The Managers' ToolKit - Skills

Skills-Based Performance Reviews Lead to Improved Performance.

Copyright Lark Ritchie 1995. 1996.

Public and private sector employers and managers not participating in skill based performance reviews (SBPR’s) with employees are doing a disservice to their organizations, subordinates, and customers.

Over and over, we hear that an organization’s assets are its people. Management educators and experts voice this thought in seminars, periodicals and textbooks -- With a market, a product, and a skillful workforce, no business problem is insurmountable.

Whether organizations provide goods or services, product quality is highly contingent on people performance. Employee skills are the basis for that performance, and SBPR’s present a win-win strategy for success.

Improved employee performance translates to efficient operations overall. Skillful employees prove their value by solving problems, streamlining operations, reducing waste, and identifying new opportunities for productivity.

The manager, as agent of the organization, is pivotal to maintaining and developing skillful people, and can do this using SBPR’s rather than a traditional unstructured or poorly focused approach to the review.

In some work groups, a poorly focused annual employee review is accompanied by anxiety and apprehension by both employee and manager.

Unstructured reviews may range along a continuum. One extreme might be a two minute supervisor monologue that starts out ‘Hmmm.... So, it’s been a year already...’, has a middle like ‘everything seems OK to me, how about you?’ and ends with ‘Thanks.... see ya next year..’ The other end of the continuum might be an hour-plus, in depth parrying between manager and subordinate, each trading subtle pot-shots, and wishing they had never begun. In most cases the unstructured or poorly focused review results in both feeling the exercise less than worthwhile.

In some of cases the traditional review might be a pleasant experience, the topic of discussion having been the individual’s performance over the last period, and future plans (the product review), or tips on golfing or interstate driving (an avoidance of the discomfort; a diversion from the task because of mutual discomfort.)

The difference between the subordinate and manager in these situations is that the manager, charged to ensure reviews happen regularly, is in a position to change these uncomfortable and unproductive situations.

How do managers, repeat these progressive, positive once-in-a-while interactions that result in a completed and satisfying transaction between himself and the worker and lead to a positive growth experience for the future?

SBPR’s eliminate negative aspects of the employee review by providing a positive and cooperative environment each can approach positively. SBPR’s differ from other reviews because they are structured and focused to individual performance based on skills.

Using SBPR’s a manager identifies the required job-skills and an ‘acceptable’ and ‘desired’ level of performance proficiency for the job. Having identified these, the manager can focus on specific items for discussion rather than the overall employee performance.

Rather than talking about performance related to supervision, he talks about discrete supervisory skills items such as ‘Coaching’ or ‘Active Listening’.

In the SBPR, manager and employee cooperatively seek to improve performance in terms of required job/task skills and skill performance proficiency levels. The review considers pre-defined required job skills, and addresses only activities to which the employee has been assigned or provided an opportunity to perform during the review period. (Without opportunities and assignments to demonstrate performance, individuals cannot be fairly assessed, nor should they be.) When performance proficiency is not at the desired level, then manager and employee design a plan to move towards this desired level. In essence, they form a new performance agreement for the next review period. This agreement may detail specific action items for each. For example, the agreement might be that the manager provides for employee training, and the employee commits to attending the training to improve his proficiency during the next performance period.

In the SBPR approach, a person’s performance might be rated using one of several grading systems addressing performance proficiency.

For discussion purposes, we will look at two such systems.

A Three-Level Scale:
A three-level grading system is used for assessing skills considered relatively straight-forward and of a general nature within the context of the organization, requiring a minimum of training or exposure. For example, bicycle assembly, photo-copying, mail sorting, or keyboard skills. The possible categories are defined below:

Experienced:
Fully proficient and consistent application of skill, reliable in meeting requirements and expectations. Requires no assistance to complete tasks. Performance and quality of results consistently meets or exceeds requirements.

Intermediate:
Demonstrates skill with minimal problems, requires little assistance to complete tasks. Performance and quality of results frequently meets requirements.

Beginner:
Self taught, or has been exposed to formal or informal training. Requires assistance to complete tasks. Performance and quality of results requires supervisory review and coaching.

A Five Level Scale:
A second possible scale might allow for more precise grading, and might be used where the skill is of prime importance and a definite requirement of the task, job or position.

This grading system might be used for skills requiring extensive personal knowledge and experience beyond manual procedures. Such skills usually require continual practice and personal study, and can lead to individual excellence. Examples of skills assessed using this scale might be ‘Employee Coaching’, ‘Project Planning’, or ‘Technical Writing’.

Level 5 - Exceptional:
Consistent high quallity results, exceeding requirements and expectation. Performs skill without assistance or guidance. Improves and refines skills through training, education. Initiates application of skill elements in other areas. Has an excellent knowledge of skill elements, and has an accepted reputation for assisting others in the performance of the skill elements. Has suggested extensions or refinements of skill, and is considered as a local "expert", recruited when skill related problem solving or training is required

Level 4 - Above Average:
Results obtained are consistently of high quality, usually exceeding requirements and expectation. Performs skill without guidance. Seeks to improve and refine skills through training, education, or has initiated application of skill elements in other areas. Subject has a fluent knowledge of skill elements, and has aided others in the performance of the skill elements. On occasion, has suggested extensions or refinements of skill.

Level 3 - Competent:
Has had regular exposure to skill elements. Has had an informal introduction, and/or introductory training. Results obtained are reliably consistent and to expectation, and subject performs without guidance. Expectations are that increased experience will improve performance.

Level 2 - Trained:
Some exposure to skill elements. Has had on the job training, or formal introductory training. Has had opportunities and assignments to gain experience. Results are somewhat reliable, and subject is able to perform with periodic guidance.

Level 1 - Minimum Exposure:
Minimum exposure to skill elements. May have had an informal introduction or no training. Results obtained are presently not predictable, and subject has difficulty performing without assistance or guidance.

Benefits of SBPR’s
SBPR’s spell out the discrete skill requirements of the job, performance expectations, and employee performance in these areas. They provide for renewed commitment between both parties.

By focusing on the required job skills at the discrete level, the manager can isolate issues, providing positive and constructive direction. Using a performance agreement or contract, he becomes an active participant in developing and maintaining a skillful and productive workforce.

© 1996 Lark Ritchie. Contact me at this address..