Easily Dispense with Lack of Engagement and Poor Performance.

Why do apparently excellent people sometimes underperform? I have found the answer can be found in a psychometric approach to performance appraisal.

I worked with a financial institution to achieve just this. Between us, a radical new approach to the appraisal process was created, with dramatic results.

The company had been using The McQuaig System™ to support the substantial recruitment that the company's meteoric growth demanded.

The organisation realised that the annual appraisals were not being used effectively, and this was confirmed by an in-house survey. A typical comment was: 'Managers aren't interested in the appraisals - it's just a chore for them.'

Appraisals should be constructive, and proactive. The system needed to be re-designed and, in discussion with my clients, it was quickly apparent that, to make appraisals more effective, managers need a better understanding of the way their people approach their work, and how they relate to management style.

By introducing the behavioural factor of both managers and staff, an element of self-realisation was brought into play to establish just how important effective management is in its effect on staff performance.

The approach
To tackle this, middle managers and their direct reports undertook a McQuaig assessment. However, before doing so, it was essential for those managers to understand exactly what they were hoping to achieve through the improved appraisals process. For this, I tailored and delivered a seminar on “Making Appraisals Motivational”.

The next stage was for all staff to complete the McQuaig. Being on an unrestricted license for the entire organisation, this did not cost them anything extra.

The McQuaig Word Survey® gives an extremely accurate indication of how a person will tackle a job and interact with other people. The skill lies in accurate interpretation of the results, for which training is required.

I sat with each manager in turn and discussed the profiles of each and every direct report, including, of course, the profile of the manager him/herself. The evaluations caused a revelation every time.
Why? Because they revealed that the roots of performance problems did not necessarily lie with the staff member, but sometimes with the manager.

Armed with an objective understanding of the personalities involved, managers are in a position to relate this to each person's performance and discuss the results at the appraisal. As one senior manager commented, ‘The beauty of the McQuaig approach is that it not only identifies the presence of performance problems, but actually indicates their source.’

What happened?
Following this strong intervention, management changes were implemented in two ways to solve problems that had been identified.

 - Certain job specifications and responsibilities were altered, to move people into areas to which they are more naturally suited.

 - Managers have deliberately refined their leadership styles as appropriate to their staff.

For example, a typical management problem revealed by the assessment, and then tackled in the appraisal, was of a person in a supervisory role.

'Whilst excellent at the job's technicalities, there were problems with the team he was leading,' the client observed. 'A record of bad absenteeism and coordination had developed amongst these volatile characters in his team, damaging productivity.'

Personal evaluation, followed by an open and frank appraisal session, indicated that he was not naturally suited to the middle management role. Further, the somewhat abrupt criticism from his senior manager was causing him additional stress.

The solution was simple but effective: the responsibility for people was removed and the technical workload increased in the new role to which he was willingly transferred.

The company added that 'his senior manager, following assessment and, in turn, appraisal, has recognised the need to smooth the edges in his own management style in order  to get the best from the middle managers.'

The lessons?
Situations of this kind are far from unique, but rarely identified under standard appraisal practices. People are mismanaged or left to underperform in jobs for which they have no natural affinity. It is much better to isolate problems, identify the source, and agree a course of action.

The clients’ redesign of the Appraisal system proved to be a great success. As they stated: ‘All the managers who attended the one-day appraisal seminar have been unanimous in their praise for the training they received. Appraisals have now become a positive management tool and all managers believe that they are better at their job in respect to the man-management skills.’