Table of Contents

Contents of Practical and Effective Performance Management Praise for the Performance Management Course 3 About the Author: Steve Walker 4 Chapter 1: Introduction, What's the story?A" 12 How To Use This Book 13 Chapter 2: Performance Management and Improvement - Key Principles and Ideas 20 Key Issues in Improving Performance 23 The 5 Key Ideas 29 Key Idea 1: Performance Management is Essential to Organisations 32 Key Idea 2: How can we define Performance Management? 39 Key Idea 3: The role of appraisal and supervision 43 Key Idea 4: Performance Management in Action - Effective Habits 58 Key Idea 5: A Performance Management Culture in an organisation 64 Chapter 3: Improving Performance - The 4 Step Model 72 The 4 step model 75 Step 1: Set standards and goals 76 Lever 1.1: Goals and Roles 78 Lever 1.2: Strategy, the Big Picture 94 Lever 1.3: IPBWA 94 Lever 1.4: Staff Recruitment and Selection 95 Lever 1.5: Induction 95 Lever 1.6: External Standards 95 Lever 1.7: Culture 96 Lever 1.8: Role Modelling 96 Lever 1.9: Set Diversity Goals 96 Lever 1.10: Rule of Top 3 Goals 101 Step 2: Measure staff performance 106 Lever 2.1: Number Crunching 108 Lever 2.2: Ask Customers/Users/Clients 108 Lever 2.3: IPBWA 109 Lever 2.4: Role Modelling 109 Lever 2.5: IT and MIS 109 Lever 2.6: Self-Monitoring 109 Lever 2.7: HR Help 110 Lever 2.8: Record- Always write things down 110 Lever 2.9: Objectivity 110 Step 3: Analyse Team Members' Performance 113 Lever 3.1: Delivery System 115 Lever 3.2: Reasons Why Staff Perform Differently 118 Lever 3.3: Understanding Diversity 120 Lever 3.4: The C7 Model 120 Lever 3.5: QQRTPS 125 Step 4: Take Action 131 Lever 4.1: Planning Interventions 133 Lever 4.2: Provide excellent leadership 136 Lever 4.3: Rewarding and Motivating Staff 142 Lever 4.4: Improving Performance by Wandering Around 145 Lever 4.5: Feedback 145 Lever 4.6: Goal Setting and Tracking 150 Lever 4.7: Use the Big Picture and Strategy 151 Lever 4.8: Communication between manager and staff 153 Lever 4.9: Development and Training for Staff 154 Lever 4.10: The power of expectations 157 Lever 4.11: Building a 'Platform' 160 Lever 4.12: Role Modelling 161 Lever 4.13: Policies and Procedures 162 Lever 4.14: Discipline and Dismissal 162 Lever 4.15: Confidence and Support 163 Lever 4.16: Inquiry 167 Lever 4.17: FCSC 168 Conclusion 170 Chapter 4: Action Planning - Putting it all Together 172 Real Life Issues and Options 173 Index 197 Further Reading 198 About the Publishers: http://www.UoLearn.com 202

About the Author

About the Author: Steve Walker Steve Walker is a skilled and experienced trainer, consultant and communicator. In a varied career he has worked in the criminal justice system, in universities, for a small consultancy firm and for the Lord Chancellor's department. Over the last 15 years he has run his own consultancy, providing successful help to a large range of organisations, big and small, across sectors and covering a variety of projects as well as developing other businesses. He is also experienced in one to one coaching with managers. In his work with organisations and individuals Steve focuses on issues around leadership, strategy, culture, performance, development and teamwork, using a reflective and practical approach that brings the best out of people. He is known for helping managers disentangle knotty leadership issues and dilemmas, using relevant research, experience, fresh ideas and clear analysis and sound communication. In his work Steve's goal is to help people to work out specific actions that they can take back to their real world and apply with confidence, and he has a strong and successful track record in this. He is committed to an effective leadership approach that also focuses on developing people and treating them with respect and integrity. Steve has covered performance management at a number of levels, from working with senior managers on improving performance across the whole organisation to helping team leaders with everyday front line performance problems and opportunities. Steve always takes a pragmatic approach to his work on performance management. He makes sure that the advice and help that he gives are useful in the everyday situations that managers find themselves. At the same time he works with people in a considered and thoughtful way, using up to date research to inform advice and actions. Steve is also careful to take into account all of the complications in any issue to make sure that solutions stick: no quick easy wins that lead back to even worse problems. For some time Steve has been keen to convert this work into a book on performance management that captures his and hundreds of managers' experiences and then goes on to offer real ways to tackle what can be horribly difficult issues. This is a book with a difference, blending tried and tested ideas with rugged, real world pragmatism to help all managers to work on and improve the way that they manage the performance of their staff and their teams.

Reviews

It gave me practical tips which I can implement.A" I think the roles and goals section will be extremely helpful to me and the team.A" It gave me the opportunity to focus and take on board information while reflecting on my own practice.A" I am really impressed with the amount of information that is in this book. It feels well researched and has been written by someone who has trained this in the real world.A" Steve's approach is to look holistically at performance management - addressing all aspects of the performance spectrum and linking models and theory with practical examples from his extensive experience of working with organisations. Steve makes performance management accessible and understandable, helping managers to clearly identify how they can get the best out of their people.A" It was useful to look at how to reward staff, what to change to make rewards selective.A" It gave me ideas for taking a proactive approach to performance management rather than only responding to poor performance.A" This should be rolled out to all managers in my organisation.A" Lots of ideas on how to improve performance management in my team- especially using the inquiry approach to action plan.A" Steve gave total commitment and understanding to improve the performance of the college through the people. He was empathetic with staff but always challenging and focused. As his sponsor for the work Steve gave me constructive feedback on how the college contributed to the performance of staff in meeting challenging targets. The college success rates moved from 45% to 80% in a relatively short period of time, a true measure of the impact of performance management.A" I wish I'd had this book 15 years ago. It is so well written and has loads of practical advice for everyday situations. I found it really helped me to reflect on my skills as a manager. Excellent and useful book.A" Head of IT, Large International company