JWI 520 People Management, Week5 Summary, 8/5/12
It has been a fruitful week of learning with many great concepts that I barely knew about.
The DQs reinforced the learning and I have a much better idea about how to give and receive performance evaluations.
This week we analyzed the effects of performance assessment and feedback on the culture of the organization. We discussed how to apply a performance assessment process that attracts, retrains, and motivates individuals.
Here are the specific take aways for me:
(0) Welch, “High Performers Won’t Wait” (Business week, June 2008)
***********************************
Holding back promising employees until they "pay their dues" is folly
Talent war is real.
Promotion is more art than science.
(1) Performance
****************
Does the candidate consistently post superior results ?
Not just delivering the numbers.
Superior results mean a person has expanded his job duties and brought insights to the team
be they about work processes, market challenges, or unseen opportunities.
Superior results mean a person has overdelivered - a leading indicator that he's ready for more.
(2) Values
***********
Does the candidate consitently demonstrate behaviors the company wants to see from its leaders ?
Is she customer-focused ?
Does she share ideas ?
Does the candidate live and breathe the values ?
(3) Tail wind?
***************
Did the candidate benefit from his predecessor's work: high functioning team, backlog of orders
Promote internal candidates sooner rather than later.
It is a fast way to attract good people to your ranks.
It will help make you a talent magnet.
It will keep your best performers inside.
Don't nudge your highfliers into the open arms of your rivals
(4) Positive Traits and challenges of Armed Forces who enter business
******************************************************************
Positives: Whip-smart, tenacious, can-do upbeat attitude, Edge - make yes or no decisions on the spot, superb people skills; great motivators, team builders
They (Junior Military Officers - JMOs) will move anywhere; your toughest location may be better than the best outpost they've endured
Challenges: Bureacracy is in their system; embrace rules and regulations that slow them down
Lack visionary thinking - less inclined to take risks in business
Promoting young insiders not only keeps your best people from leaving
but also has a way of turning your company into a talent magnet
(5) Video: Jack Welch, Evaluations (3:00)
**************************************
Assess Behaviors, Numbers
Qualitative - Behavior, soft values
Quantitative - Numbers
Type1 - Has values, Has numbers: onward & upward
Type2 - Does not have values or numbers: ask them to move on
Type3 - Has values, does not have numbers: give them a second chance
Type4 - Does not have values, has the numbers: horse's ass - get rid of them
How often to evaluate ? Twice or thrice a year
When giving stock options, bonus, raises, sit them down - here is what I like about what your are doing, here is what I would like you to improve
Never miss an opportunity to give this in a piece of paper with two columns
(6) Video: Jack Welch, Negative Feedback (1:50)
*********************************************
Managers hate giving negative feedback becaus they are afraid of demotivating people
they want to Inspire rather than demotivate
In a right culture - it is pretty straightforward
people know it is a meritocracy - a Performance based culture
If you are not delivering you want to know where you need to improve
you want to show them where they can go if they do this this and this...
lay out this this and this ...show them where they can go
Show them what they need to do to change and move up in the org or make the org better
coach them and show them what they will get if they deliver
Dont hide behind bad news...it is good news
Show them a personal vision of whtat they can do
show a concrete example of what they have done wrong
No one should leave saying that boss of mine did not understand at all what I am doing
Thrash that out between the two of you
(7) Lecture One: The Essential Art (and Science) of Performance Evaluations
************************************************************************************
Most people would agree that candid, timely, accurate performance feedback is essential to the effective functioning of any organization.
Candid, timely, accurate performance feedback is essential to the effective functioning of any organization.
Yet the process is chock full of problems
Managers doing the assessing generally don't like it
Employees being assessed like it even less
It shouldnt be this way, here is why
(i) If your company's assessment process is unreliable, people may end up in wrong jobs
(ii) In the absence of competent assessments, it is virtually impossible to give people accurate performance feedback.
Without such feedback, people have no instruction to systematically improve their behavior.
(iii) Incompetent assessments generate dysfunctional reward systems.
********************************************************************
By NOT aligning measurements and rewards, you often get what your are NOT looking for (Welch & Byrne, 2003).
(iv) Forget about terminating perennial malcontents and trouble makers
***********************************************************************
In the absence of carefully documented, highly reliable performance data,
any corrective action is likely to result in consequences that are far more negative for the company than for the employee.
(8) Getting Performance Evaluations Right
**************************************
(i) Give timely performance reviews (2-3 times a year)
************************************
Performance should be assessed and formal reviews should be conducted at least twice a year.
Informal appraisals should happen all the time (Welch, 2005)
Annual review has a lot riding on it
- compensation in next year
- career prospects
- job security
- self esteem
People labeled as poor performers will receive smaller pay increases and may even lose their jobs
(ii) Include a performance development component
*************************************************
Giving performance reviews different times a year has benefits
- lower the stress associated with a single annual review
- become good at the process
- focus on different objectives in each one
- use spring review for informal development purpose only: no hard copies to HR, no salary or career decisions based on the evaluation
level of candor rises sharply
peers and subordinates speak more freely for 360 degree feedback
no one will be fired or have her salary frozen as a result of this conversation
focus on past, not on future
Conversation goes like this:
- discuss employee's strengths, based on observed behaviors and accomplishments during the year just ended
- discuss development needs, based on observed behaviors and accomplishments
- implications of performance on compensation and career progress
Discuss about the future
Re-energize the employee and generate some agreed-upon yardsticks against which employee's performance will be assessed upcoming year
(9) Remember that most employees beleive they're unusually high performers
*******************************************************************************
(10) Challenges in managing stars (video)
************************************
Every managers dream to have a company filled with stars
Building confidence is one of the jobs of a leader
fine line between over confidence and arrogance
Manage with candor - if they get too full of themselves, swelling rather than growing
No one is indispensable
Rather be dealing with stars with overconfidence than people who need to be pulled up
When a star demoralizes the team with his actions
cracks the core of a team's values - take the person out of the team
cant have a boiling cancer in the middle of a team eroding the fundamental fabric of a company
Most human beings judge themselves by their intentions not their actions
When she misses a deadine, she blames garbled orders from boss
when he does not land a key client prospect, he points at promised staff support which never materialized
the bosses see things differntly
No matter how professionally a manager conducts a formal review, a fair number of employees are going to be disappointed by the feedback they receive.
Some are going to be angry. That moment is not the time to say, "now, let us talk about your development".
A month later, when the employee is calm, open the conversation.
"You know, I didn't particularly enjoy our last conversation, and I got the feeling that you weren't too crazy about it either.
Let's have a discussion now about what each of us needs to do differently going forward so that our future performance reviews are much more enjoyable.”
(11): Base evaluations on both quantitative and qualitative measures.
**********************************************************************
Let's start by saying something that may strike you as absurd:
There is no such thing as an objective measure of performance.
***************************************************************
(12) Take into account the importance of the work performed.
***********************************************************
Organizations fail to consider not only
- the value of the work an individual actually does
- but the value of the work required for a particular position
Positions strategically important today may not be tomorrow
************************************************************
Every company needs to continually assess whether or not the tasks its employees are performing are still adding value
Loyal employees continue their high performance on their tasks
while the tasks they are performing have ever-lower strategic value
Companies need to establish a systematic, centrally administered auditing process that assess the value to the company of a centrally administered auditing process
that assess the value to the company of each position without becoming embroiled in emotional circumstances of each particular situation
Competent performance evaluation and feedback is not only valuable in its own right;
it also allows your company to establish an effective process for motivating and rewarding its people.
That will be the subject of our next lecture.
(13). Performance Evaluations
***************************
Beware of what to say and what not to say based on DiSC types of employees
(14) How to Give Constructive, Candid Performance Feedback
***********************************************************
the culture of many organizations tends to discourage people from being candid.
In a similar way, the norms and practices that surround most performance reviews and feedback processes reduce the
likelihood that the information conveyed will be honest.
(15) Norman Maier Technique for Performance feedback
***********************************************
(i) Mutual Identification of the problem
(ii) Proposing rather than taking a fixed position
(iii) Free and open communication
(iv) Starting with things in common
End goal: let people know where they stand in the organization today
and what their prospects are for tomorrow
First, the leader begins the session not with good news or bad news,
but with areas where both parties essentially have the same view of the employee's performance.
There will be a positive dynamic in the room.
And second, by the time they get to the areas where they do disagree,
they will know that they are not disagreeing about everything, nor even about most things.
Typically, using Maier’s technique, the areas of contention amount to much less than half of the performance categories under discussion.
(This is especially likely to be true if the end-of-year review is preceded by a midyear feedback session, as was recommended in the previous lecture)
Every leader's responsibility is to deliver the truth
(16).Constructive Feedback
Keycomponents of a performance assessment plan that might attract future employees, encourage professional growth, and motivate current employees
Performance management techniques influence (positively or negatively) the culture of the organization
Dr DP
It has been a fruitful week of learning with many great concepts that I barely knew about.
The DQs reinforced the learning and I have a much better idea about how to give and receive performance evaluations.
This week we analyzed the effects of performance assessment and feedback on the culture of the organization. We discussed how to apply a performance assessment process that attracts, retrains, and motivates individuals.
Here are the specific take aways for me:
(0) Welch, “High Performers Won’t Wait” (Business week, June 2008)
***********************************
Holding back promising employees until they "pay their dues" is folly
Talent war is real.
Promotion is more art than science.
(1) Performance
****************
Does the candidate consistently post superior results ?
Not just delivering the numbers.
Superior results mean a person has expanded his job duties and brought insights to the team
be they about work processes, market challenges, or unseen opportunities.
Superior results mean a person has overdelivered - a leading indicator that he's ready for more.
(2) Values
***********
Does the candidate consitently demonstrate behaviors the company wants to see from its leaders ?
Is she customer-focused ?
Does she share ideas ?
Does the candidate live and breathe the values ?
(3) Tail wind?
***************
Did the candidate benefit from his predecessor's work: high functioning team, backlog of orders
Promote internal candidates sooner rather than later.
It is a fast way to attract good people to your ranks.
It will help make you a talent magnet.
It will keep your best performers inside.
Don't nudge your highfliers into the open arms of your rivals
(4) Positive Traits and challenges of Armed Forces who enter business
******************************************************************
Positives: Whip-smart, tenacious, can-do upbeat attitude, Edge - make yes or no decisions on the spot, superb people skills; great motivators, team builders
They (Junior Military Officers - JMOs) will move anywhere; your toughest location may be better than the best outpost they've endured
Challenges: Bureacracy is in their system; embrace rules and regulations that slow them down
Lack visionary thinking - less inclined to take risks in business
Promoting young insiders not only keeps your best people from leaving
but also has a way of turning your company into a talent magnet
(5) Video: Jack Welch, Evaluations (3:00)
**************************************
Assess Behaviors, Numbers
Qualitative - Behavior, soft values
Quantitative - Numbers
Type1 - Has values, Has numbers: onward & upward
Type2 - Does not have values or numbers: ask them to move on
Type3 - Has values, does not have numbers: give them a second chance
Type4 - Does not have values, has the numbers: horse's ass - get rid of them
How often to evaluate ? Twice or thrice a year
When giving stock options, bonus, raises, sit them down - here is what I like about what your are doing, here is what I would like you to improve
Never miss an opportunity to give this in a piece of paper with two columns
(6) Video: Jack Welch, Negative Feedback (1:50)
*********************************************
Managers hate giving negative feedback becaus they are afraid of demotivating people
they want to Inspire rather than demotivate
In a right culture - it is pretty straightforward
people know it is a meritocracy - a Performance based culture
If you are not delivering you want to know where you need to improve
you want to show them where they can go if they do this this and this...
lay out this this and this ...show them where they can go
Show them what they need to do to change and move up in the org or make the org better
coach them and show them what they will get if they deliver
Dont hide behind bad news...it is good news
Show them a personal vision of whtat they can do
show a concrete example of what they have done wrong
No one should leave saying that boss of mine did not understand at all what I am doing
Thrash that out between the two of you
(7) Lecture One: The Essential Art (and Science) of Performance Evaluations
************************************************************************************
Most people would agree that candid, timely, accurate performance feedback is essential to the effective functioning of any organization.
Candid, timely, accurate performance feedback is essential to the effective functioning of any organization.
Yet the process is chock full of problems
Managers doing the assessing generally don't like it
Employees being assessed like it even less
It shouldnt be this way, here is why
(i) If your company's assessment process is unreliable, people may end up in wrong jobs
(ii) In the absence of competent assessments, it is virtually impossible to give people accurate performance feedback.
Without such feedback, people have no instruction to systematically improve their behavior.
(iii) Incompetent assessments generate dysfunctional reward systems.
********************************************************************
By NOT aligning measurements and rewards, you often get what your are NOT looking for (Welch & Byrne, 2003).
(iv) Forget about terminating perennial malcontents and trouble makers
***********************************************************************
In the absence of carefully documented, highly reliable performance data,
any corrective action is likely to result in consequences that are far more negative for the company than for the employee.
(8) Getting Performance Evaluations Right
**************************************
(i) Give timely performance reviews (2-3 times a year)
************************************
Performance should be assessed and formal reviews should be conducted at least twice a year.
Informal appraisals should happen all the time (Welch, 2005)
Annual review has a lot riding on it
- compensation in next year
- career prospects
- job security
- self esteem
People labeled as poor performers will receive smaller pay increases and may even lose their jobs
(ii) Include a performance development component
*************************************************
Giving performance reviews different times a year has benefits
- lower the stress associated with a single annual review
- become good at the process
- focus on different objectives in each one
- use spring review for informal development purpose only: no hard copies to HR, no salary or career decisions based on the evaluation
level of candor rises sharply
peers and subordinates speak more freely for 360 degree feedback
no one will be fired or have her salary frozen as a result of this conversation
focus on past, not on future
Conversation goes like this:
- discuss employee's strengths, based on observed behaviors and accomplishments during the year just ended
- discuss development needs, based on observed behaviors and accomplishments
- implications of performance on compensation and career progress
Discuss about the future
Re-energize the employee and generate some agreed-upon yardsticks against which employee's performance will be assessed upcoming year
(9) Remember that most employees beleive they're unusually high performers
*******************************************************************************
(10) Challenges in managing stars (video)
************************************
Every managers dream to have a company filled with stars
Building confidence is one of the jobs of a leader
fine line between over confidence and arrogance
Manage with candor - if they get too full of themselves, swelling rather than growing
No one is indispensable
Rather be dealing with stars with overconfidence than people who need to be pulled up
When a star demoralizes the team with his actions
cracks the core of a team's values - take the person out of the team
cant have a boiling cancer in the middle of a team eroding the fundamental fabric of a company
Most human beings judge themselves by their intentions not their actions
When she misses a deadine, she blames garbled orders from boss
when he does not land a key client prospect, he points at promised staff support which never materialized
the bosses see things differntly
No matter how professionally a manager conducts a formal review, a fair number of employees are going to be disappointed by the feedback they receive.
Some are going to be angry. That moment is not the time to say, "now, let us talk about your development".
A month later, when the employee is calm, open the conversation.
"You know, I didn't particularly enjoy our last conversation, and I got the feeling that you weren't too crazy about it either.
Let's have a discussion now about what each of us needs to do differently going forward so that our future performance reviews are much more enjoyable.”
(11): Base evaluations on both quantitative and qualitative measures.
**********************************************************************
Let's start by saying something that may strike you as absurd:
There is no such thing as an objective measure of performance.
***************************************************************
(12) Take into account the importance of the work performed.
***********************************************************
Organizations fail to consider not only
- the value of the work an individual actually does
- but the value of the work required for a particular position
Positions strategically important today may not be tomorrow
************************************************************
Every company needs to continually assess whether or not the tasks its employees are performing are still adding value
Loyal employees continue their high performance on their tasks
while the tasks they are performing have ever-lower strategic value
Companies need to establish a systematic, centrally administered auditing process that assess the value to the company of a centrally administered auditing process
that assess the value to the company of each position without becoming embroiled in emotional circumstances of each particular situation
Competent performance evaluation and feedback is not only valuable in its own right;
it also allows your company to establish an effective process for motivating and rewarding its people.
That will be the subject of our next lecture.
(13). Performance Evaluations
***************************
Beware of what to say and what not to say based on DiSC types of employees
(14) How to Give Constructive, Candid Performance Feedback
***********************************************************
the culture of many organizations tends to discourage people from being candid.
In a similar way, the norms and practices that surround most performance reviews and feedback processes reduce the
likelihood that the information conveyed will be honest.
(15) Norman Maier Technique for Performance feedback
***********************************************
(i) Mutual Identification of the problem
(ii) Proposing rather than taking a fixed position
(iii) Free and open communication
(iv) Starting with things in common
End goal: let people know where they stand in the organization today
and what their prospects are for tomorrow
First, the leader begins the session not with good news or bad news,
but with areas where both parties essentially have the same view of the employee's performance.
There will be a positive dynamic in the room.
And second, by the time they get to the areas where they do disagree,
they will know that they are not disagreeing about everything, nor even about most things.
Typically, using Maier’s technique, the areas of contention amount to much less than half of the performance categories under discussion.
(This is especially likely to be true if the end-of-year review is preceded by a midyear feedback session, as was recommended in the previous lecture)
Every leader's responsibility is to deliver the truth
(16).Constructive Feedback
Keycomponents of a performance assessment plan that might attract future employees, encourage professional growth, and motivate current employees
Performance management techniques influence (positively or negatively) the culture of the organization
Dr DP
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