Building Performance

Building Performance

Table of Contents

Introduction

Learning Outcomes

Module Topics

Understanding What Makes Employees Enthusiastic

Identifying Performance Problems

Planning a Performance Conversation

Conducting a Performance Conversation

Practical Activity

References

Introduction

Hello and welcome to Building Performance

In this module you will identify the causes of individual poor performance and develop strategies to manage those within the limits of the CC role. It will give you valuable insights into the causes of poor performance and the confidence to have a performance conversation with a colleague or a student, leaving them feeling that they want to perform better. With this information you will then be able to plan and conduct a performance discussion, including how to manage your actions and reactions, to better build effective relationships.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion participants will be able to:

Work effectively with staff and students in their sphere of influence.
Identify performance problems using a framework.
Plan a performance coaching conversation.
Work with their line manager to deal with poor performance issues.

Module Topics

This module looks at what employees need in order to feel motivated to work, and what happens when they are not performing.Understanding how to effectively manage and improve poor performance is a key leadership skill as it has an enormous impact on productivity, quality and workplace relations. A detailed examination of these concepts is beyond the scope of this Program. However, there are several useful concepts that can be of great benefit to Course Coordinators to help them understand why staff (and sometimes students) perform in a certain way. These concepts are:

Understanding what makes employees enthusiastic.
Identifying performance problems.
Planning a ‘performance conversation’.
Conducting a ‘performance conversation’.

Let’s look at each one in detail.

Understanding What Makes Employees Enthusiastic

Sirota et al. (2005) have conducted research on millions of workers around the world, as well as conducting focus groups, interviews and informal observations.They describe a theory of human motivation in the workplace based on three fundamental principles:

The organisation's goals are consistent with the workers' goals.
An organisation should try to meet a worker’s basic needs
Staff enthusiasm is a source of competitive advantage.

They argue that most people start a new job with high levels of motivation and enthusiasm, and that over time this is often eroded by poor practices or working conditions.

According to research by Sirota et al. (2005) there are three factors which build employee enthusiasm:

Equity/Fairness - people want to be treated fairly at work and to have physical safety, economic security, fair compensation for what they do, and psychological good health created by an environment of respect. These must be provided ahead of the remaining factors.
Achievement - people want to do important, useful work, and be recognized for this as well as feel proud of their organisation.Four elements are critical to this theme: (i) provide an enabling work environment by giving people what they need to do the job well; (ii) provide interesting and challenging work; (iii) provide lots of feedback, recognition and reward; and (iv) be trustworthy.
Camaraderie - people want to enjoy good relationships with their co-workers so a culture which supports and encourages a sense of community, cooperation, acceptance and teamwork is essential.This is particularly important in an academic setting where such a high emphasis is placed on collegiality. Creating a culture of partnerships where there is respect and consideration for every employee is essential to facilitate good teamwork.

Course Coordinators are in an ideal position to foster an environment, and supporting practices, that establish high levels of equity, achievement, and camaraderie in partnership with their Head of School/Department. When people are treated fairly, are proud of the work they do, and do it with people they like, then enthusiasm grows—along with morale and productivity.However, the Course Coordinator will always need to be aware of their line manager's formal responsibility for staff workplace performance and review, and their informal responsibility for this function in the context of course management.

Identifying Performance Problems

Given the conditions outlined by Sirota et al. (2005) above, it stands to reason that there are working conditions which contribute to poor motivation and performance in the workplace. As a Course Coordinator it is important to identify when a staff member is performing poorly so that the issues can be dealt with as quickly as possible ensuring that the staff member returns to ‘enthusiastic employee’ status. A performance problem is considered to be a difference between the results that are required and those that are being achieved.Some of the symptoms of poor performance in an individual include:

Low productivity eg. required work such as marking/unit outlines not completed on time

Lack of communication

Poor work quality

Lack of confidence

Too many errors/failure to follow policy correctly

Lack of teamwork

Wasted time

Long tea breaks

Accidents

Poor attitudes

Frustration

Staff complaints

Absenteeism

Student complaints

Conflict with others

Equipment problems

If there are performance problems, it is important to determine whether or not the problem is significant enough to warrant taking action or whether action is actually required. The following algorithm is a useful tool.

Step 1:Are there symptoms of a performance problem (using the table above)? If Yes – go to Step 2:If No, you do not have a performance problem.

Step 2:Is there a difference between results wanted and those achieved? If Yes – go to Step 3; If No, you do not have a performance problem.

Step 3:Is it worth the effort to rectify the discrepancy (i.e. is the person leaving in a short time in which case it isn’t worth rectifying, or is the unit a large service taught unit where there is a major problem in which it is essential that the issues are resolved)? Be sure that there really is a problem and that your expectations are not unrealistic or you simply want to make a point. It may be worth stepping back to make sure the performance problem is real and significant. If Yes – go to Step 4; If No, you do not have a performance problem.

Step 4:Use the Performance Conditions Checklist to identify the cause of the performance problem.

Performance Conditions Checklist

The Performance Conditions Checklist (adapted from the Australian Institute for Management) provides a range of areas to consider in identifying the cause of a performance problem. There are six main areas in descending order of likelihood:

(i)Expectations

This is the most likely explanation for an individual’s performance problem since 80% of performance problems arise as a consequence of unclear expectations.The types of questions which need to be considered include: does the staff member (or student) know exactly what is expected? That is, do they know:

the range of tasks expected of them (often an issue for new staff or unit coordinators if role statements or job descriptions are incomplete or not provided);
the quality and quantity of work required;
the priority of tasks and expected results (for example, provision of clear marking criteria and timelines for providing feedback on assessments; unit pass rates; comparability between locations);
deadlines/timeframes (for example timeline for provision of results for Boards of Examiners);
how performance is monitored (through your university’s performance review process which may include a review of student evaluations of teaching).

While many of these things seem obvious to a more experienced academic, they are not obvious to new staff or staff who are changing roles. Therefore a clarification of the expectations will usually resolve the performance issue.

(ii)Aids and Equipment

This is the second most likely cause of poor performance.Questions which the Course Coordinator should consider in relation to this are:

Do staff/students have the best available equipment (if not, how does this impact on their capacity to do their job?
Is the equipment accessible?
Do staff/students know where to find the equipment?
Do staff/students know how to use the equipment?This is often an issue in relation to using new technologies e.g. Blackboard, iPortfolios, simulations etc.If this is the case, appropriate professional development and support is required.

(iii)Motivation

People who appear unmotivated may appear difficult; however, is it always the person who is the problem? Often the true cause of the conflict has nothing to do with the 'personality' of the person(Pettapiece, 2003).Looking for these possible causes, before labelling a person as 'difficult' or performing poorly, is an important first step in your role as Course Coordinator.Sources of motivation problems include:

Lack of motivators provided when excellent results are achieved - i.e. is there recognition, or perhaps support to attend a conference, or other support which the person is needing?

Motivators are provided for poor performance - this issue needs careful scrutiny as often the best performers end up being given more work to do because they are capable and deliver exceptional quality every time.However they eventually realise that the reward for excellent performance is, in fact, more work!This leads to resentment when they realise that the staff who are not performing are receiving less work to do rather than their performance problem being dealt with.

Work Overload - too many or too varied tasks: work restructuring is needed.

Work Underload - ifstaff don't have enough to do they feel unimportant and can cause problems by looking for work in other staff areas. They may also be seen as lazy by other staff (Equity Theory) which creates bad morale and escalates conflict.

Conflicting Demands - frustration emerges when there are conflicting demands. For example, having to produce at a high level at the same time the system needs maintenance or a review e.g., updates to the Learning Management System just prior to commencement of semester.

Responsibility without Control - being given a unit to coordinate but not having any control or accountability for the team involved in teaching the unit can lead to conflict. Incorporating accountability structures can help reduce this conflict.

Win-lose situations - while competitive systems of reward may be useful, they can result in even excellent performers feeling like losers. Many schemes reward top performers, but leave out individuals who have performed at exceedingly high levels, but just not as high as the winner(s). Resentment and frustration emerge as a result which leads to conflict

Line and Staff Conflict - line management staff have authority for their staff and often have more prestige and authority over budget. Most academic staff positions do not have line management responsibility and this can make managing performance challenging. Clarifying when a person may have authority over operations (in consultation with the Head of School or Department) may help to reduce this conflict.

Dead End Jobs - positions without potential for promotion, increases in pay or change of routine may cause conflict because of the frustration and boredom they create. Individuals become forgetful or careless out of boredom which may cause conflict. As a result, they may seek opportunities for recognition and become difficult in their work with others.

(iv)Knowledge and Skill

Do the staff/students have all the necessary knowledge and skills required to perform their role effectively? Most staff come to teach in an academic setting having been discipline experts in the field, however they do not necessarily have any knowledge of teaching in higher education.It is important that staff have appropriate professional development opportunities to develop their knowledge and skill so that they can perform to the best of their ability and provide a high quality learning environment for students. Most universities have an introductory teaching and learning program as well as Graduate Certificates in Higher Education, which are valuable staff development.

(v)Capacity

Given that all of the above conditions exist, consideration should be given to whether an individual person has the capacity to undertake the role being asked of them.In the case of students, this is often evidenced by failure in multiple units.A frank discussion of the issues with the individual concerned, although often difficult, will usually result in them being redirected to something for which they are better suited.

(vi)External Factors

This is the least likely cause of performance problems, but consideration should always be given to whether there are external problems such as: a relationship breakdown; ill health of a close family member/friend; financial issues.Providing support and linking the person to University Support Services is most appropriate.

Planning a Performance Conversation

Once the performance problem and/or symptoms have been identified, a conversation with the person concerned should take place.Given that most people feel tend to avoid or feel uncomfortable discussing poor performance, it is helpful to prepare a conversation plan.The following points should be considered:

Who will be at the meeting? Will the person wish to include someone else, or perhaps it is appropriate for you to have another person present at the meeting (particularly if the situation is a very difficult one and there have issues with the person concerned in the past).
Evidence of the performance problem – outline detailed information about the problem you have observed, how and when it has been observed, and the impact of any incidents.It is important to be able to provide specific examples, rather than generalisations as this will help to avoid exaggerating the problem and ensure your credibility.
Notification of the meeting – determine how you will notify the person of the meeting – in person, by email, by phone? Consider how much information should be given to the person prior to the meeting. There are times when detailed information ahead of the meeting is useful, for example, discussing a severe plagiarism incident.
Physical environment – attention to the physical environment assists in putting both of you at ease. Ensure there will be adequate privacy and no interruptions.It is best to avoid sitting opposite one another across a desk as this tends to create a more hostile interaction.Sitting alongside a desk or table together is preferable.Avoid having either person looking into a bright light i.e. if the daylight is bright outside.
Climate – consider the climate you wish to create. Sometimes it is necessary to create a power differential especially if the matter is a serious issue e.g. misconduct.However, in most instances you are trying to enlist the person’s support to improve performance, so you will want to be more relaxed.Other options may be to create a climate which is secure, confidential, honest/frank or to be receptive, depending upon the issue to be discussed.
Openers – it is helpful to write out what the opening line or two will be to help you overcome your nervousness and to set the right tone for the meeting.A clear statement of the problem without assigning blame should be included e.g. ‘you seem to be having a problem with xxx and the result of that is yyy.A line to encourage the person to provide their perspective should be included e.g. ‘how do you see the issue?’
Exploration of the issues – the person with the performance problem should do most of the talking for this part of the meeting, however some prompts are useful.Probe for their evaluation of the reasons for the performance issue, and you may want to ask what they are going to do about it. If the proposed change isn’t acceptable, you’ll need to clearly describe the behaviour you are looking for so make a note of this (so both parties can recognise what is required). Consider how the situation will be monitored and consequences for not addressing the issue. List all of these as key points for discussion during the meeting so that you don’t get off track.
Closure – summarise the discussion and the outcomes agreed. Always follow up with a written summary outlining the agreed changes and time frames for change.

Conducting a Performance Conversation

There are seven key points to conducting the performance conversation (which should be considered in relation to key issues raised in the module ‘Communicating with Emotional Intelligence’):

(i)Prepare - like most performances, there is no substitute for preparation and practice.Ensuring you have a well prepared plan will help you conduct the performance conversation. Some helpful guidelines for conducting a performance conversation are provided at

(ii)Focus on the issue - remember that the point of the conversation is to establish the problem and to motivate the person to improve their performance.Your communication skills and the quality of questions and the statements you make are critical to the success or otherwise of the conversation.Be certain you have sufficient evidence that you have collected, as well as that obtained during the conversation to make a decision.

(iii)Explore the cause of the problem – use the probing questions to determine the cause of the performance problem. Your feedback should always be focused on the behaviour/issues and not the person. Provide developmental feedback based on: observation (either yours or others); the person’s self-evaluation; and through probing e.g. ‘what else …..’, ‘how could we improve …?’

(iv)Seek the person’s agreement that there is a problem – this is a critical component of the conversation. Avoid the temptation to try and get the person to admit they are wrong – this is likely to lead to them becoming hostile or withdrawn and you need their help to improve performance.Through careful questioning you should elicit sufficient information to enable the person to obtain ownership of how the changes can occur ie what actions and/or support they will need in order to improve.

(v)Explore options – having determined what the problem is, seek the person’s input into the solutions as this makes them a partner in the process. Performance counselling is often required here. Use questions which invite the person to consider alternatives e.g. ‘what if ….?’, ‘what might be …?’, ‘how would ….?’