Process Overview
This project focuses on organizational communication intervention, a type of non-instructional intervention that helps improve performance by aligning how information is shared across an organization. A non-instructional intervention is an activity designed to change performance by targeting systems, people, or processes rather than simply providing instruction or instructional intervention alone. In this case, communication intervention focuses on improving how information flows. Communication is a process through which people acting together create, sustain, and manage shared meaning. Organizational communication aligns messages, reduces misunderstandings, and ensures everyone is working toward the same goals.
Effective communication is critical because it ensures coordination, reduces misunderstanding, and aligns actions with organizational goals. Poor communication can create errors, reduce engagement, and slow performance. Within the Human Performance Technology Model, organizational communication is one type of intervention alongside learning, performance support, and human resource development.
This project included several communication interventions. Communication networks describe how messages flow in an organization, including formal chains of command and informal peer-to-peer channels. Information systems provide structured ways to deliver consistent information such as dashboards or newsletters, helping standardize messages across teams. Suggestion systems allow employees to submit ideas, recommendations, or feedback to leadership. Grievance systems provide formal ways for employees to communicate concerns safely. Dispute resolution systems help resolve conflicts through structured communication rather than escalation. Cross-functional alignment ensures different departments are on the same page. Feedback loops help check understanding and adjust communication as needed. Communication barriers such as noise, jargon, unclear channels, and competing messages can distort information and reduce understanding. These barriers impact coordination and alignment across an organization.
Justification for Inclusion
This artifact is placed under Management because it directly demonstrates the ability to plan and manage activities and projects through structured communication systems. Management in instructional design is not only about creating learning solutions, but about coordinating systems, people, and processes so that work can be implemented effectively. Organizational communication intervention is a focus on how information is structured, delivered, monitored, and improved across teams. It shows how communication networks, information systems, feedback loops, and formal processes such as suggestion, grievance, and dispute resolution systems support project coordination, alignment, and performance. This makes the intervention a clear example of managing how work is organized and how people interact within a system to achieve shared goals.
Including this artifact in my portfolio is important because it demonstrates my ability to think beyond instruction and design at a systems level. It shows that I understand how performance is influenced by communication structures and how improving those structures supports organizational effectiveness. This connects directly to my growth because it reflects my ability to manage design challenges, collaborate with teams, and support stakeholders through structured communication processes. It also supports my broader professional goal of working in learning experience design, where managing communication, alignment, and stakeholder understanding is essential to successful project outcomes. This artifact highlights my ability to design interventions that improve coordination, reduce misunderstandings, and strengthen overall performance through intentional communication system design.
Value and Self Assessment
This artifact was also informed by Van Tiem et al. (2012) in Fundamentals of Performance Improvement, which deepened my understanding of Human Performance Technology and non-instructional interventions. The text particularly resonated with me in how it framed performance improvement beyond instruction, emphasizing systems, processes, and organizational design. I was especially interested in the concept of non-instructional interventions as practical tools that can be applied within complex systems to improve performance. Rather than focusing only on communication barriers, this work helped me see communication as part of a broader system of support structures that can be intentionally designed and improved. I found this perspective engaging because it shifted my thinking toward more systemic, scalable solutions that go beyond training and can be embedded directly into organizational workflows.
As a teacher, this artifact shifted how I think about supporting learning and performance beyond the classroom. It reinforced that many challenges I see in practice are not always solved through additional instruction, but through clearer systems, better communication structures, and more accessible supports. The focus on non-instructional interventions helped me recognize the importance of designing environments where expectations, resources, and information are clearly aligned so students and colleagues can function more effectively.
This perspective also connects directly to my teaching practice, where communication, routines, and systems often determine how smoothly learning occurs. It helped me see value in designing supports such as structured processes, clear communication channels, and embedded tools that reduce confusion and increase independence. Overall, this experience strengthened my ability to think as both an educator and a systems designer, considering how classroom and organizational structures impact learning, behavior, and performance.
