Effective Performance Evaluations
By: Kelly Graves “The Corporate Therapist™”

This is where you are, but…	THIS is where you want to be…
Evaluation process does not teach or support effective communication. Follow-through on objectives and goals just does not happen.	Ongoing communication is the norm. Measurable results exist. Step by step process with follow through is created. Non-confrontational approach leads to win-win results.  Participants seek consensus and report positive attitudes about evaluation process.
Anxiety is heightened. Communication is strained before during, and after the evaluation.	Employees feel empowered before during and after evaluation process. Employees want to contribute to the organizational goals and departmental objectives.
Evaluations are ONLY seen as a legal requirement with no business value. Evaluations are dreaded by ALL, and not seen as beneficial to any. The evaluation process has NO learning component.	Direct connection between evaluation process and business outcomes Ongoing value-driven professional development piece
The evaluation process often causes stress and erodes trust.	Both manager and performer work together toward solutions  Performance and rewards are measurable and clear Thoughtful evaluation processes produce positive results for all, and lead to creativity
The evaluation tool itself is so generic it is irrelevant to organizational objectives and individual performance standards	Measurement tools are specifically-designed, precise, and flexible. Data collection is specific to organizational objectives and individual performance standards.
Described as “too little, too late,” and “always after the fact,” the whole evaluation system seems to be in a catch up process.	Evaluations lead to proactive, professional development which benefits manager and performer. Process proactively grows organization and staff toward specific goals.

Most organizations approach employee performance evaluations in a “too little, too late” manner. In our experience there are two common themes with the evaluation process. The first theme is that most evaluation tools are chosen by default.

Often busy Owners, HR Directors, and Managers aren’t aware of other options. Imprecise tools lend themselves to nonspecific results leaving the employee and manager with information that is of little use to the individual or the organization.

The second theme relates to the communication skills of the evaluator. Evaluators often do not possess the requisite communication skills to manage the process in a win-win manner. This usually creates more problems than it solves. Academic workshop knowledge alone does not guarantee evaluator effectiveness.

The Evaluation Process

The evaluation process takes considerable practice to produce positive results for the performer and the organization.

Creating a performance evaluation process specific to your organization has the potential to take you and the people in your organization to the next level. Here are the benefits:

• Clear, specific, and current performance standards unique to your organization and people;

• Your evaluation tool is simple and succinct; it identifies the interrelationship of your business goals and the performer’s role in meeting these;

• Performer contributes to the expectations and contributions that determine his or her own standards for performance;

• Process and the tool encourage ongoing feedback, as well as objective, informal/formal, and mid-course corrections;

• Tools and processes inform the performer; supports self-direction and interdependence; encourages positive bottom-up as well as top-down communication;

• All individual goals are aligned with the organizational goals; roles and responsibilities are clear;

• Performance is assessed effectively; proactive, specific, relevant data is gathered from which informed selection decisions about promotions, committees, transfers, skills building, and termination may be made;

• Staff development and training activities can be focused on organizational growth and individual performance needs;

• Performers receive timely recognition and rewards based on their specific objective contributions to the business goals.

Don’t let your organization get caught in the cycle of performance evaluations that are once-a-year confrontations entirely focused on vague generalities. The evaluation experience should not inadvertently leave the manager and performer feeling wounded, or frustrated. Avoid this type of outdated and unstructured evaluation process and implement a flexible evaluation process that is designed specifically for the organization and culture.

Contact Internal Business Solutions, Inc. so we may work with you to design your unique, effective performance evaluation tool and teach your leaders how to relate with staff effectively. Let us help your team fine-tune a more profitable framework specific to your company’s vision.

Performance Evaluations: How Organizational Goals Determine Individual Goals*

Research shows that too often performance evaluations center around once-a-year confrontations that focus on vague generalities or “fill in the box.” These yearly evaluations inadvertently leave both the manager and performer feeling wounded. Despite how most organizations approach employee performance evaluations from this ‘too little too late’ or haphazard stance, few know how or what tools are needed to replace their outdated process with a flexible evaluation process designed specifically for their organization and culture. Organizational leaders want precise measurements necessary for employees and managers to learn and develop appropriate growth plans, but may be unsure where and how to start.

Given this reality, it is critical for competitive, forward-looking organizations to carefully filter their performance evaluation processes and tools using these criteria:

Does your performance evaluation process do the following?:

• Establish that standards be created to identify Organizational goals and the performer’s role in meeting those?

• Allow the performer an opportunity to contribute to the expectations that determine his or her own performance standards?

• Support objective feedback and conversation by all stakeholders - managers and subordinates - at any time, informally or formally, and make “mid-course” corrections?

• Allow the performer to be self-directive, and not depend solely on the manager for daily direction and feedback?

• Align all individual performance goals precisely with organizational goals?

• Give our organizational leadership the necessary information and coaching to effectively assess performance; make informed selection decisions about promotions, committees, transfers, skills-building, and termination considerations?

• Focus our energies toward future developmental activities directly related to our organizational needs and individual performance needs?

Benefits of Performance Evaluations

The benefit of a flexible, yet focused performance evaluation process is that education, individual staff development, and group trainings will ALL be securely tied to Business and/or School requirements and organizational goals. Staff development, based on thoughtful evaluation information, no longer would be the expensive, random or myriad courses that have little or nothing to do with actual job performance or increased organizational output.

In figure 1, Weiss (2000) illustrates how tying specific practices to clearly established goals will more efficiently lead to improved performance through purposefully selected curriculum and interventions.

Figure 1.

The Importance of Goals

Simply put, goals drive the organization. If an organization’s goals aren’t met, then little else matters. Hundreds of individual “exceeds expectations” performance ratings simply wouldn’t make sense if the department or organization overall hasn’t met, or exceeded its goals.

Individual performance requirements, collectively, determine whether the organizational goals will be met. The trouble is, however, most organizations attempt to facilitate improved performance requirements with arbitrary programs and courses (i.e., computer training workshops, management workshops, time management seminars, etc.). These courses may or may not actually have any positive impact on individual performance requirements that will directly lead to achieved organizational goals. It’s incumbent upon leaders and managers to look upward and translate downward; otherwise, development and results will be following two independent tracks. By definition, no developmental program can possibly be successful if organizational goals are not met. Thus, focused and targeted individual education, coaching and development will support performance requirements. Only then can an effective curriculum of learning, let alone specific interventions, be formulated.

Establishing clear standards that drive performance toward mutually agreed upon goals requires thoughtful, informed leadership; leadership ready to create forward-looking evaluation processes and plans. The client organizations who have worked with Internal Business Solutions, Inc. have made significant improvements in their ability to communicate with subordinates as well as improvements to the bottom line as a result of learning new evaluation methods. The process we help you create and implement will help you develop individuals as well as grow the organization in a methodical and measurable manner.

Kelly Graves, the “Corporate Therapist,” and his team of experienced professionals are ready to work alongside your team to create the best performance evaluation processes and ensure they are implemented effectively. Contact us for more information.

*With theory, concepts and some content provided by Allen Weiss Ph.D