This was a key question at a recent client meeting, where the desire was to find a new way to implement performance appraisals and performance management in a way that was productive and engaging.
We often find that when talking to clients about another area of our expertise, namely, 360 degree feedback, that this question of 'Why are we doing this?' is more readily discussed and easier to identify.
This is because the concept of conducting a 360 degree feedback process is a conscious decision for the organisation; it might support a leadership development programme or be part of an assesssment centre initiative - in any case, it is evaluated with a specific purpose in mind.
However, when it comes to performance appraisals, this conversation doesn't always happen, because there are just accepted as 'something we have to do'.
As a consequence, it can become easy to focus on the process and the detail of performance appraisals, without really considering what you hope to achieve with them.
Once there is a clear understanding of what you truly want performance management and appraisals to acheive within the business, ideas as to how you can make them productive and engaging become much easier.
John
A topic that often comes up for discussion time and again with our clients is about what the remit should be of a 360 degree feedback debrief; the session where you share an individual's 360 feedback report with them (ideally for the first time).
We favour that it only goes as far as highlighting the key strengths and development opportunities for the individual; moving into 'coaching' mode and seeking to start creating actions or ways to resolve things in the report is often premature.
Coupled with this is to go at the pace if the individual concerned; sometimes they may well be able to contemplate development actions and begin planning ways to act upon the feedback, in which case you can follow their lead if the report has been fully explored.
Similarly, we often find individuals who need to 'go away and think about it' and this is equally valid.
John
News reports of a possible 'double dip' recession, with all the hand wringing and mud slinging that go with it, does raise an often thorny yet important issue for all organisations.
Accurate employee performance appraisal information is critical in helping organisations through a downturn.
Hard choices will have to be made and priorities decided upon, but they should not be to the detriment of the organisation in the long term.
A way to ensure this is to base decisions upon good objective feedback (360 feedback or otherwise) and objective performance data...or as near to that nirvana as you can get.
Taking an objective, fair but more robust approach to performance management has never been more important as companies may have to face doing more with less.
John
There are more and more articles
focussed on the new generation of graduates and school leavers entering work, often termed 'Generation Y' employees, and the implications on Performance Appraisals and Performance Management.
Despite making me feel very old, although falling somewhere just within the 'Gen X' bracket, the article did make some interesting points that highlight how a convergence of familiarity with technology coupled with a desire to have regular feedback, means that 'Gen-Y'ers' will expect a very different kind of management in the future.
It will become less and less acceptable to sit down at the end of the year and conduct a single 'Annual Appraisal'; already we are seeing our clients implementing 'Interim Reviews', 'Project Reviews' and alike, which happen throughout the year.
The transition to online performance review systems will make this process infinitely more easy than a paper-based process, and employees will expect this to become the norm, especially when technology is so prevalent in other areas of their life.
Taking this further, the ability to have web-based applications accessible from anywhere, is leading our performance appraisal solutions to now offer a 'Performance Journal' or 'Activity Log' which acts as a simple open document which both an individual and their line manager can complete throughout the year.
They add activities, acheivements, thoughts, apsirations, so that when they come to complete the necessary annual appraisal form, it is no longer a chore but simply an opportunity to reflect and easily consolidate into a better representation of their work during the year.
Gen-Y'ers will help line managers re-evaluate how they should properly performance manage for organisational success.
John
A brief one today pointing to
Seth Godin's recent post about filling in forms; it made me think about how when designing
performance appraisal forms, we need to give careful thought as to how we lay them out online, what sections we include, what we make free text and what we make tick box or drop downs, etc.
You have an opportunity to signal what is important; if you value a meaningful conversation around someone's career aspirations then make it a large, free text box!
John
I recently ran our training programme with a client, "How to conduct effective 360 degree feedback debriefs", where we train internal HR and other staff how to share a report with the recipient of 360 feedback.
Fundamentally, we see the primary aim is to ensure the recipient understands what the feedback is saying; thereafter it is necessary to get a degree of acceptance from them before helping them determine what actions they wish/need to take as a result of the is feedback i.e. Changes in day-to-day behaviours or undertaking some other focused development activity.
As a consequence of these aims, it places the 'debriefer' firmly in the role of someone trying to 'explore' the report with the recipient.
Very often I see delegates on the programme, who ask evaluative questions during the role-played debrief sessions, rather than exploratory ones:
"Do you think you are a good leader?"
"Do you feel that you should do this rather than that?"
These questions forgo the chance to review the feedback itself, which is the main aim; better questions are more inquistive in nature:
"Have you had this type of feedback before?"
"What might have prompted someone to give you this feedback, do you think?"
The latter encourage more reflection and help the individual absorb the feedback more readily.
John
A recent article from the
Geelong Advertiser in Australia is a prime example of where the concept of 360 degree feedback conducted inappropriately can create real problems.
As part of a team building programme, delegates were allegedly made to sit down in a circle and say what people liked and didn't like about fellow team members; seemingly chaos ensued, tears flowed, egos were bruised and anger followed.
With the little amount of information in this report, I would still argue this isn't really 360 degree feedback; yes, some elements suggest that it is providing feedback from a variety of sources, but the process is much more than just that.
360 feedback should centre on behaviours and their impact; not likes and dislikes as reported here.
Consideration of when feedback should be given, by whom and through what medium i.e. face-to-face, online, anonymised, etc, is critical.
Finally, having a suitable support mechanism or process in place to help an individual come away with a healthy, balanced view of their feedback which aids their development is everything.
What one doesn't need is 'X-Factor' style with 'Let me tell you what I think' type comments.
Whatever happened here, it isn't 360 degree feedback which should come away with a bad name.
John
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