Alternative To Performance Appraisal

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

We would like to thank Allah Almighty for giving us the health and strength for
accomplishing this project successfully.

We are extremely grateful to Wali for giving us the opportunity to strengthen our researching skills further by working on such a challenging topic. In researching and putting together the library research and survey analysis for developing an alternative to performance appraisal, we have actually achieved what had to be conducted to create a balance between actual and theoretical appraisal. We would also like to thank him for constantly encouraging and giving us a path where we could find the true performance evaluation system.

We would also like to add; that we have made this report to the best of our abilities and have equally participated and contributed to achieve our mission.

Thank You.

Bushra Ubaidullah Bhurgri

Farhana Zia

Gulnaz Merchant

Saira Moin

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Backdrop -1-

Course of action -2-

Improper approach of managers -3-

Inadequate skills of managers -3-

The Dilemma -5-

ENGRO Performance Appraisal -6-

Alternative-PerformMax Commitment -10-

Plausible Suggestions -10-

Conclusion -13-

Recommendation -14-

Executive Summary:

The rationale is to come up with an alternative to performance appraisal process.

For this purpose, our plan involved conducting a library research as well as a survey of an organization’s appraisal system, find flaws and craft an alternative to this system.

Specifically, our research involves the survey of ENGRO Chemicals of how they evaluate employee’s performance. This consists of two-tier levels. At one side there is the actual performance appraisal system in which objectives are set and evaluated. At the other there is a potential ranking system in which ranking of employees is done and performance related pay is set.

We found that the infrastructure of ENGRO suffers from many performance appraisal fallacies. The employees must try extra hard to build a relationship not just with their own managers but also with the managers of other departments. The appraisal system uses performance related pay, forced ranking, check mark rating systems and creates an unhealthy atmosphere of competitiveness.

After thorough analysis we came up with PerformMax Commitment appraisal system which not only focuses on a better relationship between manager and employees but also enhances the overall productivity of the entire organization; aligned with one’s self interest. Our proposed system is an ongoing process that emphasizes on one’s development rather than just compensation. Moreover, both the manager and employee play active roles in this PerformMax Commitment by sharing responsibilities effectively and efficiently using a healthy approach.

Backdrop – Performance Appraisal:

Performance Appraisal, a major element of Performance Management System has three basic functions:

 To provide adequate Feedback to each person on her / his performance;

 To serve as a basis for modifying or changing behavior toward more effective working habits; and

 To provide data to managers with which they may judge future job assignments and compensation.

The performance appraisal concept is central to effective management. Much hard and imaginative work has gone into developing and refining it. Yet the working systems of performance appraisal do not serve any of these functions well. So the questions arise:

Are appraisals working as they are meant to – here and elsewhere? or not? Is there any alternative available? How about just not doing the wrong thing at all?

That is a Performance without Appraisal or an Alternative to Performance Appraisal. This is a question we aim to address in this report.

We also studied what performance appraisals are meant to do and what things are inherently wrong with most performance appraisal systems and what they do in reality.

You can find numerous articles and materials available on net but the most important factor in successfully achieving our goal is to learn, unlearn and relearn appraisal system by analyzing through different articles on web, journals, guest lectures, movies, and even by defining a new model with the help of Almighty Allah and our fellows.

The Course of Action:

The appraisal process itself is often poorly constructed. Problems surface in four ways:

• The hit-or-miss approach:

Many appraisers rarely, if ever, prepare for an appraisal. They “play it by ear.”

• Confusion about objectives:

Often, managers are confused about what can be accomplished in the appraisal. They don’t realize it is more than a recital of deficiencies. It is actually an opportunity to instruct, to teach workers how to overcome their inadequacies.

• Job description:

Employees don’t acquire properly written job description at the time of assigning jobs. Also managers are unable to communicate well.

• The only-once-a-year outlook:

Many managers think of appraisal as something that happens once a year. Instead it is a process that goes on all year long. This is a system we look for; a day-in and a day-out activity.

• Over reliance on forms:

Many companies carry on a never-ending search for the “perfect” appraisal form, which, when properly filled out, will boost everyone’s productivity. This is an exercise in futility. In the end, effective appraisals depend on people, not paper. Forms may help as a tool, but they’re no substitute for managers who know how to appraise.

• Mindset of Employee and Managers:

The system doesn’t put more value on performance appraisal. Everyone thinks that it is a waste of time and hence there is no effort in producing better and effective performance rather there is more focus on things getting done.

Improper Approach of Managers:

Many managers go into the appraisal with mistaken notions about how they should behave. Three mistakes are common:

• Self-imposed censorship:

In an effort to be “kind,” some managers censor themselves. They distort or tone down talk of deficient performance. Their intentions are good, but the results aren’t. By playing games, they deprive workers of insights that could lead to better performance.

• Disrespect:

Few managers would admit they don’t respect their staff, but a surprisingly large number behave as if they don’t. Either they refuse to take the appraisal seriously (“What difference does it make? This guy will never change.”), or they fail to engage the employee in serious discussion (“Why bother? It’ll only prolong the ordeal.”). The message is: “You’re not worth more of an effort.”

• Misuse of power:

For some managers, an appraisal is a chance to “show whose boss.” Starting out with fixed and usually disparaging ideas, they devote the appraisal to “laying it on the line.” The employee, of course, feels beaten down, resentful and unmotivated.

Inadequate Skills of Managers:

Many managers don’t possess the skills to motivate employees through an appraisal. They:

• Fail to prepare data:

Performance appraisal too often degenerates into wheel-spinning because no one ever bothers to collect hard facts. Since neither can document claims, the appraisal becomes a mishmash of impressionistic ramblings and irresolvable disputes.

• Fail to get the worker’s views first:

It happens with disheartening frequency; the boss speaks first, then asks, “What do you think?” and the staffer cagily replies, “I go along with that.” This is no way to get at the facts.

• Fail to probe:

To appraise performance effectively, a manager must know how the employee performed and why. This nearly always requires diligent probing. Many managers don’t know how to do this.

• Fail to involve the workers:

Many managers think, “What’s to discuss? Staff’s performance is over and done with. All that’s left is to tally the score, and job in the appraisal is to let them know the score.” They may know the score, but that doesn’t mean they are planning to improve it. Exclusion and commitment rarely go together.

• Offer unsolicited advice:

Most appraisals require the manager to give advice only when it’s solicited. But workers usually don’t solicit it, so the manager must “guide” the appraisal to the point where the employee asks for advice. Since most managers don’t know how to do this, the advice they give often falls on deaf ears.

• Fail to devise goals and action plans:

When employees leave an appraisal wondering, “So what?” it may be because they didn’t receive improvement goals. Employees should get the answers not only to “How have I been doing?” and “Why?” but also to “How can I improve?” Only goal setting and action planning can answer this third question.

The Dilemma:

To understand what’s flawed, it’s necessary to acknowledge that performance appraisals are innately problematic. In fact, there are three intrinsic problems:
• Appraisals are confrontational and stir emotions
All too frequently, appraisals turn into encounters between two “sides.” For appraisee, it’s “me” versus “them,” with “them” getting an opportunity to track “me” over the coals. For the appraiser, it’s the moment of truth when the worker finds out how he or she “messed up,” and that better performance is expected. In this tense atmosphere, everyone forgets that appraisals should educate. Since both participants expect a disagreement, emotions on both “sides” run high. Whatever the emotions, they reinforce the image of the appraisal as a “necessary evil.”
• Appraisals are judgmental
Many appraisers dislike appraising because they’re called upon to act as judges and counselors. They dislike both roles. The judge’s role requires “distancing,” which many managers find embarrassing; the counselor’s role requires knowledge and experience that many managers lack.
• Appraisals are complex
Effective performance appraisals are difficult to do. They require a full understanding of the employee’s job and of his/her performance. They demand psychological insight and interactive skills. Even the best appraisers rarely say an appraisal is “simple” or “easy.”
• Appraisals make salary decisions
Since employees know that appraisals will decide the salary and promotion, they tend to focus less on improvement and more on being defensive and looking for excuses to hide some shortcomings. Due to this reason, the main purpose of performance appraisal, which is “Performance Improvement”, is lost and the system fails completely.

Performance Appraisal System
ENGRO Chemicals Pakistan Ltd

Overview:

The performance appraisal system at ENGRO Chemicals works at a two-tier level. At one side there is the actual performance appraisal system in which objectives are set and evaluated. At the other there is a potential ranking system in which ranking of employees is done and performance related pay is set. The potential ranking system looks at not just the results of performance appraisal but is also subjective from the executive board’s point of view and encompasses factors such as whether an employee has leadership ability, whether they can absorb pressure, how flexible one is, how creative and assertive one is among other qualities. The actual performance appraisal system includes many levels. First and foremost each employee is asked to set annual objectives for the coming year. These objectives are functional, developmental, and also encompass people objectives as well as any personal objectives the employees would like to develop within themselves in the next year. For example these may include objectives such as developing a certain skill that would help the employee in career growth. At ENGRO this is referred to as PS1 and each employee is required to set this along with the section head and the unit manager of a department. At the end of the year, the employee is asked to objectively assess themselves on each of these objectives that they had set for themselves. The criteria which the employee is given for assessment are: exceeds requirements, meets requirements, partially meets requirements and does not meet requirements. The employee’s immediate supervisor is asked to do the same for the employee. Once each has filled in the assessment, both meet in a discussion where in they must mutually decide the final assessment. It is essential here for the employee and the supervisor to give specific examples that confirm the assessment. This part is encompassed in the Performance Counseling Sheet. Once an employee and his supervisor have met and filled in the Performance Counseling Sheet, the Potential Ranking system sets in. Each year each employee is given a ranking according to his performance. Rankings are done in 1/3s, therefore top 1/3, middle 1/3, and bottom 1/3. In order to decide ranking, the immediate supervisor and the department manager meet and force rank all employees on a variety of criteria, both objective and subjective. Once all employees are force ranked within their departments, all department managers meet together to force rank all the employees at a divisional and final ranking. In this meeting the performance of each employee is assessed by all department managers so as to place them accordingly within the ranks. Due to this specific performance ranking system, ENGRO encourages its employees to interact with individuals not just within their department but also to build a repo with other departments. ENGRO also encourages an informal mentor program through its corporate culture. Here supervisors are encouraged to mentor trainees from their department at all levels, both personal and professional. This is done to help them to adjust to the corporate environment as well as a means of support; eventually networks such as these are helpful in career growth within the company.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES AND KEY TASKS FOR THE YEAR 20__

(Please consult Figure 1 in Appendix)

This sheet is the first part of the performance appraisal system. Here general topics are listed according to the nature of business at ENGRO and employees must fill out objectives according to customers they interact with. Since ENGRO is a manufacturing based company the objectives fall under the categories of: Safety, Environment and Quality; Training and Self Development; Continuous Improvement; Reliability and Service Factor Improvement. ENGRO has defined all their work to fit into these categories and therefore employees are encouraged to set objectives according to these goals of improvement. Each employee must define the customers that he interacts with within these categories and set objectives accordingly. Customers can be within the company such as other departments or individuals or outside the company with suppliers etc. Each employee has an understanding of who his customers are and sets his objectives accordingly. The employee must also define the target for each objective as well as how important the priority for each is.

PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT REPORT

(Please consult Figure 2 in Appendix)

This particular report is developmental in nature. Here the employee must evaluate where he stands and where he wants to go and requires a through analysis of himself. The first part asks for the employee to list his strengths, these can be ability based, performance based or skills based and are intended to improve or enhance performance in the related field. The next section evaluates development needs, or in other words weaknesses, which need to be developed and focused on throughout the upcoming period in order for the employee to achieve his objectives and move towards career development. Business education and training details with an in-depth analysis of an employee’s achievements, those that he has already accomplished in the previous year as well as those key achievements he looks to achieve in the next period. The key here is to analyze the accomplishments of the previous year and use these as a basis for his coming achievements. A good employee must know where to draw the line between what he can achieve and where he is being impractical and setting too many goals. Eventually both this form and the business objectives form are evaluated at the end of the review period, and any achievements that the employee is unable to accomplish reflect on a bad appraisal and ranking for the year. However the employee must also ensure that his objectives are hefty enough for the period of one year (i.e he sets enough objectives that he doesn’t go over his head accomplishing it, and not too little that it reflects badly on him). Career development is an essential part of ENGRO’s corporate culture, as an organization it invests in its employees’ growth and encourages leadership development in its employees. In case scenario, the current president of ENGRO Chemicals is a product of ENGRO itself, and all executive positions are filled in by employees that have started their careers early on at ENGRO. This is also a reason for defining career growth in this form. This helps to define how ambitious an employee is and where he would like to see himself in the future.

PERFORMANCE COUNCELING AND PERFORMANCE PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT

(Please refer to Figure 3 and 4 in Appendix)

Once the Business Objectives and the Development report are filled in at the start of the performance appraisal period, it is the employees responsibility to ensure that he is up to mark on the objectives that he and his supervisor have set together for the next year. At the end of the performance appraisal period, which runs from January to January, the employee must assess the level to which he has performed. This is done in the Performance Counseling and Performance Planning and Assessment Sheet. The criteria used at ENGRO to assess performance are at four levels: employees exceed requirements, meet requirements, partially meet requirements, or do not meet requirements. The Performance Planning and Assessment Sheet is a replica of the Business Objectives Sheet. Here the employee fills in all the objectives he had previously set. However it is essential for the employee to give qualitative examples of what he has accomplished as well as any hindrances in achieving the task. For example, if an employee feels that he has exceeded requirements he must quantify what was expected of him and how he has exceeded expectations. Once an employee has filled in his version, he meets with his supervisor and both mutually decide on the final assessment of each objective. The Performance Counseling Sheet assesses the employee on areas other than objectives, for example on leadership, time pressure, communication skills etc. Here once again the employee must quantify each topic and provide hard facts and examples for his assessment. The topics defined in this sheet are the qualities that are looked at when department managers set ranking at divisional levels.

DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY:

(Please consult Figure 5 in Appendix)

The development summary is the final report of the whole performance appraisal system and gives and overview of how the performance appraisal system was carried out at the end of the year. This sheet also explicit the ranking of each employee and is filled out by supervisors and managers for those that work under them.

FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM:

After an in-depth analysis of the performance appraisal system at ENGRO Chemicals as well as discussions with various employees we feel that like any other performance appraisal system this too has its flaws. ENGRO encourages interaction among its employees and expects them to build a network within the company. This means that employees must try extra hard to build a relationship not just with their own managers but also with the managers of other employees. At the final ranking employees that are ranked highly are either those that have not only performed well but are also social or therefore other managers are aware of them. However this system also works positively. For example if an employee doesn’t get along well with his supervisor or manager, but is performing up to mark and others within the organization know that he is, during ranking and performance review other managers with fight for his case and ensure a proper ranking. Some other flaws in the system are the use of performance related pay and forced ranking which create an atmosphere of competitiveness. Number; letter grades and check mark rating systems are an inefficient way of assessing and improving performance. Overall we have found that the system works well if there are people with influence who are willing to push your case and develop your career within the organization. When this isn’t the case, it can prove to be detrimental to the employees’ future within the organization.

Alternative to Performance Appraisal:

The alternative to performance appraisal we come across after doing deep analysis of library research and survey results, we are able to design an alternative to performance appraisal and name it as “PerformMax Commitment”. Why because we know that employee performance appraisal work share some common characteristics. They tell workers how they’ve performed and can improve; then motivate them to do so. The process generates an understanding and commitment, which, together, should result in increased employee productivity.

The link between appraisals and productivity, then, depends on the effectiveness of the appraisals. Yet most of these encounters fall short of expectations.

In effect, the participants in our survey said one thing consistently: “We’re willing to work hard to achieve our objectives, but we’re not sure how to go about it.” How to go about it is what performance appraisal should teach; in many cases, it evidently fails to do so.

Plausible Suggestions:

All these problems can be overcome, or at least counterbalanced, if, besides having a workable appraisal system that we are basically looking for. An alternative performance appraisal model which spends a considerable time before evaluating the appraisees; consider the following factors:

• Define Individual and team goals: Individual goals must be included in a performance appraisal system that encompass career, personal and professional levels. The team and individual goals set are aligned with organization goals. Also the objectives must be set in accordance with the skills set.

• Personal Agenda: Managers encourage subordinates to speak their ambitions and dreams openly and formulate efforts to help employees achieve them.

• Open lines of Communication: Unless and until the environment is such that employee feels welcomed in sharing his opinions/problems/suggestions, there can never be a successful performance appraisal. Employee feels that his say would be heard and respected if not acted upon. Employees usually don’t defend themselves in appraisals because they know that it is not going to change anything. If this is the situation then it is going to affect the mindset about Performance Appraisal. Management must take measures in encouraging employee to talk back and find out ways to make the performance appraisal seem more useful and beneficial for employees.

• Learning Organization: Organization provides platform for employee growth. This will help keep the motivation level up and turnover low. An employee, if not satisfied with PA, can always count on his growth as an individual and as an effective worker provided by the management. Management conducts workshops and training for managers to help make performance appraisal system more useful and fair.

• Boost Self Esteem: A healthy self-esteem will lower an individual’s fear of identifying weaknesses and trying something new. An effective manager will try boosting the self esteem of those working under him; which would result in increased productivity and a lot more improvement. People produce better results when they feel good about themselves.

• Appraisal: a year round activity: Appraisal is a process that goes on all year long. It starts from the beginning of the job description maintaining the checks and balances and entails each aspect of the skills and job performance.

• Shared responsibility: The appraisal constructed on the basis of shared responsibility. Employees come prepared during the performance conversation, with both his/her weak areas and those in which has shown recent improvement. When employee gets to participate in the meeting, it takes the burden off the managers and in this way both are interested to have the performance improvement meeting.

• Measuring performance through performance graphs: Our proposed appraisal contains an automated database that measures key growth of employees’ performance back by managers’ support and encouragement. The process contains graphs :

 Employee Growth
 Manager Role
 Organization context
 Agree

• Qualitative benefits: In shape of rewards and recognitions. The Performmax commitment comprises of gain sharing, profit sharing, group based appraisal and small group incentive methods which are given in the form of monetary and non-monetary rewards.

• Performance Related Pay (PRP): PRP must not be considered an important tool in accessing performance in the system. It is optional that giving staff a one per cent pay rise boosts employee job performance by roughly two per cent, but offering that same money in the form of a bonus that is strongly linked to a job well done can improve job performance. They are several problems with the PRP includes (1) There may be disputes about how performance is measured and whether an employee has done enough to be rewarded. (2) Rewarding employees individually does very little to encourage teamwork (3) It may encourage unhealthy rivalry between managers. (4) There is much doubt about whether performance-related pay actually does anything to motivate employees. This may be because the performance element is usually only a small percentage of total pay.

• Total Quality Management (TQM): TQM stresses improvements in work process rather then an individual employee’s performance. The system is an interlocking process and focuses more on organizational context, culture and norms rather then employee performance; is the object of management.

CONCLUSION:

Based on our research study we conclude that most performance appraisals are less effective than they could be, and the reasons lie both in the nature of appraisal and in the circumstances surrounding it. But problems can be overcome. If appraisal becomes a year-round activity, if each session follows a systematic format, and if each is adapted to the employee’s characteristics, improved productivity can be expected to follow. Yet the appraiser must know how to make it happen — for in the end, any performance appraisal system is only as good as the person who conducts the appraisals.

We also conclude that number; letter grades and check mark rating systems are an inefficient way of assessing and improving performance. They may be good for managers and HR department during compilation and disseminating of bonuses and increments. However, they do little to help the employee assess how to improve performance or what they have done right.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Our PerformMax Commitment is an innovative appraisal system that links employee evaluations with the organization’s mission and strategic plan. The organization goals and values are reviewed by the employees and skills are identified that the staff would need to fulfill – leadership, organizational knowledge, technical know how, strategic thinking and so on.

Change is a major factor which must be accepted eagerly and worked upon in order to meet the upcoming challenges and agreed by both the managers and employees. The process has to be reviewed on a continuous basis to eliminate any surprise and astonishing factors during this year round activity.

A healthy self-esteem will lower an individual’s fear of identifying weaknesses and trying something new so, continuous training and development programs ought to be conducted in order to achieve targets in a mutually defined timeline.

Appraisal Interview

Appraisal Interview
To conduct an Appraisal Interview, following factors need to be considered:

Preparation (The Appraiser Role)

• Let the employee know ahead of time when the appraisal will take place and what it will cover (at least two weeks notice). No Surprise for Appraisee.
• Define the goals you want to achieve. Goals to improve performance.
• Review the personal history of the employee (Profile and work experience) and his/her job description.
• Review any records indicating degrees of performance.
• Review any records or reports which might give you insight into the employee’s career need.
• Consider how the employee meets the expectation level.
• Avoid the “halo effect.”
• Avoid false overconfidence in employee.
• Ask yourself as many questions as possible.
• Consider unusual circumstances.
• Make an analysis of what you know that you might share for more betterment.
• Stay with your outline, but do not be rigid.(Be Flexible)
• Exchange of ideas.(Two-Way Communication)
• Do not allow the appraisal form to dictate the interview process. (What may go wrong?)
• Listen & Talk carefully. (Choice of words)
• Use of Restatement Checks.

Work Environment (The Appraisee and the Appraiser)

• Conduct the appraisal interview in private and comfortable surroundings close to the employee’s work area.
• Minimize interruptions during the interview.
• Remove the pressure to finish the interview quickly.
• Strive for a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Interview Style

• Formal or Informal?
• Who leads the interview?
• Who control the interview?

During the Interview, Think about…

• Constructive Criticism
• Praise ( ‘Every thing looks fine to me’  No Benefit)
• Future Plans ( Talk about Desires)
• Training needs (Discuss and Rectify)

Analyze the Interview:

• Don’t try to remake the man in one short interview.
• When the employee knows in definite terms how you appraised him/her overall.
• When a plan of action has been cooperatively developed.
• When the employee has thoroughly expressed personal ambitions and special interests.
• When psychological factors have been considered during the interview.

After the interview:

• Summarize in writing the main points.
• Give a copy of action plan to Appraisee.
• The plan should include the deadlines and criteria against which success can be measured.

Follow-up:

• Communicate the date of later meeting with Appraisee.
• Use action-plan as a guide.
• Make modifications if necessary.
• Don’t feel obliged to agree on significant suggestions.

Recommendations:

• Do assure the employee that individual performance development is the primary goal or purpose and the appraisal review is just one part of the total process.
• Appraiser and Appraisee both need to admit their faults.
• The Appraiser should not dwell on past errors.
• The Appraiser and Appraisee should not move on to extremes.
• The Appraiser should not discuss any other person for the purpose of comparison.
• Action plan should not have rosy promises, impossible goals or unreasonable demands.

Denied Facts

You all will agree that anything bothering us must be brought up for discussion. Bringing up the uncomfortable stuff is the only way to evaluate how well we communicate, negotiate, and work together as group. We should never be afraid to let other know what bothers us. This is also a way for us to test how vulnerable we can be with each other.

Very few in our society dare to speak truth. Fewer dare to listen to the truth. Much fewer who accept truth and much smaller in number who act on truth. We as nation are reactive mob, which lack systematic or analytical approach, since we all are groomed through skewed wisdom/vision during our education spanning over 20 years. We as nation do not hate fire but the ONE who shout FIRE. We are not afraid of failure rather afraid only to accept ourselves as failure even if we are fail. We as a nation are failed in all field. Starting from education, medicine, engineering, banking, politics, science. You name any field and we are total failure. Like fallacies of appraisal there are so called fabricated excuses and fallacies of our total failure. Namely Education, Mullah, Sectarianism, India, Army Rule. etc etc

In last class, with the necessary sensitivity, I was disappointed by the comment that I should have not referred to Quran/Islam. Why? I can refer to any Book but not Quran. I can refer to any Philosophy like socialism, capitalism but not Islam. It’s beyond my comprehension. Islam is not a religion rather a DEEN i.e. A Way of life. I always think why we are so irritated by anyone/thing which is related to Islam. As I said earlier that we do not have any systematic or analytical power, because we all are groomed through skewed wisdom/vision therefore for us Islam/Quran seems irrelevant in all our problems. For past 100 years, we’ve waited for “somebody from our western style Schools/Colleges/Universities, SO-CALLED SEAT OF LEARNING” to do a miracle. But alas it is DISGUSTING TOTAL FAILURE for more than 100 years in all fields and it will be failure for next 1000 years.

Some of my fellows objected to comparing TABLEEGHI JAMAAT as NGO with Southwest Airlines. If I am wrong, please correct me by identifying any NGO in the whole world which every year mobilize more than 3 Million people in different parts of world for its annual gathering and they have presence across the globe in every city. TABLEEGHI JAMAAT (only 30/40 years old) as NGO and Southwest as Airlines are organizations wherein members/employees are productive and efficient. TABLEEGHI JAMAAT and Southwest Airlines both are similar with each other from culture point of view however very different from rest of NGOs and Airlines. Instead of the blue sport coats worn by other airlines, a uniform of short pants and polo shirts is a summer standard for Southwest Airlines employees. The pilots and flight attendants might sing or tell jokes to passengers, but they are serious about customer service and efficient operations. Similarly TABLEEGHI do not use IT, technology, HRM or appraisals but still they are best in networking. So far no western educated Muslim (those including LUMS/IBA/SZABIST graduates) have not given us any such high performance NGO, organization, product or brand. To some among us the glory might be serving in Shell, BP, BC, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Coke, Unilever but to me real glory is making such giants. The similar working style of Southwest Airlines and TABLEEGHI JAMAAT implies a relaxed environment, their levity indicates a certain degree of openness, and shared responsibilities of the front line and management solidify the importance of—above all—getting the job done. It is no wonder that Southwest Airlines have been the most consistently profitable airline over the past decade. At the same time TABLEEGHI JAMAAT is wonderful growing NGO during past 3/4 decades. I am not preaching you to join TABLEEGHI JAMAAT or judging them as absolute RIGHT/WRONG but trying to highlight the essence of culture in TABLEEGHI JAMAAT. Just imagine a MNC or business which has similar culture and exponential growth like TABLEEGHI JAMAAT. AT SAME TIME I AM ALSO NOT TRYING UNDERMINING MY SHIITE BROTHER’S FAITH. My Shiite brothers can identify/explain their own version of glories and wonders to us from our own soil. What I am trying to prove that wonders/miracles will be done only with REJECTION (INKAR). The GUTS for rejection will not come from Western Style Schools/Colleges/Universities but will only come through Quran and Islam. Any version of Islam ( i.e. Shiaism, Wahabism, and Sunnism etc) may work for this miracle through rejection (INKAR).

Another example to which some of my fellows objected was comparing performance of US Marines with Taliban. Dr Lee in his Book “Performance Conversation” has mentioned US Marines Corps as world’s finest military organization. According to Author Dr Lee it has been in battle for well over two centuries and its reputation has become synonymous with success. Marine Corps is unique in both its success, weapons and technology. Despite the fact that US Marines weapons, tactics, and resources are much more/advanced than Taliban, the Corps has a very low performance in Afghanistan if compared with Taliban. Taliban unrelenting pursuit of success is evident in all resistance to US in past six years without any resources. I am not saying that Taliban are absolute RIGHT and US Marine wrong or vice versa. What I want to highlight is uniqueness in the Taliban culture, their morale and commitment to hard work. Culture, morale, commitment and hard work are more critical for performance than appraisal in walk of life, business or organization.

I have got serious reservations about Taliban and TABLEEGH overall philosophy but at the same I have to acknowledge following reason for their success as a Management and HR student.

1. Their leaders have ensured that their culture supports individual performance.
2. Work/Processes have been designed to keep their members engaged.
3. Their superiors are partner with members in a way that allows them to do their best work.
4. Each system within the Taliban and TABLEEGH are aligned and coordinated to achieve optimal performance.

I was also disappointed as I was unable to raise class interest in proposed Model from the teaching of Imam Ghazali for optimum human performance. May be I was unable to explain following premises for this model due to time limitations:-

1. Performance will be optimum if we have good human beings.
2. For any system/machine its Manufacture Manual has to be consulted. For optimum human performance we have to consult Manual given by its CREATOR.
3. All prevalent Western Performance/Appraisals Models is concerned with employees 10 hours during office/work. Human can’t be divided between ON/OFF work. Because at back of our mind we have our work even when we are in home and vice versa. What is effect on the performance of employee, incase he is at ease in his home or he has discomfort in his home? He spends whole night drinking at bar. Will his performance be the same in case he takes sound sleep with his family? Therefore we need a model which addresses the issue in totality on larger canvas of organization and society not just individual unit as an employee. Kindly refer to the comment of Herb Kelleher CEO Southwest at the end of this email.
4. This model seems to me one of real motive for successful performance of all Muslims as individual/group in past. As I said earlier that I do not consider Taliban/ TABLEEGHI absolute right and they do not follow this Model from top to bottom but nevertheless due to their immaturity and innocence they think that they are following this model.

“It’s not my purpose to shock you – but the simplest way I can summarize is to say that there are in the world, humans that peep, that gossip and that discuss freely even the greatest taboos you could find around. Moreover their ability to do these things has what made them damned in the eyes of many who are acclaimed as chosen ones – the range of issues they can handle is coexistent with the nature of their ability to speak openly without any boundaries, limits or constraints.”

Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi

I pray for all of your legitimate dreams to come true. Always think positive and try to spend valuable life not only for you but for others also.

Only Urs

Syed Fida Marvat

Flight Lieutenant

People will forget what you said…

People will forget what you did…

But people will never forget how you made them feel…

“I’ve tried to create a culture of caring for people in the totality of their lives, not just at work. There’s no magic formula. It’s like building a giant mosaic–it takes thousands of little pieces….The intangibles are more important than the tangibles. Someone can go out and buy airplanes from Boeing and ticket counters, but they can’t buy our culture, our esprit de corps.”

Herb Kelleher CEO Southwest Wall Street Journal 8/31/99

MODEL FOR OPTIMUM HUMAN PERFORMANCE

(SOURCE: – AL-GHAZALI)

1. TAUHID ONE-NESS OF ALLAH

2. TAWAKKUL TRUST IN ALLAH

3. TAFAKKHUR MEDITATION

4. TAUBA REPENTANCE/FORGIVENESS

5. IKHLAS SINCERITY

6. SIDQ TRUTHFULNESS

7. SABR FORTITUDE

8. SHUKAR GRATITUDE

9. SHAUK YEARNING

10. RIDA SATISFACTION

11. RAJA HOPE

12. FAQR POVERTY

13. KHAUF FEAR

14. ZUHD SELF/DENIAL

15. MAHABBA LOVE

16. UNS INTIMACY

17. NIYA RESOLVE

18. MURAQABA SELF EXAMINATION

20. FANA AUR BAQA THESE BELONGE TO DIMENSIONS BEYOND TIME AND SPACE

‘Performance Appraisal; Components, Reasons for failure and Employee problems’

‘Performance appraisal can be defined as a formal and structured system by which management measures, evaluates and assesses an employee’s job related attributes, behaviors and outcomes.’ It is assumed to discover how productive the employee is and whether the employee can continue to perform in future to help achieve the organization’s goals. 

Process:·        Appraiser: Four important criteria that must be satisfied to become a performance appraiser.1.     Able and willing to observe the behavior and performance of the appraisee at work.2.     Understands the system, used its format and scale.3.     Knowledgeable about the features of the performance and4.     Possess the motivation to conduct a performance appraisal conscientiously.·        Appraisee: The basic goal for the appraisee is to link performance appraisal and career development and to achieve a mutually beneficial development system. Proactive appraisee roles are: analyzer, influencer, planner and protégé.·        Appraisal Method: Many tools are employed in the appraisal method. Such as written essays, critical incidents, individual and group order ranking.·        Outcome: This should be both, effective and efficient. Reasons for failure:·        System Design and Operation: Poor design can be the cause of some performance appraisal systems malfunctioning. If the criteria used focus on activities instead of output results, or on the person rather than performance, performance appraisal will be faulty.·        The Appraiser:  Problems can arise if the appraisers are not cooperative and well trained. Often this is because they have not been adequately trained or they have not participated in the design of the system which in turn leads to the following problems:1.     The Halo Effect2.     Standards of Appraisal3.     Recent behavior bias4.     Personal bias.·        The Employee: For the system to work well, the employees must understand it, feel it and must be work oriented enough to care about the results. Four factors that can be a useful personnel activity are:1.     When appraisal takes place – the timing (when to do it and how often)2.     Who evaluates – the appraisers(supervisors or the HR department personnel)3.     What is evaluated – the criteria for appraisal(quality of work, or quantity, however it should be relevant, unbiased, significant and practical)4.     How appraisal takes place – the appraisal technique (individual appraisal methods or group appraisal methods and other methods).

Guest Speakers

Assalam O Alikum students!

Well I have only attended 2 guest lectures and were all informative no doubt. I agree with Sir Tabassum about the timings; it should be 7:00 to 8:00 pm so that we also get time to discuss on the speaker session with Sir Wali and our fellows. The last lecture that I have attended by Mr. Azhar Subhani from shell was really informative + humorous but not challanging enough in the sense we are actually looking forward( what’s wrong with it?). Hopefully we will have creative and challanging guest lectures in the coming classes.

Regards
Bushra Bhurgri

Appraisee: What may go wrong in the appraisal interview?

Critical

•Appraisee tends to be defensive if criticize.
•Appraisee does not prepare in advance.
•Appraisee is not an active participant.
•Appraisee dreads the interview and affects the interview environment.
•Appraisee tends to be absent minded not just mentally but also physically.
•Appraisee does not identify self-development needs.

Non Critical:

•Is not flexible.
•Because of the authority of Appraiser, Appraisee becomes submissive.
•Manipulate the behavior.
•Is not prepared for the Follow-up meeting.

Regards
Bushra Bhurgri

Appraisal Interview Tips

Few tips for Appraisal Interview

Before the interview

• Help workers to become familiar and comfortable with the environment and also talking about their performance by engaging in regular, informal communication on work progress, potential obstacles and issues, possible solutions and assistance.

• Encourage workers to prepare; workers should be encouraged to review their own performance before the interview.

• Do your own preparation plan ahead. Draft a list of the issues that you want to address with the worker i.e strengths and weaknesses of performance, strategies to improve performance. Give specific examples of the worker’s performances that you want to highlight.

During the interview

• Encourage worker participation, start by inviting the worker to share their views about their performance.

• Begin with positive feedback to put the worker at ease

• Make it a two-way discussion

• Ensure that there is a clear agreement on performance objectives and the evaluation criteria for the next year

• Keep written records of the appraisal interview on which both parties have agreed upon.

After the interview

• Coach workers regularly provide frequent feedback to help workers improve their performance. In my view this is the most important to have a workable performance appraisal system.

• Assess progress towards goals frequently, periodic reviewing of progress towards goals helps keep behavior on track and enhances commitment to effective performance

• Relate rewards to performance, by linking appraisal results to employment decisions such as promotions and salaries, workers are more likely to prepare for, participate in, and be satisfied with the appraisal system.

Umer Irfan

Scrap PA

Just like Sir Wali Zahid I always try to stir up the class a bit with some thing unique and I question what ever is happening. Being non conventionalist I know some time I am stupid and funny. When I left classes of the guest speakers, I wondered why MNCs like Shell and BP don’t stop using a system they know does not work. I am referring to the few funny slides of the Azhar (Shell) in which he inadvertently/unintentionally confessed about his disbelief in PA at Shell.
Maybe one of the reasons that more corporations have not stopped using performance appraisals is that the alternative is unclear. I am guessing this is why my HR friend is looking for an option.I can understand wanting an alternative, but it is also a bit odd.If you have a system that is damaging and everyone hates, why do you need a replacement? Why not just stop? Surely stopping the appraisal process would be helpful and a huge relief. I don’t think we need an alternative to appraisals to discontinue their use.What would a replacement aim to achieve? To improve performance, right? Isn’t the solution to do what we know helps maximize performance? As I write this I am thinking about someone trying to stop smoking. It’s something clearly bad for his health but he is finding it tough to quit. In this situation, there is a chemical dependency and a behavioral dependency that makes it more difficult to quit. But with PA, I think we can and should just stop. Stop.
I promise you, now few will feel withdrawal pains! There may be a few HR folks or senior managers that would feel like something is missing (it is called worthless bureaucracy and it is good to reduce!). And perhaps a few ultra-micromanagers will miss feeling superior and in power.After we stop appraisals, then, separately, we focus on building an environment that optimizes performance. END NOTE:-Let’s talk about Sir Wali Zahid’s Kal (Tommorow/Thesis/Future) and Fida’s Kal(Yesterday/Antithesis/History) and! lets try how we can connect both tomorrows (Synthesis/Present)

Providing Good feedback

After the guest speaker lecture I thought of coming up with some tips for good feedback. Hope these tips be of some help

1. Create a positive context for feedback

• Develop the feedback system in consultation with workers i.e. negotiate issues such as frequency of feedback, format i.e face-to-face or written and focus

• Feedback needs to be timely, it should be given as close as possible to the occurrence of the behavior in question to have maximum impact.

• Clarify the purpose of the feedback session i.e., it should be designed to assist the worker to improve their performance, not to punish or belittle

2. Use constructive and positive language

• Its better to use simple statements, words such as “always” or “never” can make people angry and defensive

• Avoid destructive criticism, it can create misunderstandings, intensify conflict, and may have a negative impact on workers’ confidence and motivation.

3. Focus on behaviors and strategies

• Be specific. Give feedback that includes specific examples of behaviors or actions.

• Discuss observed behavior or results, not personality, feedback that focuses on traits can be seen as a personal attack.

• Coach rather than judge, suggest strategies for how to do the job better rather than focusing only on what went wrong

• Focus on aspects of work performance and outcomes over which workers have control i.e. things they can change

4. Tailor feedback to the needs of the individual worker

• Adjust the frequency and depth of feedback to the individual, some people may need more feedback than others, depending on their experience and self-awareness.

• Provide individual feedback privately i.e. one-to-one, and group or team feedback publicly.

5. Make feedback a two-way communication process

• Feedback needs to be understood by the receiver, ask the worker to rephrase your feedback to ensure that they understood you clearly.

Umer Irfan

Performance Appraisal –First Class

Hello All

Well thought of starting this blog with the discussion of our very first class. This is the second time I am studying with Sir. Wali Zahid. My first experience was so good that I thought of studying one more subject with him. Leadership Readiness was always a challenging subject for me keeping in mind that there were no books and no resources available anywhere, but when it comes to Performance Appraisal I was sure it will be a dry subject and alot of resources and studies would be available.

After attending the first class my conclusion is I was wrong, Sir Wali made it another challenging subject for us by brining that phrase “(What’s wrong with it?)” Now this makes this subject more exciting and challenging. What makes it more challenging is that we are going against the world and would try to prove them that Performance Appraisal is not always 100% correct. There should be some alternatives.

I hope to learn alot from this course too and yes would like all of you to contribute as much as possible.

Best Regards

Umer I