Posted by Laurus Nobilis on April 1, 2009 under Performance Management | 
If your employee performance management system is not effective – in other words, your managers aren’t meeting their responsibility of getting their employee performance appraisals written, approved and delivered on time - here’s the first question to ask: What happens to the manager who doesn’t turn in all of his appraisals on time?
Too often it turns out that the answer is “Nothing,” or at least nothing sufficiently disagreeable to get the manager to act. Managers often discover that it’s easier to put up with toothless gripes from the personnel department about not getting employee performance appraisals done than actually evaluating subordinates. As a result, appraisals get pushed aside so that “real work” can be done, and your employee performance management structure is broken.
Initiating Hardball Consequences
Make sure that there are some real consequences for not getting employee performance appraisals in on time. For example, withholding salary increases until paperwork is up-to-date creates a powerful incentive for getting them done on time. This is particularly true if the human resources department has the clout to refuse making salary increases retroactive to rescue managers who just didn’t get around to submitting them on time.
No manager wants to be in the position of explaining a subordinate’s delayed salary increase to them – especially if the boost in pay is being held up simply because the manager failed to submit their employee performance appraisal on time. This strategy is called “building accountability.” It’s a tough-minded approach, but all you’re doing is insisting that managers play by the rules.
Establishing Deadlines
A gentler measure is simply to make sure that managers know exactly what they’re supposed to do, and when they’re supposed to do it with a checklist that provides key dates of the employee performance management cycle. And make it easy for them to do what you want – make sure forms and procedural instructions are readily available, and there’s someone on hand to answer the inevitable questions that arise.
Both approaches establish shared responsibilities. Not only are line managers required to get their employee performance appraisals written, but HR must make sure the employee performance management process is models for best practices. Forms should reflect the reality of people’s jobs; managers must be able to assess all of the subtle elements of both results and behaviors; training and other support must be available in a just-in-time basis; and what is expected should be made crystal clear. Without all of these elements, HR bears the lion’s share of the responsibility for not creating a system that encourages employee performance management excellence.
Sharing the Honey
But consequences aren’t the only area where HR drops the ball. We’ve talked about arranging negative consequences for those managers who don’t do what’s expected. But remember — honey influences behavior better than vinegar does. How often does HR provide positive consequences to managers who are doing a good job of meeting their employee performance appraisal responsibilities?
A simple email from an HR rep to a supervisor saying that in reviewing the employee performance appraisals she wrote, he was impressed by how seriously she took the responsibility and the fact that they were all submitted before the deadline. Copy her boss on the email, too.
Providing Gentle Reminders
It’s important to have some mechanism to remind managers when key dates are approaching. That’s one of the great advantages of online systems. Well-designed online systems greatly complement employee performance management efforts, providing managers with at-a-glance information about tasks to be completed.
For example, a dashboard screen can let them know which employee performance appraisals need to be written and when they’re due, which appraisals written by subordinate managers have been submitted and are awaiting their review and approval, and which subordinates need to submit self-appraisals or sign off after an evaluation has been written and discussed.
An online system can be set up to automatically send managers (and their subordinates) regular reminders every time an action date is approaching and email red-flag notifications if a deadline is ever missed. Finally, a good online system can track the current status of employee performance appraisal completions for different organizational units. Having this information will allow you to let the head of the sales department know that the completion percentage in his department is only 84 percent, while manufacturing and accounting are at the 100 percent level.
Lighting A Little Fire
Though HR’s role in creating an effective employee performance management system. Senior managers also own some responsibility to make sure the company’s expectations for employee performance appraisal quality and timeliness are followed.
Every senior manager should review each appraisal written by a subordinate manager before that manager reviews it with the employee. This one-over-one review procedure will ensure a level playing field, since the senior manager can make sure that all of his juniors are applying similar standards and expectations to their subordinates. He also will learn who’s taking the responsibilities of employee talent management seriously as he reviews the appraisals and sees how honestly they’re written.
Remembering the Power of Shame
Shame is a powerful motivator that is often overlooked. There’s nothing wrong with shaming managers into doing what they’re supposed to do.
How do you do it? The easiest way to make shame work for you is to ask a senior executive if he’d like to be updated on the status of employee performance appraisal completions – he will invariably say yes. (Senior executives always want to know the status of everything). That’s your license to report on exactly who has their employee performance appraisals in on time and who’s not performing.
Provide a short report beginning, “As you requested, I have listed below the current status of appraisal completions,” followed by nothing but two columns of names — one labeled “On time” and the other labeled “Overdue.” Send copies of your report to everyone on both lists. You can probably count on an immediate reaction from those managers on the overdue list to finish their appraisals and move to the list of good guys.
Again, an online system can provide executives with up-to-the-minute information about the status of all employee performance management activities without HR having to feed it to them. And senior managers can have a powerful influence of creating the environment where one hundred percent appraisal completions is the norm.
Creating Fool-Proof Accountability
At one major oil company, the CEO and his VP of HR developed an employee performance appraisal procedure that was a model of simplicity: a requirement that each manager discuss 13 open-ended questions about performance with each subordinate in March of each year.
The only writing the system required was a memo from each manager to the CEO every year no later than March 31. The memo indicates whether or not the manager had conducted all his discussions – if the discussions had not been conducted, the memo needed to explain why. And the reason had better be good, the VP-HR explained, because on April 1 the CEO picks up the phone and starts calling. “Why didn’t you do what I asked you to do?” he asks each manager who didn’t complete the performance-discussion assignment. As the VP-HR explained with a sly smile, “You don’t ever want to get that call from Roy.”
Employee performance management is a necessary tool in making sure your company’s employees are putting their best foot forward. Your managers are the catalyst for this, and they need both incentives and consequences to make sure the job’s getting done. Having a checks and balances system in place helps keep the process focused and effective.
Dick Grote has been a consultant for almost thirty years, specializing exclusively in the field of employee performance management . He has created employee performance management systems for several hundred of the world’s best known and most respected companies, including Texas Instruments, JCPenney, Miller Brewing Company, American Airlines, Macy’s, Raytheon, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, and Herman Miller. His company, Grote Consulting, specializes in employee performance appraisal, employee improvement and talent management. For more information about Dick Grote and Grote Consulting, visit: http://www.groteconsulting.com/
Posted by Laurus Nobilis on under Performance Management |
Is high performance achieved through sympathetic management, or discipline and fear? This question was first put in the 1920s, and has made repeated appearances in managerial literature - indeed, most of those who have done a management training course will have heard of Likert’s ‘System 4’ or McGregor’s ‘Theory Y’. For a long time, however, it was a matter of personal conviction which option you went for, despite repeated attempts by the human relations and related schools of management to demonstrate that the rigid discipline approach had negative effects.
Recently, however, the CIPD has been sponsoring serious research in Britain (mainly by David Guest of KCL and John Purcell of Bath) to try and nail this evasive problem down. And results so far are promising. The direction of travel was first indicated in the DTI’s Workplace Employment Relations Survey in the late 1990s, which echoed US experience in finding a link between a package of HR practices (e.g. performance appraisal, training, job enrichment, communication) and performance. But this operated as a ‘black box’. Though the existence of a link was clear, it was not possible to infer what exactly it was. Subsequent work, published in 2003, began to isolate strategic vision, job design and first-line manager quality as key factors. Further study is now under way to support these conclusions, seeking to bottom out some of the more difficult areas of the earlier research, such as application across employment sectors, reliability of findings, and what is meant by “good performance”.
There is still some distance to go. In addition, there seems to be a bit too much bias on HR rather than line management (perhaps understandable in a CIPD programme study), and one potentially important question has not yet been addressed at all – why managers who claim to understand the importance of participative management will often in fact, despite using all the right language, behave quite differently in their managerial actions. But the work being done is definitely on the right lines, and is helping us to bring within reach the long-sought goal of the happy and productive worker. There are already indications, for example, that even very rigid, standardised rules and policies can be perceived by staff as positive when delivered and interpreted by supportive first-line managers. If findings of this sort can be fully established and generalised, and also disseminated through the managerial community, there is a chance that British management may at last move from being among the least satisfactory to among the most effective in the world.
Mark O’Sullivan writes for IMS Interim Executives, an S-Cat approved UK interim management company providing senior executives for all interim change, turnaround and project management needs.
Posted by Laurus Nobilis on under Performance Management |
If you are searching for a performance management job, then you are definitely on the right track. There are a number of companies that are offering high-level positions, and you just might find one that suits your credentials and qualifications the most.
But you have to bear in mind that just about all performance management jobs do come with serious job requirement. You have to understand that these positions are very much related to the management of the organization’s performance as a whole. This means that you will have direct access to activities, events, and programs that the company will undertake, and these in turn will have direct effects on the progress and performance of the company—whether this is in the positive or the negative light. Thus, you have to be very sure that you are indeed qualified to take on the different job tasks and responsibilities that come with performance management positions. By qualifications and credentials, do not limit yourself to just the diploma or the degree that you hold. You also have to have enough background and work experience before you do take on any performance management job. As such, these jobs are more often than not of higher level, thus, there will be more in-depth procedures to look out for.
Enough said, let us now move on to the different performance management job titles that are quite in demand today. One of these positions is Technology Enablement / Manager / Finance and Performance Management. There are so many responsibilities that come with the job; the bulk of which would tackle on the following areas: Finance Strategy, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Performance Management and Measurement, Data Warehousing Features, Enterprise Technology Expense Reduction, Reference Data Management, Enterprise Data Management, and Statutory Reporting Systems Functionality.
Another position is the Manager of Shared Services for Finance and Performance Management. A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or any other business related discipline is required for this position. If you have a business related Masters degree, then so much the better. Experience is very much needed here for most companies require a minimum of five years’ worth of experience in a consulting environment. Moreover, it is a plus if your previous work environment focused on operations improvement or finance improvement for clients of financial services. Experience with the conceptualization, development, and the implementation of both internal and external controls is a definite plus for the position. Of course, since you will be handling performance management here, then both oral and written communication skills should be of excellent level.
From these job specifications and responsibilities, it is so clear how work experience is a definite plus in the industry. Thus, when you are considering applying for a performance management job, you have to take extra care in preparing your credentials and such. You have to remember that most of these jobs belong to higher level management already, so if you do not have work experience panned out for yourself, then you should take more time to weigh your decision here. But if you do have the credentials and the needed work experience under your belt, then go ahead and apply for the position you are interested in.
If you are interested in performance management job, check this web-site to learn more about kpi management position.
Posted by Laurus Nobilis on March 29, 2009 under Performance Management |
Nowadays, a great significance is being given to Performance Management, as companies incorporate them in their effective management strategies. However, a lot of people find this process a complicated one, mostly because of the many options that it offers – on the organization, a specific department/branch, a product or service, and on employees, among others.
In order to minimize this confusion, the items below will give you a general idea of what Performance Management is all about as well as the activities that are involved in this process.
What is Performance Management?
Performance management is a process that provides both the manager and the employee (the person being supervised) the chance to determine the shared goals that relates to the overall goals of the company by looking into employee performance.
Why is it important?
Performance Management establishes an outline for employees and their performance managers to assess and to come to an agreement on certain concerns and aims that are in accordance with the overall structure of the company. This enables both parties to have clear objectives that would help them in their work and in their professional growth.
Who conducts Performance Management?
Performance Management is carried out by those who oversee the performance of other people – work/team leaders, supervisors, managers, directors, or department chairs.
What are the processes involved?
Below are the phases of the Performance Management process:
1. Planning
This phase of Performance Management process includes establishing job descriptions and identifying the employee’s essential functions as well as defining the strategic plan/s of the department or the company as a whole.
Job Description
A job description is used to advertise a vacant position, which typically specifies the following:
- The specific functions, tasks, and responsibilities of the position
- The amount of time needed to act upon each function
- The qualifications needed (skills, knowledge and abilities) to perform the job
- The physical and mental requirements of the position
- Salary range for the position
- To whom the position reports
Job descriptions should be disclosed to the employee as soon as he or she is hired. Note, however, that job descriptions are listed using words that make it difficult to measure the employee’s performance. They are in contrast with competencies, which list the skills needed in performing such tasks and are described using terms that can be measured.
Strategic Plan
In effect, a strategic plan tells you three things:
- Where the company is heading in the coming year/s.
- How the company is going to get there.
- How the company will know if it is already there or not.
Included in a strategic plan are the following:
Mission statement – the primary reason why your department (or company) exists.
Goals – associated with the mission statement, they determine the results that will advance said statement/s.
Strategic initiatives – specifies definite steps that must be taken to accomplish each goal. It is a dynamic process, usually examined during periods such as one or two years.
2. Developing
This phase of Performance Management process includes developing performance standards, which offers a scale that describes how a specific job should be performed in order to meet (or exceed) expectations. They are explained to newly hired employees and are later used to evaluate work performance.
Performance standards are generally outlined with the help of the employees who actually perform the tasks or functions. There are a number of advantages with this approach:
- The standards will be suitable to the requirements of the job
- The standards will be applicable to actual work conditions
- The standards will be easily understood by the employee (and performance manager as well)
- The standards will be acknowledged (and received) by the employee and the performance manager
Standards of performance are usually in the form of ratings (1 to 5, A to E) that are used by performance managers to rate the employee’s actual level of performance.
3. Monitoring
This phase of the Performance Management process includes monitoring employee’s work performances and giving feedback about them.
As the basis of feedback, observations should be verifiable: they should involve noticeable and work-related facts, events, behaviors, actions, statements, and results. Feedback of this type is called behavioral feedback, and they help employees improve and/or sustain good performance by precisely identifying the areas that the employee needs to improve without judging his or her character or motives.
4. Rating
This phase includes conducting performance evaluations. This is the critical aspect of the Performance Management process, especially because it is important for performance managers to arrive at an unbiased assessment.
A performance appraisal form has the following features:
- Employee information
- Performance standards
- Rating scale
- Signatures
- Employee performance development recommendations
- Employee comments
- Employee’s Self-appraisal
Why conduct performance appraisals? It provides an opportunity to improve performance in the future not only for employees, but for managers as well. Performance appraisals enable managers to acquire information from employees that will help them make employee’s jobs more productive.
5. Development Planning
This phase of the Performance Management process includes establishing plans for improved employee performance and development goals. This advances the overall goal of the company and at the same time increases the quality of work by employees by:
- Encouraging constant learning and professional growth.
- Helping employees maintain the level of performance that meets (and exceeds) expectations.
- Improving job - or career-related skills and experience.
In closing, Performance Management is a process that, when executed fairly and effectively, can improve the quality of the company’s workforce, raise standards, increase job satisfaction, and develop professionalism and expertise that would benefit not only the employees but the entire organization as well.
For more great performance management info and advice check out: http://www.performance-mngt.com
Posted by Laurus Nobilis on under Performance Management |
Recently the Aberdeen Group completed a study on performance management. They found that companies with best-in-class employee performance management systems produce 50 to 70 percent more revenue than those that don’t have a good system. That finding gets my attention.
We also know, from earlier studies, that top performers are four times as productive as the weakest performer in an organization.
Bob Rogers, the president of Development Dimensions International (www.ddiworld.com), has said, “The majority of the workforce is randomly trying to achieve success without any real understanding of how success is measured for them in the organization.” The need for an effective employee performance management system is clear.
An effective employee performance management system establishes goals and measures results regularly.
A major performance management problem in organizations today is ignoring poor performance. Ignoring poor performance tells everybody that mediocrity is acceptable. In a hyper-competitive world this is deadly. The negative impact on even the top performers is only a matter of time.
Typically, managers can identify poor or mediocre performance, but they choose to ignore it. Very often these managers have past experiences when they did not receive positive support from higher management when they attempted to confront poor performers. A lack of high level support leads to a culture of “looking the other way.”
Senior leaders in the organization set the tone for performance expectations. Developing managers throughout the leadership pipeline requires training and rewards for effective performance management. Managers must be trained and evaluated on their ability to provide feedback to employees about performance. Developing employees is a critical task for all managers.
Organizations must make the role of every employee clear. At Dell Computer, the company’s “The Sole of Dell” program shows how every employee contributes to the success of the company. Michael Dell believes individual accountability begins with his role and the roles of senior management.
Every organization must make performance expectations and performance measurements clear. Only with clear expectations and measurements can we compete in any field.
Dr. Mike Beitler is the author of “Strategic Organizational Learning”. Read 2 free chapters from the book online at http://www.strategic-organizational-learning.com
