Aarrrgghhh! I’m
frustrated! I hate it when I hear someone say their company has a performance
management plan, when all they have is a process of conducting annual – or even
bi-annual – performance reviews.
This is no
different than saying that you have a marketing plan when all you’ve done is
run one ad in the newspaper. Sure, that ad may be a part of the marketing, but
it’s not a marketing plan or marketing strategy. And sure, performance reviews
may be a part of a performance management plan, but it’s NOT the entire thing.
So, what is
performance management? It’s a strategy to enhance the overall performance of
all personnel in the organization. Things that would typically be a part of a
performance management plan are:
- Goal
setting – both individually and for teams.
- Regular
feedback systems.
- Measurements.
- Coaching
and mentoring.
- Reviews.
- Workplace
evaluation (improving the work are to allow and promote better performance).
- Alignment
of organizational values and culture with the individual.
- Alignment
of organizational mission and strategy with individual and group goals.
- Communication
systems.
- Compensation.
- Rewards
and recognition.
- Succession
planning.
While this list
is incomplete, it begins to demonstrate how vast performance management really
is. One way of looking at performance management is this: whatever it takes to
help individuals and groups within the organization to perform better. That
could be moving someone from one role into another to leverage his or her
strengths. It could be providing additional skills training. It could be
defining specific metrics that an individual can measure themselves against on
a regular basis. And it could be as simple as connecting with an individual on
a personal basis, letting them know that they are appreciated for more than
just being a “tool” the company uses to accomplish a task.
Ultimately, you
can think of performance management as your performance strategy. If your
organization has a strategic plan, a marketing strategy, a product development
strategy, or a financial strategy, then doesn’t it make sense that it should
have a performance strategy. Because, as Peter Drucker once alluded to,
business is just a group of people trying to accomplish a common goal. Without
a strategy to do that, you’re relying on hope and wishful thinking to reach
your goal.
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