Volume 61: Issue 2

Welcome to our second issue of the Performance Improvement Journal (PIJ) under our new publisher, Allen Press! This issue marks my second editorial as Editor in Chief with gratitude to Dr. Nancy Crain Burns, our ISPI President, whose consistent leadership and guidance continue to drive our Society's evolution into an organization ready to lead for the twenty-first century. As always, we also express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our associate editors and contributing authors who offer us such interesting and engaging perspectives from the field.

My thoughts...

We are quickly approaching the end of 2022 and looking

Despite the seminal research pioneered by J. Robert “Bob” Carleton when he introduced the corporate world of mergers and acquisitions to his idea of Cultural Due Diligence in 1997, most mergers or acquisitions still fail due to the lack of willingness on the part of “dealmakers” and others involved in the process to do what is needed to ensure success. Performance improvement practitioners, including those from the disciplines of human resources (HR), organization development, and training and development need to step up, take responsibility, and provide needed guidance and direction for those executives or senior managers responsible for the integration of two or more cultures coming together in a new organization following a merger or acquisition.

Instructional designers who design self-directed learning experiences sometimes select inappropriate instructional strategies because they do not always plan well. This study was necessary to understand what processes instructional designers use to choose instructional strategies that enhance self-directed learning when creating online learning in a business environment. This study used a basic qualitative methodology in which nine instructional designers from different businesses and industries in the business field participated in semistructured interviews via Zoom. The findings reveal that conducting a needs assessment, involving subject matter experts, using metrics, and providing immediate and detailed feedback on the learning are crucial to successful self-directed online learning in a business environment. Further research could identify best practices in a business environment to align learner needs and learner performance with self-directed learning, address creating feedback for the learner, and gather data from the actual employees completing the learning.

Water utilities play a role in reducing plastic waste. However, infrastructure improvements alone are not likely to reduce bottled water consumption if the public perceives a risk in drinking tap. Therefore, researchers, regulators, and distributors must evaluate why consumers elect bottled water over a municipal source. Public water utilities are an essential service that are bound by many legislative constraints, and they face many unique challenges that bottled water distributors do not. Such constraints include water quality standards that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In contrast, bottled water companies are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A unique challenge for water utilities is that they have a powerful commercial competitor in the water market.

Municipalities must consider strategies that will bolster public relations and outreach in addition to improving taste. Several reports reveal the cost of water distribution, reasons consumers choose bottled water, the effects of plastic waste on the environment, and possible strategies to increase public use of tap water.

Many possible combinations of solutions have been evaluated. Such strategies include increased legislative oversight, infrastructure improvements, monitoring stations, district metered areas, Government Performance and Results Act compliance, public outreach campaigns and offering additional services. A holistic look at public water distribution improvements can make a significant impact on revenue and plastic waste reduction.

GUIDEPOSTS OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

A ROADMAP FOR SUCCESSFUL MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS: RESEARCH, ROLES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PRACTITIONERS

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNERS' STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE ACTIVITIES ENHANCING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: A BASIC QUALITATIVE STUDY

REVIVING THE NATION'S PUBLIC WATER UTILITIES TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

SPECIAL FEATURE: KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES—ROBERT DAMELIO AND CARL BINDER

EDITOR'S NOTES

DIGITAL COMPLIANCE AND RISK ASSESSMENT: DID THE FIELD OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT MISS THE PLOT?

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE IN THE REFRIGERATION INDUSTRY: AN HPT APPROACH

SPECIAL FEATURE: KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES

LIFE, A FULL CIRCLE? FROM WINNING THE ISPI CASE STUDY COMPETITION TO JUDGING IT! REFLECTION OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE—SHAPING THE FUTURE OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

LEVERAGING HPT TO ENHANCE HVAC TECHNICIAN RETENTION: A MULTISITE CASE STUDY

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE APPLIED IN PRICING RATE DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

BEING RESPONSIVE IN TIMES OF CHANGE

VALUING TIME TO REFLECT

SPECIAL FEATURE: KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES: JACK PHILLIPS AND PATTI PHILLIPS

EDITOR'S NOTES