Make an Organisation Wide Commitment and Get the Results that You Need

For many organisations, there may be a performance management or appraisal system in place but no-one is seeing any real benefit from the system.

This could be:

• Employees being appraised who at worst see it as a waste of time and at best feel it has no impact on their ability to do their job or to know what is expected of them.

• Managers who perhaps see the reasons for appraisals but might not really know what is expected of them, and struggle to get the appraisals done on top of their day to day workload.

• The HR team and the organisation’s senior management who feel that the performance management process does not really achieve what they are hoping for.

When we think about what we are asking our managers to do, it is perhaps not a surprise that most managers would probably like a bit more input or support from us:

It is important to remember that we also need our managers to understand that performance management is a daily activity, not something that only happens once or twice a year. 

What can we do to help managers?

The reality is that as with any people based process, what you put in is what you will get out.

So the first step is to ask: 

Do you have an effective process in place that helps your managers to:

• Really get on top of performance issues within their team?
• Get the best out of everyone in their team?
• Keep their team members motivated and focused?

While making this work in a busy working environment?

Start by:

Focusing on the right measures: are you measuring what is important?

Asking if the process will work in reality: will it be manageable for a busy manager?

Thinking about the results that you will get: will they be consistent across managers?

Will the process and paperwork be user friendly: for the person being appraised and the manager?

People

Focusing first on people, your managers need to understand the process, and be supported to undertake performance management effectively.

A starting point is to make sure that everyone in your organisation understands why performance management matters, and his or her role in performance management.

Secondly, providing effective training is important.  We find that the training should focus on the following skills, knowledge and practical application:

• Your own organisation’s process including timing, preparation, paperwork and key measures.
• Balancing formal planned performance management reviews with day to day performance feedback to the team members.
• The steps to prepare effectively and the importance of collating balanced evidence.
• Directing the conversation, providing balanced feedback and rating past performance.
• How to set goals or objectives for future performance.

For those who struggle with the people management side of their role, they will need extra support to help them achieve what is expected.

The barriers

You also need to understand the barriers that might exist for some of your managers as well as having a plan of how to help address this.

As an example, we often face nervousness from managers when encountering a new people based process.

Nervousness might be caused by:

• A lack of confidence about running the process overall.
• Concerns about being able to handle anything that might come up during the performance management review.
• Uncertainty about how to handle difficult situations

Resources

At a practical level, managers will struggle to conduct performance reviews if they do not have the right time and place to do this.

A good starting point is to take a close look at the process, map out what is needed for everyone involved and then plan accordingly.

Your plan will include making sure there is a suitable room that can be used for appraisals, and that those responsible for conducting the appraisals have the time to prepare, undertake and document the appraisals.

It is also sensible to identify the hotspots where these activities may not be done properly, for example, too many direct reports, shift patterns that make it difficult to meet or specific performance issues.

Process

It is important to look at the core working process.

Firstly, your performance management process should map to other business processes including:

• Job descriptions for the appraisees.
• Job descriptions for the appraisers ensuring that performance management is clearly stated.
• Integration with key performance indicators.

Secondly, make sure the practicalities and expectations of the formal performance management process are clear and visual, helping your managers to avoid “blank form” syndrome.

Presence and Purpose 

The performance management process has a purpose and it is in everyone’s interest to make sure that performance is being managed.

Your organisation has to have a clear message of what the expectations are around performance management as well as communicating why it matters, and the importance that your organisation places on performance management.

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