How can critical thinking help you succeed in Performance Management?

Lets not forget about the business side here. At the end of the day we are striving to achieve business goals and drive execution of business strategy, right? Critical evaluation of performance metrics, helps identifying key drivers, and understanding the implications of various strategies. As HR professionals we can support the business to develop targeted interventions and enhance employee productivity and organizational efficiency.

Critical thinking is the best buddy of an HR professional, not only for Performance Management Systems (PMS) but throughout the entire HR process. However, during Performance Management, evaluations can occasionally be influenced by favoritism and emotional sentiments. Therefore, as an HR professional, it's essential to critically evaluate the ratings and establish a system where performance measurement and recognition are evidence-based. The outcome of performance management should align with the organization's vision and mission, aiming not only to improve performance but also to sustain motivation.

> assessing assumptions - questioning erroneous beliefs embedded across people processes, metrics, and incentives > identifying interdependencies - mapping cross-time, function, and level performance interlocks that are often missed in siloed programs, which reveal constraints > reframing the context - taking into account external benchmarks, future trends, and stakeholder expectations to exceed historic targets often codified in legacy programs > redefining imperatives - reexamining whether success is defined primarily by volume or compliance rather than by quality, impact, or speed > consider trade-offs - carefully balancing competing performance incentives, unintended consequences, and short versus long-term objectives.

Real critical thinking involves taking a careful look at situations and making a decision based on what is known, not what is felt.enormous dividends down the road. Using your critical thinking skills in the workplace will define you as a problem solver. This is not only useful career-wise (although having upper-level people at your company think highly of you is undoubtedly a benefit) it also establishes you as a leader among your fellow team members. Demonstrating your ability to solve problems and accomplish goals effectively will help instill confidence in you with all your coworkers.

Most bad decisions are just a result of poorly-formulated objective. Critical thinking is about: 1. choosing a wise objective 2. entering the situation with objectivity in mind 3. questioning your assumptions 4. making sure you are looking at the right dataset and not isolated scenarios/outliers 5. bringing subjectivity back to understand what truly matters in this situation 6. making a decision that anyone in your position would make given the above criteria

Feedback shouldn't just be given. It should have an impact. And to do so it's the managers' ability to know their people and plan a meeting in which the message will be conveyed in a manner that sinks in.

Feedback are a real gem. They however need to be structured, meaningful and designed to improve one’s potential. One cannot go on doing wrong things. A good feedback allows self reflection, a look inside one self’s. But bear in mind that, it needs to be given with backing evidence.

Critical thinking in Performance Management allows you to analyze complex situations, make informed decisions, and identify areas for improvement. It helps you assess performance metrics objectively, solve problems efficiently, and adapt strategies based on evolving circumstances. By employing critical thinking skills, you enhance your ability to navigate challenges, optimize performance evaluations, and contribute effectively to organizational success in the dynamic field of Performance Management.

How do you know if you have move forward or not? Critical thinking can help construct an environment where people can speak up, using data, AI ou a simple survey. It serves as a thermometer showing which areas can bem improved and how. By evaluating performance we can improve people capacity to ask the right questions instead of letting them fall into the comfort zone. When we instigate and inspire people to do better back up by evidence the conversation although difficult becomes more productive.

When was the last time you read a book? Or did an online course because you wanted knowledge and not because your manager or company asked of you? How are we still in 2023 and people still think that the company is responsible por their career path?!? You always should be ready for the market. If the market wants you, then your actual employer will also want you. If you are not a worth professional to the market, you are sure not a great employee to the company you are working for either. Remember that best asset you have m, is yourself and your ability to adapt and change.

Self reflection is very important for oneself to grow both as a person and professionally. We all have flaws - nobody is perfect. Life is a lifelong journey of learning. Even as managers it is good to have one-on-ones to find out what employees think, what ideas they have, and what are things managers can learn from their team as well. This kind of corporate culture that seeks success by continuous learning will not only motivate employees to grow and become better at their jobs, but also have a higher retention rate of talent.

Nothing is more critical to successful outcomes than the people working on them. I’ve found that giving my people and myself the opportunities to try new hard things, fail quickly and courageously, while continuing to reflect on what we’ve learned is the most effective means of developing strong, highly intelligent teams who always strive to do better in everything they attempt. ??

Creating a culture of critical thinking in performance management thrives on openness and constructive feedback. It's about cultivating an environment where questions are welcomed, diverse viewpoints are valued, and collaboration is encouraged. Through training programs and leadership examples, individuals learn to think critically in decision-making processes. Constructive feedback becomes a cornerstone, guiding employees to identify areas for growth and improvement. By fostering a culture where feedback is constructive and communication is open, teams can effectively leverage critical thinking skills to tackle challenges and drive success in performance management.

Adding only that it will be of a great use for all individuals in their everyday life. Finding the truth is difficult sometimes in our virtual reality. We should all ask more questions and doubt the resources we review.

The word "can" is over used in the description of the culture of critical thinking which is exactly the controversial approach to foster a culture of critical approach. The purpose of critical approach is not to open doors to various option, as you might need profiles that are decision-maker, and this would create a resistance process. On one side the critical thinker with provocative and decisional approach and on the other side leaders that are not using those skills and who might be overwhelmed by such behaviors. By developing this culture you give the potential benefits of critical thinking to be counterbalanced by followers who don't want to enter in any debates.

出る釘は打たれる After working several years in the Japanese automotive supply chain and having started a business with Japanese partners, I can understand the difficulty to grasp how to create a culture of critical thinking and still adhere to Japanese corporate culture. The two do not mix well - and I'd say it is a challenge in Japan unless the company can really change the culture and take down a lot of the cultural norms and behaviors. I see a lot of the young professionals full of bright ideas and new ways of thinking unable to voice their opinions or make any substantial changes. This makes retaining such talent difficult and Japan is losing a lot of great young talent wanting to move to countries like Singapore, Australia, & Europe.

This process opens up various avenues: 1. Promotes creativity and curiosity as we start analyzing each area through different lenses. 2. It greatly improves our ability to comprehend thereby learning ways to minimize the risk level 3. Acts like a mirror for self-evaluation for the way we need to! In a nutshell, critical thinking allows us to enter into a better realm of decision making which thereby promotes us to form a well-informed opinion.

One of the fundamental criteria, in my opinion, to promote a culture of critical thinking is to encourage diversity of profiles within a company. Critical thinking, to function and enable an effective challenge to established processes or the creation of new ideas, must draw on sometimes contradictory viewpoints and ideas, but whose synthesis can sometimes lead to brilliant resolutions. It could be difficult to find a culture of critical thinking in companies where employees often come from the same backgrounds and have had the same education in the same schools. Thus, a structure that promotes diversity of profiles and the opportunity to express their opinions is, in my humble opinion, more likely to develop critical thinking within it.

Long story short, in all kinds of business we must have critical thinking which allows us to analyze, and understand the whole angles of cases, issues, or stories to make sure that our decisions will be in the right place which will minimise the risk and wrong choices.

Il faut surtout écouter et impliquer vos travailleurs. Le modèle tayloriste ou la performance depend de l’optimisation des processus définis par le management est dépassé. Tout comme nous devons trouver un nouveau système économique pour sauver la planète, nous devons également revoir notre fa?on de gérer nos entreprises. Joyeuses fêtes à tous ??