Appraisals: "Surplus" or "Deficit"?
The “Annual Review”
(or Appraisal or Performance Review) is something that many (both appraisers
and appraisees) dread. I have met few
organisations where people feel that the appraisal system really works for the benefit
of individuals, teams and the business.
This is usually because it’s poorly managed, administered,
understood and (at times) not fit for purpose.
I worked for one organisation that changed their appraisal method 3
times during my time there. Clearly
people felt it wasn’t doing what it should.
One refreshing development is that people are now beginning
to realise that everyone has both strengths
as well as weaknesses (or “areas for development/improvement”,
to give them their politically correct description). They’re also realising that different
cultures view the appraisal process in different ways. As a simple example, whilst the West may see
them as a critical part of development, others view “criticism” (which, let’s
face it, is what they are) as a bad thing that shouldn't be done to an
individual’s face, even in private, let alone in writing. Thus, a crudely managed, Western-biased
system, may not go down well in certain countries.
That said, we all (presumably) want to get the best out of
our employees and to develop them as much as we can. Good employees will also want to know how
they can do better. The question is
really one of how we get them to realise, accept and take responsibility for
what they need to do.
Many appraisal systems I’ve seen operate on the “deficit
model”, that is, they point up negative areas of the appraisee. When receiving criticism, our basic instinct
is to go into “fight or flight” mode (even if we know what’s going on). Humans
don't respond well to criticism, and all this stuff about “Tell them something
nice, then the improvement, then something nice again” (or the “sandwich
method” as I call it) doesn't work well with today’s well-educated
workers.
The answer? Ask
people what they think went well and
what could have gone better. Explore with them what could have gone
better and develop action plans around it.
If they’re reluctant to talk about what could go better, lead them there
with a discussion about overall performance and individual elements. Never
present things in black and white terms (however “difficult” the appraisee may
be) and, if necessary, call a break to regroup.
It’s unlikely that we’ll get many “difficult” cases (and that we can probably
even forecast who they’ll be).
The other thing to remember is not to wait until the annual
review to do it. These days, people (especially
younger ones) prefer feedback as soon as possible. How do they prefer it? Praise generally goes
down well if given in pubic and if it’s specific (i.e. “I like the way you
handled that customer. You showed
patience, respect, etc…”). Not only does
it encourage the right behaviour in the individual, but also in those near
enough to listen.
Another tip I’ve learnt the hard way is to catch people
doing right as much as (if not more than) doing wrong. We tend to react better to praise and if
that’s what we mainly get, we’ll be more inclined to accept well-intentioned
“corrections” (especially given in private) when they come. Equally, we tend to remember criticism more
than praise (even if we receive more praise than criticism). Again, the knack is to be specific and
describe the behaviour, rather than
making it a part of the individual.
It all takes practice – something I’m still learning!
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Career, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 09:07
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