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Performance Management

On January 6, 2019 in peopleware • 2 minutes read

Table of Contents

• Setting Goals
  • Goals should be S.M.A.R.T, P.U.R.E and C.L.E.A.R.
• Providing Feedback
  • Dimension 1: What
  • Dimension 2: Who
  • Dimension 3: When
  • Dimension 4: Who

Setting Goals

In any organizational setting (business or not), we do set goals in order to:

• Align our efforts with the mission of our organization and/or specific corporate goals for a given Fiscal (or Calendar) Year.
• Set up a clear and shared understanding of priorities with our manager(s).
• Challenge ourselves not only to deliver on time, but also to grow and accomplish great things
• Be able to measure progress in time, towards all desired targets and outcomes.
• Implement a measure of organizational discipline that keeps everyone at every level focused on the same direction.
• Keep employees engaged because employees know what is expected of them at work.
• Allow accurate forecasting of all needed resources and foster the efficient use of those resources; thus, avoiding costly changes or stops in the organizational strategic direction

Some managers set specific goals for their employees (or volunteers if that is what is applicable). Others just simply ask for their subordinates/ team members, to create their own goals.

Goals should be S.M.A.R.T, P.U.R.E and C.L.E.A.R.

John Whitmore’s SMART, PURE and CLEAR is the most successful version of the goal checklist:

• S.M.A.R.T stands for:
  • S - Specific: target a specific area of goal setting or improvement;
  • M - Measurable: quantify or at least suggest an indicator (KPI) of achievable progress;
  • A - Attainable: the goal much be achievable within the expected timelines;
  • R - Realistic:
  • T - Time based: specify when the result/ the deliverables should be achieved.
• P.U.R.E stands for:
  • P – Positively Stated
  • U - Understood
  • R – Relevant
  • E - Ethical
• C.L.E.A.R stands for:
  • C - Challenging
  • L - Legal
  • E - Environmentally Sound
  • A - Agreed
  • R - Recorded

Providing Feedback

When designing a performance management system there are four dimensions to manage: what, who, when, and how.

Appropriately devising the system will ensure we provide high-quality and timely information, so our feedback and coaching actions can truly influence change.

Dimension 1: What

The feedback should be relevant, informative and not subjective. Collecting information about what a job entails (Job Analysis) can help reduce irrelevant feedback. Using examples of behaviour (Behavioral Anchoring) can help calibrate understanding and make the feedback less subjective.

Dimension 2: Who

Feedback should be triangulated by multiple perspectives to be comprehensive and unbiased; we can achieve this by getting others (co-workers, customers) involved and adding a self-evaluation component to provide a prospective of fairness.

Dimension 3: When

Time is a very important dimension in performance management. Collection of information should occur throughout the performance period, meaning final evaluation is based on performance and not recent memory. Delivery of information should occur throughout the performance period, to help with mid-course corrections of performance, better for the employee AND better for the company.

Dimension 4: Who

Leaders need courage to use the information gathered productively, for example by confronting conflicts (e.g. poor performers). Leaders can foster courage through accountability, and should be open to evaluating even their own capabilities.