Group Performance Systems, Inc.
[nifty GPS logo here!]

... because the "soft stuff" is the hard stuff

Welcome to the Group Performance Systems (GPS) place in cyberspace!

We'd like to be your source for information about human-to-human communication and the technologies used to support it. At this site, you'll find valuable information on

Did an unfamiliar term catch your eye? Visit our glossary.

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To contact us directly:
email info@gpsi.com
phone 770-395-0282
fax 770-395-0282
Group Performance Systems, Inc.
4776 Village North Court
Atlanta, GA 30338 USA
All pages at this site, copyright 1995, 1996, GPS Inc.
"... because the "soft stuff" is the hard stuff", copyright 1994, 1995, 1996 GPS Inc.
YouWin! and SuperlaTeam are registered trademarks of GPS Inc.
Group Performance Systems / webmaster@gpsi.com

Glossary

adaptive systems technology

software technology which allows the system to adapt to the user... rather than the other way around. Simple example: System allows user to select the language to be used. More complex example: System determines the skill level of the user and provides more or less information about how to perform a task depending on the skill level.

communication technologies

technologies which support communication across distance... and across time.

computer based training systems (CBT)

systems which provide training to a person through the computer. These systems may be fairly simple (text based, with multiple choice questions to determine whether the subect has been mastered) or complex (video and audio combined with text).

computer mediated communication (CMC)

the process by which people create, exchange, and perceive information using networked telecommunications systems that facilitate encoding, transmitting, and decoding messages. See also Study of CMC's definition

computer supported cooperative work (CSCW)

work done by groups where computer support is an integral part of the work environment. CSCW is a research term which includes software and hardware characterized as groupware.

corporate memory

information about the decisions and actions of a group of people (e.g., a corporation). Includes not only the decisions made, but the rationale behind those decisions. Usually resides in the heads of people (or in their file drawers).

groupware

commercial products, developed and sold to help groups work more productively.

intelligent tutoring systems (ITS)

the next step beyond Computer Based Training (CBT). These systems do not present all users with the same training; they are "intelligent" about what training is given.

interpersonal communication

used to distinquish communication which is broadcast (e.g., management report on the state of the company) from communication which is one-to-one (e.g., requesting a raise, giving another employee feedback, asking for advice).

learning organizations

term originated with Peter Senge. Quite briefly, they are organizations which have mastered five disciplines -- personal mastery, shared vision, team learning, mental models, and systems thinking, and use them to create the future they want. See the book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization by Senge.

performance support systems (PSS)

in contrast to training systems, performance support systems provide information about the task to be done at the time the task needs to be done. Performance support systems vary from 'cheat sheet' cards which help a person remember the necessary codes to operate a piece of equpment to sophisticated online systems which lead a novice through a task as elegantly as a seasoned hand.

teamwork

the process of a group of people pooling their skills and working together to reach a common goal.

To quote from The Digital Workplace by Charles Grantham, page 98:

Teams are _not_ just groups of people; teams are people working to be collaborative. That means you spend as much time working on relationships as you do trying to "get the job done."

web based training (WBT)

in WBT, the training content is delivered to a PC using Internet (or intranet) and World Wide Web (WWW) technology. Today most examples of WBT involves information distribution; in only a few situations is the technology being used to deliver skills training.