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Back to the Performance Improvement Journal Home PageNovember/December 2005 Editor’s Notes: Knowledge Sharing as a Catalyst for |
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Executive Summaries
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| Improving Individual and Organizational Performance: The Case for International Standards by James D. Klein and Rita C. Richey Competency is a set of related knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enables an individual to effectively perform the activities of a given occupation or job function to the standards expected in employment. Competencies can be used by organizations to define job requirements and position descriptions, establish performance indicators, and improve professional development programs. They also can be used by individuals to guide self-improvement. This article focuses on the competencies identified by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (ibstpi). The article provides a brief history and background, as well as a discussion of how ibstpi identifies and validates competencies. The article also provides a list of standards for instructional designers, training managers, and instructors that have been validated by practitioners in all regions of the world. Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Performance: Implications for Performance Consultants and Educators by Svetlana Holt and Steve Jones For the past decade, interest in the role of emotion in organizational life has been increasing, and many authors emphasize the significance of managing emotions for organizational success. What is known about Emotional Intelligence (EI)? Is it a skill, an aptitude, or a combination of both? What does a high EI score predict? Which measurement instruments are most effective in predicting social behaviors, academic performance, and overall life outcomes? This research examines the concept of EI in conjunction with organizational behavior, education, and training for enhanced emotional knowledge within businesses and academic organizations. The role of an emotional quotient is considered in management effectiveness, together with implications for schools. One of the Corporate World’s Biggest Headaches: Ethical Behavior by Philip W. Hurst, PhD, William Palya, PhD, and William C. Mills, Jr. This article provides corporate leaders and HPT professionals with information that will allow them to evaluate how their corporate culture can support ethical behavior while flourishing in regard to their business goals. The real-world impact of its message is the reduction in the number of unethical actions within an organization. The unacceptable number of unethical acts costs organizations huge sums of money and even may cause complete collapse. Senior managers particularly will be excited about reviewing the basic decision strategies and behavioral principles that can align their corporate culture’s values with their way of doing business. The Strategic Use of Stories by Terrence Gargiulo Effective organizational communication and learning depends on stories. Recent research explores two new frameworks. The first framework describes nine functions of stories that produce unique effects, which can be leveraged in a variety of performance interventions. The second framework identifies key strategic gaps in organizational communication and what role stories can play in bridging these gaps. Data from surveys and interviews with Fortune 500 leaders are summarized to introduce a communication competency map based on the power of stories. The map is composed of three rings, with three competencies in each ring. These nine competencies represent essential communication behaviors that need to be developed and cultivated. Applications of the research for performance technologists are suggested at the end of the article. A Study of Organizational Learning at Smalltown Hospital by Yun-Jo An and Charles M. Reigeluth, PhD In response to the growing importance of a learning organization for human performance, this study explores organizational learning, one of the strategies for creating a learning organization. Seven facilitating factors of organizational learning were identified from a review of literature: individual learning, team learning, knowledge sharing, shared visions, positive learning environment, change-friendly culture, and systems thinking. A case study was conducted to explore the value of these seven facilitating factors in understanding the strengths and weaknesses in how a hospital facilitated organizational learning. Data were collected through interviews and document review and organized under the seven factors. The results provide practical strategies for facilitating organizational learning based on the experience of a hospital, help reveal the big picture of organizational learning by addressing the relationships among the seven facilitating factors, and suggest using a systemic approach in facilitating organization learning, rather than providing fragmentary strategies. The Performance Technologist’s Toolbox: Critical Incidents by Anne F. Marrelli, CPT, PhD This sixth of 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 persons who were involved, what each person did and said, and the results. The incidents may be confined to a particular topic or may cover the breadth of work experience. This article describes the vehicles used to collect critical incidents including focus groups, individual interviews, surveys, performance records, or work diaries. It also describes the applications of critical incidents in several areas of performance technology and provides examples of those applications in organizations. The advantages and disadvantages of critical incidents as a data collection method are outlined, and guidelines for their use are provided. |
