Evaluating Performance Improvement - Case Study Example

Evaluating Performance Improvement This paper illustrates how the Human Performance Technology model may be applied in enhancing a college library’s performance. The college librarians have to identify concerns with their work performance, of their administrative team, in order to find a way of assisting the team members in handling the increasing workload without altering the same admirable results in the quality of work. There are various factors that impact library’s efficiency or performance negatively, this includes: ineffective and regularly cancelled staff meetings, regular interruptions in the library team’s daily work duties or routines by the too much foot traffic flowing through their workspace, and poor communications. There are various interventions proposed in addressing these issues in consideration of the requirements of the administrative team and the analyses carried from the course readings. Evaluating Performance Improvement Introduction Human Performance Technology (HPT) entails obtaining traction in both corporate worlds and the academic as one of the applied sciences. Examples of the HPT models include the traditional HPT process by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI); Wile’s synthesized HPT model, and the Gilbert’s model. Traditional HPT by the ISPI process is utilized as the guiding model for the example case study. The traditional ISPI’s HPT model provides excellent guidelines for the performance technologists in visualizing the processes under study or consideration and in communicating the logic of the course or process to the clients in the project. The model is chosen since it is not challenging on novice, and there are different steps that are easy to follow in the model. The synthesized HPT by Wile David is mainly used a diagnostic model. The model has two separated domains and paths for analysis when utilized when examining the human performance. The model’s focuses entail the internal and all external factors or agents. Any imbalance in the paths or domains leads to suboptimal performance. Gilbert’s Model is split into two spheres of influences: Individual and Environment. Each sphere, depend on three factors: Instrumentation, Information, and Motivation. Demonstration of each the factor in each sphere subsequently follows, environment’s information is the feedback. The Model is used in defining responsibilities for a company in providing an environment that a worker might be successful by placing the required tools. This case will illustrate the uses of various stages in the model in detail but will not include information on the interventions implementation or the longer-term program evaluations. The Library The library has a vital role any institution, college and students. Libraries provide learner-centered and information resources services in cultivating rich virtual and physical environment where the exchange of knowledge or ideas flourish. Figure 1 Human Performance Technology (Van Tiem, Dessinger, & Moseley, 2012) The college librarian should analyze the work efficiency or performance of their and sought assistance in handling the workload increases, while still producing the identical significant results, that is, in terms of work quality and customer care. Most of the libraries are faced the problem of time management especially when the work demands is increased while the human resources reduced. Therefore it is crucial for the operations of the entire library’s administrative team to perform at their optimum, since many sections or departments count on them in supplying the resources and leadership required for each department, students or staff to be nurtured, inspired, and satisfied when they come for assistance. Organizational Analysis Most of the academic libraries have four major players in performing the required effective management: the chief librarian, the assistant chief librarian, the events and facilities coordinator, and the budget and business officer. The players’ objectives are organizing for maximum possible efficiency, and modeling the tone for its staff and the entire library. Environmental Analysis The environmental analyses are advised to be carried primarily via observations, interviews, and extant data reviews. Each library’s administrative team member is to be interviewed individually and then as a group; they should be checked if they are adequately equipped to perform their jobs. Tools, policies, and resources in place should be reviewed if they assist them in accomplishing their goals. They should be checked if they are informed, motivated, and capable of their specific roles within the team. Observations are required from the library spaces and administrative suite, and library’s floor plans. Altogether, the analyses reveal issues among the workers and within the work environment. The work environment can create a problem when not located well physically, for example, when an administrative team’s office is placed in the middle of volumes of foot traffic then will cause unintentional interruptions, this leads to attention gaps given to important items, or accomplishing detail-oriented assignments. Gap Analysis The following performance gaps face most the libraries: taking of work and assignments home or not being complete on time as a result of time constraints; unproductive, cancellations of, or less scheduled meetings; difficulties or problems with communications, be it face-to-face, e-mail or through telephone; and constant interrupts in administrative team work routines (Hoang & Radicati, 2012). Ideal Performance Gap Practical Performance Quality or Time Estimated 40 hours in a week for the whole administration team Taking work home Uncalled and productive meetings Cancellations or Productivity Called and unproductive meetings Reduction of unnecessary communications, that is , by 85% Inefficient usage Excess phone calls, and emails, or ineffective communication Same location of team, in protected space Separated Separated teams in heavily trafficked locations Table 1 Performance gaps analysis Cause Analysis Most of the causes of the gap overlapping with other issues due to deficiency mostly do not involve incentives, motivation, or capacity. The primary causes of the deficiencies include the physical locations of the administrative suites, frequencies in staff meetings, poor communication, for example, poor handling of the emails, and taking work or assignments home (Martin, 2009). Work is take home as a result of constant interruptions because of the office location and high volumes of email. Poor location in team administrative office, located directly in the path of heavy foot traffic, lead to constant destructions. The administrative team is responsible for the library, and additionally their work affects all areas and parts of the library. For that reason, they, the team, should be able to avail attention toward their work in giving the support and leadership the library staff requires. The overall layouts in most of the libraries’ administrative suites are not conducive to efficient working environment. Intervention Selection Based on discussed problems, performance gaps are categorized into three primary areas that require well-designed interventions or solution. The first issue is the meeting schedule, the second is the location, and the last is communication. Although an additional performance issue, which is taking work home, is also problematic, causes behind the issue are under other three causes. It is imperative to the library’s office team spaces be conjoined and also located in a place with reduced number of unintentional distractions and interruptions; this is expensive in the short term, but will prove value for money with time. The space location would allow the teams have the privacy required to focus on their work or assignments while maintaining them accessible to other library’s staff. Meetings should be organized through consolidation, elimination, and delegation. Delegations of responsibilities to team members slightly increase their workloads; combined with consolidation and elimination balances workloads. The administrative staff should stop or ensure reduced automatic emails; and also conduct periodic training for identification and coping with emerging trends in communication. Discussion: Human Performance Technology The analysis was based on three concepts: cost, time, and value. The cost entailed the monetary measures of amount something in its implementation; time shows how quick or slow implementation procedure takes, and value is the return from the implementation. Personnel job training is costly since they will be not producing any work but eventually will have been cost effective in curbing lost productivity for the period. The value involves combination measures in easiness and potentiality of making the whole system better. The ISPI’s HPT model is helpful since it lists steps in analyzing interventions. CONSIDERATION COST (C ) VALUE (V) TIME (T) TOTAL (S+C+V) MEETING Uploading Agenda 1 1 1 3 Consolidation 1 2 2 5 Elimination 1 2 1 4 Delegation 2 2 2 6 ENVIRONMENT Rerouting Traffic 1 2 2 5 COMMUNICATION Going Mobile 3 2 1 6 Training 3 2 2 7 Table 2 Decision Table From table 2, the smaller the summed or overall score of each given concept, consequently, the better the solution. Conclusion Proposals from paper show the value of utilizing the traditional HPT model in the performance improvement of a college library setup and availing implications for practitioners in demonstrating the model’s suitability and effectiveness to clients in any environment. References Hoang, X., & Radicati, M. (2012). Statistics on Email. Retrieved from Radicati Group: www.radicati.com Improvement, I. S. (2014). HPT. Retrieved February 13, 2015, from International Society for Performance Improvement: http://www.ispi.org Martin, M. (2009). Approach to Process Performance Improvement. Pershing, A. (Ed.). (n.d.). Handbook of Human Performance Technology. San Francisco. Van Tiem, D., Dessinger, C., & Moseley, L. (2012). Fundamentals of Performance Improvement. Pfeiffer: San Francisco. Read More