Organization Clarity: HPT in the news

In one of my classes that dealt with HPT we were asked to find a business/organization in the news and discuss how using the HPT Model, what changes or actions we would implement and provide links to the imaginary scenario. This is an actual entry from that class, please add any questions or points you want to share to this blog post. Please add points or possible solutions to the comments section of this blog entry.

The need for performance improvement is universal and permeates just about every aspect of our world. Locate a real-life example of an individual, a group, or an organization that has an issue that the HPT model might address. Look for these problems in current events, web based social media, newspapers, magazines, etc. Post a link to the problem story and add your thoughts about how the HPT model might be applied to find and implement solutions.

I am picking an organization that recently made a huge announcement in the local news yesterday, Caterpillar, which recently announced that it will move its corporate headquarters from Peoria, Il to Chicago, IL.  On NBC News, it was stated that the company would move 300 executive jobs to the city of Chicago, however what this article adds to it is that Caterpillar was scheduled to build a new headquarters in Peoria but that idea was put on the shelve in 2015 (NBCChicago.com, 2017). This would have also added a high numbers of construction jobs in the Peoria area as well. The issue is that the company is enduring its fifth straight year of revenue loss, so to conveniently meet with its global customers (66% of the business) the company has decided that it was easier to move into Chicago (Trotter, 2017). With the two major airports the company believes it will be easier to meet and keep clients with the city’s multiple transportation options.

Caterpillar believes it has a credible option, for both the company, Chicago by opening a new office and transporting 300 employees and also by leaving 12,000 jobs still in Peoria (Trotter, 2017). However, in this case I believe the HPT model if implemented would reflect that the Caterpillar has not done a complete Performance Analysis. In this case, I believe the company needs to reapply or reconsider doing another Environmental Analysis, stating that schmoozing foreign clients in the Peoria area the reason the company is losing money seems strange. I would definitely concentrate on competition since Caterpillar is fighting for its place in a global market.

Plus, I would run another Cause Analysis to check recheck how did this decision to move came about. If Caterpillar believes moving to the city of Chicago is the type of environment which will help the company attract new clientele and strengthen the business relationships of current ones, I am not sure if the data they received was accurate. I would send a lighthearted survey to the organization’s the clientele regarding how much a change in locations would sway their decision to do business with Caterpillar.

Also, I would want to know what type of environmental supports were obviously not available in Peoria that are in Chicago to see if there are relationships and partnerships with the local community now, that were hardly or never utilized and thereby harming the organization. Seeing how the organization which seemingly has no problem with moving out of its Corporate headquarters for more than 50 years, can give one the impression that the organization had a mediocre relationship with the local community. Going on the basis that the area was a negative factor to attracting clients, the organization is thoroughly disengaged with the community of Peoria, but understanding why that happened would also assist in determining how Caterpillar can make appropriate changes to overcome its five-year performance gap in Chicago.

References
Nbcchicago.com (2017) “Caterpillar Moving Global Headquarters to Chicago Area” NBC Universal Media, LLC Jan 31, 2017 http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Caterpillar-Moving-Global-Headquarters-Chicago-412288093.html
Trotter, Greg (2017) “In Peoria, Caterpillar's move feels like 'kick in the gut' Chicago Tribune Jan 31, 2017 Retrieved on January 31, 2017 from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-caterpillar-peoria-reaction-0201-biz-20170131-story.html

Organizational Clarity: A wiki post called "Describe the ASTD HPI model"

So I wrote a couple of articles for a Human Performance Improvement class assignment that was a Wiki for the class and it was segmented into subject matter that dealt with organizational development and improving the human performance of the employees in the organization. I believe this will help students and professionals alike explain the concepts that deal with Human Performance improvement. This wiki posting is answering the question: Describe the ASTD HPI model. This is what I wrote for the class:

The ASTD HPI Model focuses on the Human Performance Improvement (HPI) professional during and after the intervention period. The ASTD HPI Model defines what the HPI professional’s role is, the outputs that are desired by the organization which they must deliver, and the ethical issues may they face during implementation. Plus, the ASTD HPI Model guides the Professional on how to assess individual stakeholder competencies and other various factors which can impact the HPI professional as they are trying to enhance human performance (Rothwell, 1999). The ASTD Model defines the roles for the HPI professional as it is divided into different stages: The Analyst, Intervention Specialist, the Change Manager and finally as the Evaluator (Rothwell, et al., 2012).

In each stage the HPI professional is gauging the performance gap identifying key issues that cause it (Analyst), then after identification, the best solution is chosen (Intervention Specialist) to narrow of fill the gap(s) in performance.  The HPI professional then as the change manager guides or leads the organization through the program implementation until that implementation has been completed as judged by the impact and whatever its result (negative or positive). Then the HPI professional as defined by the ASTD HPI Model reports the impact, the results and how the intervention(s) affected all the stakeholders involved.

This is an illustration of the ATD Human performance improvement model: http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c8752e_dba67a6bbd13457393eec87f8030051c.jpg_srz_522_331_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz

Keyword team (2017) “Human performance improvement Gallery” Retrieved on February 1^st, 2017 from  http://keywordteam.net/gallery/99159.html

Rothwell, W. J. (1999). ASTD models for human performance improvement: Roles, competencies, and outputs. American Society for Training and Development.

Rothwell, W. J., Hohne, C. K., & King, S. B. (2012). Human performance improvement. Routledge.

Organizational Clarity: "ETEC 561 Fall 2012: Section 4: Human Performance Technology" blog

This is a blog that briefly discusses Human Performance Technology the main thing you can take away from this is the graphic of the ASTD HPT Model and possibly, if you are a student you can use as that much needed reference for a project. Please click the link to learn more:

ETEC 561 Fall 2012: Section 4: Human Performance Technology: Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional one. Many times a non-instructional approach is a more ap...