THE "SOCIOCRATIC" PERFORMANCE REVIEW

By Gilles Charest, Mba, Eas.

?Do you know the sociocratic performance review??A general manager has just gathered a member of the board of directors, two members of his management team and the company's organizational development consultant for his performance review.?He told us what he was proud of in the past period and what his challenges are for the next period, the performance review took on a celebratory air. At the next meeting of the upper circle, the CEO will present his personal and professional development plan for validation.?He will do the same with his general circle to obtain the support of all his collaborators.?In the opinion of those involved in the performance review, it is a rich, stimulating and constructive process for both the individual and his team.

Although we are convinced of the importance of obtaining feedback on our contribution to the project we are pursuing with others, the annual performance review remains for too many managers and their employees a chore that we would like to do without.?

Why is this?

In many organizations, as soon as the term "performance review" is mentioned, the spectre of past unhappy experiences comes to mind for many people.?As a result, the exercise is often botched to meet administrative requirements and to minimize the perceived negative effects.

Why does the sociocratic performance review, on the contrary, arouse enthusiasm among the participants??

Because the exercise:

- Fosters self-assessment and recognition of individual and collective achievements.

- Takes place in a climate of security, benevolence and transparency;

- Recognizes the talents of individuals and celebrates their achievements first;

- Courageously illuminates the individual development step that the situation demands for the good of all;

- Empowering the team to meet the challenges of each function and making the link between the development of the team and its members evident;

- Leads to a personal and professional development plan approved by the team.

How do you do it?

1.????????The candidate initiates the performance review process;

2.????????The candidate forms the assessment committee.?He/she must invite his/her immediate boss, a colleague of the same hierarchical level and at least one member of his/her own team.

3.????????He sends the members of the appraisal committee the invitation to the appraisal meeting with the relevant documents: his job description, his past development plan and his personal assessment of his pride for the past period and his challenges for the coming period.

4.????????He/she proposes a facilitator for the meeting and acts as secretary to base his/her development plan on the points agreed upon during the appraisal meeting.

5.????????He/she obtains the support of his/her leader in formulating his/her development plan.

6.????????He gets his plan approved by his boss's circle and his own circle if he manages staff.

Who is it for?

All members of the organization are invited to organize their own sociocratic performance review, at least every 2 years.?All levels of the organization are therefore involved in this exercise, which allows for a continuous update of the contributions and needs of each person in order to achieve the objectives of the teams.????

The great advantage of the Sociocratic Performance Review

The sociocratic performance review is an application of the developmental approach in education.?This approach is based on the assumption that human beings and the organizations they belong to evolve.?However, evolving is a task that everyone must undertake freely by himself. ?You cannot force someone to evolve.

If you want to help someone to develop, to evolve, it is impossible to do so without entering into a relationship with that person.?The Sociocratic Performance Review provides a safe framework that helps both employees and managers to develop the soft skills that are essential for the proper functioning of an organization and of social life in general.

By relational skills we mean:

- The relationship with oneself: being aware of my sensations, emotions, thoughts and intentions, in the present moment, and being able to use them to say what I want and what I don't want to make proposals that also take into account the needs of others.

- The relationship with others: listening to the sensations, emotions, thoughts and intentions of others without judging them or allowing myself to be manipulated, asserting myself without aggressing, transforming opposing points of view into productive dialogue.

- The authority relationship: developing a reassuring presence as an authority figure, confronting without violating, sustaining the tension necessary to enter into a relationship and establish a productive contact.?Knowing how to support, as a collaborator, the person in authority and helping him/her to play his/her role without demanding that he/she be perfect and meet my expectations in every respect.??

- The relationship with the group: listening to a group, encouraging a dynamic of cooperation, transforming tensions or crises into opportunities for evolution, using the group as a support for individual and collective learning.

I am interested in your comments: [email protected]