About Human Performance

Human performance is a behavior, a process, a procedure, a way of working or functioning, or an accomplishment. As a study, human performance is concerned with the measurable results of specific behaviors, especially work performance and productivity or athletic accomplishments.

The field of study of human performance for the workplace usually covers three subjects: human performance improvement, human performance management and human performance technology.

1. Human Performance Improvement

Human performance improvement is any process for increasing the effectiveness of specified behaviors or work procedures in producing better results or finding more effective behaviors or procedures to produce the desired results. Performance improvement methods apply to individuals, teams, organizational divisions or departments and/or entire organizations. Training and coaching have been the primary methods of human performance improvement, but human performance technology (HPT) is encompassing and superceding them.

2. Human Performance Technology

Human Performance Technology (HPT) refers to the systematic processes in which an organization discovers and analyzes desired human performance outcomes (goals), determines what causes those outcomes, designs methods for achieving those outcomes, applies the methods, measures the effectiveness of those methods and redesigns the system for further improvement. Often, HTP is a studied on a meta level, covering a number of organizations or on a theoretical level, covering modeled organization types. In the workplace HPT application tends to be an organization-wide, rather generalized process and usually relies on Human Performance Management for specific applications to specific units of the organization.

The phrase human performance technology is misleading in that it means technology in a different sense than most commonly used. It is accurate, however. a true meaning of the word technology use to indicate that the scientific method has been used for commercial or industrial ends. It is about a process or system of procedures that organizes and directs or regulates human behavior.

Human Performance Technology comes from Systems Theory as it applies to people and organizations. Systems Theory studies complex natural and human systems.

3. Human Performance Management

Human Performance Management is the real-world application of HPT in the workplace. Like the more general HPT, it follows a systematic process, but is hands-on, and applied to specific employees, teams or organizational units: Establishing goals or objectives. Planning procedures for accomplishing those goals or objectives. Conveying the objectives and the procedures to the employees. Modifying employee behavior. Measuring results. Identifying the differences between the desired results and the actual results. Analyzing the probable causes of the differing results. Designing new procedures. And starting the whole process over again, until the results are satisfactory.

What does Human Performance improvement (HPI) or Human Performance Technology (HPT) do for you?

There is a host of theories, principles, procedures, prescriptions and recipes for improving organizations and employees. To name but a few, they include human resources development, organizational development, management training, organizational reengineering, organizational analysis, strategic planning, team management, conflict management and employee motivation intervention.

What HPI (or HPT) does is collect the various organization/employee/career improvement schemes under one superseding approach that turns the field of human performance into a behavioral science. It is a systematic, results-oriented method. It is easy to understand and apply to any level -- individual, team, organization. Indeed, it even helps you understand at what level you should apply it.

HPI (or HPT) doesn't displace the orientations and methodologies mentioned above, it merely advises you to stop first and ask yourself what exact, specific results you want from your business (or career). Compare the results you want to the results you are now getting. If there is a difference between the results you want and the results you're getting, take a look at what you are doing to get those results. Analyze what processes, procedures or behaviors would get the results you want. Then add those new actions or change to those actions to get the desired outcomes. Keep repeating that approach and measuring outcomes until you get the results you want. The point is, don't just willy-nilly try training or reengineering or employee motivation interventions or team coaching or whatever other trend is making the rounds of the management consulting community.

Human Performance Improvement is a comprehensive approach that covers the many aspects of behavior related to productivity, achievement, skills/knowledge development, learning and creativity. Those aspects include not only organizational performance and development, but also career and professional development issues, training, motivation, stress, human resources development, education, management, the effects of health/fitness on performance and productivity and work/life balance.