CH-12 Performance Management – Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management : Book Guide

Chapter 12 Performance Management Learning Objectives 1. Describe the roles and responsibilities of a supervisor in a system of performance management. Performance management consists of all those things a supervisor must do to enable an employee to achieve organizational objectives. As illustrated in Figure 12.1, the supervisor establishes goals and objectives, coaches, gives feedback, helps the employee adjust performance or take corrective action, documents performance, and rewards performance. Supervisors are responsible for using two-way and frequent informal communication to appraise employee performance on a day-to-day basis and formally at predetermined intervals. Supervisors must keep accurate records of employee performance. Evaluators must understand what is necessary for successful job performance in order to ensure that employees feel the appraisal process is fair. Peer evaluations and 360-degree performance evaluations are ways to provide performance feedback from a wider range of perspectives than just the supervisor’s, which can reduce real or perceived bias, and they can contribute to a more complete performance picture. Including self-rating in the process can facilitate the open discussion of employees’ perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses. 2. Summarize the management tasks required in the performance appraisal process and describe the purposes of a formal appraisal system. Supervisors ideally spend time each day providing performance feedback to employees. As stressed throughout the chapter, there is no substitute for daily feedback on performance. Most organizations require formal performance appraisals at least once each year. Because the decision to retain a new employee is critical, the performance assessment of probationary employees should be done at the end of the probationary period. When there is a serious performance problem, the supervisor should provide immediate feedback. However, ongoing feedback, both positive and negative, should be a regular part of the supervisor’s routine. If the employee is given ongoing feedback, then the annual appraisal should contain no surprises. It should be a review of what the supervisor and employee have discussed during the year. If done properly, formal performance appraisals benefit both the employee and the organization. Companies use performance appraisals as a basis for important decisions concerning promotions, raises, terminations, and the like. Performance appraisals reward employees’ good performance and inform them of strategies they can use to become more productive. The major advantage of a formal appraisal system is that it provides a framework to help the supervisor systematically evaluate performance and communicate to employees how they are doing. Formal appraisals can be employee incentives. They get positive feedback about their performance and know that the formal system documents their performance. Criticism of performance appraisal process dwells on the fact that it often focuses only on past accomplishments or deficiencies. Supervisors can counteract this criticism by emphasizing developmental aspects of performance appraisal. 3. Explain the factors, techniques, and challenges involved in measuring and documenting performance. Appraisal forms may vary in format and approach, but they should allow supervisors to identify the outstanding aspects of the employee’s work, specify performance areas that need improvement, and suggest ways to improve performance. Supervisors should be consistent in applying the terms used to describe an employee’s performance. Not all supervisors judge employees’ performance accurately, and sometimes a supervisor can damage an employee’s morale by giving lower ratings than the employee deserves. Additional perceptual errors include the leniency error, the halo and horn effects, and other rater biases. When completing the appraisal form, the supervisor should focus on the employee’s accomplishments. The results should be described in terms of how much, how well, and in what manner. Whatever the choice of appraisal form, it is important that every appraisal be made in the context of the employee’s job and be based on the employee’s total performance. 4. Discuss the process of conducting a sound appraisal meeting. Although the appraisal meeting may be trying, the entire employee performance appraisal system is of no use if the meeting is ignored or is carried out improperly. The supervisor should begin by stating that the overall purpose of the appraisal meeting is to let employees know how they are doing. The supervisor should give positive feedback for good performance, emphasize strengths the employee can build on, and identify performance aspects that need improvement. The meeting should be conducted in private shortly after the form is completed. How the meeting proceeds depends to a large extent on the employee’s performance. Supervisors should limit criticism to those areas that need correction or improvement. An employee performing at a substandard level must clearly understand that the deficiencies are serious and that substantial improvement is needed. Employees are more apt to agree with an appraisal when they understand the standards of performance and recognize that the appraisal is free of bias. The supervisor should emphasize that the same standards are used to evaluate all employees in the same job. Supervisors may use a critical incident method for documenting employee performance that is very good or unsatisfactory. Employees should be given opportunities to ask questions, and the supervisor should answer them honestly. The supervisor should anticipate questions, potential areas of disagreement, and difficult responses that may arise during the appraisal meeting. Employees should clearly understand their evaluations. New objectives should be set and areas for improvement described. Generally, the employee is asked to sign the appraisal form to prove that the meeting took place. Organizations should have an audit process to resolve conflicts arising from the appraisal. 5. Give examples of coaching strategies that can be used as a follow-up to performance appraisal. Supervisors should serve as coaches in the conduct of their daily activities. During the performance appraisal process, supervisors should provide employees with information, instruction, and suggestions relating to their job assignments and performance. Supervisors can use a coaching approach to prepare high-performing employees for greater responsibility as well as to improve the performance of all employees. Ongoing employee skill development is essential. Based on the performance appraisal, the coach develops a plan for improvement. Specific improvement goals are set. The employee receives instruction and is given an opportunity to practice. The coach provides feedback and encouragement. 6. Identify the benefits and challenges of a promotion-from-within policy. Most employees want to improve and advance in the organization. Promotion from within is a widely practiced personnel policy that is beneficial to the organization and to employee morale. Supervisors know their employees’ strengths and abilities; they do not know as much about individuals hired from outside. When employees know they have a good chance of advancement, they will have an incentive to improve their job performance. In short, promotion from within rewards employees for their good performance and serves notice to other employees that good performance will lead to advancement. At the same time, promotion from within requires the supervisor to provide support to individuals who are promoted so they can successfully make the transition from a peer to a supervisor. Although organizations should promote from within whenever possible, strict adherence to a promotion-from-within policy is not always practical. When internal employees have not received the necessary training, an external candidate may be preferred. Sometimes, too, an outsider may be needed to introduce innovative ideas. Because promotions should serve as an incentive for employees to perform better, it is generally believed that employees with the best performance records should be promoted. Nevertheless, seniority still serves as a basis for many promotions. Seniority is easily understood and withstands charges of favoritism and discrimination. However, a promotional system based solely on seniority removes the incentive for junior employees who want to advance. Although it is difficult to specify an exact basis for employee promotion, there should be appropriate consideration of ability and merit on the one hand and length of service on the other. 7. Discuss the supervisor’s role in employee compensation and outline the goals of an effective compensation program. The supervisor’s staffing function includes making certain that a department’s employees are compensated properly. Many compensation considerations are not within the direct domain of a supervisor. Additional monetary compensation serves, in part, to reward employees who perform at outstanding levels. Some organizations may utilize a pay for performance or gain-sharing program to reward productivity and other gains. Because supervisory responsibility and authority are limited in these areas, supervisors should work closely with the human resources staff to maintain equitable compensation offerings and to ensure that departmental employees are informed and treated fairly in regard to benefits and any bonus plans that may be available. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-2, Learning Objectives Lecture Outline I. The Performance Management Process Management is the process of getting things accomplished with and through people by guiding and motivating those people’s efforts toward common objectives. Clearly, people are an organization’s most important assets and as such must be managed effectively to achieve organizational objectives. A system of performance management identifies all those things a supervisor must do to enable an employee to achieve the organization’s objectives. The system of performance management begins with the supervisor setting the stage for employee success. To ensure that the necessary work is done, the supervisor must monitor performance regularly and provide support, guidance, and direction as needed. See Figure 12.1 Performance Management PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-3, The Performance Management Process PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-4, Figure 12.1 II. The Employee Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is a systematic assessment of how well employees are performing their jobs and the communication of that assessment to them. Supervisors should approach the performance appraisal process from the perspective that it is an extension of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions. When employees understand what is expected of them and the criteria on which they will be evaluated, they will also believe the process is administered fairly and then that performance appraisal serves as a powerful motivational tool. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-5, The Employee Performance Appraisal PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-6, Figure 12.2 PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-7, Figure 12.3 A. The Supervisor’s Responsibility to Do Performance Appraisals A performance appraisal should be done by the employee’s immediate supervisor because the immediate supervisor is usually in the best position to observe and judge how well the employee has performed on the job. In some situations, a “consensus” or “pooled” appraisal may be done by a group of supervisors. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-8, The Employee Performance Appraisal (cont.) PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-9, The Employee Performance Appraisal (cont.) B. Peer Evaluations A peer evaluation is the evaluation of an employee’s performance by other employees of relatively equal rank. However, safeguards must be built in to ensure that peers are basing their evaluations on performance factors and not on bias, prejudice, or personality conflicts. Increasing number of organizations are using a type of evaluation called a 360-degree evaluation, which is based on evaluative feedback regarding the employee’s performance collected from everyone around the employee—from customers, vendors, supervisors, peers, subordinates, and others. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-10, The Employee Performance Appraisal (cont.) C. Self-Evaluations Many effective supervisors find it appropriate to supplement their judgments with self-ratings from subordinates. About a week before the performance review, the employee is asked to conduct a self-evaluation. The supervisor compares the two evaluations to make sure to discuss all important performance specifics in the appraisal meeting. If the supervisor has provided ongoing feedback to the employee, the employee’s self-ratings should be very close to the supervisor’s ratings. What Have You Learned? Question 3 Personal Skill Builder 12-1: Develop Guidelines for Performance Appraisal Personal Skill Builder 12-2: Identify Strengths and Build on Them. Personal Skill Builder 12-3: Technology Tools—Picking Performance Assessment Software Personal Skill Builder 12-1: Batty the Scatterbrain PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-11, The Employee Performance Appraisal (cont.) III. Managing the Appraisal Process Performance evaluation should be a normal part of the day-to-day relationship between a supervisor and employees. If an employee is given ongoing feedback, then the appraisal process should contain no surprises. A. Timing Performance Appraisals If an employee has just started or if the employee has been transferred to a new and perhaps more responsible position, it is advisable to conduct an appraisal within the first couple of weeks. After the probationary period, the timing of appraisal varies. In some organizations, appraisals are done on the anniversary of the date the employee started; in other organizations, appraisals are done once or twice a year on fixed dates. If an employee exhibits a serious performance problem during the evaluation period, the supervisor should schedule an immediate meeting with the employee. This meeting should be followed by another formal evaluation within a week to review the employee’s progress. If the performance deficiency is severe, the supervisor should meet daily with the employee to completely document the performance deficiency and the supervisor’s efforts to help the employee. Ongoing feedback throughout the year, both positive and negative, rewards good performance and fosters improvement. Appraisals reaffirm the supervisor’s genuine interest in employees’ growth and development. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-12, Managing the Appraisal Process PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-13, Figure 12.4 B. Advantages of a Formal Appraisal System A formal appraisal system provides a framework to help the supervisor evaluate performance systematically. It forces the supervisor to scrutinize the work of employees from the standpoint of how well those employees are meeting established standards and to identify areas that need improvement. Organizations that view their employees as long-term assets worthy of development adhere to the philosophy that all employees can improve their performance. Appraisals should become part of employees’ permanent employment records. These serve as documents that are likely to be reviewed and even relied on in decisions concerning promotion, compensation, training, disciplinary action, and termination. A formal appraisal system provides clues to the supervisor’s own performance and may suggest where the supervisor must improve. Formal appraisal systems can be misused as disciplinary devices rather than as constructive feedback tools aimed at rewarding good performance and helping employees improve. What Have You Learned? Question 1 PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-14, Managing the Appraisal Process (cont.) PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-15, Managing the Appraisal Process (cont.) PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-16, Figure 12.5 IV. The Performance Appraisal Process A formal employee performance appraisal by a supervisor involves completing a written appraisal form and conducting an appraisal interview. A. Completing an Appraisal Form To facilitate the appraisal process and make it more uniform, most firms use performance appraisal forms. These forms are usually prepared by the HR department with input from employees and supervisors. Once, the forms are in place, the HR department usually trains supervisors and employees in their proper use. PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-16, The Performance Appraisal Process B. Factors in Measuring Performance Most appraisal forms include factors that serve as criteria for measuring job performance, skills, knowledge, and abilities. Following are some of the factors that are most frequently included on employee appraisal rating forms: job knowledge, timeliness of output, positive and negative effects of efforts, dependability, safety, suggestion and ideas generated, dependability (absenteeism, tardiness, work done on time), safety, amount of supervision required (initiative), aptitude, cooperation (effectiveness in dealing with others), adaptability, ability to work with others, etc. (See the text on page 454 for an exhaustive list) For each of these factors, the supervisor may be given a “check-the-box” choice or a place to fill in the employee’s achievements. Ideally, the supervisor should write a narrative to justify the evaluation. Self-appraisals give employees an opportunity to think about their achievements and prepare for the appraisal meeting. PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-17, The performance Appraisal Process PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-18, Figure 12.6 C. Performance Appraisal Software Various vendors have developed software that allows supervisors to move beyond the often cumbersome paper-based performance appraisal process. On some performance appraisal forms, the supervisor can choose from the list of factors for a given job (e.g., personal efficiency, job knowledge, judgment). Software can weight each factor according to its importance to the employee’s job. Then, to determine whether the employee has met, exceeded, or failed to meet the performance standard, the supervisor can rate statements that appear on the screen. Regardless of the system used, for a performance review to be effective, it must be built on factual information that is the culmination of the observed and reported incidents of the employee’s performance. Clearly, supervisors must get in the habit of recording positive and negative performance information as incidents occur. PowerPoint Presentation Slides 12-19, The performance Appraisal Process (cont.) D. Problems in the Appraisal Process First, not all raters agree on the meaning of such terms as exceptional, very good, satisfactory, fair, and unsatisfactory. Another problem is that one supervisor may be more severe than another in the appraisal of employees. A supervisor who gives lower ratings than other supervisors for the same performance is likely to damage the morale of employees, who may feel they have been judged unfairly. In contrast to this supervisor, some supervisors tend to be overly generous or lenient in their ratings. The leniency error occurs when supervisors give employees higher ratings than they deserve. Supervisors should be aware of the problems of the halo effect and the horns effects, each of which causes a rating in one factor to inspire similar ratings in other factors. The above example of errors that can be made in assessing performance are examples of rater bias, the influence an individual’s conscious thinking processes can have on the decisions and judgments he or she makes. The supervisor should ask what conditions exist when the job is done well. These conditions, called performance standards, are job-related requirements by which the employee’s performance will be evaluated. Effectiveness and efficiency measures are part of these standards. Every appraisal should be made in the context of each employee’s job, and every rating should be based on the employee’s total performance. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-20, Performance Appraisal Process Continues (cont.) V. The Appraisal Meeting The second major part of the appraisal process is the evaluation or appraisal meeting. A. The Right Purposes The primary purposes of appraisal meetings are to let the employee know how they are doing and help them set goals for future performance. In the interest of maintaining employees’ productive behaviors, supervisors formally praise employees for their past and current good performance. Supervisors also use appraisal meetings to help employees develop good future performance. Finally, supervisors use appraisal meetings to explain behavior that needs to be corrected and the need for improvement. B. The Right Time and Place Appraisal meetings should be held shortly after the performance rating process has been completed, preferably in a private setting. To enable employees to prepare for their appraisal meetings and to consider what they would like to discuss, supervisors should make appointments with employees several days in advance. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-21, The Appraisal Meeting C. Conducting the Appraisal Meeting While appraisal meetings tend to be directive, they can take on nondirective characteristics because employees may bring up issues that supervisors did not expect or of which they were unaware. The manner in which the supervisor conducts the appraisal meeting influences how the employee reacts. After a brief, informal opening, the supervisor should state that the purpose of the meeting is to assess the employee’s performance in objective terms. The supervisor should review the employee’s achievements during the review period, compliment the employee on those accomplishments, identify the employee’s strengths, and then proceed to areas that need improvement. A secret of success is to get the employee to agree on his or her strengths first because it is easier to build on strengths than weaknesses. Limiting criticism to just one or two points, rather than all minor transgressions, draws attention to the major areas that need improvement without being overwhelming. The supervisor must get the employee to agree on the areas that need correction or improvement. The supervisor works with employee to create an action plan for improvement, with expectations and progress checkpoints along the way. During the appraisal meeting, the supervisor should emphasize that everybody in the same job in the same department is evaluated using the same standards. This is sometimes called the critical incident method. To use this method, the supervisor must keep file of noted describing situations in which employees performed in an outstanding fashion or situations in which their work was clearly unsatisfactory. The value of the appraisal meeting depends on the employee’s ability to recognize the need for self-improvement and the employee’s ability to stimulate in the employee a desire to improve. See Figure 12.8 Comprehensive Performance Appraisal Checklist on Page 461 PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-22, The Appraisal Meeting (cont.) D. Closing the Appraisal Meeting When closing the appraisal meeting, the supervisor should be certain that employees clearly understand their performance ratings. In situations in which an employee’s performance needs improvement, the supervisor and employee should agree on some mutual skill-building goals. Many organizations ask that employees sign their performance appraisal forms after the meetings. If a signature is requested as proof that the supervisor actually held the meeting, the supervisor should so inform the employee. Many organizations have an audit or a review process to review supervisor’s appraisal decisions. The purposes of this audit are to ensure that evaluations are done fairly and to give employees a means of resolving conflicts arising from the appraisal process. With or without a formal appraisal system, supervisors must provide regular feedback on performance. See Supervisory Tips Box Practical Suggestions for Improving Employee Performance What Have You Learned? Question 4 Team Skill Builder 12-2: I Hate Performance Management! PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-23, The Appraisal Meeting (Cont.) VI. Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Coaching Employees Coaching, a frequent supervisor activity, gives employees information, instructions, and suggestions relating to their job assignments and performance. In addition to being a coach, the supervisor should be a cheerleader and a facilitator who guides employee behaviors toward desired results. NOTE: Most people think that coaching is easy. If the instructor has a few extra minutes, use the following illustration: Select a student who is wearing a pair of shoes that required him or her to tie them. Bring the student to the front of the room, and direct him or her to sit in a chair facing away from the rest of the class. Compliment the student on his or her ability to tie the shoes, and ask if he or she could do the job blindfolded. The person will usually answer “yes.” This person is now the coach. Then bring another student who is wearing tie-shoes to the front of the room. Seat him or her in a chair facing the class. Ask the student to untie the shoes and do exactly what the other student instructs. The coach must tell the other person how to tie his or her shoes. The trainee is to do exactly what the coach says. It is likely that the coach will tell the person to pick up a lace with each hand. The instructor will have to help the trainee. Have the trainee pick up the left hand lace of the left shoe with the left hand and the right hand lace of the right shoe with the right hand. The coach will rarely be specific enough. Usually the instructor will end up with a situation where the trainee has tied the two shoes together. An analysis of the coaching effort by the class will yield some very good comments on what the coach should or could have done better. Maybe the coach could have asked the trainee if he or she knew how to tie shoes. This is a good ice-breaker and a way to demonstrate that sometimes the instructor knows how to do a task so well that we could do it in our sleep, yet the instructor cannot teach others how to do it the correct way. Remember: Perfect practice makes perfect! The supervisor’s follow-up role in performance appraisal varies with the assessment. As a rule, supervisors use coaching to help superior employees prepare for greater responsibility as well as improve the performance of all employees. Effective supervisors recognize that ongoing employee skill development is critical to the organization’s success. Instruction, practice, and feedback are essential elements of development. Generally, though, the employees who benefit most from coaching are the average performers, not the superstars. Employee performance usually improves when specific improvement goals are established during the performance appraisal. It is important that supervisors realize that they are responsible for improving the performance of deficient employees. The supervisor must remember that employees cannot improve unless they know exactly what is expected. Rarely, when action plans fail to improve performance and unsatisfactory performance continues, termination may be necessary. Good coaching can avoid termination in many cases. See Figure 12.9 Questions to Determine Coaching Strategies What Have You Learned? Question 5 PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-24, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Coaching Employees PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-25, Figure 12.9, VII. Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Promoting Employees Given proper encouragement, many employees strive to improve their performance and eventually be promoted. A promotion usually means advancement to a job with more responsibility, more privileges, higher status, greater potential, and higher pay. A. Promoting from Within Most organizations have policies for promoting employees. The policy of promotion from within is widely practiced, and it is important to both an organization and its employees. For the organization, it means a steady source of trained personnel for higher positions; for the employees, it is a major incentive to perform better. Occasionally, a supervisor might want to bypass an employee for promotion because the productivity of the department will suffer until a replacement is found and trained. It is better for the organization in the long run to have the best qualified people in positions where they can make the greatest contributions to the organization’s success. There would be little reason for employees to improve if they believed that the better and higher-paying jobs were reserved for outsiders. Most employees are more motivated when they see a link between excellent performance and a reward they covet. Also, the supervisors should be sensitive to employees who appear to be satisfies in their present positions. However, if the supervisor believes that such an employee has excellent qualifications for promotion, the supervisor should offer all the encouragement and counsel that may make a promotion attractive to the employee for current or future consideration. B. Modifying a Promotion-From-Within Policy If there are no qualified internal candidates for a position, then someone from the outside must be recruited. At times, bringing a new employee into a department may be desirable because this person brings different ideas and fresh perspectives to the job. Another reason for recruiting employees from the outside is that an organization may not be in a position to train its own employees in the necessary skills. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-26, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Promoting Employees C. Criteria for Promoting from Within Typically, more employees are interested in being promoted than there are openings. Because promotions should be incentives for employees to perform better, some supervisors believe that employees who have the best records of production, quality, and cooperation are the ones who should be promoted. In some situations, however, it is difficult to measure such aspects of employee performance accurately or objectively, even when supervisors have made a conscientious effort in the form of merit ratings or performance appraisals. D. Seniority Seniority is an employee’s length of service in the department or organization. Some supervisors feel that an employee’s loyalty, as expressed by length of service, deserves to be rewarded. Basing promotion on seniority also assumes that an employee’s abilities tend to increase with service. Probably the most serious drawback to using seniority is that it discourages young employees—those with less seniority. E. Merit and Ability Merit usually refers to the quality of an employee’s job performance. Ability means an employee’s ability or potential to perform or to be trained to perform a higher-level job. Supervisors often are in the best position to determine the degree to which merit and ability are necessary to compensate for less seniority. F. Balancing Criteria Good supervisory practice attempts to attain a workable balance among merit, ability, and seniority. When selecting from among the most qualified candidates available, the supervisor may decide to choose essentially on the basis of seniority. Or the supervisor may decide that, in order to be promoted, the employee who is most capable but who has less seniority will have to be far better than those with more seniority. Because promotion decisions can have great significance, the preferred solution would be to apply all criteria equally. What Have You Learned? Question 6 PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-27, Managing Performance appraisal Results: Promoting Employees (cont.) VIII. Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Compensating Employees Although it is not always recognized to as such, a supervisor’s staffing function includes helping to determine the relative worth of jobs. Typically, wage rates and salary schedules are formulated by higher level management, by the HR department, by union contract, or by government legislation or regulation. In this respect, the supervisor’s authority is limited. The objectives of a compensation program should be to: •Eliminate pay inequities to minimize dissatisfaction and complaints among employees •Establish and/or maintain sufficiently attractive pay rates so that qualified employees are attracted to and retained by the company •Conduct periodic employee merit ratings to provide the basis for comparative performance rewards •Control labor costs with respect to productivity gains •Reward employees for outstanding performance or for the acquisition of additional skills and knowledge Generally, the HR department establishes compensation levels that will attract and retain competent employees. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-28, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Compensation Employees A. The Supervisor’s Role in Compensation Decisions Although a sound and equitable compensation structure should be of great concern to everyone in management, it is an area in which supervisors typically have limited direct authority. However, supervisors should try to make higher-level managers aware of serious compensation inequities at the departmental level. Generally, an individual employee or team of employees will be given a merit raise when they achieve some performance objective. It is imperative that supervisors be able to justify and document performance evaluations regardless of whether the employee exceeded expectations, met expectations, or did not meet expectations, and be able to explain how the performance evaluation relates to the raise an employee might receive. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-29, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Compensating Employees (cont.) B. Recommending Wage Adjustments Some organizations use pay for performance plans. In pay for performance, compensation is based on employee or group performance goals. Among these approaches are special cash awards, bonuses for meeting performance targets, or cost-cutting targets. Gain-sharing plans are group reward programs. Group or team rewards are often used when the individual contributions are not easily identifiable. Unfortunately, too often supervisors automatically recommend full wage increases without seriously considering whether each employee deserves such a raise. PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-30, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Compensating Employees (cont.) C. Compensation Concerns Employees commonly compare their compensation to that of others. This becomes a serious motivational problem for the supervisor when the organization has wages or benefits that are considerably lower than those for similar jobs at other firms in the community. Supervisors should make every effort to stay informed about their organization’s compensation systems and should consult the HR or benefits office when questions arise. Moreover, supervisors should permit and even encourage employee to visit the HR department or the appropriate manager for advice and assistance concerning benefits and compensation problems. What Have You Learned? Question 7 Personal Skill Builder 12-4: Batty the Scatterbrain PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-31, Managing Performance Appraisal Results: Compensation Employees (cont.) PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-32, Figure 12.10 PowerPoint Presentation Slide 12-33, Key Terms Answers to What have you Learned? 1. What are the major purposes of a performance management system? How do appraising, coaching, promoting, and compensating employees fit into the system? Appraising employee performance on a regular basis is one of the key factors that have an important influence on the employee’s future performance. Coaching is an ongoing task that gives employees information, instructions, and suggestions related to their job assignments and performance. Promotion of employees is generally based on the recognition of their past performance. Students should note that supervisors need to prepare their subordinates for these positions of additional responsibility through coaching. Compensating represents the pay or rewards that employees receive for their efforts. Employees are the most important resource of a company, especially in the long run. Thus, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to make certain that employees know what is expected, to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs) to do the assigned tasks, and to provide positive consequences when they perform well. Some students have indicated, and rightfully so, that the system of performance management is really a “co-partnership” system. That is, the employee shares responsibility for his or her development and makes certain that the supervisor enables them to be the best they can be. The author believes that employees must take more of a responsibility for their own personal wellbeing. 2. What are some of the factors that most frequently included on employee performance appraisal forms? Why should most performance appraisal forms include space for supervisors to write comments about the employee being evaluated? While employee performance appraisal is a daily, ongoing aspect of the supervisor’s job, the focus of this chapter is on the formal performance appraisal system. The purpose of the formal system is to evaluate, document, and communicate job achievements in understandable and objective terms, as well as secondary results of employee effort compared with job expectations. This is done by considering such factors as the job description, performance standards, specific objectives, and critical incidents for the evaluation period. The evaluation is based on direct observation of the employee’s work over a set period. Most appraisal forms include factors that serve as criteria for measuring job performance, skills, knowledge, and abilities. Following are some of the factors that are most frequently included on employee appraisal rating forms: •Job knowledge •Timeliness of output •Positive and negative effects of effort •Suggestions and ideas generated •Dependability (absenteeism, tardiness, work done on time) •Safety •Amount of supervision required (initiative) •Aptitude •Cooperation (effectiveness in dealing with others) •Adaptability •Ability to work with others •Ability to learn •Quantity and quality of work •Effectiveness of resource use •Customer service orientation •Judgment •Appearance The importance of documenting personnel decisions cannot be overemphasized. It is becoming increasingly important for organizations to maintain accurate records to protect themselves against possible charges of discrimination in connection with promotion, compensation, and termination, thus the important of providing space for supervisors to write comments about the employee being evaluated. 3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using peer ratings, 360-degree evaluations, or an employee self-rating approach? Increasing numbers of organizations are using a type of evaluation called a 360-degree evaluation, which is based on evaluative feedback regarding the employee’s performance collected from everyone around the employee—from customers, vendors, supervisors, peers, subordinates, and others. These 360-degree evaluations give employees feedback on their skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs), and on job-related effectiveness from sources that see different aspects of their work. This approach gives employees a broader perspective of what they do well and where they need to improve. Ideally, the 360-degree evaluation should be the pooled judgment of evaluations from numerous sources that have information concerning the employee including customers. All of these people must have familiarity with job requirements, expectations, and performance standards. From the evaluations by these various sources, employees receive a most complete picture of how they are doing and their impact upon and relationship with others. Researchers have found that “although participants generally view multi-source feedback (360-degree) as useful, they identify follow-up on the development activities based on the feedback as the most critical factor in the future development of a person. Self-evaluations can give an employee the opportunity to rate himself or herself, and compare that rating to one from peers or the supervisor. This can help highlight whether the supervisor has given employees sufficient feedback. The more an employee’s self-evaluation differs from the supervisor’s evaluation, the more likely that insufficient feedback has been given throughout the year. 4. What are the characteristics of effective performance feedback? Ongoing feedback throughout the year, both positive and negative, rewards good performance and fosters improvement. Over time, ongoing feedback, as well as formal appraisals, can become an important influence on employee motivation and morale. Appraisals reaffirm the supervisor’s genuine interest in employees’ growth and development. Most employees would rather be told how they are doing—even if it involves some criticism—than receive no feedback from their supervisors. Effective supervisors provide their subordinates with day-to-day feedback on performance. Regular feedback on performance is essential to improve employee performance and to provide the recognition that will motivate employees to sustain satisfactory performance. 5. What are some of the challenges involved in measuring and documenting employee performance? Students’ answers will vary. Some of the challenges involved in measuring and documenting employee performance include: •Not all raters agree on the meaning of such terms as exceptional, very good, satisfactory, fair, and unsatisfactory. •One supervisor may be more severe than another in the appraisal of employees. •Some supervisors tend to be overly generous or lenient in their ratings. •Supervisors should be aware of the problems of the halo effect and the horns effect, each of which causes a rating in one factor to inspire similar ratings in other factors. •Rater bias can substantially affect the ways in which supervisors evaluate employees’ work. •The supervisor’s values, stereotypes, experiences, culture, background, personality differences with individual workers, understanding of the assessment process, or even simply being distracted can affect how he or she assesses individual employee performance. 6. Describe the major components of an appraisal meeting. What are some of the challenges that can arise during this type of meeting? The text provides an extensive set of guidelines for conducting the appraisal interview. Emphasize that an appraisal interview may take any number of directions and still be successful, depending upon the interview climate and the responses of the employee being appraised. Have students with substantial work experiences share their personal experiences with performance appraisals. They probably have some interesting illustrations of how not to do them. When discussing the performance appraisal interview, the instructor may wish to review the text material concerning interviewing. An appraisal is incomplete unless the appraisal interview is conducted with frankness, honesty, and in a professional manner. Weaknesses must be pointed out to an employee, but suggestions and ideas for improvement should also be discussed. Each employee should understand what he or she must do in order to receive a better appraisal for the next appraisal period. 7. Outline a coaching program for an employee who exhibits unsatisfactory behaviors. How will your program meet the needs of both the organization and the employee? Appraisal forms may vary in format and approach, but they should allow supervisors to identify the unsatisfactory aspects of the employee’s work, specify performance areas that need improvement, and suggest ways to improve performance. Supervisors should be consistent in applying the terms used to describe an employee’s performance. Not all supervisors judge employees’ performance accurately, and sometimes a supervisor can damage an employee’s morale by giving lower ratings than the employee deserves. Additional perceptual errors include the leniency error, the halo and horn effects, and other personal biases. Supervisors should view the performance appraisal process as an extension of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions. They should explain to employees what is expected and the criteria on which they will be evaluated, and provide regular feedback. Documenting personnel decisions is increasingly important for protection against charges of discrimination. 8. What are the benefits and challenges of a promotion-from-within policy? Most organizations have policies for promoting employees. The policy of promoting from within is widely practiced, and it is important to both an organization and its employees. For the organization, it means a steady source of trained personnel for higher positions; for employees, it is a major incentive to perform better. When employees work for organizations for a long time, more is usually known about them than even the best selection processes and interviews could reveal about outside applicants for the same job. Supervisors should know their employees well; they do not know individuals hired from outside until those individuals have worked for them for some time. Additional job satisfaction results when employees know that stronger efforts on their part may lead to more interesting and challenging work, higher pay and status, and better working conditions. Most employees are more motivated when they see a link between excellent performance and a reward they covet. When considering promotion for an employee, the supervisor should recognize that what management considers a promotion may not always be perceived as such by the employee. The supervisor should be sensitive to employees who appear to be satisfied in their present positions. Such employees may prefer to stay with their fellow employees and to retain responsibilities with which they are familiar and comfortable. The supervisor should not pressure them to accept higher-level positions. However, if the supervisor believes that such an employee has excellent qualifications for promotion, the supervisor should offer all the encouragement and counsel that may make a promotion attractive to the employee for current or future consideration. 9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of promotion based on seniority? The advantages of promotion based on seniority are that it tends to reduce favoritism and discrimination. Supervisors are often comfortable with this concept as well, and it takes considerably less work in terms of evaluation if candidates are chosen based on factors other than seniority. However, probably the most serious drawback to this philosophy is that it discourages the younger employees. Younger employees, who typically have less seniority, may see promotion based on seniority as a road block to their advancement within the company. This can have a crippling effect on such an employee’s motivation to improve and perform at a higher-than-average level. In fact, if seniority is the only criteria used in the selection process, they may see no incentive to perform well at all. 10. Explain the following statement: “Wage increases should be based solely on performance measures.” How does the supervisor develop clear guidelines for determining who gets a raise and how much they should get? This statement is referring to a pay for performance culture, in which higher performers are paid more and lower performers are paid less. Average performers are paid somewhere in the middle. When employees see a link between their performance and their pay, it is a strong motivator to strive for better performance to attain the higher reward. The assumption is that if the employee performs at a higher level, the firm should reap a benefit. Thus, they should theoretically be able to afford to pay more money to those employees. The fundamental key in instituting a pay-for-performance system is an effective employee performance appraisal system. Without a clear measure of how an employee is contributing to the goals of the department, and to the success of the firm, it is difficult to determine who should receive raises or how much they should get. Often times, the guidelines for determining how much of a raise someone should get will be determined in large part by the human resources department and high-level management, as part of the overall compensation strategy of the firm. That said, supervisors should play a significant contributing role in recommending raises based on the performance of their employees. Answers to Personal Skill Building Personal Skill Builder 12-1: Develop Guidelines for Performance Appraisal In this Personal Skill Builder, students have to interview two people who are currently employed full-time and ask them the questions mentioned in the text. After interviewing them, students should write a one- to two-page paper on their findings and describe the circumstances and supervisor actions that contribute to positive employee morale and development. Personal Skill Builder 12-2: Identify Strengths and Build on Them 1. Think of the best teacher you have ever known. Make a list of his or her strengths. Should these become standard for all teachers? Why or why not? Students’ answers will vary. If “best teacher” means easiest, high grader, nonattendance records, etc., then “best” will be debatable; assessment of “best” should be the standard for this question. This could be a “group think” question. Have someone scribe for the group and have the students brainstorm their responses. After the students have agreed on the criteria, go to the NISOD characteristics of teaching excellence and have them compare their group responses to the standard established for all teachers. 2. If your instructor informed you that you will be responsible for conducting the next class meeting in his or her absence, what tactics and techniques that you observed in your best teacher might help you to lead the class? Students’ answers will vary. A class agenda, organization, visual aids, and chapter objectives would be tactics and techniques that the instructor should have modeled for the students prior to this assignment. In addition, techniques for class participation are keys to successfully conducting a class; student engagement in content helps them to not only to learn from the group, but also to solidify their own learning. 3. Have you ever written that best teacher a letter or sent him or her a note of thanks? If not, write that teacher a letter or send an e-mail, thanking the teacher for the great job he or she did. Students’ answers will vary. This is an important and interesting exercise; seldom do teachers receive the recognition that they may have earned. Most campuses have an outstanding teacher award; however, only one of many is annually recognized with this distinction. A personal note or letter from a student is a powerful way to recognized someone who has made a difference in your life. 4. How hard was it for you write that letter of praise? Why do you suppose that some managers find it difficult to get praise? Students’ answers will vary. If one has not received praise for a “job well done,” it is often difficult to praise others. Sometimes the adage that “they know that they are doing a good job” is a misnomer; it is important that everyone (employees, employers, teachers, and students) know that we are appreciated. A communication of appreciation is very impactful in the workplace. 5. What about the worst teacher you ever had? Did you take action to try to improve his or her performance? Why or why not? Often students are afraid to take action against a teacher because of retaliation; the teacher holds the power of the grade; however, if appropriate, students should be encouraged to provide feedback to the proper supervisor and share their experience after the class is finished. Sometimes a face-to-face encounter is more appropriate. If students have ever shared with the instructor is in a respectful, nonhostile manner, what should the instructor do or say in the classroom that was upsetting or hurtful to them. The instructor will have an opportunity to reflect on the situation and perhaps explain or apologize for his or her behavior. No one likes to hear negative feedback; however, it is a growth opportunity. Personal Skill Builder 12-3: Technology Tools—Picking Performance Assessment Software In this Personal Skill Builder, students should visit the websites as mentioned in the text, review the information on the applications, and evaluate their first impressions of the applications on the criteria based on—available features, ease of understanding, ease of use by manager, ease of use by employee, and cost (if such information is available). After the review and evaluation of the applications, students should rank three applications in order of their preference and write a 100- or 200-word review of each of these applications. Students should then reflect on the evaluation experience and state whether they needed more information than suggested to carry out the evaluation. They should also state reasons supporting their answer. Personal Skill Builder 12-4: Batty The Scatterbrain This skills application is founded on a report from John Peters, an accounting department supervisor for the Pine Village Community Medical Center (CMC). Wilma is a lovable but forgetful and unreliable employee in Peters’ department. It appears from the report that all of Wilma’s co-workers and her immediate supervisor have become frustrated with her behavior. After repeated attempts to help Wilma and hold her hand through seemingly routine work activities, she is still unable to grasp the fundamentals. Wilma’s co-workers like her and have repeatedly tried to help but to no avail. Wilma remains unorganized and her work performance is unsatisfactory. The dilemma now is what else John Peters should do to correct the situation. The people problem is hurting the overall productivity of the accounting department. Peters should review the previous corrective behavior actions he has taken with Wilma. Students need to be reminded that supervisors must provide daily feedback on performance and document performance—particularly performance that is below expectations. What has Peters done to enable Wilma to be a better employee? What are the consequences (to Wilma) when she does not perform adequately? In other words, what are the payoffs of being a scatterbrain? Are there personal problems or problems that Wilma is encountering in her daily work routine that preclude her from doing the job? Peters must determine what it is that he really wants to change about Wilma’s behavior. He could apply the concepts for behavior modification. He must take a proactive approach to help Wilma improve her performance. Peters needs to set a “what by when” goal and deadline so that Wilma knows what she must do to improve and understands that if her performance does not improve, she will suffer unpleasant consequences. It appears that Wilma forgets things on a regular basis. Why does she forget? Is it to get attention from others, or that she just doesn’t want to remember; or that she is not interested in the job or the work assignment, or that she has a selective memory—only remembers what she wants to remember? Based on the Internet search, students may develop the following list to supplement the suggestions for dealing with difficult people found in Figure 12.6: •Remind the person to “Live in the present.” •Make a list of items to be done and monitor their performance closely to make sure they follow it. •Provide them friendly reminders of deadlines. •Have them concentrate on only one thing at a time and focus totally on that one item. •Make sure that whatever they are doing, they are completely concentrated on just that one item. •Provide consequences appropriate for the performance. •If all else fails, be prepared to help them find employment elsewhere. Answers to Team Skill Building Team Skill Builder 12-1: What Would You Do at CMC? Students need to reread “You Make the Call!” at the beginning of the chapter. Next, students need to form groups of three in order to perform this activity. The students need to use the Internet to find current articles that are based on how employees can be the best they can be. These findings need to be shared with the rest of the class. 3. Food for thought questions: a. What do you think about Rita Sheldon’s strategy for performance appraisal? b. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of having several colleagues answer the following questions about Fred: (i) What does Fred Young do well? (ii) What one thing does Fred Young need to improve on? c. What other questions might Rita ask of Fred’s colleagues to help her to help Fred be the best employee he can be? Rita Sheldon’s strategy for performance appraisal is that of peer evaluations. Peers usually have close working relationships and know more than the supervisor about an individual’s contributions. Generally, employees work cooperatively to achieve common goals. To safeguard the peer rating process, supervisors can incorporate the input from all peers into one composite evaluation. Then, ratings that may be high due to friendship or low due to bias will cancel each other out. Safeguards that ensure confidentiality and minimize bias are critical to the effective use of peer evaluations. An advantage of having colleagues of Fred answer the question might reveal the true account of how Fred carries out the tasks assigned to him. A disadvantage could be that his colleagues could have a vendetta against him or be prejudiced by him. Safeguards that ensure confidentiality and minimize bias are critical to the effective use of peer evaluations. Rita can ask Fred’s colleagues to assist him when in need of assistance and guide him to complete his tasks. As Fred might rather go to his colleagues for assistance rather than come forward to Rita. 4. Based on your readings in this chapter, what suggestions would you make to Rita? Rita should begin the appraisal meeting with the positive things she has to say about Fred Young and his performance. And if there are many negatives, then she should have more than one appraisal meeting with Fred to discuss his performance. She should also suggest coaching methods and set goals for his performance. As Fred is an average performer, he must develop his skills and learn the fundamentals. Rita should draft a plan for Fred’s improvement and make Fred agree that he needs to improve his skills. After developing the plan, she can instruct him on how to improve his skills and allow him to practice. Then, she can observe his performance, provide feedback about the effectiveness of the performance, and offer further instruction and encouragement as needed. NOTE: This creative TSB gives students a chance to demonstrate the knowledge that they have learned throughout the course. Encourage them to become the role-play characters and demonstrate their SKAs. Team Skill Builder 12-2: I Hate Performance Management! Prior to conducting the appraisal review, students should decide if they want to use a particular evaluation form. They may want to bring in one from their own workplace or search the Web for an appropriate form. Refer to this chapter’s Supervisory Tips box for practical suggestions for improving employee performance. Instructors have found it effective to “salt” (or coach) the participants. For example, students playing the role of Tony Becker could be instructed to be aggressive, arrogant, and to dominate the discussion. Miss Cue could be instructed to whine and cry about the unfairness of the situation: “You’re just out to get me!” Instructors should pass out the Observer Recording forms to the observers in advance of the role-play exercise. A review of the items tells students whether or not they should make adjustments to their appraisal approach. Practice, practice, practice is needed for people to feel comfortable when conducting performance appraisals. Situation A can be used to spark discussion of whether high performers can continue to improve when the doors to advancement opportunity appear to be closed. All employees can benefit from coaching. A key question with this situation is what can be done to help Alyn Adams progress in his career. The process of assessing performance and communicating that assessment to Tony Becker (Situation B) and Miss Cue (Situation C) is easier if the supervisor and employee have previously agreed on the factors to measure performance—performance standards—and there is documentation to support the appraisal. During the appraisal the supervisor should identify the poor performance, work with Tony to develop a course of action to improve, provide feedback, and reinforce improvements. It will be easier to discuss performance deficiencies if there has been frequent communication and, thus, there will be no surprises. Answers to Supervision in Action Questions Video Clip: Barcelona—Quality and Performance 1. What do you think about the performance appraisal system at the Barcelona Restaurant Group? Students’ answers to this question might vary. The Barcelona Restaurant Group uses different kinds of performance evaluations. It has secret shopper reports, video cameras to observe employees, and self-evaluations. The video camera acts as an aid to supervise how the employees are performing their tasks. Employees also put some efforts into becoming more productive at work. They have “War Room” every Wednesday where all the chefs, employees, and managers come together and discuss the performance and quality of service at the restaurants, review shoppers reports, and what managers are hearing from the guests, and it’s a great chance for the restaurants learn from each other. They also have comment cards which have a comment about the restaurant’s service and quality of food from customers. 2. How do you think that the Barcelona Restaurant Group deals with employees performing below expected levels? Students’ answers to this question might vary. When the general managers and chefs meet in “War Room” every Wednesday, they get worksheets to work on to improve their productivity and improve the restaurant’s quality of service. The chefs work on the worksheets and remedy their mistakes in previous week’s performance. 3. How do you think the “War Room” meetings can be more productive? Students’ answers for this question might vary. Students may suggest any number of measures for making the “War Room” meetings more productive in the firm. Instead of doing worksheets, the chefs could have “hands-on” exercises that would help them in cooking and creating better food and directing their subordinates. Chefs could also have a competition in reducing the time taken to create a dish. The general managers could also brainstorm ways to make customers’ experiences even better by having impromptu events such as the “100th” customer on a special day would get a surprise from the restaurant, the number could vary as per the number of customers visiting a restaurant on special holidays. Chefs could also be challenged to come up with recipes that would include leftovers. 4. What do you think are the main challenges that Barcelona might be facing today in terms of managing its employees’ performances? Students’ answers to this question might vary. Barcelona relies on customer reviews and cameras for monitoring employees’ performances. The general managers also eavesdrop on customers’ conversations about the service in the restaurant, be it the food quality or the servers. 5. What do you think are the important factors when managing performance of employees in restaurants? Students’ answers to this question might vary. Employees’ performances must show consistency. They also must be able to deliver the food in the least possible time. Other factors would include an employee’s motivation to carry out the tasks allotted to him or her. If the employee is not motivated to come in to work, then such employees might need motivational incentives be it monetary or nonmonetary. If the employees are not satisfied with the compensation and benefit packages, they might not put in their best efforts and may prefer to changes their place of employment. Video Clip: Simon Sinek—Why Leaders Eat Last 1. Do you think that the environment in which an employee works is responsible for his or her productivity and behavior toward peers and customers of a firm? Why or why not Students’ answers to this question might vary. Some students may agree that the environment in which an employee works is responsible for such factors. If the environment is right, employees have the capacity to perform their best, have the highest productivity, and best behavior toward his or her peers and customers of the firm. If the environment is not right, employees might not feel the need to put in their best efforts. 2. Do you agree with Simon about how a leader should treat his or her employees? Why or why not? Students’ answers to this question might vary. Leadership matters the most when considering the conditions inside a firm, because it is the actions of the leader that sets the tone in a firm. When a leader makes the choice to put the safety and lives of his or her employees first and sacrifices his or her own comforts and sacrifices the tangible results of the firm, the employees begin to feel like staying with the firm, feel safe in their jobs, and feel like they belong there, in that firm. 3. What do you think about the analogy that Simon gives about being a great leader? Do you agree with his analogy? Why or why not? Students’ answers to this question might vary. Simon’s analogy is that a great leader is like being a parent. Great leaders want exactly the same thing that a parent wants for his or her child. A great leader would want to provide his or her employees with opportunity, education, discipline them when necessary, build their self-confidence, give them the opportunity to try and fail all so that they could achieve more than he or she could ever imagine for himself or herself. Students’ answers might vary for the last question. Some students may agree with this perception and some may not. Simon’s analogy is good for retaining employees, boosting their morale, and making employees feel secure and safe about their jobs. It is a good policy to motivate employees and make them to feel a sense of belonging to a firm. 4. Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump, implemented a policy of lifetime employment. What do you think about the policy? Students’ answers to this question might vary. The policy of lifetime employment was implemented to make employees feel secure about their jobs, during the firm’s hard times. Once an employees is hired at Next Jump, under this policy, he or she cannot get fired due to performance issues. In fact, if an employee has performance issues, the firm will coach and support him or her rather than terminate his or her employment. This leads to an increase in safety and security felt by employees, and they will eventually put in their best efforts. 5. What do you think about Bob Chapman’s, who runs a large manufacturing company called Barry-Wehmiller, and the board of directors’ decision when the firm was hit hard by the recession and lost 30 percent of their orders overnight? How did Bob announce the program? And what did that accomplish? Students’ answers will vary. Bob and the board of directors of Barry-Wehmiller came up with a furlough program. Each employee, from secretary to CEO, was required to take 4 weeks of unpaid vacation. They could take it any time they wanted, and they did not have to take it consecutively. Bob announced the program in a way it mattered so much. He said, “It’s better that we should all suffer a little than any of us should have to suffer a lot.” This led to an increase in employee morale and the firm saved $20 million. But, most importantly, when the employees felt secure and safe about their jobs and protected by the leadership in the firm, they quite spontaneously started trading the weeks of vacation with each other, although nobody asked. Those who could afford it more would trade with those who could afford it less. Chapter 12 IM Appendix IM Role-Play Table 3 Observer recording form Name of Supervisor ___________________________________ Situation (A) (B) (C) Name of Rater _______________________________________ 1. Review Figure 14.7: Comprehensive performance appraisal checklist; Figure 14.9: Questions to determine coaching strategies; and Chapter 10’s Supervisory Tips box 2. Strengths of the Interview: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Evaluate the performance of the supervisor using the following guidelines: a. Did they state the purpose of the appraisal? _____ b. Did they inform the employee of the process of the appraisal discussion? _____ c. Did they put the employee at ease? _____ d. Did they review performance standards-specifically what is expected in the way of performance? _____ e. Did they get the employee to engage in self-evaluation? _____ f. Did they present specific performance examples? _____ g. Did they focus on the employee's performance, rather than personality? _____ h. Did they probe for additional information from the employee? _____ i. Did they provide positive feedback for what the employee does well? _____ j. Did they clarify specific examples of how and when the employee did not meet standards? _____ k. Did you leave the employee feeling good about himself or herself and the organization? _____ 1. Did they and the employee develop a specific plan for the future? _____ Copyrighted © 1998. Adopters of Leonard & Hilgert, Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management, are granted permission to photocopy OBSERVER EVALUATION FORM for in-class use with Skills Application 10-3: Role-Play Exercise found on page 372 only. Solution Manual for Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management Edwin C. Leonard , Kelly A. Trusty 9781285866376, 9781111969790