Av Frank Rosendahl | 02. desember 2009
I Bluegarden har vi hatt barselgruppe for medarbeidere i permisjon, med stor suksess
Erfaringene og tilbakemeldingene fra Babygarden har vært så positive at vi nå lanserer dette som et eget produkt her på min personalsjef.
Barselgruppen Babygarden er et program som tilbys kvinner i barselpermisjon. Dette er et unikt og eksklusivt program med kun 8 deltagere i hver gruppe. Felles for deltakerne er at de er kvinner, har baby og ønsker å fortsette sin karriere.
Programmet inneholder 8 samlinger, hver på 2 timer. Hver samling har et faglig innhold, med foredrag, diskusjoner og erfaringsdeling. Tema er:
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Hvordan kombinere barn og karriere
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Trender innen ledelse og organisasjonsutvikling
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Marked og samfunn i bevegelse
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Nettverksbygging
Hvorfor Babygarden i bedriften
Kvinner som får barn har gjerne en ett års pause i karrieren. Det er tungt å komme tilbake i jobb når alt er satt på hold, og tankene har vært andre steder. Mange gruer seg for utfordringene det er ved på kombinere karriere og småbarn.
For dagens kvinner bør det ikke være et spørsmål om å velge karriere eller barn, det er mulig å gjøre begge deler på en god måte.
Vi tar kvinner og karriere på alvor, og gir nye mødre et tilbud om å holde seg oppdatert og bygge nettverk mens de er i permisjon. Dessuten gir vi råd om å kombinere jobb og barn på en god måte.
Ved å gi dette som et tilbud fra HR/personalavdelingen vil bedriften vise at den har fokus på denne gruppen medarbeidere.
Samlingene holdes på dagtid, og babyene er med. Dette er næringslivets svar på barselgrupper! Programmet ledes av kvinner med lang erfaring i å håndtere karriere og barn, og som vil dele av sine kunnskaper til glede og læring for deltagerne.
Babygarden passer for bedrifter som ønsker at kvinner i barselpermisjon skal
- Holde seg oppdatert under permisjon
- Forberede seg til å komme tilbake på jobb
- Være effektiv i startfasen etter permisjonstiden
- Ha balanse mellom jobb og privatliv
Vil dere vise at dere:
- Tar kvinner, karriere og ledelse på alvor
- Ser på unge kvinner som verdifull kapital
- Oppmuntrer til intern karriereutvikling
02. november 2009
Bedrifter er opptatt av effektivitet og ønsker at medarbeidere skal prestere best mulig. Utfordringen kan ofte være at medarbeiderne ikke vet hva som er forventet av dem. Da er det også vanskelig å få alle til å dra i riktig retning.
Artikkelen kan være et godt hjelpemiddel for bedrifter eller bedriftsledere som vil vite mer om begrepet. Ved hjelp av denne kan en sette seg mer inn i hva mål og prestasjoner, eller performance management er, hva som skal til for å lykkes med mål og prestasjoner og hvordan implementere systemer i bedrifter.
Performance Management
Performance management reminds us that being busy is not the same as producing results. It reminds us that training, strong commitment and lots of hard work alone is not results. The major contribution of performance management is its focus on achieving results -- useful products and services for customers inside and outside the organization. Performance management redirects our efforts away from busyness toward effectiveness.
Recently, organizations have been faced with challenges like never before. Increasing competition from businesses across the world has meant that all businesses must be much more careful about the choice of strategies to remain competitive. Everyone (and everything) in the organization must be doing what they're supposed to be doing to ensure strategies are implemented effectively.
This situation has put more focus on effectiveness, that systems and processes in the organization be applied in the right way to the right things: to achieve results. All of the results across the organization must continue to be aligned to achieve the overall results desired by the organization for it to survive and thrive. Only then it be said that the organization and its various parts are really performing.
Development and Contents of a Performance Plan
Most of us are used to thinking of performance management focused on the employee, rather than the organization, groups, etc. Therefore, when first reviewing the steps to develop a performance plan, it may be best to use the example of employee performance management as done below. The reader should keep in mind that these steps might be followed in performance efforts focused on the entire organization or some subsystem of the organization.
In the example below, the focus -- or domain -- of the performance management process is an employee. The employee is a machine operator; consequently, application of performance management in this example is rather straightforward for clarity in the example. Most applications are not this straightforward.
NOTE: As review about key terms in performance management, key terms are bolded and italized below.
1. Review organizational goals to associate preferred organizational results in terms of units of performance, which is, quantity, quality, cost or timeliness
Organizational goals are often established during strategic planning. Performance management translates these goals to results, which typically are described in terms of quantity, quality, timeliness or cost. Results are the primary products or services desired from the focus of the performance process. Examples are a percentage increase in sales, extent of impact on a certain community, etc. Goals should be "SMART" (an acronym), that is, specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic to achieve and time-bound with a deadline. For example, an overall goal may be to increase the organization's profit by 30% by the end of the next fiscal year. An associated strategy (or sub-goal), among others, may be to increase profit of the Catalog Department by 50% over the next fiscal year.
2. Specify desired results for the domain -- as guidance, focus on results needed by other domains (e.g., to internal or external customers)
For example, the operator's results are high-quality, printed images for the internal customer, the Catalog Department. This aspect of performance management is sometimes called "goal setting", particularly when the focus of the performance process is on employees. Goals should be "SMART" and challenging.
3. Ensure the domain's desired results directly contribute to the organization's results
Aligning results with organizational results
is another unique aspect of performance management process. Do the employee's results directly contribute to the results of the organization? What organizational goals? How? For example, do the prints directly contribute to the desired profit increase of 50% of the Catalog Department? How? Is there anything else the operator could be doing that would be more productive for this goal? Should a job analysis be done to verify efficiency?
4. Weight, or prioritize, the domain's desired results
A weight, or prioritization, is often in the form of percentage-time-spent, or a numeric ranking with "1" as the highest. For example, the employee's results might be weighted as follows:
a) 80% of his time over an 8-hour period, Monday through Friday over the next fiscal year, to be spent running the machine
b)10% of this time in training
c)10% of this time in a Quality Circle.
5. Identify first-level measures to evaluate if and how well the domain's desired results were achieved
Measures provide information to evaluate accomplishment of results. Measures are usually specified in terms of quantity, quality, timeliness or cost. For example, measures for the operator might be the number of prints over some time interval, a certain grade on a test during his training and attendance recorded on attendance sheets to his Quality Circle. Identifying which measures to take is often the toughest part of the performance management process. You have to look at the appropriate level or domain in the organization, its desired results, and consider what are the most valid, reliable and practical measurements to use. With complex and rapidly changing domains, it often helps to identify outcome and driver measures, and patterns of effects. More about these terms in Performance Measurement , which is also referenced back in Basic Overview of Performance Management.)
6. Identify more specific measures for each first-level measure if necessary
For example, regarding the operator's measure for operating his machine, he may have to produce at least 500 high-quality prints an hour for eight hours, Monday through Friday during the fiscal year. High-quality means no smears or tears. The Director of the Catalog Department evaluates whether the operator made this goal or not.
7. Identify standards for evaluating how well the domain's desired results were achieved
Standards specify how well a result should be achieved. For example, the operator "meets expectations" if the Director of the Catalog Department agrees that the operator produced 500 high-quality prints an hour for eight hours, Monday through Friday during the fiscal year. If he produces 600, he "exceeds expectations", 700 is "superior performance", 400 is "does not meet expectation", etc.
8. Document a performance plan - including desired results, measures and standards
The performance plan describes the domain's preferred results, how results tie back to the organization's results, weighting of results, how results will be measured and what standards are used to evaluate results. Developing the plan is often the responsibility of the head of the domain (in this example, the employee's supervisor). However, the plan should be developed as much as possible with participants in the domain. (Note that a performance plan is not the same as a "performance development plan", which is mentioned later below.)
NOTE: Now is the best time to take stock of overall performance plans. Does the domain have the necessary resources to achieve preferred results, e.g., necessary funding, training, input from other subsystems, etc? Are the standards realistic? Can the domain realistically achieve the results within the preferred time frame? Does everyone involved in the measures really understand how to recognize the measures? Do they know their role in the performance management process?
9. Conduct ongoing observations and measurements to track performance
The operator's supervisor would observe the number of high-quality prints, including staying in contact with the Director of the Catalog Department.
10. Exchange ongoing feedback about performance
Feedback is information relevant to how well results are being achieved. Useful feedback is timely, feasible and understood. Ideally, feedback address key activities to improve or reinforce performance. Usually, the larger the number of sources giving feedback, the more accurate is the depiction of events. In our example, the employee, supervisor and Director of the Catalog Department should continue to share impressions of how well results are being achieved. Any ideas to improve or support performance should be implemented as appropriate. This ongoing feedback is often one of the most important aspects of performance management.
11. Conduct a performance appraisal (sometimes called performance review)
A performance appraisal (or review) includes documentation of expected results, standards of performance, progress toward achieving of results, how well they were achieved, examples indicating achievement, suggestions to improve performance and how those suggestions can be followed. If the above steps in the performance management process were followed, the performance appraisal is usually quite straightforward to carry out. In our example, the appraisal should include input from the employee, supervisor and Director of the Catalog Department. The performance appraisal should be carried out at regular intervals as performance tracking is underway.
12. If performance meets desired performance standards, reward for performance
In our example, the machine operator may be due some form of reward, that is, recognition or compensation, e.g., letter of recognition, promotion, letter of commendation, etc. This step in the performance management process is often overlooked when focusing on organization-wide performance improvement, or on a major subsystem.
13. If performance does not meet desired performance standards, develop or update a performance development plan to address the performance gap* (See Notes 1 and 2 below.)
If performance does not meet standards, implement a performance development plan. This plan clearly conveys how the conclusion was made that there was inadequate performance, what actions are to be taken and by whom and when, when performance will be reviewed again and how. In our example, if the operator (or other domain) was not performing to standards, then some forms of help (or interventions) should be provided (in this example, coaching, mentoring, training, more resources, etc).
* Note 1: Inadequate performance does not always indicate a problem on the part of the domain. Performance standards may be unrealistic or the domain may have insufficient resources. Similarly, the overall strategies or the organization, or its means to achieving its top-level goals, may be unrealistic or without sufficient resources.
* Note 2: When performance management is applied to an employee or group of employees, a development plan can be initiated in a variety of situations, e.g.:
a.) When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is needed
b.) To "benchmark" the status of improvement so far in a development effort
c.) As part of a professional development for the employee or group of employees, in which case there is not a performance gap as much as an "growth gap"
d.) As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned change in role in the organization, in which case there also is not a performance gap as much as an "opportunity gap"
e.) To "pilot", or test, the operation of a new performance management system
14. Repeat steps 9 to 13 until performance is acceptable, standards are changed, the domain is replaced, management decides to do nothing, etc.
4 Key Benefits of Performance Management
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PM focuses on results, rather than behaviors and activities
A common misconception among supervisors is that behaviors and activities are the same as results. Thus, an employee may appear extremely busy, but not be contributing at all toward the goals of the organization. An example is the employee who manually reviews completion of every form and procedure, rather than supporting automation of the review. The supervisor may conclude the employee is very committed to the organization and works very hard, thus, deserving a very high performance rating.
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Aligns organizational activities and processes to the goals of the organization
PM identifies organizational goals, results needed to achieve those goals, measures of effectiveness or efficiency (outcomes) toward the goals, and means (drivers) to achieve the goals. This chain of measurements is examined to ensure alignment with overall results of the organization.
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Cultivates a system-wide, long-term view of the organization
Richard A. Swanson, in Performance Improvement Theory and Practice (Advances in Developing Human Resources, 1, 1999), explains an effective performance improvement process must follow a systems-based approach while looking at outcomes and drivers. Otherwise, the effort produces a flawed picture. For example, laying off people will likely produce short-term profits. However, the organization may eventually experience reduced productivity, resulting in long-term profit loss.
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Produces meaningful measurements
These measurements have a wide variety of useful applications. They are useful in benchmarking, or setting standards for comparison with best practices in other organizations. They provide consistent basis for comparison during internal change efforts. They indicate results during improvement efforts, such as employee training, management development, quality programs, etc. They help ensure equitable and fair treatment to employees based on performance.
15 Other Benefits of Performance Management
Performance Management (PM):
- Helps you think about what results you really want. You're forced to be accountable, to "put a stake in the ground".
- Depersonalizes issues. Supervisor's focus on behaviors and results, rather than personalities.
- Validates expectations. In today's age of high expectations when organizations are striving to transform themselves and society, having measurable results can verify whether grand visions are realistic or not.
- Helps ensure equitable treatment of employees because appraisals are based on results.
- Optimizes operations in the organization because goals and results are more closely aligned.
- Cultivates a change in perspective from activities to results.
- Performance reviews are focused on contributions to the organizational goals, e.g., forms include the question "What organizational goal were contributed to and how?"
- Supports ongoing communication, feedback and dialogue about organizational goals. Also supports communication between employee and supervisor.
- Performance is seen as an ongoing process, rather than a one-time, snapshot event.
- Provokes focus on the needs of customers, whether internal or external.
- Cultivates a systems perspective, that is, focus on the relationships and exchanges between subsystems, e.g., departments, processes, teams and employees. Accordingly, personnel focus on patterns and themes in the organization, rather than specific events.
- Continuing focus and analysis on results helps to correct several myths, e.g., "learning means results", "job satisfaction produces productivity", etc.
- Produces specificity in commitments and resources.
- Provides specificity for comparisons, direction and planning.
- Redirects attention from bottom-up approaches (e.g., doing job descriptions, performance reviews, etc., first and then "rolling up" results to the top of the organization) to top-down approaches (e.g., ensuring all subsystem goals and results are aligned first with the organization's overall goals and results).
Concerns about Performance Management
Typical concerns expressed about performance management are that it seems extraordinarily difficult and often unreliable to measure phenomena as complex as performance. People point out that today's organizations are rapidly changing, thus results and measures quickly become obsolete. They add that translating human desires and interactions to measurements is impersonal and even heavy handed.
Performance Management during Rapid Change
Today's organizations seem to change much more rapidly than in the past. Consequently, many experts have strong reservations about the numerous measurements that must be taken in performance management. They assert that no sooner is a measurement identified than the measurement becomes obsolete because the organization has changed substantially.
There are numerous measurements to consider when adopting a performance management system. However, the measurements themselves are not the major purpose of the performance management process. The purpose of the process is to provide a consistent frame of reference during ongoing feedback about performance, whether the organization is entirely stable or in the midst of rapid change. Measurements ensure that everyone involved is working and talking from the same script. The measurements themselves may change. However, organization members should be able to recognize and explain the change. This assertion is true whether one is addressing the performance of an organization, process, subsystem or employee.
Consider the implications of the above assertion. The assertion is saying, e.g., that when performance management is carried out with an employee, filling out the performance form and having the performance discussion is not the highlight of the performance process -- the highlight has been occurring during the year when the supervisor and employee exchanged ongoing feedback about performance. Filling out the form and having the discussion are really measurements, too. If the performance process is done well, the performance review discussion should include absolutely no surprises for the employee. All feedback to him or her already should have occurred.
Frankly, many supervisors dread having to fill out the employee performance review forms. That is the time means they have to recount the employee's activities during the year, try translate the activities to areas of knowledge and skills shown by the employee -- they have to "reverse engineer" what's been happening, mostly to fill out a form. They worry that they haven't spent sufficient time noticing the employee's behavior, that they might be confronted and proven wrong. They often believe that the employee has been doing just fine during the year, so why have to quit work now just to fill out a form. They worry that the employee may have high expectations that can't be met by the performance process. That's how many supervisors see the process - because the form and the various measurements that it recalls, are too often seen as the end in themselves.
The most important part of the performance management process is the ongoing communication around the measurements.
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Kilde: http://www.managementhelp.org