SECTION 4~ HUMAN PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY

       1.    Identify a Performance Problem in your area of work, and identify non-          instructional solutions that may help solve the problem.

I am a Media Specialist for the University Library. I also assist with the circulation department if that supervisor is out of her office. We have work study students who work various shifts throughout each day. They may be shelving books or working at the customer service desk. We have found over the past few semesters that our student workers are not doing their jobs due to their using their cellphones while performing their job duties. We have a no cellphone policy at the customer service desk and in the stacks shelving books. Most of the students only work 3 hours a day, but they will not put those phones down. Our student workers are not providing the proper level of service to our patrons when they are not focused on their jobs .If they are shelving the books they need to be concentrating on the location they are returning the books too. If they are at the Customer Service Desk they are they are the first contact many customers have with the Library, if their head is down messing with their cellphones a person is not being acknowledged because they don’t realize there is anyone standing there. We have tried to impress upon them the importance of fast and courteous service, they all go through a training period, but after they learn the job and get comfortable, they tend to start being careless and start using their phones while they are on the job. I have provided customer service training to the students, but some of them still go against policy. I think a performance evaluation could help improve the environment at the customer service desk. The supervisors change shifts every 8 hours and they all have their own supervising style, but enforcing library  policy, and giving performance evaluations could improve student workers performance.

        2.  Define Performance Support Systems.

A performance support system is the integration of different tools to help the user perform a task. Basically a performance support system is a system that provides the user with information, guidance and learning experiences where ever and whenever a user needs it.  Performance support is blended learning, you use the knowledge you have and add additional knowledge by using a performance support system.  A performance support system could be designed to help the student workers realize how their preoccupation with their phones are effecting the patrons they are hired to serve. Maybe a system on the computer, where they document the types of customer service task they are performing, or role playing where they are the patron  and one of the supervisors plays with her phone while they are waiting in line.

     3.    What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving?

Customer service knowledge and respect for stated policies would be beneficial for the above problem. It’s all about getting the right information to the student worker at the right time.  In a job your knowledge is both mental and recorded in the culture of the environment; knowledge is continuously changing in response to the needs of the persons you are providing service too. A collection of data showing the types of services that have been given for a specific amount of time could provide information on areas of training that might need to be provided to the student workers. A survey of the workers could provide insight into their obsession with their cellphones. The supervisor should look at the student responses and at the task performed to determine if additional training could enhance the individual performance. There currently is not a performance evaluation given for student workers, I believe that could benefit the students by holding them accountable for their work behaviors.

Knowledge Life Cycle

 4.  What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization?

 I have been involved in informal learning every day since I began my job. There are different situations every day that allows informal learning to take place. Just dealing with the day to day operations of a Library service area requires constant adaptation and thus informal learning happens in the process. The informal learning experience can be shared with other supervisors and should be shared so that everyone is aware of the culture as it changes to meet the needs of the persons you are serving. The knowledge gained could be managed by documenting the situation and defining the solution. I think informal learning is more of an individual experience. We all see situations differently based on our knowledge, so what is learned from a given situation will be different for each person.