Week 2 Extended Readings

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Watson, B. (2013), The Expanding Role of Industrial Human Performance Technology in Corporate Sustainability. Perf. Improv., 52: 30–37. doi: 10.1002/pfi.21341

Watson’s article focuses on the increasing responsibility of human performance technology specialists in regards to company policies regarding sustainability and environmental responsibility. Watson argues, appropriately, for a systemic approach for aligning organizational goals with job tasks and suggests that human performance technology specialists play an integral part in this process. His argument places weight on the importance of human performance in regards to industrial organizations (i.e. aviation) due to the high liability of human error, arguing that the role of the human performance specialist must move beyond one focused on “soft skills” and toward one focused on intrusion in the industrial decision-making process.
What immediately struck me about Watson’s article was its focus on sustainability. While an integral part of many organizations, and one with increasing attention and importance, it seems that the crux of Watson’s argument – that the HPT professional should be involved in the industrial decision-making process – can be applied to much more than just sustainability issues. If Watson’s suggestions were in practice, and HPT specialists were a part of industrial decision-making, it would seem appropriate that the same ideas could be applied to other fields – that, aside from sustainability issues, HPT professionals would be able to be involved in the large-scale issues surrounding their organizations.
While I recognize the importance of the HPT professional being involved in the larger-scale decisions of an organization and think they can provide input in regards to the industrial aspects of it, it likewise concerns me that such a decision would spread HPT professionals too thin; that is, they would be required to do too much, which, unfortunately, could lead to performance concerns. Likewise, the “soft skills” Watson alludes to are very much a part of what HPT professionals are prone to analyze. It would seem to me that it is more appropriate for HPT professionals to continue working on what they historically have: human performance. While my experience it scant, it would seem more appropriate to leave the industrial decisions to those more qualified to do so.

Evans, M.A. (2004). The Challenges of Knowledge Management to Human Performance Technology. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 48(2), 48-52.

                In this article, Evans describes the user, task, and content analyses he has completed to develop a knowledge management system for the U.S. Navy. In his analysis, he discusses three key components – community of practice, activity theory, and institutional theory – to frame his suggestion that alternative means must be explored when a group is working together on knowledge-intensive practices. As a part of this discussion, he suggests that some aspects of human performance technology are rooted cognitive information processing, which looks at knowledge as an item being transferred from one entity to the next. As a part of his knowledge management project, he argues that such frames of thought promote solutions that lead to isolation -- web-based training, job aids, etc. – all of which fail in environments requiring intense collaboration.
                One of the most intriguing aspects of Evans’ discussion is that its applications aren’t just limited to knowledge management solutions such as his. In a workforce requiring an increasing amount of digital and face-to-face collaboration, the requirement for HPT solutions to have group-centered applications is increasingly relevant. Despite this, however, Evans’ argument fails to consider that some of the tools he mentioned being used in isolation (i.e. web-based training) in fact offer opportunities for non-traditional collaboration. While not immediately applicable to the knowledge management project, alternative schools of thought in regards to HPT may not be as necessary as he suggests.
                As a part of his discussion, Evans suggests knowledge management as a tool for giving novice practitioners access to SME knowledge. While such tools are initially addressing a performance gap, in the long run, this would seem to address performance gaps before they arise. The use of knowledge management as a performance tool in such a manner – being provided to learners immediately – gives them a body of knowledge off of which they can begin their work, reducing the likelihood of additional training or skill development being necessary. While not a perfect idea – and certainly not what Evans suggests – this could have significant implications on the overall performance of the learners in question.