Wow, would that be a relief! I haven’t met either a leader or staff member
in my over 25 years of helping companies grow who relishes the experience. Stats found in the Psychological Bulletin show that 30% of performance reviews ended
up with decreased employee performance. Another 45% of HR professionals don’t think
annual performance reviews are accurate, and according to a recent US poll done
for the firm Achiever, 98% of staff
found Performance Reviews to be unnecessary.
So why is the Annual
Performance Review so disliked?
o
Typically
based on negativity and the past.
o
Doesn’t
get to the root of the matter, the real issue, merely the surface reason.
o
Managers
actually don’t really know how to help the staff member improve.
o
Most
leaders dread doing them – the time, the potential for conflict, and no
structure available for follow-up
So why do Performance Reviews continue to be done? Because leaders have to know how people are
doing. It is our nature to measure success. It seems that the APR is so ingrained
into the work culture, that to get rid of them would be impossible.
So maybe going cold turkey and stop doing Annual Performance Reviews will
be too difficult, is there an alternative?
Is there a way of measuring performance without enforcing a hated and
archaic tool?
A
future with of no Annual Performance Reviews that still gets the job done.
First of all drop the
word “review”. This implies a past.
Use new language such as “development” or “growth process.” Terms
which mean/reference a vision of improvement and focus on movement forward.
Next get rid of the
word “annual”. Because these discussions should never
be annual. It can be too late to let
someone know how they are doing. Isn't it better to allow them be able to look
into the future and show them how they can progress? A road map that shows them
where the next destination can be, and then help them get there?
Finally focus not on “performance”, which is an outcome, rather focus on that which defines their
performance: Behaviour. Behaviour is
the answer, the tool to use to get the outcome, to get the performance.
So the answer is a roadmap that defines
the path and defines a clear set of behaviours (or stages) to follow that
ultimately achieves a high performing outcome. Where the person is
measured along the way.
Of course in sales it is clearer whether someone is succeeding or not.
Is she or he hitting their sales numbers? But even here the focus is usually on
performance rather than the behaviours necessary to achieve the performance.
It is my belief that by providing a relevant
and pragmatic experience that occurs on a regular basis, both the leader assisting
the employee, and the employee will then respond positively and see results,
and the company will be stronger for it.
Copyright ©
2015, Jonathan Creaghan all rights reserved
Jonathan Creaghan helps clients transform themselves and their workplaces. He believes that businesses ultimately
succeed or fail because of the human factor.
He teaches people to think differently, to see reality with fresh eyes
when solving issues that impede them, whether personal or business. Jonathan provides “Solutions for the Human
Side of Business”. www.jonathancreaghan.com
Jonathan is the creator of the TotalLeader®
21 Leadership Assessment and TotalLeader® Development Program. He is the author
of several books including Duxter’s Leap, Thinking Differently® about…
Getting More Done, Succession. His books are published around the globe in
several languages. Jonathan is also a sought
after contributor for leadership blogs originating in North America and the
Middle East.
For more
information on Jonathan Creaghan:
-
519.472.2562
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