The performance driven organization: 360 degree
reviews help drive employee development
Manager feedback to an employee doesn't have to be a haphazard process. And feedback to employees can be used as more than just a gauge for punishment or rewards. Reviewing employees can be the catalyst for strategic and mutually beneficial employee development.
Managers can use a review process as a forum to communicate organizational goals and what is expected, and then measure these expectations and use the results to effectively develop employees. Top companies will use the following steps for their performance management process:- Share company goals across the organization, from the CEO to management to individual contributors.
- Tie employee goals to broader organizational goals.
- Define employee competencies and use these as the basis for job profiles.
- Gather feedback from peers and managers to highlight competency gaps for individual development.
- Develop learning priorities and development plans on performance goal competency gaps.
- Offer e-learning development on demand.
- Tie compensation to performance.
For many managers and employees, performance reviews only focus on weaknesses as a punitive measure. Performance goals are typically developed when performance shortcomings are glaring. But consider a process where goals are set first, communicated to individuals and then, within the framework of established individual goals, the review process is conducted. The review process focuses on an individual's performance and accomplishment of goals and the skills that are required. In the event there are gaps in performance, a development plan can be implemented to target improvement in the required competencies. Goal-setting at the organizational level gives structure to the performance review process. It encourages strengths and weaknesses to be considered within a framework of specific performance goals. This can take the emphasis off an employee's short-comings and shift the focus to planning and developing the competencies that are required for an individual to be a successful contributor. A successful company will use this goal planning process globally, giving managers direction by annually defining three to five company-wide goals at the highest level. When these goals are shared with employees, each manager can create employee goals that are specific, measurable and directly link to company-wide targets. Cascading goals can be implemented by each and every employee. This way, all employees can take ownership of core company goals. The results across a company can be multiple: positive business growth, improved company culture, increased employee retention levels and optimal organizational effectiveness. Effective performance reviews
Training and encouraging employee development is one of the best ways to motivate and retain key talent. But randomly implementing learning programs, for their own sake, is a missed opportunity. Employee development, when done properly, can directly impact organizational development and even directly improve a company's bottom line. The secret is to take a strategic, targeted approach to managing talent. Ceridian can help an organization gather and use feedback to establish individual and organizational development plans with Ceridian 360 Feedback powered by Softscape. This automated solution relieves the administrative burden of managing feedback. Without the administrative hassles, managers can focus on services like coaching and consulting, allowing your organization to truly become performance-driven. A 360 feedback review is different from the standard performance review because it includes manager, peer, subordinate and even customer input to provide a comprehensive evaluation. A manager works with an employee to target approximately 10 competencies. Competencies are behavioral characterizations, like leadership or adaptability. With manager approval, the employee then selects a handful of key coworkers, including peers, managers and even customers. These individuals are sent a confidential review that asks for evaluation on their 10 competencies. Results are given back to the employee and manager, with ratings and comments on each competency. Gaps are then used as a basis for strategic development and training plans. Ceridian 360 Feedback has three components:
- With the Performance Management feature, you will be able to create a reliable performance review process, reward high-performers, facilitate rich manager-employee discussions and empower employees to identify opportunities for self-improvement.
- The Goal Management feature helps you ensure that your employee goals are consistent with your organization's course and assists in creating cohesive development plans.
- The Competency & Development Wizard enables you to map competencies to positions and align job requirements to corporate strategies.
