More Accomplishment, Less Behavior

We hear it uttered by change practitioners all the time: behavior must change before the organization will change. Most often, such utterances are ill-informed and superficial. Time is spent trying to identify usually “bad” behavior and lagging measures are used to track its eradication. Even when the focus is on the “good” behavior we seek, we too often end up with a carrots-and-sticks approach to producing change. Could the approach be more wrong?

A compelling article by Dr. Carl Binder (2017) discusses the evolution of human performance technology (HPT) and emphasizes the importance of focusing on accomplishments rather than just behavior. The article highlights how defining accomplishments as countable nouns leads to simpler analysis, liberated behavior, and easier measurement, ultimately improving performance and engagement.

An accomplishment-based approach differs from behavior-focused methods by focusing on the valuable products of behavior rather than the behavior itself. Traditional methods often emphasize the behaviors or activities employees perform. An accomplishment-based approach, on the other hand, prioritizes the outcomes or "work outputs" that result from those behaviors. The value delivered by human performance, then, lies in the accomplishments it produces.

Accomplishments enhance the simplicity of performance analysis because there are typically fewer accomplishments than individual tasks or behaviors. By anchoring the analysis in accomplishments, it becomes more efficient to diagnose problems, address opportunities, and determine when behavior has been successful. Here's what Binder says about breaking down this simplification of performance analysis:

And according to Binder, accomplishment-based performance improvement considers the value of accomplishments in relation to the cost of the behavior required to produce them, reflecting a return on investment (ROI) perspective. The formula for ROI in human performance is the value of the accomplishments divided by the cost of the behavior.

In essence, the shift from behavior to accomplishments represents a paradigm shift in how human performance is viewed. Interventions designed with a focus on valuable accomplishments are more effective, sustainable, and economical than those starting elsewhere in the analysis and design process. Change management professionals can apply the concepts of accomplishment-based performance improvement in several ways to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of change initiatives.

First, instead of focusing on tasks or behaviors, change agents should identify and emphasize the valuable accomplishments that the change initiative aims to achieve. By clearly defining these accomplishments, they can create a compelling vision that resonates with stakeholders and drives engagement.

Next, to ensure everyone understands the goals of the change initiative, change agents can use the term "work outputs" to describe the tangible results of the change. This helps in setting clear expectations and aligning stakeholders around common objectives.

And finally, when designing learning programs to support the change initiative, change practitioners should focus on accomplishments as objectives rather than behaviors or competencies. This makes the training more relevant, easier to integrate with other behavior influences, leaner in design, and easier to assess.

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Source:

Binder, C. (2017), “What it Really Means to be Accomplishment Based”, Performance Improvement, 56(4), 20-25.