on performance assessment

Yes, I agree. There is nothing more demotivating than the description of one's performance bonus criteria displayed as a formula, with no less than four variables (three of which have nothing to do with your individual performance).

Along the same lines: What's even worse is having to write a detailed work plan for the coming year. The plan is required to be specific (projects, activities, commitment dates, etc.), and as such it becomes a measuring stick by which the individual contributor will be judged. During the course of that year projects are created and canceled, priorities are changed, and so on, so the plan is consistently inaccurate. It's as silly as requiring each passenger on your American Airlines plane to draw up a flight plan to Austin. Those flying the plane should have a plan, but the passengers are there to do as instructed.

Performance Review

There is a wonderful article on Wall Street Journal (wsj.com), of which and excerpt follows. Direct link is:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122426318874844933.html

or do a search on article title "Get Rid of the Performance Review!"

In the past I have suffered a re-org that left me with a new boss that not only had no idea what I did, but didn't care. When it was clear to me that he had begun a campaign of "constructive termination" I began to look for another job, and found one (with a significant pay cut but it was worth it.)

"Constructive Termination" is where the boss seeks to create performance issues so that the employee will either leave or be determined suitable for termination due to manufactured performance issues.

Rather than re-direct workers, poor managers seek to eliminate the worker entirely. I think the larger corporations have a sick way of doing business. If they only knew how to truly value employees, the resulting loyalty and productivity would more than recompense for the additional effort.

Here's a bit of that article as promised:

-snip-

Most performance reviews are staged as "objective" commentary, as if any two supervisors would reach the same conclusions about the merits and faults of the subordinate. But consider the well-observed fact that when people switch bosses, they often receive sharply different evaluations from the new bosses to whom they now report.

To me, this is just further proof that claiming an evaluation can be "objective" is preposterous, as if any assessment is independent of that evaluator's motives in the moment. Missing are answers to questions like, "As seen by whom?" and "Spun for what?" Implying that an evaluation as objective disregards what everyone knows: Where you stand determines what you see.

-snip-

(BTW, I am out of work now and looking in Austin or Dallas. ;^) Technical Marketing, B.S. in EE.) News is so discouraging these days, it's taking some energy just to keep hope alive. I am sure there are many more like me out there...however, this too shall pass. For those of you with jobs, do not take for granted your health and dental benefits, especially if you have children like I do. Additionally, do not be afraid...we are doing fine and making ends meet by various odd jobs and consulting gigs. I just wish there were a happy place in between "career with benefits" and "freedom to work how you like but with no benefits." Note that neither place has "security".

I think it will be back to school for me to get that MBA that every employer seems to think is a "plus" or is required. Too bad school is so expensive, it's kind of a Catch 22. Any one with better ideas is encouraged to reply/respond. Good Luck to all of us...I take comfort in the fact that below poverty level in the U.S. apparently includes running water and indoor plumbing. Seriously, it could be worse. :^)

As for performance reviews, I think there should be a class in college on how to approach the PR because for the majority, it is a motion that management and personnel go through. How to manage, advertise, and defend your PR goals and measurements across the year is not taught. Maybe I will write a book about how to navigate it and the various "curve balls" that management can throw and suggestions on how to deal with each situation.

What has always confused me (on a higher level) is that management actually tends to act as if the PR was objective when it logically cannot be objective. At it's best a PR should be at least a form of guidance.

I know of 3 managers (friends of mine when I worked at a major semi company years ago) who each were told to "find bottom 10% performers" after a recent lay-off. None of these women knew how to select from the cream of the crop that was still reporting to them...each person left was definitely not "bottom 10%" but they were forced to label as such to justify placing more people on the lay-off train.

Clearly, the PR is a painful vehicle to authentic managers as well as employees. I sometimes think that in order to be a "successful" manager by today's standards, one has to lose one's soul along the way. Work as a souless endeavor is a kind of hell that deprives people of finding meaning in life.

So sorry if my comment has been a downer...but this topic has always interested me because of the unnecessary fear that PRs create. There has got to be a better way.

Well it is the end of the year again and those so called "reviews" are coming around again. After struggling with the challenges that we all are describing in this blog, I have a very strong belief that Performance reviews can be slimmed down to a meaningful set of outcome objectives that help us perform better in our jobs. The key is a complimentary system of five practices. There is a better way... Ref.

http://www.americanconsulting.net/about/team.htm

"ACT provides learning opportunities that integrate the five most important management skills for improving productivity. Rather than helping develop skills in isolation from each other, we provide opportunities where these key skills are reinforced together: decision-making, goal alignment, work previews, cross-functional leadership and self-management."

I would be interested in helping anyone learn about these methods to improve their business and create a culture that is supportive of performance rather than hurt it.