Welcome to the territory of the performance improvement professional. We inhabit a place of great mystery to many, and yet with careful explanation, examples, illustrations, and stories, much of what we find on the Performance Technology Landscape is familiar to others in our organizations who may be technicians, supervisors, executives, or front-line workers. Here on the Landscape we de-code performance issues and structure solutions to improve the results workers achieve in their jobs.

As the designated architects of improved performance in our organizations, we rely on a body of experience, proven approaches, and documented successes to help our clients provide an environment in which workers can meet and exceed expected performance results. The Performance Technology Landscape is our guide to designing and building Performance Architecture. Performance Architecture comprises evidence-based designs, plans, models, and tools that guide the integration of the Worker, Work, and Workplace to improve performance in organizations.

Let’s begin by exploring the features of the Landscape. To help explain what we find, we’ll use our combined eighty-five years of performance improvement experience coupled with the valuable work of such notables as Dale Brethower, Judith Hale, Paul Harmon, Lloyd Homme, Tom Gilbert, Robert Mager, Margo Murray, Geary Rummler, Harold Stolovitch, Don Tosti, and others. These practitioners are among those responsible for building the foundation of performance technology; they have contributed through their work, and documented it in publications (Addison & Haig, 2006, p. 36).