Performance reviews can be challenging for both supervisors and employees. Do you find yourself reviewing goals that might be out-of-date? Figuring out how to give feedback in a way that’s productive? Wondering what you can do differently so that performance management is even more effective next year?
Effective Performance Management
Performance management is a continuous process that includes collaborative goal setting, ongoing feedback and coaching, and performance evaluation to meet the strategic goals of the organization.
Managing and Evaluating Performance Module
Goal setting is the best way to set expectations for an employee that include both key results of what needs to be accomplished and behaviors, or how the results are to be accomplished over the next year.
Depending on the work, some goals can span several years or have a shorter time-span. Use your judgement to set the goals that do not fit an annual time frame.
Review Quick Guide
The Quick Guide to Goal Setting outlines the best practices that are proven to make the goal-setting process more effective:
- Clarify broader priorities.
- Consider employee role and skills.
- Identify up to three most important expectations (in both results - the "WHAT" and behaviors - the "HOW").
- Discuss and invite input to finalize goals.
- Check-in to review progress and update goals.
How results are achieved is often described by how well the person works with others; that's when the behavioral competencies come into play.
Don't have a behavioral competency model?
Visit Behavioral Competencies to learn more about the competency model developed at the University of Minnesota to support talent development discussions.
Apply: Practice Scenario & Template
Need to practice? Work through the scenario to see how would you set goals for Jonah Dunwoody.
Use the Goal Setting Template to set broad, annual goals or ongoing and specific flexible goals as new projects or assignments come up (MS Word).
Using ongoing check-ins to set challenging goals and to provide feedback and coaching is the best way to support the performance and development of the people you supervise. Ongoing check-ins are the key to on-the-job learning, which is the single most important way people improve and grow at work.
Review Quick Guide
The Quick Guide to Ongoing Check-Ins outlines the best practices that are proven to make your check-in discussions more effective:
- At the first meeting, discuss roles and responsibilities - what you, the supervisor, and your direct report are each responsible for.
- Review annual goals; for new projects or assignments, discuss expectations.
- Evaluate current progress and provide coaching to support performance and development.
- Determine next steps.
Apply: Practice Scenario & Template
Need to practice? Work through the scenario to see how you would conduct the ongoing check-in discussions with Jonah Dunwoody.
Use the Ongoing Check-In Template template as needed to help structure your ongoing check-in discussions (MS Word).
Performance evaluation includes measuring effectiveness in meeting expectations for achieving results as well as how those results are achieved (i.e., behaviors).
Effective performance evaluation does not happen only at the end of a year but through ongoing check-ins throughout the year.
Formal evaluation is the final step in the performance management process and includes writing and delivering a performance evaluation.
Review Quick Guide
The Quick Guide to Performance Evaluations outlines the best practices that are proven to make the evaluation more effective:
- Make sure you know your department, college or unit local processes and guidelines.
- Get employee input on their results and impact.
- Get input from others (peers, key partners).
- Evaluate the results the employee achieved (Consider context, accomplishment and impact).
- Evaluate HOW* they achieved results.
- Write the performance review (rating and narrative).
- Discuss the review with the employee.
*HOW results are achieved is often described by how well the person works with others; that's when the behavioral competencies come into play.
Don't have a behavioral competency model?
Visit Behaviorial Competencies to learn more about the competency model developed at the University of Minnesota to support talent development discussions.
Performance Evaluation Quick Guide
Apply: Practice Scenario
Need to practice? Work through the scenario to see how you might go about evaluating Jonah's performance.
You have completed this module
Congratulations! You have completed this online module. The following are module materials and related resources. We encourage you to explore other online modules to continue your supervisory development journey.
Core Reading
- Carr, A., & Kline, K. (2016). Encouraging effective performance management systems. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
- Mueller-Hanson, R.A., & Pulakos, E.D. (2015). Putting the “performance” back in performance management. Society for Human Resource Management and Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
- Pulakos, E.D. (2004). Performance management: A roadmap for development, implementing, and evaluating performance management systems. Society for Human Resource Management.
- Pulakos, E.D., Mueller-Hanson, O’Leary, R.S., & Meyrowtiz, M.M. (2012). Building a high performance culture: A fresh look at performance management. Society for Human Resources Management Foundation.
Recommended Reading
- Aguinis, H. (2009). An expanded view of performance management. In J.W. Smither, & M. London (Eds.). Performance management: Putting research back into practice (pp. 1-43). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Cawley, B. D., Keeping, L. M., & Levy, P. E. (1998). Participation in the performance appraisal process and employee reactions: A meta-analytic review of field investigations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 615–633.
- London, M., & Smither, J. W. (2002). Feedback orientation, feedback culture, and the longitudinal performance management process. Human Resource Management Review, 12, 81–100.
- Marc, E. (2014, July 24). The Hard Truth about Effective Performance Management.
- Pulakos, E.D., & O’Leary, R.S. (2011). Why is performance management so broken? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 4 (2), 146-164.
Additional References
- Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451 - 474.
- Culbertson, S. S., Henning, J. B. & Payne, S. C. (2013). Performance appraisal satisfaction: The role of feedback and goal orientation. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 12, 189-195.
- Rynes S., Gerhart B., Parks L. (2005). Personnel psychology: performance evaluation and pay for performance. Annual Review of Psychology, 572-600.
- Winters D. & Latham G.P. (2006). The effect of learning versus outcome goals on a simple versus a complex task. Group and Organization Management, 21, 236-250.