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IMPACT! CHOLearning 2026
The Community of Human and Organizational Learning’s 32nd Annual Learning Conference!

From June 22nd to 26th, our gathering at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, promises four immersive days packed with insights, innovation, and collaboration. Start the week with an array of workshops on Monday, kickstarting an enriching week, and explore the Co-Located workshops on Friday for a deeper dive into specialized topics.

Be sure to mark the workshops you plan to attend. We use this to help the presenters prepare and ensure we have the proper accommodations for everyone.



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Monday, June 22
 

6:00am MDT

Conference Check-In Registration 6:00am - 6:00pm
Monday June 22, 2026 6:00am - 6:30am MDT
South Convention Lobby

Conference Support Team
avatar for Jada Major

Jada Major

CHOLearning Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning
avatar for John Walters

John Walters

OpEx and Human Performance, Sr. Consultant, Vistra
Conference Planning Manager
avatar for Katrina Major

Katrina Major

CHOL Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning
avatar for Mary Webb

Mary Webb

Secretary | Treasurer, CHOLearning
Mary is retired after 36 years of service with DTE Energy and currently serving as the Secretary / Treasurer for the Community of Human and Organizational Learning.

Led DTE Energy corporate initiative to implement Human Performance Improvement initiatives across the Company.

Certif... Read More →
avatar for Sahara Major

Sahara Major

CHOLearning Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning
avatar for Ute Ingersoll

Ute Ingersoll

Registration Support, MiComputers
Monday June 22, 2026 6:00am - 6:30am MDT
South Convention Lobby IM PEI Tower Court Second Floor Level
  Registration, Conference Day 1

7:00am MDT

Breakfast
Monday June 22, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am MDT
Grand Ballroom
Requires pre-conference workshop registration and attendance.  Breakfast counts are submitted based on workshop registrations.

 
Monday June 22, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am MDT
Grand Ballroom
  Conference Meals, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

ABCs of CHOLearning
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Century
Limited Capacity seats available
CHOL-101

Stepping into a conference for the first time can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. This high-impact session is designed specifically for first-time attendees who want to move beyond simply “showing up” to truly leveraging every opportunity the conference offers.
 
You’ll learn how to navigate the event with intention, from building a personalized agenda to identifying the sessions, people, and experiences that align with your goals. We’ll break down practical strategies for networking with confidence, engaging meaningfully in sessions, and turning chance encounters into lasting professional connections.
 
By attending, you’ll gain insider insights that transform uncertainty into clarity—so instead of missing out, you’ll walk away energized, connected, and equipped to amplify your entire conference experience. Whether your goal is learning, visibility, or career growth, this session ensures you don’t just attend—you thrive.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Kenneth (Ken) Madson

Kenneth (Ken) Madson

Human Performance Improvement Specialist, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Ken has served on the Human performance team at Los Alamos for 28 monthsKen served 21 years in the US Army Aviation branch, performing maintenance, aviation management, establishing and improving safety programs, concept and design of weapons and equipment, as well as managing DOD... Read More →
Conference Support Team
avatar for LaRhonda Julien

LaRhonda Julien

Inspection Performance Specialist, Georgia Transmission Corporation
 
LaRhonda Julien is the Inspection Performance Specialist for the Construction Inspection department at Georgia Transmission Corporation – a not-for-profit utility company that connects power plants to local electric member cooperatives by planning, designing, building, and maintaining... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Century IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

How to Lead Event Reviews for Error-Based Incidents
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Spruce
Limited Capacity seats available
An incident happened.
Miscommunication, misunderstanding, or other complex errors were involved.

How do you learn from it to prevent similar events in the future?

~ Simple techniques like the "Five Whys" often fix the blame, but don't fix the problem.
~ Root Cause Analyses (RCAs) are often too complex and expensive.
~ Learning Teams are popular, but have some unique drawbacks, too.

Join us in this half-day workshop to get a practical alternative:

Event Reviews.

Watch this quick 2-minute intro video.
https://vimeo.com/867774531?share=copy


Download a 4-page article on Event Reviews. It was published by the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management in London to over 8,000 companies in 90 nations.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8crz7p77qg1y8aao7oc9l/Final-Event-Review-article-by-Jake-Mazulewicz-in-IIRSM-Sentinel-April-2025.pdf?rlkey=d0hlcnaxa24c2ip0saiujof32&e=1&dl=0


Watch this fun, 15-second video to see 250+ people react to my Event Review presentation.  
https://vimeo.com/1029754069?share=copy
Conference Presenters
avatar for Jake Mazulewicz

Jake Mazulewicz

Director, JMA Human Reliability Strategies, LLC
I show technical experts practical ways to prevent dangerous and expensive errors. The skills I teach draw from Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), High-Reliability Organizations (HRO), from my 10 years experience in electric utilities, and from my hands-on service as a firefighter... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Spruce IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1
  • global Y

8:00am MDT

Humans at Work: Tools, Practices, and System Design for Real Performance
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Silver
Limited Capacity seats available
Note:  There is an afternoon offering of the same session.

A highly interactive workshop where participants practice Humans at Work tools to redesign systems, improve planning, and learn from everyday work—moving beyond concepts to real-world application


This four-hour workshop is designed as a hands-on, project-based learning experience where participants practice Humans at Work (HAW) methods, apply tools, and leave with tangible skills they can use immediately.


Participants will explore ten key philosophical and practical shifts that distinguish the Humans at Work approach from traditional performance improvement processes, and will actively connect organizational practices—planning, learning, controls, and leadership behaviors—to the principles that drive them. Through guided exercises, small-group projects, and real-world scenarios, participants will redesign tasks, surface system constraints, map gray zones, and practice everyday learning and error management methods.


The workshop emphasizes learning how to do, not just learning what to remember. Participants will work with tools for improving planning prior to task execution, learning from everyday work, identifying performance-influencing factors and latent organizational conditions, and applying the Control Paradox to organizational design.


Exercises will focus on discovering structural blind spots, redesigning defenses, and shifting from person-focused fixes to system-focused improvements.


Conference Presenters
avatar for Joe Estey

Joe Estey

Sr Perf Improvement Specialist, Lucas Engineering
Joe Estey has over 40 years’ experience training and consulting first line workers, foremen, supervisors, department managers and executives in Human Performance Improvement and effective leadership and management principles and practices. He works routinely with forest management... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Silver IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

Part I Beyond Investigations: Practical Approaches for Learning More Effectively from Events
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Gold
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 1 of 2

Most organisations are very good at investigating events. Far fewer are genuinely good at learning from them.


Too often, events trigger a familiar cycle: find the failure, identify the error, write the report, assign the actions, close it out. The language may sound modern, the process may look polished, but the outcome is often the same — shallow insight, predictable fixes, and missed opportunities to understand how work was really happening.


This 4-hour workshop is designed for people who already know the language of human performance and want to sharpen the practice. It focuses on one of the most persistent challenges in our field: how to learn from events in ways that move beyond hindsight, bias, blame, and investigation theatre.


Together, we will explore what gets in the way of meaningful learning after failure, disruption, and surprise, and what it takes to generate richer understanding in the real world of organisational pressure, competing agendas, and the need to “get to the answer.” The session will introduce practical tools and approaches for gathering better contextual data, exploring work as done, understanding local rationality, and producing outputs that are useful, credible, and capable of driving better decisions.


This is not a workshop about making investigations slightly better. It is about rethinking what we are trying to achieve after an event, and building the skills to do it in a way that people actually learn from.


If you have ever looked at an investigation and thought, “We still do not understand what really mattered here,” this workshop is for you.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Georgina Poole

Georgina Poole

Co-Founder & Director, Event Learning Australia
Georgina Poole is a globally sought-after health and safety leader, keynote speaker, and doctoral researcher in Safety Science with 17+ years’ experience helping organisations improve safety and performance by changing what sits behind outcomes: decisions, trade-offs, and the systems... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Gold IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

Part I How to be a Better HOP Champion
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Denver
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 1 of 2

Abstract/Description - This course provides up and coming, and experienced HOP Practitioners with a deep understanding of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles. Participants will explore the latest science-based approaches to managing human error, systemic drivers of safety outcomes, and effective leadership strategies for improving organizational performance. Designed for practical application, the workshop equips attendees with tools to reduce errors, enhance engagement, and drive operational excellence.

Learning Objectives 
  • Understand and apply HOP principles to improve safety outcomes.
  • Differentiate between errors, violations, and events while recognizing systemic drivers.
  • Use the "3-Ts" framework—Traps, Triggers, and Tools—to prevent and mitigate errors.
  • Employ performance modes and mental models to analyze and influence workplace behavior.
  • Enhance incident analysis by leveraging new perspectives and methodologies.
  • Build psychological safety and a culture of trust and continuous learning and continuous improvement.

Methodology
  • Each participant will receive a comprehensive workbook to take notes in and a Pocket Guide as an ongoing reference to the education they receive
  • An interactive introduction of the attendees
  • Introduce FIT and a history and background of HOP deployments and integrations
  • Educate the attendees on the practical application of the principles of HOP
  • Storytelling and facilitated discussions on the differences between error, violation, deviation, active errors, and latent errors
  • Deep dive into the mental models we as humans use to perform work which illustrates the performance hazards safety professionals can use to help people improve
  • Interactive exercises around the mental models and error traps to help relate the concepts to the individual participants
  • A final exercise called "3-2-1" 3 takeaways, 2 things to change immediately, 1 thing to talk to their immediate manager/supervisor about what they learned
  • Call to action
  • Access to further learning and support resources
Conference Presenters
avatar for Stew Dunivan

Stew Dunivan

Senior Consultant, Fisher Improvement Technologies
Stew is a longtime FIT Human Performance Consultant with a strong background in Nuclear Power.  He served 6 years in the Navy before working at the South Texas Nuclear Project for 5 years.  During his time at South Texas he served as a Plant Operator.  Stew was later promoted to... Read More →
avatar for Ray Fisher

Ray Fisher

Director of Operations, Fisher Improvement Technologies
Ray is the Director of Operations for Fisher Improvement Technologies (FIT). Ray travels North America and other global locations to facilitate, coach, train, and interact directly with clients. Ray’s role as the Director of Operations is to oversee the development and reach of... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Denver IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

Part I Lean Won’t Survive Without HOP: Making Process Improvement Stick in Real Work
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Tower Court A
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 1 of 2

Many Lean process improvements deliver short-term gains but struggle to sustain in dynamic, high-variability environments like utility operations. This session explains why improvement efforts often drift back to old habits. Why integrating HOP/HPI principles makes process improvement durable, people centric, and resilient under real life conditions. We’ll share how combining Lean methods with Human and Organizational Performance shifts improvement from “tools and events” to learning built into daily work, where crews and leaders solve problems together. Attendees will leave with insights on improvement, people, and systems so results are sustainable when attention or focus is gone.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Kurt Kidwell

Kurt Kidwell

Continuous Improvement Manager, AEP SWEPCO

With nearly three decades of experience across industrial operations, electric generation, and utility distribution, I lead Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), Lean, and continuous improvement strategies that deliver measurable results.

As a Lean Black Belt and HPI practitioner, I work across all levels of the organization by coaching leaders and frontline teams, guiding strategic planning, and translating real-world work into smarter, safer, and more efficient processes. My focus is on optimizing how work is actually... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Tower Court A IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

Part I University of Idaho Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) 8-hour course
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Windows
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 1 of 2

This course is intended to introduce or act as a refresher to HOP philosophy. It will cover a brief history of how HOP came about. More importantly it will introduce and reinforce the basic principles of HOP and how they can be applied with an intended outcome of improving individual and organizational performance. There is emphasis on Accountability and Culpability using the new Just Culture Decision Tree. There will also be the application of the new HPI Resiliency Scale. In addition, attendees will walk away with the knowledge of “Proactively Preventing Unwanted Outcomes triggered by Human Error".
 
Conference Presenters
avatar for Shane Bush

Shane Bush

Owner, BushCo, Inc
Shane Bush is a co-founder of BushCo, Inc. whose primary mission is to “assist companies in eliminating unwanted outcomes related to human error” through the implementation of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), also known as Human Performance Improvement (HPI). Clients... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Windows IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

8:00am MDT

Why Good Intentions Don’t Always Deliver Performance and What Makes Improvements Stick
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Tower Court B
Limited Capacity seats available
Note:  There is an afternoon offering of the same session.

You didn’t implement it wrong. Your organisation interpreted it differently.
Most of us are trying to improve performance, influence better decisions, and sustain results.
The question is not whether safety matters, but why the same effort creates transformation in one organisation and resistance in another.
Change doesn’t land as intended, it collides with the stories people already believe from experience.
In this workshop, Andy Barker shares three case studies from Africa, the UK, and the Middle East.
Same intent. Same tools. Vastly different outcomes.
One drove accountability and delivered results but created resistance that eroded the gains. One made safety visible and valued but depended on constant reinforcement to survive. One shifted something deeper, and performance grew because people chose to carry it forward.
The difference wasn’t the tools or the intent.
It was the social code underneath the effort. The hidden narrative that shapes what people trust, what they believe is worth contributing to, and whether improvements feel like something done to them or with them.
What you’ll gain
· a clear way to recognise the hidden narrative shaping behaviour
· a practical lens to see where performance is already working, and how to build on it
· one simple shift you can apply immediately to improve engagement and results
The promise
This workshop shows you why the same effort lands differently in different organisations, and how to create the conditions where improvements take hold, spread, and last.
Sustained performance doesn’t come from more control; it grows where people choose to contribute.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Andy Barker

Andy Barker

Founding Director, OrgTreeMe LTD
Award winning consultant with truly global transformational experience
Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Tower Court B IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

12:00pm MDT

Lunch
Monday June 22, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm MDT
Grand Ballroom

Monday June 22, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm MDT
Grand Ballroom
  Conference Meals, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Causal Analysis Facilitation - Not Just the What, but the How
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Century
Limited Capacity seats available
There are plenty of workshops on Root Cause Analysis that will teach you how to conduct accident investigations, walk you through a five-why, poke holes into the Swiss cheese of a barrier analysis, and even draw the fancy annotated circles and rectangles of an event and causal factor chart - That's not what this workshop is about.


Causal analysis succeeds not only when we reach a root cause statement with action plans, but also when we win management hearts and minds in recognizing the return on investment for the time spent performing the analysis. One of the most common complaints is that causal analysis is expensive - tying up expert resources for long periods with benefits that are more business necessary than value-added.


This course is about providing customizable facilitation skills that empower the practitioner to project-manage the causal analysis process, providing tools that create organizational efficiency, improve team performance outcomes, and foster transparent communication with management around realistic schedule forecasting for report completion.


In this course we will address the topics of:
  1. Expertise and Skillsets - How to stack your team with the right members 
  2. Pre-job briefing and Schedule Tools - How to set expectations for success with your team 
  3. Focus Controls - What methods to deploy to control your schedule effectively 
  4. Communication Plan - How to transparently communicate with Management
  5. Pack your Go-bag - What stationary and supplies ensure efficiency
  6. Fill your Tool Kit - What exercises and templates encompass your performance tool kit
  7. Keep'em Engaged - What extra ingredients can keep your team present, engaged, and maybe even have some fun.            
Conference Presenters
avatar for Christina Soto Millsaps

Christina Soto Millsaps

Sr. Contractor Assurance Specialist, Bechtel
With 21 years of progressive experience in Process Analysis and Development, Chris Soto Millsaps has sought opportunities to fill her toolkit with skillsets in Causal Analysis, Six Sigma, Lean Process Improvement, Human And Organizational Learning, Event Investigation, Safety-Quality... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Century IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1
  • global Y

1:00pm MDT

Humans at Work: Tools, Practices, and System Design for Real Performance
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Silver
Limited Capacity seats available
Note:  There is a morning offering of the same session.

A highly interactive workshop where participants practice Humans at Work tools to redesign systems, improve planning, and learn from everyday work—moving beyond concepts to real-world application


This four-hour workshop is designed as a hands-on, project-based learning experience where participants practice Humans at Work (HAW) methods, apply tools, and leave with tangible skills they can use immediately.


Participants will explore ten key philosophical and practical shifts that distinguish the Humans at Work approach from traditional performance improvement processes, and will actively connect organizational practices—planning, learning, controls, and leadership behaviors—to the principles that drive them. Through guided exercises, small-group projects, and real-world scenarios, participants will redesign tasks, surface system constraints, map gray zones, and practice everyday learning and error management methods.


The workshop emphasizes learning how to do, not just learning what to remember. Participants will work with tools for improving planning prior to task execution, learning from everyday work, identifying performance-influencing factors and latent organizational conditions, and applying the Control Paradox to organizational design.


Exercises will focus on discovering structural blind spots, redesigning defenses, and shifting from person-focused fixes to system-focused improvements.


Conference Presenters
avatar for Joe Estey

Joe Estey

Sr Perf Improvement Specialist, Lucas Engineering
Joe Estey has over 40 years’ experience training and consulting first line workers, foremen, supervisors, department managers and executives in Human Performance Improvement and effective leadership and management principles and practices. He works routinely with forest management... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Silver IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Part II Beyond Investigations: Practical Approaches for Learning More Effectively from Events
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Gold
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 2

Most organisations are very good at investigating events. Far fewer are genuinely good at learning from them.


Too often, events trigger a familiar cycle: find the failure, identify the error, write the report, assign the actions, close it out. The language may sound modern, the process may look polished, but the outcome is often the same — shallow insight, predictable fixes, and missed opportunities to understand how work was really happening.


This 4-hour workshop is designed for people who already know the language of human performance and want to sharpen the practice. It focuses on one of the most persistent challenges in our field: how to learn from events in ways that move beyond hindsight, bias, blame, and investigation theatre.


Together, we will explore what gets in the way of meaningful learning after failure, disruption, and surprise, and what it takes to generate richer understanding in the real world of organisational pressure, competing agendas, and the need to “get to the answer.” The session will introduce practical tools and approaches for gathering better contextual data, exploring work as done, understanding local rationality, and producing outputs that are useful, credible, and capable of driving better decisions.


This is not a workshop about making investigations slightly better. It is about rethinking what we are trying to achieve after an event, and building the skills to do it in a way that people actually learn from.


If you have ever looked at an investigation and thought, “We still do not understand what really mattered here,” this workshop is for you.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Georgina Poole

Georgina Poole

Co-Founder & Director, Event Learning Australia
Georgina Poole is a globally sought-after health and safety leader, keynote speaker, and doctoral researcher in Safety Science with 17+ years’ experience helping organisations improve safety and performance by changing what sits behind outcomes: decisions, trade-offs, and the systems... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Gold IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Part II How to be a Better HOP Champion
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Denver
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 2

Abstract/Description - This course provides up and coming, and experienced HOP Practitioners with a deep understanding of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles. Participants will explore the latest science-based approaches to managing human error, systemic drivers of safety outcomes, and effective leadership strategies for improving organizational performance. Designed for practical application, the workshop equips attendees with tools to reduce errors, enhance engagement, and drive operational excellence.
 
Learning Objectives 
  • Understand and apply HOP principles to improve safety outcomes.
  • Differentiate between errors, violations, and events while recognizing systemic drivers.
  • Use the "3-Ts" framework—Traps, Triggers, and Tools—to prevent and mitigate errors.
  • Employ performance modes and mental models to analyze and influence workplace behavior.
  • Enhance incident analysis by leveraging new perspectives and methodologies.
  • Build psychological safety and a culture of trust and continuous learning and continuous improvement.
 
Methodology
  • Each participant will receive a comprehensive workbook to take notes in and a Pocket Guide as an ongoing reference to the education they receive
  • An interactive introduction of the attendees
  • Introduce FIT and a history and background of HOP deployments and integrations
  • Educate the attendees on the practical application of the principles of HOP
  • Storytelling and facilitated discussions on the differences between error, violation, deviation, active errors, and latent errors
  • Deep dive into the mental models we as humans use to perform work which illustrates the performance hazards safety professionals can use to help people improve
  • Interactive exercises around the mental models and error traps to help relate the concepts to the individual participants
  • A final exercise called "3-2-1" 3 takeaways, 2 things to change immediately, 1 thing to talk to their immediate manager/supervisor about what they learned
  • Call to action
  • Access to further learning and support resources
Conference Presenters
avatar for Stew Dunivan

Stew Dunivan

Senior Consultant, Fisher Improvement Technologies
Stew is a longtime FIT Human Performance Consultant with a strong background in Nuclear Power.  He served 6 years in the Navy before working at the South Texas Nuclear Project for 5 years.  During his time at South Texas he served as a Plant Operator.  Stew was later promoted to... Read More →
avatar for Ray Fisher

Ray Fisher

Director of Operations, Fisher Improvement Technologies
Ray is the Director of Operations for Fisher Improvement Technologies (FIT). Ray travels North America and other global locations to facilitate, coach, train, and interact directly with clients. Ray’s role as the Director of Operations is to oversee the development and reach of... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Denver IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Part II Lean Won’t Survive Without HOP: Making Process Improvement Stick in Real Work
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Tower Court A
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 2

Most of us think we have a pretty good idea of where our teams are on the HOP journey. Then we step into the field and see how work gets done, and we realize our assumptions don’t always match reality. When that gap exists, training can turn into information being delivered instead of learning that helps people doing the work.

This session shares an approach that focuses on observing normal work and listening to the people doing it every day. By spending time with crews and lone workers, leaders begin to see the real decisions, pressures, risks, and local normalized behaviors that shape performance. These observations then become the starting point for conversations that help everyone better understand how HOP tools can support the work instead of feeling like something extra.

Facilitators are given guidance to help keep discussions focused on curiosity and learning, especially when conversations drift toward blame or frustration. One of the most powerful parts of this approach is when leaders share their own experiences where a HOP tool could have helped them get a better outcome. That vulnerability helps others open up, often realizing they’ve faced similar situations, which builds connection and makes learning feel safe and relevant.

Participants will leave with ideas they can use to design assessments and training. Including identification, support, and tools to support confidence, strengthen questioning attitudes, and create shared understanding between leaders and frontline workers. The goal is learning the reality of the field and helps HOP work where it matters most.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Kurt Kidwell

Kurt Kidwell

Continuous Improvement Manager, AEP SWEPCO

With nearly three decades of experience across industrial operations, electric generation, and utility distribution, I lead Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), Lean, and continuous improvement strategies that deliver measurable results.

As a Lean Black Belt and HPI practitioner, I work across all levels of the organization by coaching leaders and frontline teams, guiding strategic planning, and translating real-world work into smarter, safer, and more efficient processes. My focus is on optimizing how work is actually... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Tower Court A IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Part II University of Idaho Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) 8-hour course
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Windows
Limited Capacity seats available
Part 2

This course is intended to introduce or act as a refresher to HOP philosophy. It will cover a brief history of how HOP came about. More importantly it will introduce and reinforce the basic principles of HOP and how they can be applied with an intended outcome of improving individual and organizational performance. There is emphasis on Accountability and Culpability using the new Just Culture Decision Tree. There will also be the application of the new HPI Resiliency Scale. In addition, attendees will walk away with the knowledge of “Proactively Preventing Unwanted Outcomes triggered by Human Error.
 
Conference Presenters
avatar for Shane Bush

Shane Bush

Owner, BushCo, Inc
Shane Bush is a co-founder of BushCo, Inc. whose primary mission is to “assist companies in eliminating unwanted outcomes related to human error” through the implementation of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), also known as Human Performance Improvement (HPI). Clients... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Windows IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1

1:00pm MDT

Seven Practical Steps to Build Reliability, Safety & Trust in Technical Teams
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Spruce
Limited Capacity seats available
How do the safest and most reliable teams in the world build reliability, safety and trust at the same time? Can we practice classic AND modern approaches to safety & reliability together? How can we actually apply the best ideas from: Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), High Reliability Organizations (HROs), and Resilience Engineering?

In this interactive half-day workshop, you'll see how pilots, paratroopers, wildland firefighters, and other high-reliability teams across the globe have applied these seven practical steps, and how you can, too.

1) Take a Learning-Based Approach
2) Build Psychological Safety
3) Lead After Action Reviews (AARs)
4) Transform Investigations
5) Apply Defenses
6) Improve Systems
7) Build Resilience

Watch this quick, 90-second intro video.
https://vimeo.com/1028906615


Includes a copy of this 50-page, pocket-sized HOP Handbook for Leaders.
https://www.reliableorg.com/category/all-products


Also includes a chance to get a free, signed copy of my new book!
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Practical-Steps-Reliability-Technical/dp/B0FP99Z41N
Conference Presenters
avatar for Jake Mazulewicz

Jake Mazulewicz

Director, JMA Human Reliability Strategies, LLC
I show technical experts practical ways to prevent dangerous and expensive errors. The skills I teach draw from Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), High-Reliability Organizations (HRO), from my 10 years experience in electric utilities, and from my hands-on service as a firefighter... Read More →
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Spruce IM PEI Tower Mezzanine Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1
  • global Y

1:00pm MDT

Why Good Intentions Don’t Always Deliver Performance and What Makes Improvements Stick
LIMITED
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Tower Court B
Limited Capacity seats available
Note:  There is a morning offering of the same session.

You didn’t implement it wrong. Your organisation interpreted it differently.
Most of us are trying to improve performance, influence better decisions, and sustain results.
The question is not whether safety matters, but why the same effort creates transformation in one organisation and resistance in another.
Change doesn’t land as intended, it collides with the stories people already believe from experience.
In this workshop, Andy Barker shares three case studies from Africa, the UK, and the Middle East.
Same intent. Same tools. Vastly different outcomes.
One drove accountability and delivered results but created resistance that eroded the gains. One made safety visible and valued but depended on constant reinforcement to survive. One shifted something deeper, and performance grew because people chose to carry it forward.
The difference wasn’t the tools or the intent.
It was the social code underneath the effort. The hidden narrative that shapes what people trust, what they believe is worth contributing to, and whether improvements feel like something done to them or with them.
What you’ll gain
· a clear way to recognise the hidden narrative shaping behaviour
· a practical lens to see where performance is already working, and how to build on it
· one simple shift you can apply immediately to improve engagement and results
The promise
This workshop shows you why the same effort lands differently in different organisations, and how to create the conditions where improvements take hold, spread, and last.
Sustained performance doesn’t come from more control; it grows where people choose to contribute.

Conference Presenters
avatar for Andy Barker

Andy Barker

Founding Director, OrgTreeMe LTD
Award winning consultant with truly global transformational experience
Monday June 22, 2026 1:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Tower Court B IM PEI Tower Second Floor Level
  Monday Workshop, Conference Day 1
  • global Y

5:30pm MDT

Monday Mixer
FULL
Monday June 22, 2026 5:30pm - 7:00pm MDT
South Convention Lobby
Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.
We’re excited to welcome you to Denver

This is your first opportunity to mingle if you’re a newcomer. Or, to take a newcomer under your wing if you’re a return attendee. Community starts on day 1!

Join us for our Monday Mixer. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the week's activities, meet a Community Mentor, and make plans for your Wednesday and Thursday evening activities.

Don't forget to wear your badge. This is a great opportunity for you to register for the conference and meet the Support Team. There is a drink ticket in your registration packet.

 
Monday June 22, 2026 5:30pm - 7:00pm MDT
South Convention Lobby IM PEI Tower Court Second Floor Level
  Social Event, Conference Day 1
 

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