Performance Management

Measuring Results and Behaviors

By

Dr. Amjad Hussain

8/1

Performance Management
The reason most people never reach their
goals is that they dont define them, or
ever seriously consider them as believable
or achievable.
Winners can tell you where they are
going, what they plan to do along the
way, and who will be sharing the
adventure with them.
DENIS WAITELY

8/2

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
A behaviour approach to measure
performance includes the assessment of
competencies competencies are measurable
clusters of knowledge, skill and Abilities
(KSAs) that are critical how results are
achieved
Examples:
Customer service, written or oral
communication, creative thinking etc.

8/3

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Types of competencies:
Differentiating Competencies:

that allow us to distinguish between average and

superior performers

Threshold Competencies:

those that everyone needs to display to do the job to a

minimally adequate standard
8/4

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Competencies:
All competencies should be defined in
behavioural terms
Example:
A professor teaching an on-line course

An important competency in this case could be

communication defined as the set of behaviours that
enables a professor to convey information so that
students are able to receive it and understand it

8/5

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Competencies:
We do not measure the competency directly, but
we measure indicators that tell us whether the
competency is present or not
Indicator is an observable behaviour that gives
us information regarding the competency in
question

8/6

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours

Competencies Indicators

Indicator

Indicator

Indicator

Indicator

Indicator
8/7

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Components of a Competency:

Definition of competency
Description of specific behavioural indicators that can
be observed when someone demonstrates a
competency effectively
Description of specific behaviours that are likely to
occur when one does not demonstrate competency
effectively
List of suggestions for developing the competency in
question

8/8

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours

Components of a Competency:
Example Good Leadership
Competencies needed consideration and
initiation structure

Supports subordinates projects

Ask about the well-being of employees lives outside
of work
Encourage subordinates to reach their established
goals
Gets to know employees personally
Shows respect to employees work and home lives

8/9

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Systems to measure Competency:
Comparative System:

Base the measurement on comparing employees with

one another

Absolute Systems:

Base on the measurement on comparing employees with

a prespecified performance standard

8/10

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Systems to measure Competency:
Comparative System:

Base the measurement on comparing employees with

one another

Simple Rank Order

Alternation Rank Order
Paired Comparisons
Forced Distribution

8/11

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Systems to measure Competency:
Comparative System:

Base the measurement on comparing employees with

one another

Simple Rank Order employees are simply

ranked from best performer to worst
performer

8/12

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Systems to measure Competency:
Comparative System:

Base the measurement on comparing employees with

one another
Alternation Rank Order the supervisor initially lists
all employees. Then the supervisor selects the best
performer (#1), then the worst performer (#n), then
the second best (#2), then the second worst (#n-1)
and so on un till all employees have been ranked

8/13

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours

Systems to measure Competency:

Comparative System:

Paired Comparisons explicit comparisons are made

between all pairs of the employees to be evaluated.
Supervisor systematically compare the performance of
each employee against the performance of all other
employees
No of pairs = n(n-1)/2; n is no of employees to be
evaluated
The supervisors job is to choose the better of each pair,
and each individuals rank is determined by counting
the number of times he or she was rated better

8/14

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours
Systems to measure Competency:
Comparative System:

Forced Distribution employees are apportioned

according to an approximately normal distribution.
For example, 20% of employees must be classified as
exceeding expectations, 70% meeting expectations,
and 10% as not meeting expectations
Has been implemented in General Electric where 10%
of managers are assigned grade c and if they do not
improve, they are asked to leave the company

8/15

Performance Management

Measuring Behaviours

Systems to measure Competency:

Comparative System: Advantages

Procedures are easier to explain

Decisions are straightforward
Tend of control several biases and errors

Some problems with forced distribution method

Some units may have high performance culture and

some have medium level
Discouraging employees in engaging contextual
performance behaviours
Employees may think the better my colleague does,
the smaller the chance that I will be rated at the top of
the distribution, so why should I help him do his job

8/16

Performance Management
Absolute Systems
Without making direct reference to other
employees
1. Writing an essay
Supervisor writes an essay describing employees
strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for
improvements
Advantages
Disadvantages

8/17

Performance Management
Absolute Systems
1. Behaviour Checklist
Consists of a form listing behavioural statements that are
indicators of the various competencies to be measured.
The supervisors task is to indicate the statements that
describe the employees being rated.
Example:
The employee arrives at work on time
1. Never 2. Sometimes 3. Often 4. Fairly Often 5. Always

8/18

Performance Management
Absolute Systems
1. Behaviour Checklist
Example:
Checklist of Frequency
Five Point Scale - Never 2. Sometimes 3. Often 4. Fairly
Often 5. Always
Other scales
Seven Point Scale- Always, Constantly, Often, Fairly Often,
Sometimes, Once in a while, Never
Checklist of Amount: All, an extraordinary amount of, a great
amount of, quite a bit of, a moderate amount of, somewhat,
None

8/19

Performance Management

Absolute Systems
1. Critical Incidents Measurement Approach
2. Graphic Rating Scales
(Study from Book)

8/20

Performance Management

Thanks

8/21