The Total Performance Management Series – Article 7: The Review Event vs Journaling

Over the years, we’ve seen a significant shift away from conducting performance feedback as “the review event” to a process of ongoing check-in moments that are digitally captured throughout the year. In this article, we’ll discuss the advantages of moving towards a journaling form of performance feedback and why “the review event” may still have value in your company. 

Let’s revisit the basic definition and intent of Total Performance Management. Earlier in this series, the following definition was offered: Performance Management is an active process of aligning human performance to corporate direction. This visual representation, below, reflects the key elements of the performance management process. 

So, whether your organization is a disciplined goal-setting culture or your team’s more likely to respond to the crisis of the moment, your employees deserve to know where they stand. The essence of performance management is the process of feedback. Traditionally, companies attempt to set goals (to some degree) track progress (again, to some degree) and provide end of year feedback (once again, to some degree). 

Let’s recap “the review event” process:

·      This is the more common way for companies to provide performance review feedback -Single moments in time in which a manager sums up the year (or the quarter, or half-year). 

·      As noted, in earlier articles in this series – few managers are fully equipped to deliver a balanced review of performance. 

·      For those companies who rate performance, this is the moment when employees get that single label they must live with for a year (more on this aspect of in an upcoming article on the topic of “To Rate or Not To Rate”).

·      Yet, this process has traditionally been the mechanism for companies to ensure they can make fair decisions on pay – with the context of company success for the year to determine the extent to which merit pay and bonus pools can be funded. In short - compare all employees’ contributions and determine a range of compensation decisions. Straightforward enough. However, as implied, there are limitations to gaining performance momentum through the above process. Research provided in Article 1 of this series points to the fact that most employees are not motivated by a “review event” thus, there’s rarely a meaningful connection between the event and increased performance. 

Now, let’s consider the advantages of “journaling”:

·      Journaling performance simply means; the act of giving real-time, ongoing feedback...right when the employee should hear what’s going well and what could be improved. 

·      It’s an opportunity for quick touchpoints, status updates, kudos, messages of recovery and more. 

·      The trick is to create a simple, easy means of journaling. Most companies who have adopted this practice utilize an online tool – endless possibilities are out there but the most common form of digital journaling is found in the newer generations of HR information systems. That way, you have a central system of truth, which now includes real-time performance feedback, among many other aspects of an employee’s data. Yet, if you don’t have a robust HRIS, simply create a private cloud-based space – Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, etc. – as a place to house the journal.

·      When implemented effectively, journaling programs are non-intrusive to the day-to-day work of employees and managers. The journaling activities can occur during manager/employee one-on-one meetings (simply update the journal at points within the meeting or quickly summarized afterward). 

·      Or...at any point, both employee and manager can update the journal. For example:

--A colleague sends a positive email about an employee to her manager? Cut and paste into the journal. 

--An employee needs a manager’s help at a critical stage of a project? Capture that request in the journal. 

--An employee is struggling in some aspect of his/her work? Note the recovery plan in the journal.

·      In short, an active journaling practice throughout the year captures all the little things that fall through the cracks when managers try to write an end-of-year summary. 

·      And, the review writes itself. It’s co-authored throughout the year by employee and manager. 

·      Further, it’s a portable means of tracking performance it the employee has a new manager at some point during the year. The journal follows along with employee as he/she shifts to another role or department or manager. 

Converting to a journaling practice doesn’t necessarily mean that companies should abandon an end-of-the-fiscal-year summary of performance. There’s still value in that “review event” so that companies can make fair, well-informed pay decisions – tied to the success of the company. Yet, now, employees shouldn’t feel victimized by their managers’ limited views on a year of performance. Combining the co-authoring journaling methodology with inputs from stakeholders (otherwise known as a 360 process – also to be covered in an upcoming article) provides a comprehensive perspective on employee performance over the course of the year. 

In essence, adopting a journaling practice allows your performance management program to move at the speed of the business. To make it work well? – you’ll need a good online system and heavy focus on training the users. Plus, as noted throughout this series – never let up on leadership development and accountability! More to come on that topic.

Stay tuned...