Speaking about Staff . . .

I wonder how many people reading this have participated in performance assessments?

I wonder how many people have been satisfied with the processes involved.

In any reasonably well planned organisation, there is a need to align the corporate goals or strategic outcomes with the work which is being undertaken within the organisation. In other words if the work which is being undertaken does not support the organisation to achieve its corporate goals over time then it is fair to ask the question, 'why are we doing it?"

Almost all of the work within organisation is undertaken by the people who work there - these days with assistance, support and enabling being provided by our modern technology. Thus the work that individuals undertake must also be aligned with supporting the corporate goals.

Performance assessment represents the means by which organisations (or more properly organisational managers) can monitor and assess the extent to which the work of the individual worker is contributing to the corporate goals.

Generally there is an agreement which is drawn up between a manager and staff who are accountable to that manager. Since it would be neither cost efficient or effective to monitor and to measure everything that an individual does a performance assessment agreement usually focuses on a number of crucial aspects of the work being performed. The work chosen is usually closely aligned with organisational goals rather than being focused on the day to day work that simply keeps a business going.

For the agreement to be fair and equitable to all of the parties it is really important to ensure that both sides are represented in it.

A performance agreement should stipulate what a manager should be able to expect from the staff member, as precisely as possible. It should consider including behaviours (in accordance with corporate standards), specific work outputs which are then measured in relation to agreed timeliness and quality measures, and of course work methodology which should accord with organisational policies, procedures, practices and standards.

By the same token the agreement should also include the staff member's expectations of the manager. It can include content about the staff member's expectations of the manager's behaviour and communication style, clear understanding of how the manager is going to be managing the work and the staff.

A good performance agreement should be able to meet the SMART test - in other words the contents of the agreement should be:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely

Both managers and staff should do their very best to ensure that the final agreement contains sufficient information about what is to be achieved, within what time frames, to what standard of quality that both the staff member and the manager are able at any review period to present tangible information about what he/she has accomplished within the period. The information presented should be capable of being used as 'evidence' that the agreed measures of performance agreed between the parties.

Where performance is tied to a developmental goal there is usually no imperative for either of the parties to engage in a form of adversarial conduct.

The manager obviously wants the highest level of performance which is possible from the staff member and can generally be persuaded that it is in this interest to ensure that the staff member is as skilful, knowledgeable as possible. Such skill can generally be aligned with competence and hence high levels of productivity. The staff member also wanting to be as useful and as 'marketable' as possible will strive to acquire the best possible level of skill and knowledge that is possible as this will make his/her job easier to do.

In this environment, it is usually a good thing for a staff member to be able to admit to a lack of knowledge and skill so that the appropriate training and development required to overcome any shortage can be supplied.

In most performance agreements - alas, there there is a monetary reward attached for better than agreed levels of performance. This can have the disadvantage for both the staff member and the manager that revealing a weakness can be construed negatively and hence put at risk the achievement of the monetary reward. This can unfortunately lead to a staff member hiding a developmental need and having to work extra hard to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills that may be required to undertake some specific work.

It is in the interest of both parties to discuss this and to discuss how developmental requirements will be considered during the term of the agreement and what provision both sides are prepared to make to ensure that lack of developmental opportunity is not a hindrance to accomplishing the work and hence supporting those corporate goals.

This is not generally an easy task and most team leaders and staff members would be well advised to consult someone in their organisation who is skilled in the management of interpersonal relations so that a successful approach -tailored to the circumstances of each staff member can be developed and operationalised.

Anyone who would like to discuss performance agreements and their management further on line or off line should drop me a note and I will be happy to oblige - within reason. Beyond reason we move into a fiduciary relationship - in other words I would expect to be paid for my intellectual property ;-)