This paper describes the training and development (T&D) profession, discusses problems in proposing a field of practice for it, and proposes a specific field of practice for T&D. It provides an impetus for continued discussion. (Author)

The author proposes a domain and definition for the human performance technology field. The proposed domain consists of three components: management functions, performance systems development functions, and components of human performance systems. He also discusses systems theory and professional practice and outlines implications for research,…

Training and development professionals play a unique role in helping people improve their performance by using all aspects of the work environment to make those improvements occur. These professions are currently debating the existence of an integrated theoretical framework and how it might support practice in their field. Human performance…

This monograph proposes and describes a systems-based field of study for the training and development (T&D) profession: human performance technology. The first section describes what is meant by a field of study and professional practice and then provides a rationale for the proposal. Section 2 explores training and development in the context…

The Skills Standards Projects have provided further emphasis on the need for benchmarking U.S. vocational-technical education (VTE) against international competition. Benchmarking is an ongoing systematic process designed to identify, as quantitatively as possible, those practices that produce world class performance. Metrics are those things that…

A study examined the skills required of human resource development (HRD) specialists in western Texas. To gather data for the study, the researcher administered a survey instrument to 66 employers from the western Texas region who were identified as employing 200 or more persons. Of these individuals, 28 returned usable responses. Based on the…

A study of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) showed that the RRB was only a microcosm of the problem of unprepared workers being experienced by employers nationwide. Implementing basic skills programs was found to be crucial because corporations and government agencies, like the RRB, found the labor pool to be poorly educated. Research on…

An innovative session was conducted to introduce session participants to a concept and researched model for linking organizational culture and performance. The session goals were as follows: (1) give participants a working knowledge of the link between business culture and key business performance indicators; (2) give participants a hands-on…

This document is the product of working groups of representatives from industry, business, associations, labor, and education who studied the types and levels of occupational competencies necessary for entry and sustained productive employment in the chemistry-based technology industry and in agribusiness. Representatives of both industries…

A study was conducted to determine what factors of human resource development (HRD) or other learning interventions impede or enhance improved performance. A review of the literature suggested theories of HRD effectiveness, where HRD effectiveness is perceived as the extent to which HRD goals and objectives are achieved. Various authors state that…

This document presents and discusses a self-assessment checklist that the General Accounting Office (GAO) developed to enable agency leaders to examine their human capital efforts through a process consisting of the following stages: analyze and plan; implement change; and evaluate and continuously improve. The preface defines the term "human…

This document contains three papers from a symposium titled "Competence: Fuzzy Concepts to Context.""Sales Superstars: Defining Competencies Needed for Sales Performance" (Darlene Russ-Eft, Edward Del Gaizo, Jeannie Moulton, Ruth Pangilinan) discusses a study in which an analysis of 1,688 critical incidents revealed 16…

This document shares strategies and techniques that can facilitate transfer of learning among health care workers. The guide begins with a discussion of reasons why "good" training fails and lists possible interventions for addressing the following performance factors: job expectations; performance feedback; physical environment and…

Selected titles from a conference on building a quality workforce are as follows: "Action Packed 'Practical Education Now'" (Walters); "Adjusting to Transitions" (Schall, Dluzak); "Adult Literacy" (Nichols); "Aging Workforce" (Stowell et al.); "Artificial Intelligence and Human Performance…

This document contains four papers on organizational enhancement and human resource development (HRD). "Motivation to Improve Work through Learning in Human Resource Development" (Sharon S. Naquin, Elwood F. Holton III) argues that HRD's traditional conceptualization of motivation should be expanded to incorporate motivation to use…