Performance Management Checklist – How to make PM work in your organisation

We’ve been receiving an increasing number of queries about performance management recently – perhaps it’s that time of the year. 

But one of the key points from our research into the topic was the conclusion that there should be no ‘time of the year’ for performance management. 

That was one of 19 conclusions we drew to help organisations to make performance management work. We present the resulting checklist below. If you want to know the story behind the conclusions email info@changeassociates.com or click the button below to download the report.

A 19 Point Checklist for Making Performance Management Work

Leaders must lead – and be seen to lead – performance management 

• Provide clarity and example from the top 
• Invest in giving managers the skills they need to get it right. 
• Make managers responsible for Performance Management
• Help HR to let go of the process – otherwise, it’s seen as something done to satisfy HR

Strive for great conversations that happen regularly and frequently 

• Forget the annual or biannual Performance Management meeting. Make it a continuing collaborative process
• Be courageous about underperformance. No one wants to see people getting away with it
• Have regular conversations about talent in your leadership team 

Create an environment in which high performance is endemic

• Be open to the possibilities of change
• Measure managers by the success of their team
• Mobilise and Mentor rather than Command and Control
• Always be fair

Engender employee commitment through shared services and values

• Unleash creativity by giving your people the freedom they need to addmostvalue
• Adapt the performance management process for different segments
• Recognise and celebrate contributions

Keep it simple and focused on performance

• Separate pay from performance management
• Separate discussions about underperformance
• Consider eliminating forced distribution systems in performance management
• Harness technology – but keep it human
• Ensure this simple, focused approach does not result in top talent going unrecognised

For more detail

If you’re interested in reading the background to this 19 point checklist, download our research report, Performance Management – What’s the Point?