Section 4 Human Performance Technology

1.      Chapter 14 discusses the concept and evaluation of human performance improvement. Several sections of chapter 14 present a variety of non-instructional solutions to performance problems. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that my help solve the problem.

One performance problem that comes to mind in my current position involves the fact the while each of the employees is essentially in charge or responsible for certain areas of work, there are times that other employees have to be able to perform certain duties normally left to specific employees in their absence. Often, because these employees are not routinely responsible for performing these tasks on a daily basis, they are not as efficient or have difficulty carrying out these tasks. For instance, one of my daily tasks is to maintain the incoming and outgoing Interlibrary Loans that are both requested by our patrons and other libraries. While I am the employee who normally handles these requests, there are times when other employees have had to take on this task and I have noticed that it is often difficult and time consuming for them to do because it is not part of their daily routine. When considering non-instructional solutions that might make help to solve this problem, two ideas come to mind. One of the most helpful solutions might be for me to construct a well organized binder or notebook containing all of the relative information concerning the Interlibrary Loan process and make it readily available to all employees. Inside of this binder, I could have various tools (printed or hand written material) to assist those employees that might be unfamiliar with steps necessary to monitor and process Interlibrary Loans. In addition to providing this physical reference guide, I should make the online help guide that is available on the Interlibrary Loan system more easily accessible for other employees. Perhaps I could place a direct link to this guide on the desktop of the computer where the Interlibrary Loans are processed so that it would be easier for other employees to locate and utilize if necessary. I believe that implementing these non-instructional solutions would help the process to run more efficiently in my absence.

2.     Chapter 15 presents performance support systems. Define performance support systems and explain how a performance support system might (or might not) help solve the problem you identified above.

Performance support systems might be described as the tools and resources made available to workers in times of need to ensure that they can effectively perform the tasks assigned with “little or no training” needed. The concept of performance support was developed by Gloria Gery in the 1980s when she observed that “learning observations” were in many ways “training band-aids” for employees and seemed to effect the overall performance in the workplace.  The underlying theory of performance support systems seems to be the idea that instead of simply dealing with “learning interventions” when problems arose within a work place and hoping that workers would gain the knowledge that they needed, worker performance would be more effective if they were provided with “carefully designed work interfaces” and tools to support and assist them whenever and wherever they needed assistance.  In other words, instead of having to stop and answer questions or retrain an employee to complete a certain task, if tools were made available that would allow that employee to solve the problem independently or complete the task without the need of individualized instruction; the workplace could function more efficiently and effectively. I believe that the implementation of a performance support system could help to solve the problem that I mentioned in the previous reflection question. The introduction of a binder containing all of the relative information concerning the Interlibrary Loan process would be a helpful tool for employees that are not familiar with the procedures involved. If they can refer to the information or instructions listed in the binder when they have questions about the Interlibrary Loan procedures, instead of having to wait for instructions or help from another person, I believe that the process could be completed in a more timely and efficient manner. If employees are able to access the Interlibrary Loan system’s online help guide as well, they would have more resources to assist them with any questions they have regarding the process or steps involved. I suppose that the use of the binder might be considered an internal database, while the online help guide would be more like an external database. These are both key performance support features in a performance support system and I believe that the use of these tools would allow employees that are not as familiar with the Interlibrary Loan process to handle the procedures more efficiently, thus improving performance.

3.     Chapter 16 explains knowledge management: the way we manage information, share that information, and use it to solve organizational problems. Organizations, such as schools, accumulate a great deal information/data, which must be organized in a way that we can make sense of it in order to use it for making decisions. What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving?

When considering the problem of other employees not being familiar with the processes or procedures involved in managing the Interlibrary Loans, I suppose that it would first be helpful to evaluate the experience that the other employees have regarding the procedures for the loan processes. This could be classified as “tacit knowledge” because it is knowledge that comes from experience. If I have an understanding of just how much the other employees know about the proper procedures, I can work to implement support features to assist in areas where knowledge is lacking. Perhaps the best way to assess the employee’s knowledge would be through evaluations or surveys. Once the general knowledge has been determined, I would have a better understanding of the areas where assistance might be needed. Using this information, I could then tailor my composition of the binder containing instructional procedures to address the issues that the other employees need assistance with. The knowledge supplied in the binder might be considered “explicit knowledge” because would be knowledge about the Interlibrary Loan program that can be documented, such a proper procedures, associated costs, etc. This might also be considered an example of codification, one of the three components of knowledge management. I suppose I could also include an area in the binder that would address the commonly asked questions gathered from the surveys and allow for other employees to add tips and suggestions that might assist their coworkers in figuring out the proper procedures. This would allow for collaboration amongst employees, which is another component of knowledge management. The final step in managing the knowledge collected to help facilitate solving this problem would be to make the information binder readily available and easily accessible to all employees. Without access to this information, employees cannot receive the support that they need to make the implementation of the procedures for the Interlibrary Loan process most effective.

4.     Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others?

I would have to say that I believe that my workplace environment lends itself to informal learning on a daily basis. When considering the various people that I converse with each day and the activities that take place, I cannot help but recognize that I am consistently being exposed to informal learning experiences in one form or another. One example of informal learning that I have experienced at my workplace involved trying to fix a machine that we use to clean the scratches from CDs and DVDs. I do not necessarily consider myself mechanically inclined, but if there is a problem with something, I tend to want to try to fix it if I can. I researched the issue that we were having with the machine online and found out that the suggestions given by others did not appear to fix the problem that we were encountering. Therefore, I called the manufacturer and spoke with a technical assistant who was able to talk me through the process of fixing the machine. I would consider this process to be informal learning because I did not intend to learn as much as I did about the components of the machine and how they operate, but I was able to learn information from that experience that I believe will be beneficial in the future. In this instance, I believe that the knowledge that was gained from this experience could be codified and managed so that other employees could use that information to help them fix the machine should another problem arise.  

Another example of informal learning that comes to mind tends to happen on a routine basis when patrons are having difficulty completing specific tasks using electronic equipment or devices and often ask for my assistance. This usually involves the use of computers and the patrons are having difficulty getting the desired results (whether it is creating a document, printing a paper, opening an email, locating information, etc.) I suppose that you could say that this informal learning takes place between myself and the patrons. Often, I am able to show them ways to successfully address the issues at hand, but there are times that I am unsure and have to consult other employees or online forums to search for answers. I think that the knowledge gained from this informal learning could be codified and managed, to allow others frames of reference for various issues. I am not sure however, if that would be the best option. I think that if the informal experiences were replicated (as they tend to frequently be) other employees would gain knowledge of how to handle these situations through experience, which I believe would ultimately be more helpful.