Cambridge Business Association
Analysis for Improving Performance
Book

Analysis for Improving Performance

Tools for Diagnosing Organizations & Documenting Workplace Expertise

Richard A. Swanson
Berrett-Koehler, 1996
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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Overview
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Hats off to author Richard A. Swanson for writing clearly, interestingly and compellingly on the subject of creating effective programs to improve workplace performance. He champions approaching this task with up-front analysis based on systems theory. Since he criticizes ordinary management for not understanding this problem and for not knowing the methods that can be used to resolve it, getAbstract recommends this book not only to Human Resources professionals, but also to managers and executives in all industries. If you want employee performance to improve, upgrade your understanding of how to make it so.

Summary

Performance Improvement

The success of any performance improvement effort depends on a critical - but often neglected - up-front analysis, which itself depends on having the proper tools. Program developers and managers must:

  • Assess an organization’s real business needs and the status of its supporting systems;
  • Analyze necessary worker skills, knowledge and attitudes;
  • Specify performance requirements and evaluation standards;
  • Produce a viable, comprehensive performance improvement design.

This up-front analysis is, in essence, a diagnosis. As in medicine, you can’t determine proper treatment to achieve employee improvement if you don’t have a proper diagnosis. Yet, companies and organizations worldwide try to do just that every day.

Organizational efforts at performance improvement have included human resource development, quality improvement programs, reengineering and performance technology. These programs are used to identify an organization’s major business processes and how they connect to basic inputs and outputs. The goal is to add value. Unfortunately, organizations often don’t bother looking at these processes...

About the Author

Richard A. Swanson is a professor and director of the Human Resource Development Research Center at the University of Minnesota, and founding editor of Human Resource Development Quarterly.

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