Survival of a field of study (e.g., human performance technology, HPT; performance improvement, PI), depends on the field’s ability to sustain its long-term relevance. The concept of relevance relates to how information produced from a field of study can address and help resolve real-world problems. Bastow et al. (2014) explained this in the following:

Relevance could be operationalized (measured) through matrixes that measure what Bastow et al. (2014) call “visibility.” The impact that a research study has in its designated field of study (internal of one’s discipline) in general, and to the larger scientific community (external of one’s discipline) specifically, is a combination of a study’s relevance and visibility (Bastow et al., 2014).

The more a field of study becomes disconnected from practice, the less relevant it becomes. In viewing a field of study as consisting of members engaged in practice and research (e.g., scholars, practitioners, professional organizations,...

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