Good point. You are noticing that the 14 points comprise a system, and there are interactions between the 14 points.Mary Davenport said:
Week 1 Discussion - 14 Points
- Thread starter Steve Prevette
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jlowens
re: Appraisals
I believe that in a perfect world, appraisals represent a good tool for evaluating worker skills and promoting improvement in the workplace. However, too many times have I seen management take advantage of this tool and use it inappropriately. If biases are removed and appraisals are used honestly and objectively, then yes. In some companies, people are ranked 1 thru 5 where 1 being the ultimate worker. It may already be established that so many people will be one's and most would be three's falling in the middle of the distribution curve. It may be impossible to be a 2 or 1 if the number of people to fall in this catagory is already decided by management. Good work may not matter. How does that promote motivation and self improvement?
I believe that in a perfect world, appraisals represent a good tool for evaluating worker skills and promoting improvement in the workplace. However, too many times have I seen management take advantage of this tool and use it inappropriately. If biases are removed and appraisals are used honestly and objectively, then yes. In some companies, people are ranked 1 thru 5 where 1 being the ultimate worker. It may already be established that so many people will be one's and most would be three's falling in the middle of the distribution curve. It may be impossible to be a 2 or 1 if the number of people to fall in this catagory is already decided by management. Good work may not matter. How does that promote motivation and self improvement?
One thing to consider is that in the Red Bead Experiment, the ranking of the workers is completely unbiased and completely objective. The ranking of the workers is completely fair and the results used honestly. Yet the result is far from promoting motivation and self improvement, as we saw in both the MC506 live session and the video you viewed in MC550.jlowens said:
Thoughts? Why is this so?
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Jamie Morris
Appraisals
I need to clarify my earlier writing about appraisals. I certainly believe that employees need to have an assessment of how they are performing against their objectives. My point is that true to Dr. Deming's description of robbing people of their pride in workmanship, a numerical rating system tied to a subjective rating methodology and linked to merit increases equals forced distribution. Forced distribution results in a normal distribution of performance ratings, which in turn leads to the majority of folks ranking as average. This takes away pride, motivation, inspiration, ambitition, etc.
Mary Davenport said:
I need to clarify my earlier writing about appraisals. I certainly believe that employees need to have an assessment of how they are performing against their objectives. My point is that true to Dr. Deming's description of robbing people of their pride in workmanship, a numerical rating system tied to a subjective rating methodology and linked to merit increases equals forced distribution. Forced distribution results in a normal distribution of performance ratings, which in turn leads to the majority of folks ranking as average. This takes away pride, motivation, inspiration, ambitition, etc.
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dwall
Annual Appraisals
From one who wrote 6 annual appraisals and received my own annual appraisal last October may I add my voice. Since I do not anticipate my agency will abandon annual/mid year appraisals, I accept that I need to make the most of them as a tool for providing feedback to my employees and for receiving feedback from my manager. Initially, I solicit input from the employees as to what they feel they have accomplished in the prior period and what they fell short of accomplishing. (You would be surprised how much harder they are on themselves than I am). Accordingly, our agency process allows me to merely "check the box" for individuals performing at a "fully successful" level (read average) among several skill sets. Instead I choose to write in detail what the employee is doing that I think is meeting/exceeding/below my expectations and what specifically the employee should be doing to improve his/her performance in the next six months at the next appraisal interval. I know that this increases the amount of time it takes me to perform this exercise, but the employees seem to appreciate the feedback and know exactly what I think they must do to improve. At appraisal time, we sit down together and discuss the appraisal, expectations, mutual goals. Accordingly, since I can't abolish them I am trying to use them to lead the employees in the direction I want them to go so we can all be successful.
From one who wrote 6 annual appraisals and received my own annual appraisal last October may I add my voice. Since I do not anticipate my agency will abandon annual/mid year appraisals, I accept that I need to make the most of them as a tool for providing feedback to my employees and for receiving feedback from my manager. Initially, I solicit input from the employees as to what they feel they have accomplished in the prior period and what they fell short of accomplishing. (You would be surprised how much harder they are on themselves than I am). Accordingly, our agency process allows me to merely "check the box" for individuals performing at a "fully successful" level (read average) among several skill sets. Instead I choose to write in detail what the employee is doing that I think is meeting/exceeding/below my expectations and what specifically the employee should be doing to improve his/her performance in the next six months at the next appraisal interval. I know that this increases the amount of time it takes me to perform this exercise, but the employees seem to appreciate the feedback and know exactly what I think they must do to improve. At appraisal time, we sit down together and discuss the appraisal, expectations, mutual goals. Accordingly, since I can't abolish them I am trying to use them to lead the employees in the direction I want them to go so we can all be successful.
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ssagreen
The basis for the red bead experiment is flawed. The assumption is that a worker has no control over the work that they do. They are just a pawn that can do nothing, but get the beads. In real life people can get to work late, or stay late, socialize half the day, or work on an MBA to improve themselves and their way of thinking. I have an awful lot of control over what I accomplish in a day and so does everyone else. The real high performers and poor performers are not just some statisically random occurence. They make themselves who they are one day at a time. A manager who knows and understands how to help and motivate his/her people will get better than 9 beads out of people. That is if they do more than dip a scoop into bucket or babysit an automated process.Steve Prevette said:
Aaron
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dwall
Steve Prevette said:
Darleen jumped in here...It seems that there was no direct correlation between the occurance of red beads in the paddle and the process of scooping red/white beads. So when employees have no control over the outcome, except by happenstance, they will become frustrated and assume that the system is unfair so why should they try anymore. Just like some employees in the companies we have been discussing. If the "best" employee is selected by happenstance then the employees lose faith that the system will treat them in an even handed manner.
Yes, Dr. Deming did design the Red Beads such that all of the variability comes from the process not the workers. In reality, that is not true. However, many management systems do go to the other extreme of assuming all variability comes from the workers, not the process.
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Bill Pflanz
ssagreen said:
With apologies to Steve for not being a student, I wanted to ask a question of Aaron. What if the process only allows 9 beads? An example would be improving the sales in a territory when price, inventory, specifications etc. do not allow more. That is not an uncommon problem and it is beyond the control of the seller.
Bill Pflanz
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