Chapter 9

Performance
Management
Skills
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 Overview

 Coaching
 Coaching Styles
 Coaching Process
 Performance Review Meetings

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 Coaching: Definition (1)
 Helping relationship
 Manager
• Interacts with employee
• Takes active role and interest in
performance

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 Coaching: Definition (2)
 Collaborative ongoing process
• Directing employee behavior
• Motivating employee behavior
• Rewarding employee behavior
• Concern with long-term
performance

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Understanding Successful Coaching
Guiding Principles (1)
 A good coaching relationship is
essential and coaches are…
• Trusting and collaborative
• Willing to listen in order to
understand
• Looking for positive aspects of the
employee
• Understanding that coaching is
done with the employee, not to the
employee
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Understanding Successful Coaching
Guiding Principles (2)

 The employee is the source

and director of change
 The employee is whole and
unique
 The coach is the facilitator of
the employee’s growth

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 Major Coaching Functions
 Give advice
 Provide guidance
 Provide support
 Give confidence
 Promote greater competence

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 Key Coaching Behaviors
 Establish developmental
objectives
 Communicate effectively
 Motivate employees
 Document performance
 Give feedback
 Diagnose performance
problems
 Develop employees
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The Good Coach Questionnaire
 Do you listen to your employees?
 Do you understand the individual
needs of your employees?
 Do you encourage employees to
express their feelings openly?
 Do you provide your employees
with tangible and intangible
support for development?
 Do your employees know your
expectations about their
performance?

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The Good Coach Questionnaire
(Continued)
 Do you encourage open and honest
discussions and problem solving?
 Do you help your employees create
action plans that will
• Solve problems?
• Create changes?
 Do you help your employees explore
potential areas of growth and
development?

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 Coaching Styles
More Less
assertive assertive

Task and
fact oriented
Driver Analyzer

People
oriented
Persuader Amiable

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Adaptive Coaches Use All Styles
According to Employee Needs

 Sometimes providing direction

 Sometimes persuading
 Sometimes showing empathy
 Sometimes paying close
attention to rules and established
procedures

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 Coaching Process
Identify
Developmental
Set
Resources &
Developmental
Strategies
Goals

Implement
Strategies

Observe and
Give Feedback
Document
Developmental
Behavior

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 Coaching Process:
Steps Covered in Chapter 8

 Set developmental goals

 Identify resources and
strategies needed to
implement developmental
goals
 Implement developmental
goals
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 Coaching Process:
Overview of Remaining Steps

 Observe and document

developmental behavior and
outcomes
 Give feedback
• Praise
• Negative feedback

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Observe and Document Developmental
Behavior and Outcomes
Constraints:
 Time
 Situation
 Activity

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 Organizational Activities
to Improve Documentation of
Performance
 Good communication plan to get
manager buy-in
 Training programs
• Rater error training
• Frame-of-reference training
• Behavioral observation training
• Self-leadership training

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Reasons to Document Performance
 Minimize cognitive load
 Create trust
 Plan for the future
 Provide legal protection

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 Recommendations for
Documentation
 Be specific
 Use adjectives and adverbs
sparingly
 Balance positives with negatives
 Focus on job-related information
 Be comprehensive
 Standardize procedures
 Describe observable behavior

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 Giving Feedback
 Main purposes:
• Help build confidence
• Develop competence
• Enhance involvement
• Improve future performance

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 Potential Costs of Failing to
Provide Feedback
 Employees are deprived of
chance to improve their own
performance
 Chronic poor performance
 Employees have inaccurate
perceptions of how their
performance is regarded by
others

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To Be Effective, Feedback Should…
 Be timely
 Be frequent
 Be specific
 Be verifiable
 Be consistent (over time and
across employees)
 Be given privately
 Provide context and consequences

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To Be Effective, Feedback Should…
(Continued)
 Provide description first, evaluation
second
 Cover the continuum of performance
 Identify patterns
 Demonstrate confidence in employee
 Allow for both
• Supervisor’s advice and
• Idea generation by both
 Employee
 Supervisor

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 Guidelines for Giving Praise
 Be sincere—only give praise when
it is deserved
 Give praise about specific
behaviors or results
 Take your time
 Be comfortable with act of
praising
 Emphasize the positive

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 Giving Negative Feedback
Managers avoid giving negative
feedback due to…
 Negative reactions and
consequences
 Negative experiences in the past

 Dislike of playing “God”

 Need for irrefutable and

conclusive evidence

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Negative Feedback Is Most Useful
When It…
 Identifies warning signs and
performance problem is still
manageable
 Clarifies unwanted behaviors
and consequences
 Focuses on behaviors that can
be changed
 Comes from a credible source
 Is supported by hard data
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Feedback Sessions Should Always
Answer: (1)

 How is your job going?

 Do you have what you need to
do your job?
 Are you adequately trained?
 Do you have the skills and
tools you need to do your job?

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Feedback Sessions Should Always
Answer: (2)
 What can be done to improve?
• Job
• Product
• Services
 How can you better serve your
customers?
• Internal
• External

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Formal disciplinary process
involves
• Verbal warning
• Written warning

... which may lead to termination

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Optional step prior to formal
disciplinary process:
• Decision-making leave

A decision-making leave is a “day of

contemplation” that is paid and allows
the employee to stay home and
decide whether working in this
organization is what he or she really
wants to do.
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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination

 Five pitfalls to be avoided in the

termination of an employee

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Pitfall #1: Acceptance of poor
performance

 Suggestion: Do not ignore the

problem, address it immediately

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Pitfall #2: Failure to get the
message through

 Suggestion: Be specific about the

performance problem and the
consequences of not addressing it
effectively

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Pitfall #3: Performance standards
are “unrealistic” or “unfair”

 Suggestion: Remind employees of the

fairness of the performance standard
and provide documentation of the
poor performance

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Pitfall #4: Negative affective
reactions

 Suggestion: Do not let emotional

reactions derail you from your
missions of describing the nature of
the problem, what needs to be done,
and the consequences of not doing so

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Pitfall #5: Failure to consult
Human Resources

 Suggestion: Consult with Human

Resources regarding legal
requirement prior to termination

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 Disciplinary Process and
Termination
 Suggestions for the termination
meeting:
• Be respectful
• Get right to the point
• Wish the employee well
• Send the employee to HR
• Have the employee leave immediately
• Have the termination meeting at the end
of the day

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Supervisory Roles in Managing
Performance
 Judge
• Evaluate performance
• Allocate rewards
 Coach
• Help employee solve performance
problems
• Identify performance weaknesses
• Design developmental plans

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 Performance Review Formal
Meetings
Possible types of formal
meetings:
1. System Inauguration
2. Self-Appraisal
3. Classical Performance Review
4. Merit/Salary Review
5. Developmental Plan
6. Objective Setting
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Steps to Take Before Meeting

 Give at least two weeks notice

 Block sufficient time
 Arrange to meet in a private
location without interruptions

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 Merged Performance Review
Meeting Components
1. Explanation of meeting purpose
2. Employee self-appraisal
3. Supervisor and employee share rating and
rationale
4. Developmental discussion
5. Employee summary
6. Rewards discussion
7. Follow-up meeting arrangement
8. Approval and appeals process discussion
9. Final recap

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Possible Defensive Behaviors of
Employees
 Fight response
• Blaming others
• Staring at supervisor
• Raising voice
• Other aggressive responses

 Flight response
• Looking/turning away
• Speaking softly
• Continually changing the
subject
• Quickly agreeing without
basis
• Other passive responses
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To Prevent/Reduce Defensive
Behaviors
 Establish and maintain rapport
 Be empathetic
 Observe verbal and nonverbal
cues
 Minimize threats
 Encourage participation

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 When Defensiveness Is
Unavoidable
 Recognize it
 Allow its expression
 Accept employee’s feelings
 Ask for additional information and
clarification (if appropriate)

If situation becomes intolerable:

 Reschedule the meeting for a later

time

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 Quick Review
 Coaching
 Coaching Styles

 Coaching Process

 Performance Review

Meetings

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States of America.

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publishing as Prentice Hall
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