The article “Performance Management at the Wheel” the reading for class 10/24/13 was very interesting. I think the research was very straight forward and as to five performance management activites associated behaviors like, performance development, providing feedback, employee development, year-end appraisals and empowerment. These five developmental areas have a major part in my yearly evaluation at my current job.
I have often times wondered why my manager insisted on my input during my evaluations and this study makes me understand that he is using technique from the reading to 1) set expectations as to how I should be developing in my career, and in doing so 2) the manager will offer feedback as to how he can help me in my future career goals. This has always been a major part and I often times wonder why is he so interested in my career progress. 3) This eventually leads to the end of the year and there is no surprise about my final evaluation, because we had both focused on ways of development and growth following the coaching. This will make me be more thrusting and be willing to accept his constructive feedback and be a more engaging employee at the firm.
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This study provides some research behind much of what has been practiced by my supervisors both successfully and unsuccessfully throughout my work experience. The skill level of managers on coaching and goal setting has been vast for me. About two years ago, I was on a term-limited assignment where coaching was severely lacking. Due to the time of the assignment being extremely limited (6 months) and meeting deadlines dominated the scope of the work. Feedback and goal setting only came towards the end, after I had very much figured things out on my own. The romantic ideals of top notch managers as explained in this article were a far reach for my manager at the time.
In hindsight, three variables had a substantial affect on why performance management was not effectively used. 1) Development was not a priority due to the win-lose nature of the industry- politics. As a result, most positions in the organization have a “sink or swim” culture. 2) My manager’s outlook very much echoed that culture and in fact was her personal philosophy. Further, her emotionally charged personality also led her to be very reactive towards the performance of her team, not properly planning and goal setting. 3) This was the first time my manager had ever lead employees before. Both performing her job of being on top of very complex projects and properly evaluating her team was incredibly challenging for her [and it showed]. I share this because this article makes me think of what happens to teams when things do not function very well within the guidelines of performance management and begs the question what can employees [do on their own] to manage up with supervisors who are less skilled in performance management?
I’m not sure this is satisfactory response but employees can ask to meet with supervisors and come with their own agenda of work related issues they would like to discuss. This is not a list of what I owe tomorrow morning, but a list about larger issues of direction, capability, etc.
I debated on making a comment as I did not want to sound negative, I truly wish this were the case that the upper management would be so conscientious about encouraging and helping their employees grow within their department or companies. However, I have found since I have been working in New York in mostly the non-profit arena that I have had exactly one person who coached and guided me along the path in my position. I was grateful and was a better employee because of it. Their were conversations on what were the positives and also I was given constructive criticism, but with tools to improve whatever area I was lacking in and also to go over my goals for the next 6-12months this was extremely helpful. In many instances the performance evaluations end up being b——– sessions that have no consequence or help in the immediate future. This might only be where the agency or employer are crippled at times with regulations, guidelines and deadlines for grants , etc. So the Directors, Managers, and/or Supervisors put off the evaluations until they become mandatory and then they are rushed and not very helpful. Even if you ask for feedback its a long time coming and by then you have gone to someone else and figured it out right or wrong…If you are older it makes a difference sometimes as well because if the person over you is younger and doesn’t necessarily know there job as of yet or not very well and they don’t want to be asked questions that they can’t answer maybe they feel you are attempting to show they lack the skill needed for the position, I am not sure. However, usually you just really need direction and your not attempting to circumvent systems or show someone up. In the end my advice is learn from the person who had the job or has done it before and get as much information as you can do perform the job properly. Barbara
I think way too many companies shy away from developing and training employees. A lot of the issues that arise in the work place could be handled before they reach a crisis point if more companies effectively incorporated this method. It is important to build relationships where people feel comfortable to receive criticism and express how they feel their personal performance, as well as company performance, can be improved. During undergrad I served as President of a campus organization and our advisor always made sure to have “one on one” sit downs with every E-board member. It was such a great way for her to understand each individual and how the other parts of our lives affected our roles in the organization. At first glance it may be hard to see how these individual meetings are beneficial to an entire group but when you reinforce the morale of the individuals in your organization, it will ultimately make your entire unit stronger. We often take for granted how much we can change by being a listening ear, providing support, and providing constructive criticism.
This is a valid point. When a company hires someone, they make an investment in that person, so it would seem that effectively training the employee would help the company reap a huge profit from its investment. But employees, after a short while, sometimes leave one company for another, taking with them the skills and training they learned during their previous stint. At a time when the job market is so unstable and low-level positions are increasingly being outsourced overseas, I would reason that many companies today see training as a wasted investment. The question, then, is what can companies do to attract talented employees and keep them on board for the long-term? Maybe the notion of the “company man” is past its prime, and the best way for employees to acquire training is through on-the-job experience, as they rotate from one company to the next. But is this good for the company?