Effective Performance Appraisal

Today, I attended a company training course entitled “Effective Performance Appraisal” which was provided by Hi-Po Management Consultant Company Limited. Trainer was Ms. Rebecca Lee (Principal Consultant). I summarized what I have got in this training as below.

In the beginning, my first insight about this appraisal training was “waste my time”, but I believed the value of good performance appraisal is a support for staff promotion. Finally, I found the training was useful and helpful to staff.

Performance management process includes Planning, Coaching and Review. Appraisal is in the “Review” stage. This training aimed to make “Behavior Change”. There were four attitude found during the appraisal exercise, namely unconscious negative, unconscious positive, conscious negative and conscious positive. It demonstrated mindset affecting behavior.

We played a game relating “Change”. We found that “People don’t do what you expect, but they just do what you INSPECT”.

In the performance planning stage, objectives settling are the most important.
SMART objectives are recommended.

Specific (Target is detailed and focused: e.g. shorten the response time)
Measurable (How to measure: e.g. results of customer survey)
Achievable (Complete target within a reasonable timeframe and capability: e.g. within 1day)
Relevant (Target is relevant to the immediate needs of the business and / individual’s career goals: e.g. Customer)
Time-bounded (Expected deadline: e.g. Q2 FY 09)

What make performance appraisal (PA) work?
· Committed appraiser
· Committed appraisee
· Skilled appraiser
· Enlightened appraisee
· An appropriate system

Preparation for appraisal is the significant factor for PA success. Moreover, we have to avoid focusing on recent observation, to avoid stereotyping, as well as, to avoid “Halo” and “Horns” effects; where “Halo Effect” means overall favorable impressions and “Horns Effect” means overall unfavorable impression.

There are two essential skills for PA as follows:
A) Verbal Communication
i) Questioning skills (Open, Close, Probing and Leading Questions)
ii) Feedback skills
B) Non-verbal Communication
i) Listening skills
Look interested; Involve yourself by questioning; Stay on target; Test your understanding; Evaluate the message; and Neutralize your feelings
(WAIT = Why Am I Talking?)
ii) Body Language

After that we had a group role-play game to practice those skills.
Lastly, many slogans, which have been learnt from the course, were posted on the wall. Each participant selected one of them to represent what he/she thought it is the most important.

I selected “PA is a tool for Personal Development”. What ever how bad your boss does the PA, you have to do your best and influence the others.