Guidelines for Initial Implementation
The activities in performance management guidelines for application are a recurring cycle of highly integrated
activities. Over time, they occur as a very meaningful conversation among leaders
in the organization. The styles in conducting the activities range from implicit
and unfolding to explicit and well-planned, depending on the culture of the
organization, the complexity of its operations, and the reason for conducting
the performance management process.
- Be sure to form a team to oversee the implementation. There will be much more expertise, energy, and wisdom in a team than if one person is responsible for it all.
- Do not view performance management as a completely new set of activities in your organization. Realize that you have probably already been doing some of them. Now, you are building upon them, expanding them, and improving them.
- Similar to the requirements for accomplishing significant change in organizations, the process of performance management will not be successful if it does not have the full ongoing support and oversight of the top management in the organization, as well as the ongoing effective delegation from the supervisors of those implementing the process.
- Follow the Pareto The principle suggests that, in most things in life, the first 20% of effort generates the first 80% of success. This is true for first implementing the performance management process. Get it implemented during the first year and improve it as you go along.
- Early in the implementation, decide if you will be using the traditional approach or the progressive approach to performance management. The approaches can be quite different.
- While implementing the process, be sure that you see all the perspectives that are involved. All of us have biases or natural ways that we automatically perceive and interpret things in the world, including how we come to conclusions about them. Many times, we are not aware of those biases, despite the significant role they play in what we see and do not see. Understand Your Preferred “Lens” Through Which You View Organizations What’s a Mindset? What’s Yours?
Guidelines to Continuously Evaluate Your Implementation
As you implement and operate the performance management process, whether it
is for an overall organization, team, or individual employee, always be asking
yourselves:
- How might we be more effective in aligning our preferred performance results with the overall goals of the organization?
- How might we be more effective in selecting our performance measures?
- How might we be more effective and efficient in continuing to monitor those measures?
- Was our documented performance plan complete and accurate enough?
- How might we improve our performance appraisal process?
- How successful were we in improving performance where it was needed?
- What changes should we make to our performance management process?
- What changes should we make to how we evaluate the process?
Now, go back and make the necessary changes to how you operate your performance system.