Performance Apraisals Revisited - Abolishing Performance Appraisals

[Mike S.]

DD,

I do not think you missed the point!

While research and theory and psychology are great and have a place, I live and work where the rubber meets the road. What happens in real-life? What do you actually DO when your business or job is on the line? That tells me what you REALLY believe. Work backward from there to figure out why.

I still challenge not just Martin but all readers to answer the question of the 10 employees. I wanna see what they really believe, and also challenge them to think, as Kevin often does to me.

 

[Randy Stewart]

Answer the question

There are a number of things to take into consideration with your question Mike. I took a shot at it in an earlier post, but let me expand some.

The main issue here is the "Objective" evaluation. The joker in Daves post may get the promotion due to being owners son, my drinking buddy or is expecting a new kid and needs the money. That is the subjective evaluation, based on my (the managers) opinion. So each of these employees have been at the job 1 year and no one stands out, they have all been automotons only doing what they were told and how they were told to do it. If it wasn't for signing off on their time cards the manager wouldn't even know they existed. In that case then eeny, meeny, miny, moe would work, it may also be why the supervisor is leaving in the first place, they're not needed.

In the last year have you not evaluated them, their capabilities, their promise, their drive, their dedication, their reliability, their attendance, ability to work as a team, leadership ability, etc. etc.???

Here's the meat and potatoes. What have you evaluated them against? Each other, industrial standards, your performace?
Attendance, black and white. Absent or not, excused or not excused, advanced notice or last minute. Now add this into it, is s/he a drinker? may be the last minute call is due to a hangover your've smelt booze on their breath before! or HE is calling in because his child is sick and he needs to stay home. Do you look at that situation differently than say when a female calls in?
So how do you evaluate there dedication? Because they show up each day on time? Take the over time when offered. How about the guy that doesn't work over time do you dock him for not taking it when offered? May be his dedication is with his family or he may be taking classes at night and just hasn't said anything.
All I'm trying to show here is how easy our subjectivity and prejudices can sneak in on our "appraisals".
So who would I promote and how would I decide. After a year I would know who could handle the job. I would give them opportunity to show leadership (lead a CFT, improvement suggestions, etc.). It can not be based on a yearly sit down and talk. If that's all it is I've failed as a manager. My supervisor should have been training to take my job and their subordinates should have been training to take over as supervisor. It's done on a day to day, weekly, etc. basis. Looking at performance in different situations, allowing decission making to take place and providing consistent and constructive feedback and training.
I look at it this way, when evaluating overall performance I am also evaluating my performance as their mentor. I should not hold them responsible for my failure (over looked training oportunity, didn't allow them to show leadership skills, etc.). They can't be held responsible, but they do suffer the consequences by missing the promotion.

 

[Kevin Mader]

Mike,

Keep in mind that in the absence of objective data, we will be left to use informal subjective matter. Some decisions (guesses?) will be better than others when picking a new supervisor or a spouse. Some things will never be a science, and probably not meant to be one. Selection here is an art and open to interpretation and intuition.

Operating under the assumption that a supervisor is needed, I’d create the definition of what I would like a supervisor to be (job description perhaps). From there, I see who best fits the definition. Let’s say that two or three fit the description. I’m left with picking the one I feel is best suited. I am left with my subjective gut feel on who I think will be best. With my reasoning, I select the next supervisor. But would I refer to past Performance Appraisals for help? No. Because of the host of false assumptions and biases used in their creation, known and unknown, there isn’t value in using them. Interestingly, Tom and Mary’s research indicated that most promotions do not include past performance appraisals in the decision making process.

On picking a spouse, the process is somewhat similar. Luckily, I might have more than 90 days to determine if my selection has been good before popping the question. As to the ‘success’ factor, that operational definition might be hard to come up with. The same selection process is true when picking a contractor or dentist. We mostly rely on word of mouth from friends and family, references, and other intangibles more than grades and rankings.

Martin made a lot of sense when making the comment on validity of information derived from a system. If I were to select the next supervisor based on past PAs, I might not pick the person who best fits my definition of a supervisor or who might be the best candidate. I would have only picked the top ranked individual who may have lucked their way to the top, or as pointed out, been everybody’s favorite. Pygmalion Effect in play. And, although they may in fact excel in their current role, this has not been a good predictor of future performance in another position.

True enough that people help to complete the system. We are probably too arrogant in asserting that we have the most power to influence the system behavior, as making this statement relies on the assumption that man is most powerful and all knowing, neither of which is completely true, at least, not all the time or where knowledge is not a factor. Nonetheless, we are an influential contributor to the overall function of the system and have an obligation to work within it.

Both subjective and objective inputs will be used to make our decisions, but the more subjective, the more artful the decision.

Kevin

 

[Mike S.]

Stew and Kevin,

Don't let me put words in your mouth, but after reading your long posts I think I hear you saying you would not make your pick (whom to promote, whom to lay-off) randomly, you would use available data/an appraisal you made while admitting it is imperfect. Correct? Or not?

I admit most (all) appraisals are not perfect -- what is? Some methods stink, and may be worse than nothing. But, y'all are smart guys, I know this. You wouldn't do a once-a-year-only evaluation, would you? My question and scenerio is based on YOU and how YOU would do things. YOU own the company, YOU hired these 10 people (how did you select them, anyway?), and have had them working for YOU for a year in a system YOU set-up and you have evaluated them (or not) based on what YOU want to do. Based on this scenerio, if you have to make a selection of someone to promote to lead operator, trainer, supervisor, or if you have to lay-off 3 of the 10 due to an economic slowdown, what do YOU do?

If you say (and believe) that evaluations are basically worthless and you would do a random selection, okay. But would you really? I claim no supernatural powers, but I'll bet that, in practice, 98% of Cove members, if faced with this scenerio in real life, would NOT use a random selection, meaning they would rely on an appraisal based on available data.

Is there anyone who will admit they would do it randomly and not based on an appraisal?

 

[Randy Stewart]

Mike I think I'm hung up on the words - Evaluation vs. Appraisal.

I evaluate against a known or given. Appraisal is based on current (at this time) value and is flexible. Appraised value of a gem, home, property etc.

To my thinking: Evaluation of a situation is based on my experience and knowledge. And hopefully more objective than an appraisal. An appraisal may be influenced by more circumstances outside of my control (i.e. neighborhood property values).

That's my thinking anyway. Applying my thinking to your given situation, I would have evaluated there behaviors, response to stimuli, team ethics, etc. and not appraised them.

I don't speak as well as Kevin does so I may not be able to express how I differ between them.
Webster says:
Evaluate - find or state the value of
Appraise - set a price on
Find or State seems to me to have a more hard line, hands on, type of feel.
Set the price to me is like going on eBay! What ever the market value is or how much can I get away with.

 

[Al Dyer]

What about job descriptions included in the appraisal. As was said, a great employee might not be management material. If there are job desctiption for differing positions in a company alot of subjective activity can be removed from the process.

One thing that should be done is to make the detailed requirements for positions available for review at all times. This will give people the knowledge to ascertain themselves, if they are of the proper caliber for a position. They will know what classes, training, personality traits, knowledge is needed to improve their situation.

Sorry about the generality of my post, but every company is different.

Al...

 

[Kevin Mader]

Folks,

Sorry for the delayed response. Up to my butt in alligators.

Randy,

I read you loud and clear, but I thank you for the kind words.

Your comment on being more objective (less subjective perhaps) rings true. We will use both objective data and subjective opinion in the selection process. The subjective opinion that I would avoid is the Performance Appraisal information. I believe it to be less reliable.

Al,

I like the Fredrick Douglas’s theorems.

Mike,

Out of the ten, perhaps three fit my definition of a Supervisor, or the job description. I am left with making a choice out of the three. Here, I’d be open to other’s opinions on who would make the best candidate. I would compare it with other feelings I had and hopefully one will rise above the others. You are right that I wouldn’t leave it to a flip of a coin, but in consideration to Martin’s comments, the reality of the situation is that a random selection wouldn’t probably be much worse than by my proposed subjective means. It might be the least costly in consideration to time and consequences, but I wouldn’t know.

Did I answer your question?

Regards,

Kevin

 

[Mike S.]

Originally posted by Kevin Mader
Folks,

You are right that I wouldn’t leave it to a flip of a coin, but in consideration to Martin’s comments, the reality of the situation is that a random selection wouldn’t probably be much worse than by my proposed subjective means. It might be the least costly in consideration to time and consequences, but I wouldn’t know.

Did I answer your question?

Regards,

Kevin

Yep, you answered it. I don't think you give yourself enough credit in making a good selection. A random selection would give you a 1 in 10 chance of picking the best person, a 50% chance of picking someone average or above average. I think with adequate thought you and I and most here int he Cove could beat those odds, while admitting we'd not have a perfect record.

 

[Craig H.]

Ok here's my run up the flagpole.

All things being equal (are they, really?), I would rather deal with my friends.

All things not being equal, I would still rather deal with my friends.

So, even if the person that "rises to the top" and I do not communicate, hate each other even, this "objective" method of choosing will result in the most effective combination for the company?

Open fire.

Craig

 

[Mike S.]

Only you can decide, Craig. You have to weigh ALL the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. The ability of one of your subordinates to get along with and communicate effectively with you (and vice-versa) would be one of the criteria you would look at I'm sure.

I just do not buy that most people here, if it were their neck at stake, could not make a selection based on data they were able to put together that was better than a random selection.