Manager`s Performance Development Toolkit

 MITHumanResources
Performance
Development
AToolkitforManagers
TableofContents
TheVisionforPerformanceDevelopmentatMIT……………………………………..2
Whatdowemeanby"Baseline"and"Best"Practices?...........................................3
MITPerformanceDevelopmentImprovementProcess…………………………….4
OngoingFeedback…………………………………………………………………………………..5
PerformanceReviews……………………………………………………………………………..9
GoalSetting/DevelopmentPlanning……………………………………………………….12
Accountability……………………………………………………………………………………….13
EmployeeRecognition…………………………………………………………………………...14
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TheVisionforPerformanceDevelopmentatMIT
MITiswidelyknownasanemployerdeeplycommittedtothegrowthandsuccessofevery
employee.AtMIT,honestcommunicationandfeedbackbetweenmanagersandemployees
areeverydayevents,anintegralfacetofMIT'sexcellence.MITisseenasaworld‐class
workplace.
ThegraphicbelowillustratesthefivecomponentsofPerformanceDevelopment.
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Whatdowemeanby"Baseline"and"Best"Practices?
StartwithBaseline
Eachactivityhastwolevelsofcompletion:BaselineandBestPractices.Baselinepractices
arejustthat—baseline.Theyrepresentaminimumstandardforeachmanagerandeach
department.MostBaselinepracticescanbeimplementedbyanindividualmanagerwith
directreports.
WeencouragemanagerstoreviewtheBaselinePracticesineachofthefiveperformance
developmentcomponentsandassessyourowncurrentpractices.Youmayalreadybe
doingsomeoralloftheseactivities.Ifso—greatwork!
MovetowardBestPractices
Afterthisassessment,yournextstepcouldbetosetamilestoneforimprovement.Which
newactivitiesmightyouaddtomoveclosertoBestPracticesinanyarea?Wesuggest
implementingonlyoneortwonewactivitiesatatime.Forideasorassistance,contactyour
HumanResourcesOfficer.
DifferencesbetweenBaselineandBestPractices
ThedifferencesbetweenBaselineandBestPracticesvary.SometimesBestPractices
representamorefrequentormoredetailedversionoftheactivityshownontheBaseline
list.SometimesBestPracticesrepresentahigherlevelofskillsinanactivity.Insomecases
BestPracticescanonlybefullyimplementedwiththecommitmentandinvolvementof
departmentalleadership.
MITPerformanceDevelopmentImprovementProcess
WhatisthePerformanceDevelopmentImprovementProcess?
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Adefinedsetofbaselineandbestpracticesforeachofthefivecomponentsof
performancedevelopment
Asimpleprocessandsometoolstohelpdepartmentsmovefromtheircurrent
performancedevelopmentpracticestowardthebestpractices
AneffortdrivenbythedepartmentandsupportedbyHR
Aprocessinwhichunderlyingobstaclestoachievingbestpracticesareidentified
andaddressed
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ThePerformanceDevelopmentImprovementProcess
ForMoreInformationaboutthePerformanceDevelopmentImprovementProcess
ThePDIisfacilitatedandsupportedbythedepartment'sHumanResourcesOfficer(HRO)
and/orOrganizationDevelopmentConsultant(ODC)(oed‐[email protected]).Please
contactyourHROorODCformoreinformation.
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OngoingFeedback
Feedbackisafocuseddialoguebetweenamanagerandanemployee,amethodofsharing
informationandperspectivesaboutperformance.Thegoalofongoingfeedbackisto
identifywhereperformanceiseffectiveandwhereperformanceneedsimprovement.
Givingandreceivingfeedbackisatwo‐waystreet;boththemanagerandtheemployee
shouldbeproactivebyfrequentlyseekingoutandprovidingfeedback.
BASELINEPRACTICES
a. Deliberate,plannedconversationsaboutperformanceoccurbetweenmanagerand
employeeatleasttwotimesperyear,includingtheannualreview
BESTPRACTICES(BaselinePracticesplus...)
b. Candidfeedbackisgivenfrequentlyandfocusedonperformancesuccessesorhow
toimproveperformance
c. Individualperformancegoalsarerevisitedmorethanonceayear
d. Whereapplicable,groupsgetaggregatefeedbackongroupgoals
TheBestPracticeDifference
TheadditionalstepsinBestPracticesarebothqualitativeandquantitative.Theupgrade
fromBaselinePracticesisthatfeedbackistiedexplicitlytoperformance.Inaddition,Best
Practicesfeedbackiscandidandgivenfrequently.Performancegoalsarerevisitedduring
thecourseoftheyearsothattheemployeeknowsthatheorsheisontrack,orknowswhat
todotogetbackontrack.
Someworkgroupsdonothavegroupgoals;forthosethatdo,BestPracticemeansthat
everyonegetsfeedback—intheaggregate—aboutprogresstowardthosegoals.
Effectivefeedbackshould:
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Betimely(notmonthsaftergoodorproblematicsituation)
Bespecific(identifyimpactsoreffectsofemployee'sactions)
Bebehavior‐based(focusonacts,notattitudes)
Bemotivatedbydesiretohelp,notpunish
Example:"Intoday'smeeting,InoticedyoustartedtotalkwhenBobwasstillspeaking.
YoudidthisagainwhenJoanwastalking.Theseinterruptionsmadeithardforustohear
theirideas.Idon'tthinktheyhadachancetofinishwhattheywantedtosay.Iknowyou
areveryenthusiasticaboutthistopic,butitwouldbebetterifnexttimeyouwouldmake
surethepersontalkingisfinishedbeforeyoustart.Thatwaywe'llallgettohear
everyone'sideas."
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HowGoodAreYouatGivingFeedback:ASelf‐Assessment
Thisself‐assessmentwillhelpyoucheckyourknowledgeandassumptionsaboutgiving
feedback.
Circletheletterthatbestrepresentsyourthinkinginmostcasesthatinvolvegiving
feedbacktosomeoneelse.
4=Stronglyagree 3=Somewhatagree2=Somewhatdisagree1=Stronglydisagree
4
3
2
1
a. IfIwait,thesituationwillprobablyresolveitself.
4
3
2
1
b. Idon’tliketogetcriticism,soothersmustfeelthatwaytoo.
4
3
2
1
c. Icriticizeindirectlybyusingsarcasmorjokes.
4
3
2
1
d. Ican’tseemtofindtherighttimetogivefeedback.
4
3
2
1
e. Idon’thavetimetogivealltheconstructivefeedback
that’sneeded.It’seasierandquickertopickuptheslackmyself.
4
3
2
1
f. I’munsureabouthowtheotherpersonwillrespond.
4
3
2
1
g. I’mnotperfect,sowhoamItojudgeanybodyelse.
4
3
2
1
h. Givingmybossnegativefeedbackmaybeusedagainstme.
4
3
2
1
I. I’veletthesituationgoforsolongthatsayingsomethingnow
seemsinappropriateorfutile.
4
3
2
1
j. I’mnotcertainwhetherIcankeepmyemotionsincheck.
4
3
2
1
k. Ishouldn’thavetogivepeoplefeedbackforsomethingthat’s
expectedintheirjobs.
4
3
2
1
l. Idon’tgetanyfeedbackfrommyboss(es),soIdon’thavetogive
ittoanyoneelseeither.
4
3
2
1
m. IfIgivepositivefeedbackforgoodwork,itmightmakeitharder
tocriticizethatperson’sworkwhenit’sneededlater.
4
3
2
1
n. IfIgivepraiseforanindividual’s(orteam’s)work,itmayappear
thatI’mplayingfavorites.
4
3
2
1
o. IfIprovidenegativecriticismtosomeone,thatperson’sattitude
ormoralemightgetworse.
18 or fewer = superior; 19 -34 = thereÕs a little room to grow; 35
50 or more = needs lots of work
hrweb.mit.edu/performance
-49 = needs improvement
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GivingEffectiveFeedback:a4‐partModel
PositiveFeedback
Yesterdaywhen Isawyouputdownthebudgetyou Shestoppedbylatertotellme
ProfessorSmith hadbeenworkingtogetdoneandgo howhelpfulyouhadbeen.Your
stoppedbyyour toourwebsitetogetsome
flexibilityandwillingnesstogo
office...
outofyourwaytohelpreally
information.Youthengotupand
walkedherfromyourofficetowards modelourcommitmentto
customerservice!
theofficethatcouldhelpher.
Ireallyappreciatethat
you'llcontinuetodo
this.Itshowsyour
commitmentto
customerservice.
CorrectiveFeedback
Atourstaff EverytimethatSusie
meeting
spoke,youturnedaway
yesterday… andstartedtalkingwith
Bob,oryouopenedyour
laptopandcheckedyour
email.
Fromnowon,duringstaff
IsawthatSusienoticedthis.After
the3rdor4thtimeyoudidthis,Susie meetingspleasefocusyourfull
stoppedsayinganythingfortherest attentiononeachspeakersothat
everyonecontinuestoparticipate
ofthemeeting.Susieknowsalot
andweworkmoreeffectivelyasa
aboutourtopic;Ithinkwereally
team.
missedoutonherideas.
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GivingFeedbackforaRecurringProblem
Step1:RaisetheIssue


Identifytheareaofconcern
Example:"Ineedyourhelpwith..."or"Iamconcernedabout..."
Step2:DescribetheSpecifics
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Avoidaccusationsanddefensivenessbyusingthe4‐partmodelforeffectivefeedback
Encouragetheotherpersontodiscusshowtheyfeelbyusingopen‐endedquestions
Summarizetheotherperson'sremarkstoconfirmunderstanding/perception
Example:"Whenthishappens...theresultis...andIfeel...."Or,"Whydoyouthinkthat
occurred?"
Step3:RequestaChangeinBehavior
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Mutuallydiscusswaystoeliminatetheproblem
Seektheotherperson'ssuggestions,thoughts,andgoals
Makesuggestions
Example:"Inthefuturehowcanwe...?"Or,"Here'swhatIwouldsuggest..."
Step4:AgreeonanActionPlan
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Summarizewhatyoudiscussed
Provideanopportunityfortheotherpersontomakeanyfinalsuggestionsorcomments
Setatimeandplaceforfollow‐upandevaluationofthechanges
Closethediscussiononapositive,upbeatnote
Step5:FollowUp
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Ifthesituationwarrantsit,keeparecord
Evaluatehowyouhandledthediscussionandwhatyoucoulddodifferentlyinthefuture
Setupasystemforfollow‐through(e.g.,setcheck‐indatesoncalendar)
Continuetoprovideassistancetotheotherpersonasneededandappropriate
Providefeedback
WhentoPutItinWriting
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Whenit'ssomethingyoushouldremember(positiveornegative)
Atthefirstsignofaproblem
Tokeeptrackofarecurringproblem
Whenyoumighttakefutureaction(positiveornegative)
Sothatyoucansharedocumentationwiththeemployeetoclarifyexpectations
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PerformanceReviews
Formalperformancereviewsareacrucialpartoftheongoingdialoguebetweenmanagers
andtheiremployees.Theobjectivesofthereviewconversationaretomakesurethatthe
employeeandmanagershareacleardefinitionofthejob,anunderstandingofperformance
expectationsfortheposition,andanassessmentoftheemployee'sperformance.
BASELINEPRACTICES
a. Managerandemployeereviewjob/positiondescription,updateasneeded,discuss
pastyear’sperformance
b. Reviewiswritten;employeeisinformedthatitwillbepartofhis/herMIT
personnelfile;employeesignsandreceivesacopy.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
BESTPRACTICES(BaselinePracticesplus...)
Managerencouragesemployeetoshareresponsibilityinareciprocalprocess
Processbeginswithwrittenself‐appraisalbyemployee
Managersolicitsfeedbackfromcolleagues,customers,anddirectreports
Everyemployee,includingseniormanagers,receivesareview
Departmentprovidestrainingforemployeesabouttheirrolesandresponsibilities
inperformancedevelopment
Departmentmanagementselectsreviewformsthataremeaningfulandconsistent
withindepartment
Multi‐raterReviews
Performancereviewsthatincludefeedbackfromanemployee'scustomersandcoworkers
canbeparticularlyhelpful.Whilecompilingthedatafromamulti‐raterreviewrequires
someadditionaltimefromthemanager,thesereviewsmayidentifyexcellentperformance
orareasforimprovementnotvisibletothemanager.
HowtoConductaMulti‐raterPerformanceReview
1. Developasetofthreetofoursimplequestionstobesenttotheemployee's
customers,coworkers,and/ordirectreports.OR,foramorecollaborativeprocess,
asktheemployeetosuggestsomepossiblereviewquestions.Seesamplequestions
thatcanbeusedinamulti‐raterreview.
2. Identifyspecificindividualstobeaskedforfeedback,andgivetheemployeethe
opportunitytosuggestnamesaswell.Becausesomemulti‐ratersmaynotbeableto
participate,feedbackshouldberequestedfrom3to5individualsineachcategory
(e.g.,customers,coworkers,directreports).Thisensuresthattherewillbeample
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feedbackandthatcommentscanbeconsolidatedforreportingwithoutattribution.
3. Sendrequestsforfeedbacknolaterthanthreeweeksbeforethereview
conversationwitharequestforcompletionwithintwoweeks.Thisgivesthe
manageroneweektopreparefortheperformancereviewconversation.
4. Haveallfeedbacksentdirectlytothemanagersothatthecommentscanbe
compiledwithoutattribution.Toencouragecandor,remindratersthattheir
feedbackwillbepresentedtotheemployeewithoutattribution.
SampleTimeline
Startbyworkingbackwardfromtheproposedconversationdate.Forexample,ifthe
reviewconversationisscheduledforSept.2,thetimelineshouldbeasfollows.
Aug.1


Managerandemployeedeterminewhowillbeaskedforfeedback.
Managerandemployeediscusswhattopicsthequestionsshouldaddress.
Aug.5

ManageremailsindividualsandrequestsfeedbackbyAug.19.
Aug.19–26

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Managercompilesfeedbackreceivedfrommulti‐ratersandidentifieshighlights
(trends,examplesofoutstandingperformanceorexamplesofareasfor
improvement).
Managerpreparesforreviewconversation.
Aug.26

Performancereviewconversationtakesplace.Developmentplaniscreatedfor
employee.
Sept.2

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Employeeandmanagercompleteanysummarydocumentsanddevelopmentplans.
Employeereceivesacopyofmaterials;managerkeepsacopyindepartmentfiles.
Note:Thisannualperformancereviewprocessdoesnotfallwithinthestandardtimelinefortheannualsalary
reviewprocess.
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SampleQuestionsforMulti‐RaterReviews
ForCoworkers
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Whatwouldyousayare(person'sname)areasofexpertise?
Whatskills/attributesdoes(person'sname)bringtotheteam/area?Arethere
thingsyouwishhe/shewoulddolessofordodifferently?
Howwouldyoucommenton(person'sname)professionaldevelopmentover
thepastyear?
Ifyouwerecreatingadevelopmentplanfor(person'sname)whatwouldyou
include?
ForCustomers

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Whatarethetwoorthreemosthelpfulthings(person'sname)hasdonein
his/herworkwithyourarea/group?
Whatdoyouwishhe/shehaddone/woulddomoreof?
Whatdoyouwishhe/shehaddone/woulddolessof,ordodifferently?
Ifyouweredoingthisperson'sreview,whatmightyourecommendforhis/her
professionaldevelopment?
ForDirectReports



Whatarethetwoorthreemosthelpfulthings(person'sname)hasdoneto
contributetoyoursuccessfulwork?
Whatdoyouwishhe/shehaddone/woulddomoreof?
Whatdoyouwishhe/shehaddone/woulddolessof,ordodifferently?
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GoalSetting/DevelopmentPlanning
BASELINEPRACTICES
a. Anemployee'sperformancegoalsanddevelopmentplansare:
o createdbythemanagerandemployee
o writtenand,wherepossible,measurable
b. Performancegoalsanswerthequestion"Whatisexpectedoftheemployeein
his/herjob/position?"
c. Developmentgoalsanswerthequestion"Inwhatareasandwaysshouldthe
employeedevelopforthefuture?"
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
BESTPRACTICES(BaselinePracticesplus...)
Performancegoalsarealignedwithbothjob/positiondescriptionanddepartment
goals
Developmentplansincludemorethantraining(e.g.,specialprojects,committee
assignments,mentoringrelationships)
Achievementofperformancegoalsisusedtodrivenextassignments
Employeeandmanagerconsidercurrentperformance,individualdesires,and
departmentneedsindevelopmentplans
Whereapplicable,departmentgoalsarecommunicatedtothedepartmentasa
wholeinatimelyfashion
IntegratingPerformanceandDevelopmentGoals
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Accountability
Accountabilitybybothindividualmanagersanddepartmentalleadershipisakeyfactorin
implementingrobustperformancedevelopmentpractices.Inastrongperformance
developmentenvironment,managershavetwotypesofaccountability:


Showingacommitted,ongoinginvolvementintheperformancedevelopment
process—especiallybyhelpingemployeesreachtheirgoalsandholdingthem
accountablefordoingso.
Usingtheannualsalaryreviewallocationtoaccuratelyreflectanemployee's
performanceandprogresstowardgoals.
Managersanddepartmentalleadersshouldplaceasmuchimportanceonperformance
development(managinganddevelopingpeople)astheydomanagingbudgets,space,and
projects.Ifyourmanagerdoesn'taskyouaboutyourperformancedevelopmentactivities,
youcanbringitupbysayingsomethinglike,"Iconsiderthisoneofmykeyresponsibilities.
I'dliketokeepyouinformedaboutperformancedevelopment."
Employeessharetheresponsibilityby:



Doingtheirbestwork
Strivingtomeetorexceedexpectations
Informingtheirmanagersofroadblocksortheneedforassistance
BASELINEPRACTICES
a. Managersareheldaccountablebytheirmanagersforprovidingup‐to‐date
job/positiondescriptionsandannualwrittenreviewsforeachoftheirdirectreports
b. Accountabilityforperformancedevelopmentisreinforcedbyseniormanagement
duringthemanager’sownannualperformancereview
c. Annualsalaryreviewincreasesaresupportedbytheannualwrittenreview
BESTPRACTICES(BaselinePracticesplus...)
d. Seniormanagersholdalldepartmentmanagersaccountableforprovidingongoing
feedbackanddevelopmentplans
e. Departmenttrackscompletionratesforperformancedevelopmentprocess
f. Departmentdifferentiatesbetweenindividualannualmeritincreasesbasedon
performance
g. Departmentcommunicatescriteriaforincreasestoeachemployee
h. Departmentprovidesmanagerswithappropriatetraininginperformance
development
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EmployeeRecognition
Recognitionisessentiallypositivefeedbackthatletsemployeesknowtheyarevaluedand
appreciatedbytheircoworkersandtheorganization.Tohavethegreatestimpactinthe
workplace,recognitionactivitiesshouldalsoreinforceandencourageworkthatadvances
employee,departmental,and/orinstitutionalgoalsandvalues.
BASELINEPRACTICES
a. Departmenthaswell‐definedandpromotedrecognitionprogramthatisvisiblysupported
bymanagement
b. Bothindividualandteamperformancearerecognized
c. Managersuseappropriaterecognitiontoreinforcegoodperformance
BESTPRACTICES(BaselinePracticesplus...)
d. Managersuserecognitiontoreinforcedepartmentand/oremployeegoals
e. Departmentprovidesacontinuumofrecognitionactivitiesfrominformalday‐to‐dayto
formalawardevents
f. Departmentawardscriteriaarealignedwithdepartmentgoalsandvalues
g. Groupsocialeventsandawardsareusedtoenhance/deliverexplicitrecognitionmessage
EmployeeRecognitionIsEveryone'sResponsibility
WhiletheInstituteasawholeandindividualdepartmentsareresponsibleforproviding
resourcesandprogramsforrecognitionactivities,employeerecognitionisfundamentally
aboutrelationships.Employeeswanttheircontributionsandeffortstobeacknowledgedby
thosetheyworkwithonaday‐to‐daybasis,includingmanagersandpeers.
Infact,employeesaremostsatisfiedwhenrecognitioncomesfromablendofsources.
©CindyVentrice2005MakeTheirDay:EmployeeRecognitionthatWorks
Employeesalsoreportthattheywanttoberecognizedbyoneofthesesourcesinsomeway
onceeverysevendays!
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Fortunately,recognitioncantakemanyforms:
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Thanks
Praise
Respect
Jobordevelopmentopportunity
Beingincludedindecisionmaking
Training
Safeworkenvironment
Therighttoolstodothejob
Prideinworkingforanorganizationwithameaningfulmission
Awards
Forhelpwithemployeerecognition,seeMIT'sRewards&Recognitionprogramforbest
practices(http://hrweb.mit.edu/rewards).
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