Leadership & Management

Reading for Lesson 21:

COUNSELING
 Lesson 21
Reading Objectives
1. The student will comprehend the goals of
performance appraisal.
2. The student will comprehend problems in
performance appraisal.
3. The student will comprehend potential solutions to
appraisal problems.
4. The student will comprehend and demonstrate the
four methods of the appraisal interview.
 Lesson 21
Discussion Objectives
1. The student will comprehend the goals
of performance appraisal.
2. The student will comprehend and
demonstrate the four methods of the
appraisal interview.
 Performance Appraisal
Performance evaluating system
Aids the subordinate in setting new goals, fixing
problems, and keeping him/her on track
Helps the organization achieve success
Performance appraisal is both a system of
papers and procedures designed by the
organization for use by its managers and
subordinates
An interpersonal process in which manager and
subordinate communicate and attempt to influence
each other
Goals of Performance Appraisal
The Organizational Goals:
Performance evaluation is an important
element in the information and control
system of most complex organizations
Supreme goal of the organization is to
influence the behavior and work ethic of
the work force through performance
evaluation
Goals of Performance Appraisal
The Organizational Goals (continued):
Provides information about the performance of
organizational members for use in decisions about
placement, promotion, firing, pay
From the organizational viewpoint, performance
appraisal serves two sets of goals:
Evaluation Goals
Coaching and Development Goals
Goals of Performance Appraisal
Evaluation Goals:
Provides feedback to subordinates so they know
where they stand
Develops valid data for pay (salary and bonus)
and promotion decisions and to provide a means
of communicating these decisions
Helps the company in making discharge and
retention decisions, and provides warning to
subordinates about unsatisfactory performance
Goals of Performance Appraisal
Coaching and Development Goals:
To counsel and coach subordinates so they will
improve performance and develop future potential
Develop commitment to the larger organization
through discussion of career opportunities and
career planning
Motivate subordinates through recognition and
respect
Strengthen supervisor-subordinate relations
Diagnose individual and organizational problems
Goals of Performance Appraisal
The Individual’s Goals:
Performance evaluations provide the
individual with an opportunity to see how
well he or she is doing
Regardless of their performance to date,
individuals going through a performance
evaluation should always set new goals
Goals of Performance Appraisal
Conflicting Individual and Organizational
Goals:
If individual goals conflict with
organizational goals, the organization must
attempt to find ways to satisfy both
without neglecting either one
Feedback from both the organization and
the individual is a must
Problems in Performance Appraisal
Ambivalence and Avoidance:
Leaders should not shy away from the
performance appraisal process
Fearful that honest feedback will cause
animosity within the organization, some leaders
neglect their performance appraisal
responsibilities
This is detrimental for the organization; the
individual cannot improve if he or she does not
know what is wrong
Problems in Performance Appraisal
Feedback and Defensiveness:
To prevent defensiveness, the organization
must not focus solely on an individual’s
problems or shortcomings
The organization must both judge the
individual’s performance, and help to improve it
It is difficult for the evaluator to develop open
two-ended exchange, if her or she focuses
solely on negative attributes
Problems in Performance Appraisal
Avoidance and Defensiveness
Combined:
If an evaluator focuses solely on an
individual’s problems and avoids any detail,
the performance appraisal accomplishes
nothing worthwhile
It only increases the individual’s defensiveness
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
The central dilemma in the appraisal
process is how to have an open
discussion of performance that meets
the need for feedback without
damaging the individual’s self-esteem?
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
The Appraisal System:
Uncoupling evaluation and development
Less defensiveness and more open dialogue
helps the manager to separate his role as
helper and judge
Choosing appropriate performance data
Rather than focusing on broad problem areas,
such as motivation, the manager should focus
on specific examples, for they are morel likely
to be heard
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
The Appraisal System (continued):
Upward appraisal
In order to reduce defensiveness among subordinates,
supervisors giving performance appraisals should also
allow the subordinates to appraise them on their
performance
Eliminating the performance appraisal system
By eliminating the formal appraisal system and only
requiring performance appraisals during special
situations, organizations could reduce the problems of
defensiveness
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
Supervisor-Subordinate Relations
The day-to-day boss-subordinate
relationship has an important impact on
the appraisal process
If the boss-subordinate relationship is strong,
the appraisal process will run more smoothly
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
The Appraisal Interview
The tell-and-sell method
Communicates to employees their performance as
accurately and directly as possible with little return
feedback, but can lead to defensiveness
The tell-and-listen interview
Communicates to employees their strengths and
weaknesses, but also allows for return feedback
This creates an environment that is less defensive and
stressful to the employee
 Potential Solutions to
Appraisal Problems
The Appraisal Interview (continued):
The problem-solving interview
Playing the role of helper more so than judge, the
manager creates an environment through which the
employee can discover his or her own developmental
needs
The mixed-model interview
Allows for the problem solving interview in the
beginning, where the subordinate leads off, and finishes
with the tell-and-sell or tell-and-listen approaches if the
subordinate has missed some important areas of his or
her performance
 Tentative Process
Tentative Process:
Scheduling
Agreeing on content
Agreeing on process
Location and space
Opening the interview
Starting the discussion
Exchanging feedback
The manager’s views
Developing a plan for improvement
Closing the discussion
 Guidelines for Assessing the
Effectiveness of an Interview
At the beginning:
Did the supervisor create an open and
accepting climate?
Was there agreement on the purpose and
process for the interview?
Were both parties equally well prepared?
 Guidelines for Assessing the
Effectiveness of an Interview
During the interview:
To what extent did the supervisor really try to understand
the employee?
Were broad and general questions used at the outset?
Was the supervisor’s feedback clear and specific?
Did the supervisor learn some new things—particularly
about deep feelings and values of the subordinate?
Did the subordinate disagree and confront the supervisor?
Did the interview end with mutual agreement and
understanding about problems and goals for improvement?
 Appraisal Outcome
Did the appraisal session motivate the subordinate?
Did the appraisal build a better relationship?
Did the subordinate come out with a clear idea of where he or
she stands?
Did the supervisor arrive at a fairer assessment of the
subordinate?
Did he or she learn something new about the subordinate?
Did the subordinate learn something new about the supervisor
and the pressures be or she faces?
Does the subordinate have a clear idea of what actions to take
to improve performance?