Human Performance Technology: Further Reflections on Human Competence

ABSTRACT

In the 1990s Thomas and Marilyn Gilbert were finishing revision to Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance (1978) based on 20 years of experience implementing performance improvement in many organizations. The evidence gathered from these applications strengthened and deepened their confidence in the utility of their approach to organizational performance. Technologies in communications, data processing, automation, and more were emerging that offered ways to greatly expand the reach of behavior science in organizations and education. They saw opportunity and expansion. Tom passed away in 1995 before the book was published. The nearly finished book, to be titled “Handbook of Human Performance Technology” sat, untouched, in Marilyn’s home for over 20 years. Marilyn graciously shares their material in the following pages of this special issue of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (JOBM). Readers will find many interesting and provocative updates and revisions to the 1978 book. These extend the original text, elaborate the analysis, and hint at the future directions that they saw ahead. The Gilberts worked together for decades although Marilyn’s contributions have been generally unrecognized in the behavior analysis community. This special issue helps remedy that oversight. Perhaps the greatest recognition is ahead as the next generation of behavior scientists builds upon their pioneering work and applies their groundbreaking ideas with other emerging developments to solve today’s challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• behavior engineering model
• human competence
• performance improvement
• technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Editors’ note: Marilyn Gilbert is listed as the sole author of this publication. Tom and Marilyn Gilbert co-wrote the presented content, although Tom is often identified throughout as the lead. We left all occurrences of “I” as originally written.

2. Editors’ note: The term “chapter” has been replaced in this publication with “section” to reflect the change in publication format. As discussed in the Editorial of this special issue titled “Human Competence Revisited: 40 Years of Impact,” the content was originally to be published in a book, alongside chapters written by other authors.

3. Editors’ note: Published posthumously as a special issue in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management titled “Human Competence Revisited: 40 Years of Impact,” as opposed to a second book. Subsequent references to the “book” are changed to “paper.”