PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL MADE EASY- PART-2

By Ramesh Sangare, President HRDC Group

In sequence to my earlier article following tips are very important for the managers to remember. In fact Performance Appraisal is the tool for subordinate development. Unfortunately PMS is taken as the annual or six-monthly ritual by majority of managers or senior executives as a routine of judging the subordinates' performance. In fact Performance Appraisal is not periodic procedure but the continuous on-going process for the managerial leaders on the job to get connected, remain connected on at least major aspects of job (not micro-management!), observe, share and guide (if necessary) and leave it to them on their own to deliver the results. I come across many managers who tell me that they are "now" busy as they have finish PMS before a fortnight so as to decide increments, promotions, demotions etc. for their subordinates. This thinking itself is defeat of entire process of PMS. So friends, take care as a leader on the job while you monitor, evaluate, and decide to take the best out of men and machines! Men are not machines, they are behind machines and you, without whom you have no role to play!

1. Mistakes to be avoided in conducting a Performance Appraisal

• Spending more time on Performance Appraisal than Performance Planning or ongoing Performance communication.
• Forgetting appraisal is about improvement not blame.
• Canceling or postponing appraisal meetings.
• Not preparing beforehand.
• Not communicating during the year.
• Not clarifying enough.
• Focusing on the appraisal forms.
• Defensiveness.

2. Performance Planning:

A. Role of the Manager

• Clearly link Company Strategy / Dept plan with the individual results based objectives.
• Help employees in understanding the strategy / Dept plan and how they can contribute towards attaining it.
• Help employees establish results-based objectives and accountability.
• Review, with employee, the knowledge, skills required to do the job successfully.
• Support implementation of the plan through coaching, counseling and recommending participation in the mentoring program.
• Work with employees to revisit and revise performance plans as necessary.

B. Role of the employee

•  Examine how your role relates to the Dept plan / Company Strategy.
• Recommend results-based performance objectives to your manager.
•  Understand the knowledge requirements of your role.

C. Development

·        Development takes place in many ways, including (but not limited to):

• ·        Accepting new assignments or tasks in one’s position (on-the-job training)
• ·        Coaching from one’s manager (timely and effective feedback)
• Mentoring from a colleague
• Training courses
• Engaging in self-study
• Taking temporary duty assignments
• Reading that is directed and purposeful
• Serving in an “acting role” or replacing a person temporarily
• Participating in a task force or special committee
• stablishing a new partnership

Coaching

·        “Coaching Sessions” are mandatory discussions held twice a year that help the employee and manager communicate about performance, employee development and the work environment. Coaching sessions can be done face-to-face or by telephone. Research on performance management consistently shows that carefully done coaching sessions can have the greatest impact on performance and employee satisfaction.

·        Coaching sessions are opportunities to monitor employee development plans and performance plans. They are also opportunities to affirm good performance and to identify potential performance problems. The coaching session is also an occasion to whether or not results-based objectives should be modified. Moreover, coaching sessions can examine how learning is being applied to work, and if a mentoring relationship would be helpful.

8 Lessons on Performance Management

1.     Constantly communicate performance expectations “before”, “during” and “after”.

2.     Set ambitious but realistic (“stretch”) targets.

3.     Encourage goal attainment with promise of meaningful rewards – extrinsic and intrinsic.

4.     Be forgiving of honest mistakes made and risks taken in pursuit of performance goals.

5.     Celebrate your team’s efforts and accomplishments.

6.     Give positive and negative consequences in a fair and timely manner, based on performance, not partiality.

7.     Make team members feel like owners and partners.

8.     Help employees make the connection between their actions and bottom line organizational success.

Final Key points to remember ---

? The way a problem is defined determines how you will solve it.

? A problem is a gap between where you are and where you want to be, with obstacles making it hard to reach the goal. A goal by itself is not a problem. Obstacles must exist for there to be a problem.

? Vision is what the final result will “look like”.

? The mission is to achieve the vision. It answers the two questions “what are we going to do?” and “for whom are we going to do it?”

? Objectives should be SMART and some way or the other be linked to the Dept plan / Company strategy.

Thanks

Ramesh Sangare, President & CEO

HRDC Group

(HRD Corp. & HRDC Global Placements)