PT and the Realities of Practice

Agenda We will talk about the experiences of others who have participated in this class in the past. And we’ll talk about a study in a financial services organization. What happens when you attempt to practice PT in the real world?

Perfect sense to us PT is something new within many graduate programs –shift within edtec programs from dynamic displays and media in schools and museums, to psychology and planning, to current programmatic tensions between: »ID/psychology/planning »multi-media, elearning, knowledge management and learning »PT, with a focus on the larger organization as well-- the newest player PT propelled into professional preparation programs: –quality movement, measurement, accountability –customer focus –systems and organizations

No standing ovation Some resistance –d–distraction from the fascinating business of our field –z–zero sum game –m–murky nature of PT –O–OK, give it a shot with an elective An elective for people who already know about training, learning, ISD Key purposes-- add generalist and organizational perspectives to existing skills and perspectives; emphasize analysis, solution systems, and consultation

A study done with Carl Czech, PT in the US Navy Three cohorts who had taken EDTEC 685 from 1991 to 1993 Survey mailed to 50 former students, yielding 21 respondents, a 40% response rate –~1/3 returned for incorrect address Quantitative and qualitative measures Seeking: –which skills most and least appreciated by graduates –which skills most and least appreciated by employers –in which areas most and least confident –nature of the barriers to successful practice

Valued aspects of PT by our respondents Getting reliable info on skills and knowledge Arriving at compromise with stakeholders Identifying barriers Eliciting best descriptions of optimals Maintaining quality within resource constraints

Valued aspects of PT by employers Maintaining quality within resource constraints Getting reliable info on skills and knowledge Teaching systematic and systems thinking Biggest gap between PTs and employers: Forestalling “premature” solutions offered by managers, supervisors, and job incumbents.

Confidence Education and training Job aids Documentation Recognition programs Incentive systems

Drivers Skill and knowledge are not a barrier Appreciation of PT is also not a barrier Confidence is not a barrier Others are the barriers, in the view of grads “insufficient marketing of PT” and “ownership of interventions by other departments” are top two barriers Also contributing are customers’ lack of familiarity with PT and cross-functionality

Implications What does this data say to you, as you consider your career and professional growth?

Still true today? I think so. Rebecca Frazee and I did a study for a financial services co. in We’ll call them Funnymunny Co. They had taken their training dept. and created a performance unit. Our task: how well was it going? What more could management do to improve the shift from training events to performance services? Method: interviewed nearly every professional in the US group (n=34)

How well is the shift going?

Barriers to performance

What does the data say to you? Look at slide 13. What do you see? What’s getting in the way in Funnymunny land? What would you recommend?

What we recommended More development and support in analysis, consulting, and selling the performance approach within the org. Create a web based collaborative community rich with examples, case studies, tools and templates Establish a communications initiative for line managers and supervisors. Keep it short and sweet, and example based, not theoretical Piggyback on training, acknowledging that it is still happening and must be supported in the organization

1/ Have you had a similar initiative in your organization? 2/ Which best describes the results of that effort? A. Wonderful, B. OK, or C. Not so hot