Performer-Level Systems Analysis

Abstract

A review of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management(1992-2001) was conducted to determine how “systemic” the applied behavioral interventions were. Criteria for the term “systemic” in an organizational behavior context were derived from Rummler and Brache's (1995) Human Performance System (HPS). Six dependent measures derived from Rummler and Brache's HPS were used to evaluate the systemic nature of the interventions. The dependent variables were classified into one of three mutually exclusive categories: whether the variable was modified, discussed but not modified, or absent. The classification of variables was used to determine the degree to which an intervention was “systemic.” Results indicated that considerations of systemic factors were often modified and rarely merely discussed. A majority of the studies examined dealt with 2, 3, or 4 of the 6 systemic variables evaluated.

Key Words:

• General system theory
• systems analysis
• systemic
• human performance system
• behavior engineering model