360 degree feedback; flawed data or useful feedback?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 by John Rice
A recent post by Marcus Buckingham here is worth a look at the thread of discussion it has prompted; he challenges the effectiveness of them with a focus on what he describes as 'bad data'.

The subjective nature of respondents offering their view on behaviour of the recipient is inherently flawed in his opinion and for them to be more effective, he suggests a focus on the outcomes experienced by the respondents i.e. "I know what the vision of this organisation is" as distinct to "Clearly articulates the vision of the organisation".

I am not so sure; I accept the subjective nature of feedback from respondents/raters but that's fine - we are looking to bring together a host of different world views and see how they stack up against the recipient's own self-evaluation and each other.

We don't subscribe to the idea that people should get scores such as "3.7 in communication"; it is meaningless and in this regard I take his point.

However, where one sees these different world views within a report, the ability to have a debrief conversation which asks 'does that matter?' becomes interesting - if it doesn't matter and these views can continue in relative harmony then fine; but if as the recipient looks at this and sees that, subjective opinion or not, such disparate views will have a negative consequence over time, then it is sensible that the they take note, accept and consider their options.

360 degree feedback is not about scoring or qualifying absolutely what someone is good or not good at, it serves to offer up feedback for consideration by the recipient which will aid their develoipment; it's not black or white, truth or false, right or wrong, it just is.

John

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Performance Appraisal....and another trip to the Physio!

Friday, November 4, 2011 by John Rice
Despite being a runner of some 25 years, my second visit to the physio proved again that simply raising ones awareness about performance, as we often seek to do through feedback and performance appraisal, can have profound effects.

I had thought my running style quite good; frankly putting one leg in front of the other can't be that demanding to think about can it? However, as I started to run on the treadmill and have my running style assessed, the phyiso started to ask me about my 'cadence'.

I had never heard of this in the context of running; but of course as you reflect for a moment you realise that of course there is a rhythm, a beat, as your feet repeatedly land and take your forward.

Well mine was 143...and apparently all professional runners tend to have a cadence of around 180; this isn't groundspeed, just the number cycles your legs/feet make as you move.

My cadence was putting an undue strain on my calves and tendons, hence the problem I was seeking to resolve; now with a new awareness and new cadence (which to be fair made me feel a little like a keystone cop furiously pedalling my legs), I could feel immediately the difference.

Now out running for the first time again in many months, my new awareness though a review of my performance (or performance appraisal...!) has created a change; I have a new alternative, a new perspective, and a desire to develop and improve my running times, because I now know how.

Again and again, if you simply ask people what they notice about one way of doing things and then ask again what they notice with a new way of doing things...they are savvy enough to make the choice.

John


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Performance Appraisals...so after context and mindset, comes process

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 by John Rice
This is the final piece of the CIPD presentation I made earlier this year relating to how to create a better performance appraisal process and more 'feedback rich' organisation; the first two elements regarding 'Context' and 'Mindset' have been covered in earlier posts.

Duncan Brown of the Institute of Employment Studies (IES) makes excellent reference in his article regarding performance management as to how, despite good intention and ambition, organisations fail through poor practice and delivery.

We might have set the importance of feedback in the context of performance management correctly and adopted the right frame of mind as we come to do it, but without a process which is easy to implement and follow, organisations will fail to create something sustainable.

Case studies revealed some success with a performance management, performance review and feedback process which:
- Clearly linked to the organisation's purpose and against a broad scorecard of performance.

- Had a focus on the reviewing line managers who have to implement the process HR design.

- Concentrated on the conversation; benefits of a strength-based approach to performance conversations and reviews, building on employees' strengths and energy levels.

Considering all the three elements of context, mindset and process, as one comes to design and implement a performance appraisal project, is a useful guide to help increase success and longevity.

John
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Performance Appraisal; a 'protected conversation'?

Friday, October 28, 2011 by John Rice
Recent news report on Nick Clegg declaring the Government's desire to help employers tackle the fear of employee/employer tribunals, by creating 'protected conversations' which are ineligible in such proceedings.

Taking aside the fact as to whether it will indeed help remove supposed tiresome 'red-tape' for companies and fuel economic growth, it seems like an idea ripe for abuse, potentially by employers and employees alike.

There is no doubt that underperforming employees can be a serious drain on an organisation, but often ineffective line management can be the critical underlying element.

Open and honest communcation between employees and their line managers is needed all the time, as part of the ongoing cycle of performance management, performance appraisals and continuous feedback, not just when things can be taken 'off-the-record'.

Such a device could serve to undermine the relationship between an individual and their boss, as well as hiding potentially poor line management skills and lack of confidence.

John


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360 Degree Feedback Reports; what works, when and why?

Thursday, October 27, 2011 by John Rice
 We recently announced the release of our newly revised 2011 edition of our whitepaper, "Succesfully implementing 360 degree feedback; a guide for HR professionals" - a key difference with this new version is the amount of detail around 360 feedback reporting.

It's a crucial element; the report has to be easy to understand such that the recipient can draw meaning and insight to aid their thinking around their own development.

Too often reports are lengthy, repetitious, overly analytical and with data that provides no discernible benefit.

Fundamentally, the report dictates the type of conversation one will have in the face-to-face debrief; a range of different styles is shown below:

If it's reflective (Style A) of everyone's ratings without averaging, then the conversation will spend more time drawing out those differences between the different categories of respondent; a question might be:

"We have a real range of responses here within the different groups. Lets explore those responses."

By contrast, if it's statistical (Style B)  then the conversation will focus on norms, benchmarking and comparison; a question might be:

"You have scored below the company average, yet rate this as a strength yourself. What are your thoughts?"

360 Degree Feedback Reporting Styles
360 Degree Feedback Reporting

One can quickly see that how the feedback is presented is as important as getting the feedback in the first place.

If you would like the whitepaper sent to you automatically, then you can sign-up and confirm your interest in the box opposite.

John

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Performance Appraisals; a top 5 checklist for having the right mindset

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by John Rice
In a previous post I referenced a CIPD presentation which I had delivered on the importance of feedback in the workplace and how it underpinned employee engagement and hence improved organisational performance.

There were 3 key elements to consider; context (which was covered in the previous post), mindset and process/model.

Let's take the second element, mindset; what makes for the right mindset when approaching performance appraisals?

If you believe it to be a waste of time, an awkward conversation where you chastise a direct report, and largely ineffective, then it will be all of those things and more.

Shifting your mindset to one which is more constructive is a big step, in any endeavour, and for performance appraisals we would suggest the following checklist as a starting point:

1. Research has shown that those managers who have a genuine interest in the wellbeing, performance and development of their direct reports, and thereby enjoying closer relationships, are better able to enhance engagement within individuals.

2. With closer relationships, founded on trust, more open & honest conversations can emerge.

3. Conversations are two-way, and performance appraisals should be just that; a dialogue not a diatribe.

4. Conversations are ongoing and build on each other; performance appraisal is a continuous and ongoing cycle of conversations, not a singular event.

5. The nature of the conversations are centered around feedback, based on evidence, and with a genuine desire to help an individual to learn and develop.


This checklist is by no means exhaustive but helps focus the mind on the individual and the conversation rather than a process to be completed.

More to follow; if there is interest in the whole CIPD seminar and a desire to run it with your own team or group then do let me know.

John



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How to spot a psychopath....just read the 360 degree feedback

Friday, October 21, 2011 by John Rice
Never one to underplay the power of 360 degree feedback (!), this Green Left article highlights how psychopathic traits are more likely found in corporate managers than the general population.

Through a study by University of British Columbia, including close scrutiny of performance reviews and 360 degree feedback of a selection of individuals identified as management material, it was revealed that on a test looking at psychopathic traits, they were 20 times more likely to exhibit these then the general population.

Heart warming stuff; that lack of empathy you keep noting in your line manager is the very thing which got them to the top...

John






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Thanks to everyone who attended our 360 feedback seminar

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by John Rice
A brief post to say thanks to those who came along to our seminar last week on how to successfully implement 360 degree feedback and a 'Missed you!' to those who couldn't make it as planned.

It was an interesting cross-section of individuals and organisations as ever, and we introduced a lot more new content around 360 reporting, discussing what works and when; this is such a critical element of the process.

Looking forward to running another one in the New Year; if you have a particular interest and wish to come along next time then do let me know at john@bowlandsolutions.com.

For those who did miss it, don't forget that you can download the new whitepaper via this blog or the website.
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360 Degree Feedback....there's an App for that....

Monday, October 17, 2011 by John Rice
Without wishing to come over as a 360 degree feedback purist, I do feel a little dismayed at a new 'App' which I see is now available for the iphone.

The new 'Who am I' app, allows you to rate yourself against personality traits and then have others do the same.

Perfectly fine, but to label it 360 degree feedback seems to be far fetched and somewhat removed from what we naturally see as a process designed to bring together feedback on a series of observable behaviours in the workplace.

More importantly is that it reduces the process to simply the software element; what if you send out the requests and it comes back saying you are 'unlikeable', 'unsophisticated' and ' and 'unreliable'....is there an app to help you through that?

I didn't see 'Curmudgeonly' on there as a trait, but I might tick it for myself if I do buy the app.

John



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New Whitepaper and Seminar - Successfully Implementing 360 Degree Feedback; a guide for HR professionals

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by John Rice
We are really pleased to announce the release of our newly revised edition of our 360 degree feedback whitepaper - "Successfully Implementing 360 Degree Feedback; a guide for HR professionals".

This edition offers a fresh perspective on the end-to-end process involved in undertaking 360 feedback in any organisation and is a practical, comprehensive look at the steps required to ensure any such project is a success.

From planning and design of competency frameworks, questionnaires and reports, through to communication, training and face-to-face debriefs, this handbook will help HR professionals, Learning & Development partners, HR/Management consultancies, and coaches approach a project with confidence.

Critically in a completely new section, we evaluate the importance of 360 reporting; the different types you can consider and what works best and when.

To support the release of this new whitepaper, we are also running a free seminar on this topic tomorrow, Wednesday 12th October, in London; for details, simply register in the sign-up box in the right-hand column of the blog or on the website.

We hope you enjoy this new edition; if you are already registered with us then you won't be able to subscribe to again, so just drop an email to me at john@bowlandsolutions.com and I will forward a copy directly.

Look forward to seeing some of you at the seminar tomorrow.

John

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Raising awareness through 360 Degree Feedback & a trip to the Physio!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by John Rice
As a runner of advancing years, I find myself more and more conscious of aches and pains, and less and less able to recover quickly if I have been training too hard.

I visited a physiotherapist for the first time when my tendons had become too inflamed and simply weren't recovering; his approach was slow, methodical and comprehensive.

He examined my stance, my gait, my balance, and my legs; at each point he observed and then asked me to observe.

"Do you notice how your left foot turns inwards more than the right?" Of course I hadn't, but now was acutely aware that it patently did.

"What happens when you run uphill? Downhill?"

"Can you feel this muscle as you rotate about the hip?"

Each time, I became more aware of how my body was running; what movements it was making and what might be exacerbating a particular problem.

He then worked in tiny steps down the tendons, and pressed down, asking what degree of pain I felt (which I hasten to add, when he hit the exact spot, was quite a large degree...)

As you can imagine, as I left with this new found awareness (and a rather stringent rehabilitation exercise regime), I was suddenly making different decisions as to how I should walk, run, carry, etc - the raised awareness was the first crucial step to understanding what was creating the pain and then be able to better judge how to alleviate it.

360 Degree Feedback can work in a similar way; the report gathers in all the feedback and presents the fact, for example, that the recipient is a 'pain in the tendon' to his direct reports.

In a face-to-face debrief with some further skilled examination, questions and exploration, the recipient can really become aware of this issue; how bad is the pain? Is it always there? Is everyone agreed there is a pain? And when you help them hit the exact spot, they are in a much better position to register that pain!

I have drawn that analogy as far as possible; back to standing on my tip-toes....ouch!

John



 
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Why are doing Performance Appraisals and Performance Management?

Friday, September 30, 2011 by John Rice
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
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360 Feedback Debriefs; how far should you go?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 by John Rice
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
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Making Performance Appraisals easier; nudge theory

Monday, September 26, 2011 by John Rice
I read a post some time ago on the Harvard Business Review Blog which came to mind again recently - it provides examples of how behaviour is sometimes changed for the positive through simple changes in the environment.

This is one of the themes which runs through the book 'Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness', a book written by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, which suggested in a variety of different situations that influencing social norms or behaviour in groups can be closely correlated to changes in the environment - a simple example being the placement of healthy snacks by a till rather than chocolate.

Making things easy for people to do, or at least creating the perception of things being easier to do, can create some significant changes in behaviour.

For HR and an organisation as a whole, there is a desire to have employees complete their performance appraisals; with a paper-based process, this can be an onerous task for everyone involved.

Moving to a simple, fast and efficient on-line system has both employees and line managers able to undertake this task without having that sinking feeling that comes with wading through mountains of paperwork.

This is the most straightforward argument to migrating these processes on-line, and that's even before you consider the ability to view real-time reports on employee performance and development needs across the organisation.

John


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Free 360 degree feedback seminar...last few places remaining

Monday, September 19, 2011 by John Rice
 
Our popular series of 360 degree feedback seminars continues, so if you haven't already registered then we would like to invite you to reserve one of the few remaining places at our next free seminar on October 12th 2011, which is being sponsored by one of our clients, the law firm, DMH Stallard, at their central London offices.
 
To register a place & receive your invitation, just click below:
 
 
By the end of this 2 hour seminar, you will:
 
  • Understand the critical factors that will ensure success when introducing 360 into your business
  • Take away a checklist to help you work logically through the implementation process
  • Appreciate the key principles that will help you design a great questionnaire, communicate effectively to get company wide 'buy-in' and facilitate face-to-face debriefs.
Previous delegate comments include:

"Short, sharp and to the point. Well delivered by very experienced consultants. Thank you"

"Very informative and helpful, we came away with some great tips and ideas for our implementation of 360"

"Good relaxed atmosphere and very useful and practical information provided."

Go to seminar registration page

This seminar will be very interactive and allow plenty of opportunity to network with other delegates,discuss best practice and offer ample time for Q & A if you have specific issues to be addressed.

 
Places are limited to just 25 delegates with just a few more remaining.
 
We really do hope you can join us for what promises to be a great morning with stunning views across London!
 
 
Many Thanks
 
John

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The importance of employee performance appraisals in a downturn

Friday, September 9, 2011 by John Rice
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
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Do your managers need Performance Appraisal Training?

Thursday, September 8, 2011 by John Rice
If, like most organisations consistently report, both Line Managers and employees are unhappy about the quality (and sometimes quantity) of performance appraisals, then the answer may very well be 'Yes'.

Not unsuprisingly, as with 360 degree appraisals, an online system is not enough - there has to be a good understanding of what the purpose of the performance appraisal is there for, it's essential role within the wider context of performance management, and what fundamental skills are required for a constructive outcome.

Without skilful handling, an appraisee may find that an online system has simply made a unproductive process more efficient!

There have been a number of quick polls in various HR magazines, which highlight how organisations feel that their Line Managers are poor at performance management and appraisals; the effect is recorded on the other side of the coin too, with employees feeling that their Line Managers often fall short of their expectations.

With this in mind, we now regularly complement our online performance appraisal solutions with a new training programme "Conducting Effective Performance Appraisals" - as with the 360 programme, it is a one day programme and marries some essential theory with some tailored role-play.

This fits with our ethos that if you can encourage individuals to have meaningful conversations, be they Line Managers with staff, Directors with the organisation or team members with each other, then ultimately better choices can be made and performance can improve.

John
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When a Strength is a Development Need in 360 feedback

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 by John Rice
We recently conducted a number of face-to-face 360 feedback debriefs and was mindful of the growing interest in 'Applied Positive Psychology' and how it promotes a different way of thinking about ourselves and others in the workplace.

In essence, it is concerned with the strengths a person displays and how they can be best deployed within their role, and potentially capitalised on beyond their current position.

The feedback people receive is always full of strengths and these can often be forgotten as the 'development areas' are sought out, with an overwhelming desire to 'fix things'.

It is important to dwell on the strengths, understand them, explore them, celebrate them and consider how they can best put to use.

We will often add these strengths into any personal development plan and encourage the recipient to consider actions which will bring these to the fore as well as address any developmental needs.

John

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Performance Management, Appraisals and Generation Y

Friday, September 2, 2011 by John Rice
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
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Remembering what makes 360 degree feedback succeed

Thursday, September 1, 2011 by John Rice
I recently compiled this list on the basis of my experience with a few clients we have successfully supported in getting their own 360 degree feedback programme underway:
 
  1. Support the Process with Trained People

An area where I often see 360 degree feedback, and other forms of appraisal, fall over is when the process is not fully supported. The most successful are when the raters, recipients and debriefers all receive training on the role that they need to play..

  1. If it’s Complicated They Won’t Do It

Implementing any new process in an organisation is fundamentally a ‘change initiative’ and as such you need to take all possible steps to make the process easy for people to adopt. To overcome this, tailor the system as much as possible to the organisation, including not too many questions, wording that the user can relate to and plenty of opportunity for free-text replies. But most of all, make it self explanatory and the system very easy to use. 

  1. The Aim is to Move Forwards – Not Just Find Out Where You Are

Always remember why you are doing a 360 degree feedback. At the end of the day, it is to use the information to develop individuals so that tangible improvements can be made to business performance.  

The best way to do this is to repeat the cycle after the training, coaching or other such intervention, so that you can accurately assess the change, improvement and impact  of the process. 

  1. Follow Through

Some companies conduct 360 degree appraisals and but do nothing with the results. Success is created by reacting quickly to the training needs, publishing clear learning and development plans and, put quite simply, getting on with making improvements as soon as you have the results.

If  nothing happens staff engagement will decrease next time. Do something positive and the benefit of appraisals will soon gather momentum across the whole organisation.

  1. Tell Everyone What’s Going On

When you introduce or move to an online 360 degree system it can raise questions in people’s minds. Why is our company deciding to do it this way? What’s changed? How’s this going to affect me personally?

Have a plan for clear, regular communication and open channels for everyone to ask their questions. It will improve the overall success and the benefits you enjoy as a business.

 John

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