Three leading corporations, the Ritz-Carlton, Accenture, and Healthcare Corporation of America, were examined to see how they handled problems that also were faced by school districts. Their strategies for recruiting and retaining employees, measuring performance, and providing professional development differed significantly from those of most…

Discusses the use of questionnaires and surveys in the field of performance technology and suggests the usefulness of interviews. Provides an overview of three types of interviews that are useful to performance technologists, explains how to conduct interviews, and describes advantages and limitations of interviewing in person versus on the…

Examines focus groups from a performance technology perspective, describes the focus group process, and discusses uses and misuses. Suggests that due to the depth and accuracy of insights revealed, focus groups have potential to aid performance technologists in their analyses of performance deficiencies as well as their formative and summative…

Describes a study of the barriers and enablers to the practice of HPT (human performance technology) that included a research review and interviews with professionals. Highlights communication and language, business environment change, professional relationships and placement of HPT expertise, and the need for a new business model for HPT.…

Discusses level 3 evaluation from Donald Kirkpatrick's Four Level Evaluation Model (level: 1-reaction; 2-learning; 3-behavior; 4-results) to measure training program performance. Highlights include an evaluation planning matrix; increasing evaluation data accuracy and reliability; data collection method selection; designing data collection…

This interview study examines the collective advice, concerns, and recommendations of 15 past presidents of ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement) regarding essential skills for performance technologists, the application of instructional technology, instructional systems development, and ISPI's role in the preparation of…

The ability to interpret information from any source, and increasingly visual sources, is a vital skill for all graduates in contemporary culture. The development of the skills to read visual texts and communicate that understanding requires a certain level of critical thinking and reflection, skills which can only be developed over time, through…

This sixth article in the Performance Technologist's Toolbox series focuses on the critical incident method of data collection. Critical incidents are narrative descriptions of important events that occur on the job and how employees behave in those situations. Critical incidents document the work context, the specific situation that arose, the…