Conclusion-Skills and Knowledge Needed by PT Practitioners

Let your aim be the good of all. ”Bhagavad Gita (6 ^th century B.C.) ^[1]

At this point, it is clear that acquiring confidence as a PT practitioner requires extensive skills and knowledge and substantial experience. Competence comes from gradually getting involved in projects that utilize the various aspects of the HPT Model. PT practitioners must be willing to learn to integrate numerous intervention techniques into a comprehensive strategy. It is then necessary to anticipate resistance to the changes brought about by implementing the interventions.

PT Competencies

Change and performance improvement happen because people work together in new ways. People commit to resolving problems. PT practitioners need empathy to influence others. They need vision and the ability to persuade people to develop new methods or to improve processes. PT practitioners need to motivate, encourage , provide feedback, and recognize successes. Due to human unpredictability , designing change activities requires faith that persistence and good sense will eventually lead to positive results. Rothwell has identified and described the major skills needed to be an effective PT practitioner. ^[2]

Business Savvy

(including negotiating/contracting, buy-in/ advocacy , and consulting)

Education, nonprofit human services, and government organizations are adopting many businesslike practices, making business savvy a universal competency. PT practitioners need negotiating and contracting skills that depend on give-and-take discussions resulting in a common understanding of expectations. These skills require an ability to monitor agreements and the progress of vendors . Buy in and advocacy skills mean establishing support and confidence among employees and the ability to speak on behalf of others. Consulting skills involve the ability to establish new processes and procedures by working closely with many employees .

Organizational and Group Dynamics Knowledge

PT practitioners must grasp the larger perspective that takes into account the political, economic, and social systems within an organization. It is essential that PT practitioners also understand how groups function and how people are influenced by others. ^[3]

Systems Thinking and Problemsolving Capacity

Performance technology activities are interrelated and affect each other. PT practitioners need to identify the parts of a system ”inputs, throughputs, and outputs ”to understand how each one impacts the others. It is necessary for PT practitioners to realize how individuals, organizational culture, and processes influence outcomes . Successful performance improvement efforts depend on accurately defined gaps and well-designed interventions.

Word to the Wise

It is not unusual for traditional managers to seek simple explanations for workplace problems. Unfortunately, all too often, it is believed that people are not capable or willing to work hard and reach ambitious productivity targets. Employees are then described as "not cutting the mustard." Workers appear to lack motivation, work ethic , or the ability to do their job correctly. ^[4]

PT assumes a more positive approach by recognizing that the changes required in the knowledge era are not fleeting. Customers expect quality, value, and service. "Whereas people were formerly concerned with issues involving price and quantity, now they are primarily concerned with value and service. The new reality is not transitory . It is a systemic and permanent change in society and the business world." ^[5]

Performance technology systematically describes the change process. Following the HPT Model helps organizations adapt effectively to the knowledge society.

^[1] Frank, 1999, p. 68

^[2] Rothwell, 1996a

^[3] McLagan, 1989c

^[4] Fournies, 1988, pp. 87 “88

^[5] Bennis and Mische, 1995, p. 23