The Achievement Management System
GETTING MORE THINGS RIGHT, FIRST TIME, MORE OFTEN
- Traditional approaches to ‘Performance Management’ have failed. The ‘old’ system has become an end in itself. It has a reputation people fear. Especially when dubiously linked to pay or incentives.
- Managers and their staff soon find ways to avoid or undermine these tired and no longer trusted practices. Few see them as fair or objective. They are derided and debased and rarely ever taken seriously.
- Performance is extremely important. That much is obvious. We all know it. People don’t get paid to underperform. Yet better performance outcomes would be achieved if managers focused more on the problem and less on the person.
- We therefore should be spending more time on joint problem solving. We want to see fewer problems today than yesterday, and fewer tomorrow than today. To do this successfully requires commitment – and a system.
- The ‘System’ is straightforward. It imposes the space and time needed for the manager and his/her direct report to meet and formally discuss problems and devise appropriate solutions.
- These sessions are given a tight focus. They address those aspects of the job that highlight what needs to be done in order to achieve the desired performance results.
- We establish the objectives (‘desired outcomes’) to be achieved from carrying out the various tasks and activities applicable to the position in question.
- We identify trigger points that underpin these objectives. These points are a launch pad for a problem-solving discussion – in the event a problem exists.
- Whatever the problem the purpose is to improve performance by agreeing on new actions to be implemented, or existing actions to be better executed.
- The system works because two well-intentioned people meet to discuss what needs to be done differently and what different things need to be done.
In moving away from traditional appraisals to facilitated joint problem solving, there are other benefits to be gained.
These include…
BROAD BENEFITS
- Strengthening the company pyramid.
- Everyone contributing their full potential.
- Oiling the links in the reporting chain.
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
- Classic textbook management principles.
- Honouring the line; no split reporting lines.
- Time management and CDPR.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
- Performance management by problem-solving.
- Recognising, acknowledging & encouraging people.
- Understanding that there is an iron fist in a velvet glove.
STAFF VIEWPOINTS
- Listening to the Grasshoppers
- Bottom-up ideas for innovation
- Making the ‘productivity barrel’ work.