Traditional performance reviews are an artefact of the 20th century. Further, the one-way power dynamic of the traditional performance appraisal actually has a lot in common with bullying, and benefits neither employees nor their managers. In its place there is a unique ‘5 conversations’ approach which dispenses with bureaucracy, leading to a more open, constructive and enjoyable experience.
When it comes to performance reviews, many employees dread the process. These are some complaints about performance reviews or appraisals:
- They are a costly exercise
- Performance reviews can be destructive
- They are often a monologue rather than a dialogue
- The formality of the appraisal stifles discussion
- The infrequency of reviews
- Appraisals are an exercise in form filing
- Performance review are rarely followed up
- Most people find the appraisal stressful
Feedback from a manager is essential, however probably not in this format.
Here is an approach called The 5 Conversations Framework that could be very helpful. It is easy to implement, constructive and not bureaucratic.
Essentially, it is based on five conversations each lasting about 15 minutes between the manager and his or her employees.
Let's look at each conversation briefly.
- Climate review conversation
A climate review is about determining the current atmosphere in a particular workplace. It is mainly concerned with employees' job satisfaction, morale and communication. Although individuals’ opinions about these matters can fluctuate over the course of a year, it is important to take a snapshot of the business occasionally. This assists managers to get a handle on the current state of the business. Information from these conversations can be a rich source of information for planning purposes in the business.
- Strengths and talents conversation
Most performance appraisals are fixated with what is going wrong; in other words, it focuses on the weaknesses and sometimes neglects to discuss particular strengths and talents. Tom Rath in the number 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller: Strengths Finder 2.0 states: “Society's relentless focus on people's shortcomings has turned into a global obsession. What's more, we have discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.”
Apart from being a far more positive place to start discussing performance, as Roth points out in the above quote from his book, building upon strengths has a higher payoff then working on overcoming weaknesses. This does not mean that we shouldn't discuss deficiencies.
- Opportunities for growth conversation
This conversation focuses on strategies for improved performance from the employee's individual perspective. It provides the team member with an opportunity to consider how they may improve their own work performance. The manager is able to use this conversation to gain a common perspective on areas for improved performance. From here, the pair can discuss some tangible ways and means of improving individual productivity. This conversation is important in reflecting the individual's role in the business and how to improve their contribution. Many of the strategies can be implemented on the spot with the assistance of the manager. Other ideas can be discussed and put in practice later.
- Learning and development conversation
This conversation is designed to discuss the learning needs of the employee now and in the future. It may include formal opportunities such as attendance at courses, programs and seminars. Informal opportunities may include skill development within the business, or further coaching and mentoring. These discussions are important to establish some short-term goals for personal and technical growth and career development.
- Innovation and continuous improvement conversation
Conversations around this topic are about practical ways and means of improving both the employee's own efficiency and effectiveness and the business in general. It focuses on ideas for developing new and improved working arrangements for the individual and organisation. It is likely that a conversation with all staff during a particular month about this topic will lead to the immediate generation of some practical and cost-effective ideas that can be used to enhance systems and process improvements in the business.
Try this approach if you either have no performance review system in place or the current system you have is not working.