The HPT/KM Connection A Necessary Framework for Knowledge Management

Presented at:The United States Coast Guard

Human Performance Technology Conference

September 16, 2010 - Williamsburg, Virginia

Ms. Janet CichelliSerco, Inc.

LinkedIn: janet-cichelli

• Exploit organizational knowledge

• Facilitate learning

• Improve performance

KM & HPT – Shared Goals

KM is the systematic process of acquiring,

creating, capturing, synthesizing, learning, and

using information, insights, and experiences

to enable performance.

(Harvard Business School 1988)

HPT is a systematic approach to

improving individual and

organizational performance. (Pershing, 2006)

Knowledge

Management

Human Performance Technology

Explicit Knowledge

Tacit Knowledge

The Knowledge Domain

Old thinking:

New thinking:

Focus on Context & Connections

Focus on Content & Collection

Connecting the right people just-in-time,

canvassing their knowledge and advice

in the context of a particular operational

problem or need.

The acquisition, organization, storage

and dissemination of content just in

case it might be used in the future.

Requires a Different Approach to KM

From Hierarchies to Communities

Shifting to

Connections & Conversation

“Hey, do you know where to find….?”

“Hey, do you know how to….?”Work is already social:

When we have a need, we typically turn to our informal

network of people we trust.

Communities of Practice: Context & Connection

Benefits:

• It enables people to easily probe and clarify information they find and re-frame it into their context.

• Allows you to share your experiences and learn from others

• Validates and builds on existing knowledge

Community

A community helps people get to

“know each other” over a series of

interactions.

A CoP can help accelerate learning

and performance.

But, If You Build it….

Gartner Says Many Social Software Projects Fail

Many social software projects fail because …

organizations fall into the trap of following "worst

practice," installing social software in the expectation

that productive communities will emerge

spontaneously. Gartner's discussions with clients

suggest that the "install and they will come" practice

rarely succeeds; about 70 percent of the

community typically fails to coalesce.

Many Communities Experience

a Mid-Life Crisis

The most vital of the communities we reviewed

shared six characteristics – clear purpose,

active leadership, critical mass of engaged

members, sense of accomplishment, high

management expectations, and real time.

…they won’t

necessarily come.

Top 10 Contributing Factors

1. No clear operational rationale

2. Starting with the technology

3. Not knowing your audience

4. Wrong community type (engagement model)

5. Components don’t address performance needs

6. Not designed for the job environment

7. Resulting system is too complex/difficult to use

8. No plan for content management

9. Not resourced adequately (community facilitator)

10. Not planning for the cultural changes

Time for a Superhero

HPT

Human performance technology

(HPT) provides the systematic

framework to help guide KM &

Community of Practice initiatives.

Guide what exactly?• Identification of KM/CoP interventions

• Is a CoP the right fit?

• What specific kind of capability?

• How will we know it’s successful?

Mission and Business Goals

Desired Workforce

Performance

Actual Workforce

Performance

Lack of skills

Lack of knowledge

Lack of incentives

and rewards

Lack of motivation

Lack of feedback

Lack of information

Coaching

Documentation

Self-Study Guides

Job Aids

Instructor-Led Training

Electronic Performance Support

Online learning (WBT/CBT)

Knowledge Management System

Gap

Causes

Interventions

Instructional Systems Design

EPSS/PCD Methodology

KM Methodology

Methodology

Traditional Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model

Where performance gaps are due to ineffective access to or exchange of

information between people or machines, KM can make information

available, and improve the exchange of information and ideas.

KM should be used when there is a need for readily accessible

information for the purposes of

• sharing solutions and innovations,

• determining best practices,

• meeting customer’s needs,

• increasing responsiveness and

• increasing collaboration

Source: Van Buren, 2001

Knowledge Management as a Performance Support

Intervention

This Frameworkhelps

drive requirements and

additional considerations

for KM/CoP efforts.

The KM intervention must be aligned with each of these areas to drive success

and optimal performance.

A Broader Human Performance Framework

Organization (Mission Readiness)

Environment

Strategy

Individual

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Adapted from ASTD “Leading Knowledge Management and Learning”

Considerations:

• What are the primary external

influences?

• How do they impact performance?

• Doctrine

• An increasingly mobile workforce

• Budget realities

• Increasing complexities (e.g., Cyber Security) & multi-mission arena

• Mandates for agility & change (e.g., Katrina, Deepwater Horizon)

A Coast Guard/DHS

KM system must be

aligned with:

Human Performance Framework - Environment

Environment

Strategy

Individual

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Organization (Mission Readiness)

Considerations:

• What is the organizations mission

and vision?

• Are work tasks aligned with them?

• Transform to an agile, responsive organization

• Innovate

• Leverage the skills, knowledge, experience of staff

A KM system must support

USCG strategy to:

Human Performance Framework - Strategy

Environment

Strategy

Individual

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Organization (Mission Readiness)

Considerations:

• What are people supposed to do?

• What tools and technologies are

available to help them do it?

• Know what we know so we don’t reinvent the wheel

• Reduce the cycle time to exploit lessons learned

A Coast Guard KM system

must help:

Human Performance Framework - Operations

Environment

Strategy

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Individual

Organization (Mission Readiness)

Considerations:

• How are people organized to

support performance?

• How are they measured?

• Cross-functional teams

• Specialized communities of interest

• The new “C” workforce (create content,

conversation, connected)

• Knowledge-sharing as a core competency

A Coast Guard KM

system must support:

Human Performance Framework - Organization

Environment

Strategy

Individual

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Organization (Mission Readiness)

Considerations:

• Do people have the ability and

motivation needed to perform?

• Reward and incent knowledge sharing

• Provide a low threshold for new users

• Provide a high ceiling for accomplished performers

A Coast Guard KM

system must help:

Human Performance Framework - Individual

Environment

Strategy

Individual

Operations (Mission Accomplishment)

Organization (Mission Readiness)

CONNECTIONS CONTENT

• The right engagement model & characteristics

• The right functional components

• The right human performance interface design

• The right content management and evaluation

Applying the Model for KM Results

5 Community Engagement Models

Service & Support Community

Developer/Partner Community

Affinity/Loyalty Community

Private Community

Professional-Peer Community

Professional-Peer Community Engagement Model

Professional-Peer Community Engagement Model

Professional-Peer Community Engagement Model

Community Models & Characteristics

Identity – uniquely identifying people in the system

Presence – knowing who is online, available or otherwise nearby

Relationships – describing how two users in the system are related

Conversations – talking to other people through the community

Groups – forming communities of interest

Reputation – knowing the status of other people in the system

Sharing – sharing things that are meaningful (videos, photos)

Awareness – know who has similar interests/tastes/content

Selecting the Right Functional Components

Wiki

BlogProfiles

Event Calendar

Ask an Expert

Document Library

News Feeds

Discussion Forums

…and LOTS more

25

Using a Blog to Transfer Lessons LearnedUsing a Blog to Transfer Insights into Lessons Learned

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Detailed Impact Assessment

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• An HPT approach to KM ensures:

• The right engagement model & characteristics

• The right functional components

• The right human performance interface design

• The right content management and evaluation

• This, in turn, ensures

• Delivery of actionable information & know-how

• The right knowledge in the right format to the right person at the right

time

• KM can reduce the cycle time to exploit lessons learned and innovation

In Summary

Questions? Conversation.

Janet CichelliPractice Manager, Advanced Learning & KM

Serco North America

240-778-1223

janet.cichelli@serco-na.com