Customer Reviews

HPI Essentials

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George Piskurich has done an excellent job of collecting some of the best names in the industry to introduce the various concepts associated with Human Performance Improvement (or Technology). As the sub-title suggests; this is a "bottom-line primer on HPI" and therefore, it focuses on real-life application. At the same time, the theoretical concepts are explained in a straight-forward manner with just the right amount of detail to guide the reader through the application bits.

At the end of each Chapter, you will find additional resources and references should you want to explore that particular topic in more detail as well as an extremely helpful "HPI Challenge" section that guides through applying and using the concepts explored in that chapter.

The Chapters closely follow the HPI model itself and are divided into:

1: What is HPI? A brief and very useful introduction to HPI and the HPI Model.
2: Business analysis - The first step in any HPI Process and vital for the final evaluation stage.
3: Performance analysis - How to link business goals to performance goals
4: Gap analysis - Evaluating the difference between the desired and actual performance levels.
5: Cause analysis - Why do performance gaps exist? This chapter emphasizes the need to address root causes and not symptoms.
6: Selecting an HPI project - Now that you understand the basics, select your first HPI project.
7: Motivational interventions. This chapter is written by Sivasailam Thiagarajan "Thiagi" and is an excellent primer on implementing solutions to address motivational issues in an organization.
8: Designing & developing structure/process interventions - Divided into organizational and systems aspects this is one of the best introductions to process interventions I've come across.
9: Knowledge interventions - This chapter has a multitude of practical guidelines and suggestions for optimizing training and focuses on the fact that training is not always the answer.
10: Stakeholder involvement - Guidelines for identifying stakeholders and ensuring their involvement and buy-in.
11: Evaluation - Using the Results-based approach of HPI, this chapter guides you through the steps needed to demonstrate the value-added to the organziation through the HPI project.
12: Performance Consultant - the job - Dana Gaines explains in a straightforward manner exactly what does an HPI Consultant do and helps the reader create a personal development plan for HPI consulting competencies.

The text is good as an overview, and provides specifics regarding HPI, but it does not go enough in depth. It is a good resource for bullet points of things that should be done and why.

This is a great asset to my collection of HPI books. This one gives a great overview of the process and some simple illustrations on how to implement. Very simple to read and understand. Great book to simplify the whole HPI process!