HPI 501 WK 7 Discussion
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hpi_501_lesson_7.pptHPI 501 LESSON 7 – FUTURE TRENDS
- Objective – Examine future trends in HPT
- Required reading: Articles 47 and 49 of the Handbook of Human Performance Technology
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THE SWOT ANALYSIS; A POWERFUL ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN TOOL
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- SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
- It is an approach that considers inhibitors and enhancers to the performance of an organization within its environment
- Strengths and Opportunities are enhancers while Threats and Weaknesses are inhibitors
- Opportunities and Threats are viewed as outside of the organization’s control while Strengths and Weaknesses are viewed within the organization’s control
DEFINITION
- The examples below are taken from page 1090
- Please refer to this page for more detail
- Strengths – Market dominance, core skills, manufacturing ability, cost to manufacture
- Weaknesses – Old equipment, market share weakness, dependence on too few products
- Opportunities – New products, new markets, international growth, economic upturn
- Threats – New competitors, demographic change, low market growth
EXAMPLES
- ISPI’s* model of HPT contains five main components
Performance analysis
Cause analysis
Intervention selection, design, and development
Intervention implementation and change
Evaluation
- SWOT analysis is most useful in the first two stages (front-end analyses)
SWOT ANALYSIS AND HPT
**International Society for Performance and Instruction
- Performance analyses are usually done to define ideal performance and will usually yield a mission, vision, value statements and goals for the organization
- For this step a SWOT analysis can help identify the barriers as well as the enablers to reach this ideal state
- With a thorough SWOT analysis, better informed decisions can be made regarding which performance to extinguish, establish, maintain, or improve
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
- The main purpose of a cause analysis is to distinguish the performance gaps linked to environmental factors as well as those linked to lack of knowledge and skills
- This kind of analysis will yield information on practices to be continued or extinguished and a corresponding SWOT analysis can help in determining these further
CAUSE ANALYSIS
- A facilitator will usually walk a group of people in filling a 2x2 table such as the one below
HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Opportunities | Threats |
Internal Factors
External Factors
- Typically, this is done in four steps:
Identifying Stakeholders
Generating the SWOTs
Categorizing the SWOTs
Deliberation
USING A FOCUS GROUPS FOR SWOT ANALYSES
- Stakeholders often include individuals within as well as from outside the organization
- Internal stakeholders include managers, union representatives, owners and directors
- External stakeholders include customers, vendors, relevant community members and partners
- Should the SWOT analysis session be conducted with both of these constituencies?
- The answer depends on the kind of data being sought after. The more heterogeneous the group, the more varied the responses will be, making the data richer but more difficult to summarize for conclusions
1. IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS
- In order to generate a clear SWOT, it is important to clarify with participants the definitions of Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat
- Capon and Disbury (2003) provide a good set of definitions on page 1096 of the Handbook
- Other good ideas on facilitating SWOT discussions are included on 1096 and 1097
2. GENERATING SWOTS
- It’s a good idea to categorize the identified SWOT factors in order of severity or create a ranking
- There may be disagreement between participants on which factors are more important and for this situation, the author proposes a methodology
3. CATEGORIZING SWOTS
- The final step is for the team to look at the results obtained from the SWOT analysis and generate decisions based on this data
- Prioritization of these factors is also common in this step as the they ranked in order of importance and impact
4. DELIBERATION
- SWOT analyses can useful to the HPT specialist in two step of the HPT process: Strategic Planning and Needs Assessment
- Useful in the planning phase to diagnose the environment in which the HPT solution is being contemplated
- In the Needs Assessment phase, SWOT analysis can help in the accurate description of the present state of the issue being assessed
- More information on pages 1099-1101 of the Handbook
APPLICATIONS FOR SWOT ANALYSIS
- SWOT can be an excellent tool for data-based decision making in organizations
- It is a worthwhile tool for HPT experts to know and use not only in their own diagnostic work but also for helping organizations understand their environment before critical decisions are made
COSTS AND BENEFITS OF SWOTS
RAPID REFLECTION – THE POWER OF “THINK TIME”
- Reflection can be simply described as “a way of exploring experience in order to learn new things from it and to use the learning in future planning and action” (pg.1122)
- It encourages critical thinking and allows for a “pause” in the hectic world of the modern enterprise
WHAT IS REFLECTION?
- While the notion and practice of reflection is valuable and can help organizations deal with problems and challenges, it has an inherent weakness, namely that it is time-consuming
- The author proposes a model to counter this issue: the Rapid Reflection Model
REFLECTION AND CYCLE TIME
- Rapid Reflection involves mini-cycles of deliberation and thought that occur in the moment or between phases of a project
- These reflective activities are opportunities to step back from the action, to learn from the experience and to apply what has been learned
- This rapid reflection occurs during each phase of the HPT process as well as in-between phases
- It can be employed in any HPT project, big or small
WHAT IS RAPID REFLECTION?
- The authors of this article articulate a Rapid Reflection model for HPT on page 1126
- It entails many mini-cycles of reflection that generate a constant stream of adjustments to the project
- The model encompasses reflection techniques for in-phase as well as in-between phase reflection
RAPID REFLECTION MODEL FOR HPT
- The author refers to the process of reflection “in-the-moment” as “reflection-in-action” and proposes three different ways in which it can occur:
- Individual reflection – done by the individual
- Collaborative reflection – individual shares reflection with other team members
- Coached reflection – reflection is guided by a coach with the HPT expert and other project members
- More information on pgs. 1128-1129
REFLECTION-IN-ACTION
- Individual skills and Mind-Set for reflection
- Tolerance for ambiguity, open-mindedness and adaptability are key for a successful reflective experience
- Good listening and communication skills are also crucial
- A non-judgmental attitude is also essential
- More details on page 1130 of the Handbook
FACTORS AFFECTING REFLECTION
- The most effective way of initiating the Reflection process is through the use of Guiding Questions
- These crucial questions will get participants started on the process
- Many good examples of guiding questions on page 1134 of the Handbook
- Examples: How and why are the current actions contributing to the overall goal? What am I learning and how can it be applied to this project?
IMPLEMENTING THE RAPID REFLECTION PROCESS
- There are many challenges that may stand in the way of a good reflection process
- These include cultural norms, participant attitudes, lack of time, cynicism and others
- Awareness of these factors can help mitigate their effect
- See page 1138-39 for details
CHALLENGES TO RAPID REFLECTION
ASSIGNMENT
- Answer any of the following in 300 words or less
Describe a situation where you think using a SWOT analysis would be useful and explain how you would roll it out
What is your opinion on the Rapid Reflection model? Do you believe it could be implemented in today’s hectic corporate world? Elaborate
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