Appraisal

17/4/2016

‘Who does what?’ Someone asked this during a coactive appraisal workshop I was running with Sue Powell last week. Their focus was on roles, responsibilities and systems: ‘Who invites feedback from others?’ ‘Who fills in the form?’ ‘Who follows up any agreed actions afterwards?’ A different set of questions can reframe the conversation entirely: ‘What are we here to do?’ ‘What is the purpose of the appraisal?’ ‘How shall we do this?’ ‘What approach will achieve it best?’

The latter conversation invites the appraisee into the process as an active participant, not as a passive recipient. In fact, it invites all parties into a potentially transformational cultural conversation, not simply a discussion about performance or even development. ‘What is important to us that we (insert various stakeholders here) are trying to achieve?’ It touches on existential beliefs, purpose and values as much as pragmatic goals, actions and other such considerations.

‘What’s your passion?’ ‘How might you/we know what difference your contribution is making?’ ‘What will need to happen for that to happen?’ ‘What are we ready, willing and able to agree on – here and now?’ ‘What responsibility are you willing to take to move this forward?’ ‘What will you need?’ It can turn an oft bureaucratic process into an energising, supportive and challenging conversation where personal, team and organisational aspirations are harmonised and synergised.

In my experience, no system, no matter how well designed or how simple or sophisticated its forms are, can achieve this change. Essential ingredients include: vision and values that resonate with deeper spiritual/existential/social values; leadership and culture that welcome and affirm personal and distributed leadership; relationships that nurture diversity, mutuality and trust. ‘Who does what?’: a good question. ‘What are we here to do?’ ‘How shall we do this?’: great questions!

41 Comments

Jeff Ikler

17/4/2016 03:48:08 pm

Thanks, Nick. A most deserving topic. I would add, "What results do we want / need, and are we getting them?"

Nick Wright

17/4/2016 03:51:10 pm

Thanks Jeff. Yes, results are an important aspect. From a coactive perspective, it can be interesting to reflect on who 'we' is and how 'we' choose to work together to achieve the 'them'. All the best. Nick

Lucy Barkas

18/4/2016 06:39:35 pm

Bringing co-activity into any convo is powerful. Bringing into performance management is essential. It's time to rethink traditional systems and start asking the important questions. What is the purpose and how may we design it together?

Fabulous article. Thank you.

20/4/2016 11:41:28 am

Hi Lucy. Well said - and thanks for such affirming feedback. All the best. Nick

Stephen Thorlby-Coy (MBA)

20/4/2016 11:42:22 am

I've been working on a new "appraisal" (we won't call it that!) process recently and it's so easy to get hung up on who does what and what the form looks like. The quality of the conversation is the most important thing. Does anyone have any other tips on how to make sure every employee has a good quality conversation?

20/4/2016 11:45:37 am

Hi Stephen and thanks for the note. I share your reticence about the word 'appraisal', partly because it carries so many connotations and evokes all kinds of powerful emotions that, at times, get in the way of what could be a purposeful, imaginative, motivating and useful conversation. I'd be interested to hear more about the approach you are developing. All the best. Nick

Jackie Le Fevre

25/4/2016 01:19:27 pm

Hi Stephen Thorlby-Coy (MBA) I've worked with a few clients on annual review conversations and essentially the approach we took was to take each of the organisational core values in turn and say 'tell me about a time when you feel this was alive and kicking in something you were involved in? then what part did you play - what went well overall and why do you think that was - how could we be better in future. So we are basically using storytelling to uncover what activity feels most meaningful to the individual and understand better how their personal values resonate with the organisational core values. In this approach there are no rights or wrongs - it is all about deeper understanding - or deeper questions as Nick Wright might put it!

Gennaro Pisapia BA, Dip DigM

20/4/2016 11:46:48 am

This! "Essential ingredients include: vision and values that resonate with deeper spiritual/existential/social values; leadership and culture that welcome and affirm personal and distributed leadership; relationships that nurture diversity, mutuality and trust. ‘Who does what?’: a good question. ‘What are we here to do?’ ‘How shall we do this?’: great questions!"

20/4/2016 11:48:27 am

Hi Gennaro. Does 'This!' mean this resonates for you too? All the best. Nick

William (Doc) Holiday

20/4/2016 11:50:57 am

Performance appraisal. 1. Given what I know of this person’s performance, and if it were my money, I would award this person the highest possible compensation increase. 2. Given what I know of this person’s performance, I would always want him or her on my team. 3. This person is at risk for low performance. 4. This person is ready for promotion today. All answered on a five-point scale, from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree".

20/4/2016 11:52:32 am

Hi William. Sounds like you associate 'appraisal' with performance evaluation by one person of another person? All the best. Nick

Susan Scholtz

23/4/2016 11:29:11 am

Nick, what you are saying is so true, however, I am wondering how many managers will be willing to embrace this wonderful approach?

23/4/2016 11:53:49 am

Thanks Susan. That's a good question. Perhaps the invitation and challenge is something about how far leaders, managers and staff are willing to entertain different possibilities for e.g. their stance in life, work and the world; beliefs about people and relationships with others; awareness of their own possibilities for initiative and influence; ability to frame and handle conversations skilfully that makes them meaningful and worthwhile etc.

The workshops we ran over the past couple of weeks (for 100+ people in one organisation) included a number of people who arrived feeling very sceptical. They had had very negative experiences of appraisal in the past and struggled to imagine a different experience this time. By the end of the workshops, many of those same people left saying they felt fresh hope and new awareness of their genuine ability to influence a different outcome.

I don't want to sound too optimistic or unrealistic. That would be naive. However, I think that as coaches we can influence how leaders, managers and staff think about 'appraisal' and how to grasp and create possibilities that, perhaps, they have never experienced or imagined. Part of this is about modelling the approach we are introducing, inspiring or advocating as we work with the client. What do you think? All the best. Nick

24/4/2016 11:20:50 am

Thanks Nick. insightful! It resonates well with the idea of relationship intelligence. Even the scary process of appraisal should be viewed in terms of the relationship system.

24/4/2016 11:34:55 am

Thanks Sue. Yes - absolutely! 'How well are we relating to each other as we do this?' or 'What is the quality of contact between us?' are very different questions to 'What question are we on now?' or 'Which box do I tick?' All the best. Nick

Dr Patricia Ogilvie Frederick

24/4/2016 08:10:30 pm

A really innovative approach.

24/4/2016 08:16:03 pm

Thanks Patricia. The approach we used with the groups was certainly different to anything they had experienced previously. Many participants were surprised to discover how far their personal stance, attitude, beliefs etc. could influence what happens in appraisal and, by extension, what is possible if they make shifts in any of those areas. Questions such as, 'Of all the things we could spend our time doing here and now, what would make this conversation worthwhile - e.g. for you, for this organisation, for your customers/beneficiaries?' also really brought the conversations to life. With best wishes. Nick

Louisa Futter

25/4/2016 09:22:54 am

So good to see this value driven approach in action. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

25/4/2016 09:34:22 am

Thanks Louisa. Yes, the approach is based on core beliefs and values - which we declared openly to the group - which I believe can prove transformational in terms of personal leadership, relationships and organisations. A key point in this case example was that the approach we proposed and worked through with the groups is consistent with wider aspirations and values held by the organisation. All the best. Nick

Tamsin Foxwell

25/4/2016 10:02:58 am

Great little reminder...

25/4/2016 10:09:23 am

Thanks Tamsin. All the best. Nick

Clifford Morgan

25/4/2016 10:03:55 am

The right approach makes all the difference in so many areas of organisational life - especially performance appraisal.

25/4/2016 10:07:30 am

Hi Clifford. I agree. I also believe that appraisal can focus on broader questions than performance, including e.g. motivation, engagement, fulfilment, relationships, progression, contribution etc. Some of these have an impact on performance but others touch more on the person as a human being in the context of work, not simply as an 'employee' at work. Does that make sense? All the best. Nick

Barry Richardson

25/4/2016 10:08:21 am

Good read.

25/4/2016 10:08:44 am

Thanks Barry. All the best. Nick

Tom Ridley

28/4/2016 10:21:31 am

Great post Nick! Whenever I work with companies in relation to their appraisal process, the biggest challenge is moving them away from process and systems. I also think that there is too much emphasis on dissecting the period being appraised an not enough on identifying the learning that can be taken forward into the new year ahead. After all, the appraisal process should be about continuous improvement should it not?

28/4/2016 10:32:30 am

Thanks for your encouraging response, Tom. Yes, I too encounter many organisations that are completely preoccupied with process, systems, forms etc - especially where appraisal is linked to pay. As a consequence, appraisals are often encountered and enacted as a bureaucratic experience or as a 'must prove myself' defensive routine.

When I encounter this in groups, I often take the form, put it face down on the table or screw it up and throw it into a rubbish bin then pose a question along the lines of: 'If we had no forms, no rules, nothing to prove, what would make this a really worthwhile conversation for you...your team...this organisation...your customers...' etc. It can snap people out of processes to consider potential instead.

Sue Powell poses a great question: 'What would be possible for us if this were to really work well?' It has a coactive, solutions focus to it that can shift the focus of a conversation quite dramatically. I then invite people to reflect on how they can influence the relationship, the conversation etc. by paying attention to their sense of purpose, values, attitude, approach etc. It can prove transformational.

All the best. Nick

Bibhu Panigrahi

2/5/2016 09:52:44 pm

Agreed. Appraisals should not just be about what you did and whether you did it on time. This approach dissociates employee performance from both higher organizational goals and the strengths and propensities of the employee.

2/5/2016 09:54:28 pm

Hi Bibhu and thanks for the note. Yes, I think that focusing with the other person on things like higher vision and deeper values can often be more transformational than, say, focusing exclusively on day to day operational performance in a vaccuum. All the best. Nick

Jolene Wood

2/5/2016 09:55:13 pm

How about enticing your learners to submit appraisal and feedbacks by offering a free programme for d/l. That is to say they can receive a free anti-virus programme, Microsoft office for download if they submit the appraisal or feedback. You can find some of these programmes online.

2/5/2016 09:57:19 pm

Hi Jolene. It sounds like you are proposing a way of incentivising people to complete appraisals by rewarding them if they do. It could work! I wonder, however, what behaviours it could drive that may be different to, say, high quality conversations or relationships. What do you think? All the best. Nick

Rachael Lemon

2/5/2016 09:57:59 pm

Great approach.

2/5/2016 09:58:31 pm

Thanks Rachael. All the best. Nick

Matthew Benton

3/5/2016 09:41:23 am

Great post Nick, I've worked with large public sector organisation to improve workforce development. At one organisation, through feedback from employees, it was clear that improvements were needed in communication of the corporate vision and its priorities. One thing we did was to ensure, during appraisals, that a clear link was made back to how each individual employee contributed to the wider organisation, this then formed part of their target setting for the coming year. We also used forum theatre in order to get some clear messages out to mixed groups of employees and managers, on how appraisals should be conducted. We to implemented a feedback system for employees and managers following appraisals. Keep up the great work!

3/5/2016 09:55:31 am

Hi Matthew. Thanks for such kind words of encouragement. It sounds like you approached the appraisal opportunity from a number of different angles to reinforce its focus, messages etc. I find that making direct links with wider vision and priorities can help people feel a sense of purpose and progress in their day to day work. This is certainly true for people who care about the difference their organisation is making for customers, community, country, world etc. Other people may be motivated by other things, e.g. relationships at work, career progression, financial reward etc. This means that exploring, understanding and responding to what matters most to people is very important for engagement - and appraisal can play a part in this. I've found, at times, that tapping into deeper spiritual, existential and cultural beliefs and values can also prove powerful and life-giving for performance, contribution and meaning-making. All the best. Nick

Jeannette Attryde

3/5/2016 09:56:47 am

Fantastic way of explaining this Nick. Throughout my years in various organisations the focus was on the process of the appraisal and any repercussions that may have (positive such as pay rise/bonus, or negative such as capability actions etc) rather than on the people involved in the process. I always endeavoured to make the conversations fully engaging and focussed on the individual. I have always said that appraisals themselves are not a bad thing - the way they are carried out can be though.

3/5/2016 10:02:41 am

Thanks for your affirming feedback, Jeanette. I think you point towards an interesting and important question for organisations to consider: 'What's important to us that we're trying to achieve through doing this?' Appraisal carries symbolism in every organisation, e.g. apart from any functional value, to remind everyone who is boss and who isn't(!). I believe it also carries potential to support personal and cultural transformation. This is where paying attention to intention, relationship and how parties work together to achieve change is very important. All the best. Nick

Liz Catherall

3/5/2016 10:03:43 am

I always struggle with the time we have to 'fill in' the relevant forms and this type of conversation can be lost and therefore not recorded. I will be keeping this in mind in future though. Thank you.

3/5/2016 10:07:32 am

Thanks Liz. I've worked in an organisation where, in an attempt to be rigorous, appraisal forms were 16 pages long. Nightmare! As a thought experiment, it can be useful to put the form face down on the table and say, 'If we were to do something really useful here and now, what would we be doing?' and to see how that shapes the conversation, both in terms of focus/content and method/approach to working together. All the best. Nick

Sara Pearson

13/5/2016 07:56:41 pm

Hi Nick, I think the problem is in the question. Let me explain. Business activity is focused around the achievement of the vision, values and objectives, with the end result of adding value and achieving long-term sustainability. To achieve business success and cultural transformation and engagement therefore necessitates a system-wide approach with a key focus on the creation of a performance culture rather than ‘appraisal’ which, in my opinion, causes more harm that good (often because they are ineffectively introduced and delivered).

I think that tools are a means to an end and if used need to be used effectively. However, it’s the culture and the people who use those tools to good effect that achieves results. For example: corporate leaders placing top priority on aligning systems, processes and resources, organisational emphasis on personal ownership and accountability, strong leadership to inspire teamwork and collaboration, emphasis on performance to mobilise and develop rather than control and constrain, a focus on outcomes that are meaningful to the organisation and its customers.

Deliver the strategy with and through people – get the right people with the right skills and motivation (recruitment), doing the right things (to achieve the objectives) in the right way (processes and systems). Everything must work in synergy to be effective.

13/5/2016 08:03:56 pm

Thanks Sara. I think we are in fierce agreement..? In my experience, tapping into existential-spiritual issues at a personal and interpersonal level as well as wider strategic and cultural issues at a organisational level can create powerful change. All the best. Nick

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