Post a cohesive response based on your analysis of the Learning Resources and your professional experience. Be sure to discuss the following: “See attachment for detailed instructions
Discussion: Informal Mediation
Each week you will have the opportunity to learn, practice, and then assess your knowledge through readings, lectures, discussion forums, and assignments or tests.
Handbook of Improving Performance in the Workplace, Volume 3, Measurement and Evaluation
James L. Moseley, Joan C. Dessing
To prepare for this Discussion, pay particular attention to the following Learning Resources:
· Review this week’s Learning Resources, especially:
· Read Week 1 Lecture –
See Word doc
. “Evaluating Results”
· Developing performance –
· Performance Management –
Performance Management | Human Resources (ucdavis.edu)
· Binder, C. (2001). Measurement: A few important ideas. Performance Improvement, 40(3), 20–28. Available online at
www.binder-riha.com/measurement_ideas
.
· Binder, C. (2002, March/2004, November). Measurement counts!
www.performancexpress.org
.
· Binder, C. (2003, March). Using surveys and questionnaires. In Measurement counts! Online monthly column at
www.performancexpress.org/0303/mainframe0303.html#title5
.
Assignment:
· This week you were introduced to the three (3) conditions that must be in place in order to show performance management.
· (1) clear, measurable goals;
· (2) measurement feedback provided to the performers in order to make decisions; and
· (3) the ability to control resources and conditions if the measurement feedback indicates need for a change.
· Analyze the use of these tools using your workplace as an example.
· In addition, expand upon how the three conditions are applied and how they may be used for workplace improvement.
· 3 – 4 paragraphs
· No plagiarism
· APA citing
Evaluating Results and Benefits – Week #1 Lecture 1
Establishing a Foundation
Welcome to Week 1. This week you will be introduced to the important terminology that will follow you throughout your learning this term. I realize that you are probably not feeling the excitement that I am when you read that terminology is the focus for the week. However, I assure you that once you get into learning the terminology, the concepts will come much more easily to you. This is our goal to ensure success as we move forward.
With that said, let’s begin. First and foremost, we will start with the term “measurement.” Surely your immediate reaction is to define measurement as the act of giving a size to an object, counting a quantity, etc. Your definition would be accurate. Measurement is a critical term to understand as most every project you work on in the classroom and within the workplace will be based on a measurement of some sort. For example, let’s say you are a manager within a department and you are looking to determine the success of the project your team is working on. First, you will consider the timeframe and number of tasks that were put into place at the beginning of the project. Then, you will look at the number of employees that are working on the project. You will then consider the progress that has been made. Do you see the pattern? Measurement surrounds us within the workplace and understanding the tools and techniques available will be what sets you above the competition.
Evaluation is the next important term to consider this week.
Evaluation is the concept of adding a value or worth to an object or person (Moseley & Dessinger, 2009). Evaluation is just as important as measurement as it allows us to understand the success of a project, tool, technique, or individual. There are many methods for evaluating, just as there are measuring, which we will cover later this term. Return on Investment, or ROI, measurement is an important result of evaluation.
Research is the ability to investigate and establish facts (Moseley & Dessigner, 2009). This is a tool that is equally as important as measurement and evaluation within the workplace. You will find that in the role of management, you will be required to conduct research on a regular basis. This research will lead to measurement and evaluation, thus its importance overall.
Now that we got the easy stuff out of the way, let’s explore some of the concepts that might not be as well known. In the reading this week, you will learn about the “natural science” of behavior, a new science created by B.F. Skinner and his colleagues. Skinner pioneered methods to improve work place productivity with behavior modification, eliminating or mitigating behaviors which interfere with the overall success of the firm.
Return on Investment (ROI) was mentioned briefly as a part of the evaluation statement earlier in this lecture. This is a very important tool when it comes to Human Performance Technology. ROI is used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment (Moseley & Dessigner, 2009). You might be wondering why this is important and how it might pertain to what we have been discussing thus far. With any measurement tool, it is important that those involved understand how it works and why it is important. ROI is largely used in businesses for decision making and when all parties are on the same page, success occurs. In addition, ROI can lead to additional research and evaluation measures when failure may occur.
An organizational dashboard is a performance management tool that is used by management to track and assess the performance of an organization against a number of metrics (Moseley & Dessigner, 2009). Dashboards are an important tool in human performance technology because they provide a visual image. A successful organizational dashboard will help an organization see where they stand in their success and where improvements may be needed.
With the terminology learned this week you should find yourself more comfortable in moving forward with the discussion and assignment this week. In addition, you will find that moving forward in your learning will come much easier as you have the baseline of understanding of measurement and evaluation within the workplace. Please remember that your work is due by 11:59pm on Tuesday. I look forward to your effort this week!
Resources:
Mosele, J. & Dessinger, J. (2009). Handbook of Improving Performance in the Workplace. (Volume 3). Pfeiffer-Wiley
