Interventions to Improve Workplace Performance

An intervention in an organization is an all-encompassing term. It can refer to many things such as a change, program or event to improve overall performance in people and the organization as a whole. It is important to remember that an intervention is not worth doing unless you have the evidence calling for one and a solid rationale for doing so. This is where needs assessments are a valuable tool in improving performance in the workplace.

Needs assessments identify the root cause(s) to performance problems. If a needs assessment calls for an intervention to remove the barrier(s) to performance, you must choose carefully which intervention you plan to adopt to bring about the desired change or performance you wish to see in your organization.

Keep in mind there are several kinds of interventions, and no single intervention will serve as a “magic bullet” to solve your organization’s performance problems. You may have to apply a combination of interventions or introduce them in phases to bring about the desired change.

Interventions are typically grouped into the following categories:

• Information-focused – Interventions that define, inform and document. This could be as simple as holding an informational meeting, presentation or creating channels of communication to keep people informed.
• Consequences-focused – Interventions that reward, measure and enforce. Examples include awards and recognition for model performance or scorecards to track / quantify performance.
• Design-focused – Interventions that organize, standardize, design or redesign. This type of intervention can be a reengineering of a process, adopting industry standards or merging job functions, roles or responsibilities.
• Capacity and capabilities-focused – Interventions that reframe, counsel or develop. This is usually where training is called for or when new tools and facilities are introduced to improve performance.
• Congruence-focused – Interventions that align. Demonstrated through team building or soliciting customer feedback (internally or externally).

When choosing an intervention, first make sure you have conducted a thorough needs assessment to determine the barrier(s) to performance. Once identified, you can then choose the appropriate intervention(s) to improve workplace performance.

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