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

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

During a recent performance appraisals training session I was delivering to a group of Line Managers, some of whom were very experienced whilst others were very new to the role, I was struck by how some simple initial steps can improve the appraisal process immediately.

The group identified three themes which they felt would be a good starting point for them:

• How they should communicate the importance of the appraisal process and the benefits for employees
• Ensuring that 1:1s started to happen consistently for all employees; the quality of the 1:1 sessions can improve, but first get them scheduled and conducted regularly to set the expectation
• Make sure that whatever is discussed, agreed upon, etc is followed up

Points 2 and 3 provide some evidence to the first point; if Line Managers schedule appraisals and follow-ups, then they show it's important and valued.

The group can then look to how to structure the appraisal conversation, handle difficult feedback, offer positive feedback and develop the core skills over time.

Doing it counts; very skilled Line Managers conducting ad-hoc appraisals with no follow up doesn't cut it.

John

We are pleased to announce that this year's series of free seminars is about to start from May and we thought it would be a good idea to invite you to vote for your preferred choice of topic and help us decide which one to run first!

The current seminar topics are 'How to....'

• Successfully implement a 360 degree feedback process
• Create a feedback rich organisation
• Successfully implement a performance appraisal process
• Effectively debrief a 360 degree feedback report

If you would be interested in attending one of the seminars listed above, then simply:

1. Email me at john@bowlandsolutions.com
2. Cut & paste the title of your preferred seminar topic into the subject header.

We will then count up the votes and prioritise our schedule of seminars accordingly.

So if one of these topics is a burning issue, please email before Friday May 6th and get it scheduled sooner rather than later!

Thanks and we look forward to announcing the first seminar shortly.

John

I presented a session at a recent CIPD meeting regarding the importance of feedback in the workplace, be that through a model for performance appraisal, 360 degree feedback or otherwise.

The gist of the presentation was to position feedback as just one element of a much larger 'eco-system'; just as flossing is one crucial element of an oral & dental hygeine regime, so is feedback as a key element of an effective performance management regime.

Setting feedback in this context then naturally prompted the question 'so what?'; recent CIPD research concluded that in turn performance management was a primary vehicle of communication between a line manager and their employees.

Following this thread upwards through further research by the CIPD and Institute of Employment Studies (IES), connected effective communication between a line manager and an employee as a foundation for higher levels of engagement.

Engagement is good for business; the David MacLeod report, which I referenced in an earlier post, found pretty compelling evidence that engagement was instrumental in sustained organisational success with increased 'bottom line' results.

When you look at feedback in this context, it suddenly becomes really important that line managers give it and employees get it.

However, context is not enough; we still need the right mindset and approach to usefully embed feedback in an organisation, something I will return to in future posts.

Now where did I leave that floss?
John

I have been reading numerous articles of late which seem to take a hard position against performance appraisals, condemning them as unpopular and ineffective.

Let's take those arguments in turn; being unpopular isn't a valid argument to dismiss performance appraisals and the review process - their unpopularity is often local to the organisation in how it has sought to implement the process, making it overly bureaucratic, complex and time-sapping.

Besides, "Jedward" conversely are comparatively popular and that certainly isn't an argument in favour of them being 'right'....

I think the same factors which can often make performance appraisals unpopular, also serve to make them ineffective; but again it is a local issue within an organisation.

If organisations implemented a simple performance appraisal process which sat within the context of performance management as a continual cycle, one which offers the best framework for managers to have meaningful conversations with their employees throughout the year, then suddenly performance appraisals provide a key element of communication between line managers and their team.

People are 'feedback poor' and something which genuinely offers an opportunity to give praise, recognition, validation and sincere personal development ideas should be popular; and it remains in my view one of the better means of aligning people with organisational goals, which is how it's effectiveness should be measured.

Our whitepaper available to the right hand side of this blog post, shares out thoughts as to how a popular and effective process can be successfully implemented.

John

Here is a guest post from Kevin Watson - details at the end of this article.  The article continues our theme of inviting people we trust and know to write articles on topics linked to 360 degree feedback and performance appraisals.  If you would like to write an article then "get in touch".

7 principles of feedback

1. Choose correct timing for feedback:

Feedback is most effective when given as soon as possible after the behaviour has been observed. Immediate feedback will help to reinforce a desired behaviour and make it more likely to happen again.

2. Ask for self assessment:

Asking the person for his or her own assessment first will involve them in the feedback and helps to generate a dialogue between the coach and coachee. As people are often well aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, encouraging them to voice their own opinions before providing your own will help them take responsibility for their own performance.

3. Focus on specifics:

When you focus on a specific behaviour, you avoid the risk of personality differences and the other person will be more willing to accept the feedback. For example, when providing corrective feedback:

Do: "When you were talking to customer xyz, I noticed that you forgot to use her name"

Don't: "You are not building rapport with the customer"

And when providing praise:

Do: "When you spoke to customer xyz, I noticed that you used really good open and closed questioning techniques"

Don't: "You communicated well there"

4. Limit feedback to a few important points:

Good leaders identify one or two critical areas and help the person address them one at a time. Restrict your feedback to one or two important points so that you do not overwhelm the other person with too many things to consider.

5. Provide more praise than corrective feedback:

Positive reinforcement is one of the strongest factors in bringing about change. Unfortunately most people only focus on the negative.

6. Give praise for expected performance:

People deserve to be praised for doing their job to the expected level. However, too many people take the expected level for granted.

7. Develop Action Plans:

Work together to identify the desired performance or result and how it can be achieved. Decide when the steps will be accomplished.

Call to action!

On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent) rate your performance against each of the principles above when providing feedback to your team and colleagues.

Finished? What do you notice? Is there any one principle that is particularly stronger than the others? What do you do that makes this so strong?

Which principle is relatively weaker than the others and what can you possibly do to strengthen this? When can you start to exercise your feedback skills in this principle and with whom?

Kevin Watson

My Own Coach Limited

http://myown-coach.co.uk

Kevin Watson is a coach, trainer and consultant supporting personal and team development by pushing beyond those self imposed boundaries and inspiring a call to action, helping them become stronger and measurably more successful in their own terms.

He is an accredited coach with the CIPD and Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring and a Master Practitioner of NLP.

His professional experience spans over 25 years in retail and was part of the senior team responsible for taking Selfridges from an old department store to the shopping experience it is today.