Instead of looking to the American Heritage Dictionary for our definition of performance, today I’ll lead with what I believe performance is (based on my experience as a workplace learning and performance improvement professional). I would say that performance can be defined as:
The ability of individuals and organizations to take action in a desired manner, as measured based on observable skills (in the individual) and changes in business results (for the organization).
Given this definition, one can begin to see how it is that knowledge and learning provide the building blocks for achieving desired performance, for without knowledge and learning how can an individual or organization be expected to perform as desired? (Unless by serendipity or an amazing stroke of luck!)
As I pursue my doctoral studies, I’ll be exploring this concept of the interaction of knowledge, learning, and performance. Specifically, my aim is to apply my existing knowledge of workplace learning and performance improvement, add to it from the emerging field of knowledge management, and combine these to maximize organizational and individual performance.
I sincerely believe that there is untapped potential between the two fields of instructional design and knowledge management that can be used to help people and organizations to be the best they can be, e.g., helping them maximize their knowledge assets, getting them the right information and skills just-in-time and just-in-place, and creating an environment where they can innovate and create new knowledge and continuous learning.
Thus by combining the best of both these fields in a practical manner, I hope to maximize the effectiveness—and performance—of individuals and organizations. This in turn can help improve the profitability and viability of individuals and organizations in the increasingly complex and demanding corporate world.
- Robin
Copyright Robin Donnan 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Performance Associates, Inc.
