Table Of ContentBacalFM.qxd 7/16/2003 2:26 PM Page i
Manager’s Guide
to Performance
Reviews
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Other titles in the Briefcase Books series include:
Customer Relationship Management by Kristin Anderson
and Carol Kerr
Communicating Effectively by Lani Arredondo
Performance Management by Robert Bacal
Recognizing and Rewarding Employees by R. Brayton Bowen
Motivating Employees by Anne Bruce and James S. Pepitone
Building a High Morale Workplace by Anne Bruce
Six Sigma for Managers by Greg Brue
Design for Six Sigma by Greg Brue and Robert G. Launsby
Leadership Skills for Managers by Marlene Caroselli
Negotiating Skills for Managers by Steven P. Cohen
Effective Coaching by Marshall J. Cook
Conflict Resolution by Daniel Dana
Project Management by Gary R. Heerkens
Managing Teams by Lawrence Holpp
Hiring Great People by Kevin C. Klinvex,
Matthew S. O’Connell, and Christopher P. Klinvex
Time Management by Marc Mancini
Retaining Top Employees by J. Leslie McKeown
Empowering Employees by Kenneth L. Murrell and
Mimi Meredith
Finance for Non-Financial Managers by Gene Siciliano
The Manager’s Guide to Business Writing
by Suzanne D. Sparks
Skills for New Managers by Morey Stettner
Manager’s Survival Guide by Morey Stettner
The Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings by Barbara J. Streibel
Interviewing Techniques for Managers by Carolyn P. Thompson
Managing Multiple Projects by Michael Tobis and Irene P. Tobis
To learn more about titles in the Briefcase Books series go to
www.briefcasebooks.com
You’ll find the tables of contents, downloadable sample chap-
ters, information on the authors, discussion guides for using
these books in training programs, and more.
BacalFM.qxd 7/16/2003 2:26 PM Page iii
A
B r iBe of coaks e
Manager’s Guide
to Performance
Reviews
Robert Bacal
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Contents
Preface ix
1. A Tale of Two Performance Reviews 1
One Fails, One Succeeds 1
The Key Questions 4
Should You Care? 5
What Distinguishes Effective Reviews from
Ineffective Reviews? 7
Jessica, Mike, and You 17
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 1 18
2. Performance Reviews in the Scheme of Things 20
Reviews as Just One Part of a Larger System 21
Summing Up 33
Other Linkages 33
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 2 37
3. Understanding Performance—Good and Bad 38
What Do We Mean by “Performance”? 39
The Stuff of Performance—Good and Poor 42
Implications for Your Performance Reviews 47
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 3 50
4. Documenting Performance and Rating
and Ranking Systems 51
So What’s the Point of Documentation? 53
Rating Systems 56
Ranking Systems 61
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 4 65
v
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vi Contents
5. Documenting Performance—Narrative,
Critical Incident, MBO, 360-Degree Feedback,
and Other Methods 66
Narrative 66
Critical Incident 71
Standards-Based or Management by Objectives 73
360-Degree Feedback 77
Use of Technological Tools 82
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 5 85
6. Performance Planning—The Answer to
Almost Any Review Problem 86
What Is Performance Planning? 87
By the End of Performance Planning ... 92
Step-by-Step Planning Process—Getting It Done 94
Planning Meeting Steps 96
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 6 100
7. Review Meetings, Step by Step 102
Warm Up and Clarify Expectations and Roles 104
Describe and Review the Main Job Tasks
and Responsibilities 108
Elicit Input from the Employee 109
Discuss and Negotiate (Evaluative Component) 111
Engage in Performance Improvement Problem-Solving 113
Decide on What to Record 114
Finish and Plan for Follow-Up 115
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 7 119
8. Diagnosing, Problem Solving, and Ongoing
Communication 121
What Is Diagnosing Performance Issues? 122
How Do You Do It? 125
Problem Solving to Remove Barriers 129
Ongoing Communication 133
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 8 138
9. Essential Communication Skills 139
Communication Facts and Principles 141
Generative Skills 142
Responding and Eliciting Skills 153
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 9 162
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Contents vii
10. The Rewards and Punishment Dilemma 164
Imagine a Perfect World 164
Back to Our World 166
The Rewards and Punishments Dilemma 167
The Issue of Punishment 168
Addressing the Dilemma 173
Summing Up 178
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 10 178
11. Reviews with Employees of Different Stripes 180
The Underperforming Employee 181
The Performing Employee 193
The Excellent Employee 194
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 11 196
12. Facing Real-World Problems 197
Managing Disagreements 198
Principles of Disagreement Management 199
Addressing Biases and Increasing Evaluation Accuracy 203
The Soft Stuff Dilemma 207
Getting from Bad to Better Systems 209
A Really Poor Review System 211
Manager’s Checklist for Chapter 12 213
Appendix: Resources for Performance Reviews 215
Index 219
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