The Past is Prologue
With roots firmly planted in performance research and instructional design, the Society was founded, in the USA, in 1962 as the National Society for Programmed Instruction. Later, evolving with members who were concerned fundamentally with performance and its improvement, the Society changed its name to the National Society for Performance and Instruction. As the Society's mission developed more globally and human performance technology became more widely regarded as a process of selection, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to most cost-effectively influence human behaviour and accomplishment, we became the International Society for Performance Improvement. Today, ISPI enjoys a membership of more than 10,000 international and chapter members in more than 40 countries.

A Focus on Performance and the ISPI Advantage
Workforce performance takes on new significance in our economic future. Human performance technology (HPT) -- the systematic approach to improving productivity and competence -- is the key to global competitiveness. Although training and education are critical to increasing competitiveness, meeting the educational challenge is only part of the answer. An effective human resource system needs an outstanding learning system, but it requires more; it requires a focus on performance. To improve human performance, we must manage the performance improvement system. That system must be the core of an organisation's human resource efforts if it is to maintain its competitiveness in the long run.

Our Vision
ISPI members have the proficiency and insight to customize Human Performance Technology to meet the needs and goals of their organisations and clients, so that our members are recognized as valued assets.

Our Mission
ISPI is dedicated to developing and recognizing the proficiency of our members and advocating the use of Human Performance Technology. ISPI's mission is to improve human performance in systematic and reproductive ways. Assembling an Annual Conference and other educational events, publishing several periodicals, producing quality books, and providing other services for our 10,000 individual and chapter members all work together to achieve this mission.

Today the competitiveness challenge and the human capital crisis are at the top of the business agenda. With its commitment to improving human performance, the International Society for Performance Improvement is fast becoming the professional organisation whose members have the most effective approaches for improving workplace productivity and quality.

Comprehensive interventions often result in significant changes throughout the organisation. The implementation of any performance intervention thus must pay careful consideration to changing management issues to ensure acceptance at all organisational levels. Finally, evaluation of those changes provides new data for the ongoing performance analysis process.

A Breakthrough in Human Resource Management
Human performance technology is not about machines; it is about people and how to improve and maintain their productivity and competitiveness. It is an iterative process in which each successful application results in positive changes to the competence and abilities of the workforce. As new organisational challenges are addressed, the performance technology process is the key to ensuring that the workforce is ready to meet them head on.

As Pat Blades of PwC writes:

• "The use of performance technology in my role at Pricewaterhouse Coopers has been essential. Most problems in contemporary organisations are complex, cannot be treated in isolation and require a systematic approach to analysis, solution design and implementation. I have found the tools and techniques used in this field not just useful but absolutely necessary.
• One of the great trends of the modern era is the convergence of ideas and of industries, the great benefit of performance technology is that it draws from a variety of disciplines and is itself the convergence of organisational development, training, HRD and other fields.
• I commend ISPI to anyone interested in improving their own performance and the performance of organisations that they work with or for."

Australian Chapters
The two local Australian Chapters are based in Sydney and Melbourne. These Chapters provide regular program events and networking opportunities. Six issues of Performance are published each year incorporating Australian and international content pertinent to local issues and situation.

Separate membership is required for the ‘international’ ISPI and local Chapters. A person may be a member of one or both. Due to the different offerings, membership of both is recommended.