Management Training: Performance Management

One of the most daunting tasks for any manager, and especially a newly appointed manager (who often manage people who were formerly at the same level), is dealing with poor performance. However – not dealing with poor performance will, in the long run, give a manager much bigger problems to overcome.

We cover Performance Management in detail on our Management Training and Leadership Training programmes, as well as on our Appraisals Training Course. All of these courses run on a public basis in Brighton, Sussex.

This article provides some practical advice for managers on how to prepare for, conduct, and follow up a meeting to tackle poor performance

Preparing to raise the issue

1.  Define and clarify the problem

• What is the basis of your concern, and is this justified?   Is the problem serious enough to warrant action?   Can you, and should you, live with it or is the behaviour or performance unacceptable?
• What, precisely, is the gap between the person’s behaviour/performance and what is required?
• ‘Attitude problems’ must be redefined clearly and specifically in terms of the observable behaviour manifested by the person concerned and its effects.  Performance problems need to be quantified or described with reference to agreed and clearly defined standards and guidelines.
• What change do you want to result from the discussion?  You cannot raise an issue without having a clear picture of the new behaviour or revised level of performance you expect from the member of staff.
• What facts/evidence do you have?  Are you happy about the information you have, and about its source?  If you need more information, from where can you get it?  What records or other sources of data exist?  Is there anyone else to whom you need to speak?

Read the rest of "Management Training Tips: How to Address Poor Performance"

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Posted by Andy Trainer in Management Skills Training on April 21st, 2011 | 2 Comments »

performance appraisals

Here is a definition of Performance Management:

“an integrated set of planning and review procedures which cascades down through the organisation to provide a link between each individual and the overall strategy of the organisation.”

Out of Performance Management has arisen the need for Performance Measurement.

Silicon Beach Training provide both Performance Appraisals training and Performance Management training courses in Brighton, Sussex. Private Appraisals and Performance Management courses can be arranged 01273 622272.

Why measure performance?

The main reasons for measuring performance can be summarised under three main headings:

ACCOUNTABILITY
CONTROL
DEVELOPMENT

An increasing emphasis on performance and on the achievement of results is leading to the adoption of performance management schemes by more and more organisations. These schemes may vary in their design and application but nearly all are based on the simple premise of reviewing an individual’s (or a team’s) performance against previously agreed targets. The traditional idea of an annual appraisal meeting where a form was completed and then forgotten until the next year is disappearing, as performance management is accepted as a key part of the manager’s responsibility in developing their staff.

Performance Appraisals

From the point of view of an organisation or a manager, performance appraisal provides an opportunity to assess the value of each individual’s performance over a period of time. It is a learning opportunity for both managers and the individual being appraised and to review:

• If performance was good (i.e. agreed objectives were met or exceeded), what made it good and how can these contributing factors be maintained?
• If performance was merely acceptable, what could the organisation, manager or individual do to improve in the coming appraisal period?
• If performance was below the agreed standard, what were the reasons?

The emphasis in well-designed performance management schemes is not to punish “below-par performance” but to help people to reach a better standard of performance in the future (or maintain an already high standard).

Schemes not designed and applied in this way rarely benefit individuals or the organisation. Performance cannot be appraised without the existence of an explicit standard. So the other major benefit to both organisations and their staff is that it forces discussion and agreement on an objective standard of performance which staff members are supposed to reach.

Conducting a Performance Management Meeting

10 Point Checklist

1. Set a clear agenda and objectives for the meeting and prepare thoroughly.
2. Use specific examples rather than generalities when describing performance, good or bad.
3. Listen!
4. Motivate – balance positive and negative feedback.
5. Focus on behaviour that can be changed rather than on more vague aspects of personality or attitude.
6. Discuss development needs and performance improvement.
7. Summarise to ensure clarity about what has been agreed.
8. Don’t avoid emotive issues if they important.
9. Set SMART objectives. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound.
10. Be prepared to receive feedback on yourself as a manager.

For a practical and comprehensive look at this topic we have a 2 day Performance Management Course which can be customised around your own organisation’s performance management procedures and documentation. We can also arrange Appraisals Course to provide the interpersonal skills required to conduct performance reviews.

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Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills Training on April 15th, 2007 | No Comments »

Performance Appraisals can sometimes be an uncomfortable experience, for both managers and the employees and will often only help in further dividing the manager-employee relationship. Appraisals will often determine the next pay alteration, who is fired and who is promoted, the most common element of this sort of appraisal is often to underline what a person has done wrong.

However what people sometimes forget is that appraisals are there to try and help and improve a person’s performance. It is a method through which managers are able to gather important information from their staff which they then should use to try and better the performance, not only of that individual, but also of the whole project in general. Through focusing on the improvement and bettering of an individual, and not on punishing them for their faults, the emphasis of that appraisal, not to mention the experience of the employee, will no longer be a negative one.

With the correct approach, there should no longer be the division between employee and manager that there once was, now you should get the feeling that you are both working for the same team and that any criticism that you level at an employee is constructive and warranted.

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Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills Training on October 13th, 2009 | No Comments »