Deck 10: Employee Counseling and Wellness Services

Question 1

What is meant by the term performance management, and how is this different from the performance appraisal practices that are common in many organizations?

Answer 1

Performance Management and Performance Appraisal are slightly different from each other. Performance Appraisal is commonly used in almost all the organizations as compared to the lesser preference given to performance management.
Performance Management is a technique through which one manages the employee goal setting, reward, performance, coaching and individual performance. It is an ongoing process of performance improvement and is more likely to be used informally rather than formally. As per a survey, an employee appreciates informal feedback for performance appraisal. According to another survey, 53 percent people prefer informal feedback and 47 percent people prefer formal.
On the other hand, a performance appraisal is done annually. In this process, an employee's performance is evaluated generally on an annual basis. Both supervisors and employees frequently express dissatisfaction against performance appraisal. Garold Markle described it as the most effective, least effective and also the poorest. As per a survey, approx. 42 percentage employees say that their manager gives them regular feedback, 29 percentages think they are rewarded when they do a good job and 25 percent say their managers ask them to improve their performance.

Question 2

Why is it important to coach employees with performance problems, as well as employees who are performing well?

Answer 2

Coaching is a mentoring process which helps an individual to bridge the gap between what he or she is and what they actually want to be.
The importance of coaching for employees with performance problems are as stated in the below mentioned points:
- To improve the performance of the concerned employee having problems with the performance to be delivered.
- A negative attitude may at times be the reason behind performance problems among employees. Coaching can prove very useful in such cases.
- Coaching can be used to monitor and follow-up the employee's performance and figure out the problem and its proper solution.
- Coaching can be used to develop an acceptance towards the problem among the employees.
Coaching is important for employees who are performing well because of the following reasons:
- To keep them in pace with the changing environment which is crucial for their consistent performance.
- To solve any kind of problem that the well performers must be facing because of any reasons.
- To plan for the further course of action to be taken to keep the pace of good performance going.

Question 3

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for an effective coach to possess? Do you see more similarities or differences between effective coaches in sports, and effective coaches in business? Why?

Answer 3

The most important qualities that a coach should possess to become effective are as mentioned below:
- The coach should have a participative instead of an individualistic approach:
A coach should be team-oriented and should not keep an individualistic approach towards various tasks and other decisions to be made. He should be participative and try and create an environment which provides equal opportunity of involvement and participation to all the team members.
- The coach should create an environment of open communication with his/her peers and juniors:
A coach should facilitate and maintain transparency in his or her team. This can be done creating a team where there is an environment of open communication between the coach and other related people from different levels including juniors and peers.
- The coach should respect and value his or her team members more than the tasks:
A coach adds to his or her effectiveness by respecting and valuing their team members. Valuing the team members over the tasks to be accomplished gives the members an increased level of motivation and self-confidence. The team members feel valued and treasured. This motivates them to perform better.
- Acceptance for the uncertainty involved in the work environment:
The coach should accept that any work environment does not remain same all the time and there is lot of uncertainty involved with the same. The more the coach is prepared for the uncertain situation the more the chances of avoiding any problems regarding the same. The coach can create awareness about the uncertainties among the team members resulting into better performances.
More of the similarities can be figured out between effective coaches in sports and the ones in business. This is evident because of the below mentioned points:
- Both have a participative nature.
- Both are goal oriented.
- Both treat their team members as valuable.
- Both are ready and prepared for any kind of situation that may arise.

Question 4

Imagine that you are an HRD professional who has just finished conducting a training program for a group of supervisors at a manufacturing plant. When you ask if there are any questions, one of the supervisors says, "You seem so good at this coaching business. Why can't you coach my people for me?" How would you respond to that supervisor? Support your reasoning.

Question 5

Describe the things that are necessary in order to define poor performance. What do you feel is difficult about defining performance as poor? Make one practical recommendation that you believe could make this task easier for managers. Support your choice.

Question 6

Think about the last time you had a problem with your own performance, either on the job or in one of your classes. Using the nine-step performance analysis model from Fournies, try to identify the cause or causes of this problem, and state what you think could be done to correct it.

Question 7

Many managers and supervisors find coaching difficult to do or are reluctant to do it. What do you believe are at least two important reasons for this? How do you think the obstacles you identified can be overcome?

Question 8

During the coaching discussion, explain why it is necessary for the supervisor to get the employee to verbally agree that a performance problem exists.

Question 9

Suppose you are a restaurant manager who is conducting a coaching discussion with one of your servers about the server's repeated failure to complete store-closing operations before leaving for the night. You have conducted a coaching analysis and have determined that the server is able to complete these responsibilities, that all obstacles to doing so have been removed, and that this is an important part of a server's job in your restaurant. Describe how you would get the server to agree that a problem exists, and what you would do if the server refuses to acknowledge that a problem exists. Describe the options available to you in dealing with this situation. Which option would you select? Support your choice.

Question 10

In addition to coaching, what other aspects do you think are necessary for an organization to have an effective performance management system? Why?