A Rose by This or Any Other Name

Human performance technology (HPT) provides an evidence-based approach to improving the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. As a complex approach that requires many pages to define and years of experience to master, the future of HPT depends on the discipline of future practitioners as well as their willingness to approach problem-solving in a rigorous way. Given a definition that is based on a synthesis of those from other authors and a list of critical attributes, a practitioner can review any project or approach to determine whether it falls under the HPT umbrella. Continuing with HPT into the future will depend on the context within which we work and whether future practitioners have a willingness to continue with a systematic, system-based approach that relies on evidence or whether there is a strong trend toward basing decisions on superstition and ideology.