Updating Performance Improvement's Knowledge Base: A Call to Researchers and Practitioners Using Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model as an Example

Abstract

This article places a call to both researchers and practitioners in the performance improvement field to update and revise existing theories and models as a way to continue informing the performance improvement community. A field of study is valuable to its community only if its knowledge base, including its theories and models, remain updated and meet the demands of the current environment. If there is a mismatch between a discipline's knowledge base and the demands made by its community and its environment, that discipline runs the risk of becoming less relevant to its community. The greater the mismatch, the less relevant a discipline will become. This call highlights the need to update existing performance improvement theories and models using newly developed theory development, research, and analysis techniques. This effort will help to ensure that the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) will remain a preferred source of knowledge tomorrow and well into the future.

The Impact of Culture on Workplace Performance: A Global Mixed Methods Study

“…Various academic investigations have developed theories and tools that can be used as best practices and tactics for performance improvement interventions. It would be valuable to organizations and the performance improvement field to have more performance models supported by quantitative research (Turner & Baker, 2016). Much of the work from this field has helped shape the outputs and cultures of the modern work environment.…”

“…Various empirical studies have been conducted that suggest the need and generalizability of this focus. It would be valuable to organizations and the performance improvement field to have more performance models supported by quantitative research (Turner & Baker, 2016). Chatman and Cha (2003) suggest that corporate culture is the only dimension that applies to all organizations regardless of their size, stage of development, and the sector in which they implement business activities.…”