Article: 7 Must read articles on performance management

Performance Management

7 Must read articles on performance management

From how to manage difficult conversations to redesigning performance management systems, here are seven must-reads from our appraisal campaign
7 Must read articles on performance management

The true measure of the value of any business leader and manager is performance.

-- Brian Tracy

While performance appraisal over the years has evolved, it remains a significant process for the organizations across industries. With March being the month of appraisal, People Matters brought you a series of articles to help you gear up for the season.

Here are seven must-reads from our appraisal campaign:

1. Things to remember while filling your appraisal Form

The article shares tips for filling the appraisal form and making the most out of it to ensure productive and meaningful performance review discussion.

Self-appraisal process is an empowering tool that allows you to reflect on your performance and identify your accomplishments, strengths, challenges, and avenues for development. Apart from opening the doors for promotion or justifying an annual hike, the appraisal process also acts as a platform for professionals to discuss their career with the supervisor.

2. Fundamentals of a constructive feedback

The article gives insight into the art of constructive feedback and how to deliver it to drive high performance.

Feedback is a powerful tool to shape employees' behaviors. Indeed, Feedback is like a clap, it works well only with two hands, in this case, one being the employee’s and the other the employer’s (manager). An employee's attitude and approach to the feedback process are equally critical to help achieve the feedback-objectives. While the feedback giver should learn to specify, at the same time the recipient should enthusiastically probe to get the desired input, to give detailed insights on how to improve performance.

3. How to manage difficult appraisal conversations?

Awkward silences, futile arguments, and discomfort can make performance appraisal meetings dreadful. The article shares tips to help you as a manager to handle these difficult conversations in a mature and thoughtful way.

With the rise in job hopping, dissatisfaction among employees and increase in employee burnout incidences, it is becoming vital for managers to handle uneasy and difficult appraisal conversations, in a tactful manner.

4. Ratingless performance review and FlexBen strategy at SAP

In an interview with People Matters, Shraddhanjali Rao, Head of Human Resources, SAP India talks about the experience of moving away from the traditional rating performance management system at SAP.

Our performance management strategy moved away from being retrospective. Continuous dialogue between manager and employee became more important rather than a report card every end of the year. We were one of the first companies who took this decision much ahead of the curve. We have got phenomenal results on multiple fronts. Our employees like this approach because now every single SAP talk as we call it is compliments to their development.

5. Biases that are tarnishing the results of your employee surveys

One thing that may be worrying HR teams is whether the surveys are designed well enough to yield the correct results. Falsified results translate into wrongful outcomes, and put a question mark on the sanctity of such surveys. This article deep dives into different kinds of bias that can affect the responses of your employee surveys.

Once the psychological biases are countered and kept away from the survey, it is important for the survey designer to look at aspects such as the order of questions, the language (like metaphorical, ambiguous) used, the kind of questions asked (double-barrelled, agree/disagree/ Likert scale/ ratings, etc.). A survey design also leads to response bias, and all these aspects can trigger biased responses. It is important for HR to be cognizant of their existence and then counter them well.

6. Redesigning performance management systems

The article emphasizes the benefits of redesigning and digitizing Performance Review Systems and how it will lead to more efficiency, better productivity and holistic results.

While automating scouting for talent, payroll, or employee engagement has witnessed maximum traction in the past few years, digitalization of performance review systems has also been steadily gaining momentum in the industry. The obvious benefits of digitizing any process aside, reviews and appraisals when done using digital tools ensure continuity, accuracy, and timeliness.

7. How to make your performance management process effective

A right approach to appraisals can be utilized to repose faith and confidence in high performers and redirect poor performers. The article shares some strategies that companies can use to make their performance review system more productive and less nerve-racking.

Companies need to take this shift from feedback to feed-forward – where a performance conversation is not a forum to point at an employee’s mistakes. Instead, it is a platform for the employee and the employer to learn from them. The focus should be on career planning of the individual, and the manager must work with him/her and chart plan which pays attention to what is to be achieved, and how it is to be achieved.

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Topics: Performance Management, #appraisalseason

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