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What do you think of having employees give their own performance reviews?
I just listened to Daniel Pink who believes that every organizations should turn performance reviews on their head and having employees give their own performance reviews. What do you think of that? Have you seen this before? How does it work?
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5 Answers
Hi Craig - this is an interesting question. Having a bit of background on Daniel Pink, one the key themes of his work is that if employees are allowed more freedom, they can do amazing things. I have not heard the talk that you reference, but am guessing that it carries this theme. I agree with this perspective.
Anyone who has ever worked on, worked with or managed a great team of highly motivated people knows that they drive their performance - and are their own best critics - moreso than any management intervention can. They expect great things of themselves, and - most importantly - the other team members. Typically managers in this situation are using a coaching style to help these employees achieve all they are capable of, and then reach for more. In such environments employee-driven performance reviews are an excellent complement, in my experience.
Where there are performance and/or skill issues it is still very valuable to have employees assess their own performance. Managers can use this as a starting point for a discussion about what is working, what is not and what to do about it. The issue that I have experienced in this situation is that often, for the same reason the employee is having a performance issue (or is in training) they may not have the perspective/knowledge required to complete the "what to do" part of the performance review. It may also be the case that they are not adequately skilled to accurately assess what the issues are in the first place. I would recommend a collaborative style between the employee and manager in this situation. Start by having the employee explain her/his view, though. That is an incredibly valuable exercise for the employee to learn how to do, and, as skill increases, they will be able to do more and more of the total picture.
For managers who are used to sitting down and writing performance reviews this approach may feel risky. If that is your situation I would recommend trying a pilot with some of your top performers as a start. I think you will find the results often surpass your expectations, and turn the tense performance review process of old and into a win-win situation for both the employee and the manager.
I agree with Wendy Vittori's response. I've seen many different behaviors resulting from self-evaluations both by the employee and manager. What has worked for me in the past is providing employees a format that is simple and introspective that drives dialogue. Try to steer clear of a ratings and pre-defined structured self-performance evaluation. As a manager it's your evaluation of performance that sets the desired expectations and behaviors and not the employee. Keeping an outline simple without ratings helps to remove anxiety on both sides of the evaluation. Ask the employee to highlight performance "wins" and possible "misses" against their business objectives while providing areas of continuous development for the upcoming year. Ask that the employee send the write up several days in advance of the "formal" performance review so the manager has time to reflect and prepare for their discussion. The manager should strive to create a positive outcome from the dialogue that encourages the employee to meet or exceed expectations.
Below is a discussion (or development) outline to help managers prepare and achieve effective performance discussions.
BEST Model:
1. Behavior - Manager needs to be clear about the desired behaviors that will achieve the best performance. Focus on objectives, specific behaviors; no judgments; focus on observable outcomes and actions, e.g. you interrupted, you delivered a great presentation, etc.
2. Express Feelings of Impact - Own your reaction in feeling terms: “ I am disappointed, angry, concerned, confused… or excited, pleased, proud.” Be honest about impact of behavior.
3. Solicit input/Suggest ideas - Solicit input: Ask for reaction, explanation of behavior, e.g. “What is your reaction? How might you do it differently? What did you do differently this time to be so effective? Share your perspective, etc.” Suggest ideas: “How about if you did…; Have you thought about trying, keep working hard on this, it is really making a difference.”
4. Talk about outcomes - Describe payoff to changing behavior, e.g. increase effectiveness, improved relationships. If needed, also describe negative consequences to NOT changing.
I have been a practice manager for 20 years in the same practice. If your rating scale was 1-4 lets say, with 4 being exceeds job expectations, I think most employees would give themselves a 4 in just about everything. They may be dissapointed to see that almost everyone has room for improvement, and a 4 in everything is just not realistic. If you are open & honest but tactful with your employees, a performance review given by the overseeing manager is much more productive than an employee giving themselves a review. Most people have difficulty in admitting their weaknesses even to themselves.
Unofficially, this has been going on for years, especially in the public sector. It's quite common for the boss to ask for a summary of what you've been up to for the past 12 months, and the to use the info to fill in the boxes.
There's a Fortune 500 company that I worked with as part of my PhD, however, that leaves evaluations up to the employees. When they feel they need some feedback, they grab a person who they respect and who they feel will offer valuable insight into their performance, and then go off some place for a quiet chat. It's an approach that I like very much because it's genuine, and all the angst and fear has been removed.
I agree with most of what has been said in the prior responses. What I have seen work best is giving the employees an opportunity to assess their own performance without giving themselves a rating. So, allowing them to provide input on their results against the objectives that were set earlier in the year as well as input on their strengths and developmental areas will provide good context for a productive performance discussion.
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