Personal Inventory
2 min readAug 19, 2021
- How do you define HPT? How do your current definition differ from what you wrote in Week 1?
- My Week 1 definition: “I think that Human Performance Technology entails a more holistic view of the levers that impact human performance, outside of just Learning & Development, and how one can systemically approach solving problems with Human Performance using those levers.” I still agree with this definition. I liked the language in Ch. 3 of our textbook that it is a “Performance System.” The various levers make-up this system.
- Identify the key things you gained from this course. What mattered most to you, and why?
- I found the assignment to complete the Human Performance System Diagram particularly engaging. It’s a really comprehensive view that required me to think critically about my organization’s environment (both internal & external), as well as the influences at play. I referenced this diagram multiple times while completing my other assignments. I also really enjoyed how the Fast Food Case Study and discussion posts built upon each other in order to apply the learning focus of that particular week. It really allowed for an in-depth analysis and reflection.
- My individual strengths and weaknesses as it relates to being a HPT practitioner.
- Strengths: I believe the majority of my strengths lie in my consulting characteristics because I’ve already developed a lot of these skills in my work as an instructional designer. Specifically — maintaining a system perspective, ability to sort out priorities, being principled yet flexible, being diplomatic, and organized communication. My work designing systems dynamic simulations allows me to better assess an organization’s performance system. This type of evaluation used to play into how we developed the scoring model for simulation activities. The other four strengths depend on one another to be an effective project manager and to be seen as a valuable thought partner.
- Weaknesses: As the majority of my strengths lie in my consulting characteristics, the majority of my weaknesses lie in my technical competencies related to HPT. Throughout much of the LDT program, I already had skills in the class topics. In this class, I found myself having to learn a lot “from scratch.” Areas for improvement — determine performance improvement projects appropriate to work on, writing statements of performance intervention outcomes, sequence performance intervention outcomes, specify performance intervention and strategies, and evaluate performance improvement interventions. These are all skills that I think I could develop if given an opportunity to work on some engagements and learn from real-life examples and mentors.
- How will I use the tools and techniques of HPT in my own career path?
- I think its important to bring the mindset of HPT into my career as an instructional designer. Training is not always the answer and through having exposure to HPT perspective and skills, this allows me to better evaluate whether or not training is the best first for a problem being presented to the L&D team from management.
