Performance Support in 2015

The Big Question for May is Learning Technology 2015 – it asks what we expect workplace learning technologies to look like in 2015.  I definitely want to include Performance Support as part of the discussion. 

In a post on my CTO Blog, I talked about Match Performance Support,the performance support that goes along with many matching solutions such as in eHarmony. A lot of people miss that we are being tasked to do so many different kinds of things and are doing them infrequently so we basically are not very good at it.  Examples in matching were:

• People to Projects
• People to Jobs
• Students to Tutors

In each of these, it has the classic characteristics that point to Performance Support:

• Infrequent 
• Complex
• Important to get right

I would claim that as knowledge work becomes more complex and we move towards being concept workers, we are being asked to act like experts even though we aren’t experts.  See Does Deliberative Practice Lead to Quick Proficiency?

I think we are reaching a time when we are going to see an explosion of Performance Support.  You will get help when you:

• Try to find the right project, start the project, perform the project, complete the project
• Hire someone
• Sell a house
• Improve customer satisfaction (data driven).

This is going to first take the form of hundreds of thousands of different little applications that each provide performance support for particular tasks.  We are already seeing this in terms of lots of startups aimed at particular elements of knowledge work.  But these will be getting better.

I also think there’s a really interesting opportunity to create an online Performance Support builder that could make it easy to build out simple performance support tools.  Crowd source creation of the tools.  There’s a nice business there.

Anyone want to fund that business?

Let’s check back in five years and see how I did?

Please add your predictions to the big question.

Other posts (via eLearning Learning) on Performance Support:

1. Performance Support- eLearning Technology, August 26, 2008
2. About Declarative and Procedural Knowledge and the Expert-Novice Divide- ID Reflections, October 17, 2009
3. Are Web 2.0 tools designed to support learning?- IDiot, January 27, 2009
4. Harvesting Learning’s Fruit: A Downstream Training Investment- Living in Learning, September 4, 2009
5. Conceptualizing the Performance Ecosystem- Learnlets, April 9, 2009
6. 10 Strategies for Integrating Learning and Work (part 1), June 15, 2009
7. Whatever Happened to Performance Support? — Informal Learning Blog, December 29, 2008
8. A Better Learning to Performance Model and Job Aid, August 22, 2008
9. Not by performance support alone, August 2, 2009
10. Organizing for Performance Effectiveness, June 1, 2009
11. Performance Support Lab - PS Links, July 11, 2009
12. The Future of the Training Department, October 21, 2009
13. Integrating Learning and Work, June 16, 2009
14. It’s the performance, or, what every manager should know about Bob Mager, March 8, 2010
15. Performer Support and the Moment of Change, September 18, 2009
16. 7 Informal Learning Services for the Training Function, April 2, 2009
17. The Science Behind Learning: Cognitive Tips and How Tos for Corporate Training, February 28, 2010
18. On-job support is critical, December 19, 2008
19. Upgrading - A PERFECT time for Performance Support, February 16, 2010
20. Life Support Can Be Expensive- aLearning, March 27, 2010
21. Work Context: The New Classroom- Living in Learning, March 22, 2010
22. 21st Century Learning Strategies- Spark Your Interest, April 15, 2010
23. PDR Design Model Supports Shift to Learning Design in the Work Context- Living in Learning, August 23, 2009
24. When it's just so obvious NOT to train it's painful to watch it happen- Performance Learning Productivity, June 12, 2009
25. New skills for learning professionals- Informal Learning, July 1, 2009
26. Beyond the course- Learnlets, December 1, 2008
27. Transfer of Learning - Theories and Implications- Designed for Learning, October 31, 2009
28. Checklist of Social Learning Strategies- Engaged Learning, January 12, 2010
29. Deeper Instructional Design- In the Middle of the Curve, November 13, 2008
30. Scope of Learning Responsibility- The Learning Circuits Blog, March 3, 2008
31. Pointing to the Five Moments of Learning Need- Integrated Learnings, July 25, 2009
32. Content Organization Cheat Sheet- The eLearning Coach, November 30, 2009
33. How not to train- Good Practice, July 28, 2009