.

The Upcoming ISPI 2012 Conference

This post is part of a multiple part Series on the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference.
#ISPI2012

This week I am attending the 2012 Performance Improvement Conference, which is presented by the International Society for Performance Improvement. Since I am fairly new to the field of performance improvement (though I have had some practical experience and related knowledge), I plan to post every day or two about what I learn at this conference, including my reflections on how it is important and how it might be applied.

As is apparent from my previous blog posts, my education, my research, and my career has been focused on instructional design strategies and effectiveness. However, as I have adapted to my new role here at Franklin, it is apparent that I need to build my knowledge and capacity in the important field of Performance Technology. To this end, my administration has graciously funded my attendance at this conference, including a three day workshop entitled Principles and Practices of Performance Improvement.

I look forward to the learning experience and hope to be able to share help insights as the week progresses.