USAT COLLEGE SAGAY CITY, INC

COMPETENCY BASED
LEARNING MATERIALS (C B L M)

SECTOR: ELECTRONICS

QUALIFICATION TITLE: ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS ASSEMBLY AND

SERVICING NCII

UNIT OF COMPETENCY: Practice Career Professionalism

MODULE TITLE: Practicing Career Professionalism

CBLM on
Electronic Product Date Develop:
Assembly Servicing June 25 2020 Module:
NCII Practicing Career
Professionalism
Plan Training Developed by:
Session Version No.1
Joel S. Milan
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The competency based learning material Provide ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS

ASSEMBLY AND SERVICING core competency of ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
ASSEMBLY AND SERVICING NC II preparation would not be possible without
the help and support of the following people:

TESDA Provincial Director, Supervisors and Staff for the scholarship grant
for the trainers’ training in service to the community.

USAT School President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President
for Personnel and Academic Affairs, Vice President for Finance and
Administrators for the unwavering support and inspiring the EPAS
Administrators and faculty to excel in their field of specialization.

La Salle Tech TM1 Trainers, facilitators, and staff for the patience and
endurance in coaching and mentoring the trainees for the completion of all
the requirements.

Our beloved family for the encouragement, love and care for believing in us
that we can make it.

And finally to almighty God for the endless love, provision, strength and
sustaining powers and for making the impossible possible.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Joel S. Milan

CBLM on
Electronic Product Date Develop:
Assembly Servicing Module:
June 25 2020
NCII Practicing Career
Professionalism
Plan Training Developed by:
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Session Joel S. Milan
 HOW TO USE THIS COMPETENCY- BASED LEARNING
MATERIALS

Welcome!

The unit of competency, Practice career professionalism is one of the

Competencies of Electronic Products Assembly and servicing NC II, a
course this comprises the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for a
TVET trainer to possess. The module, Practicing career professionalism,
contains training materials and activities related to identifying learner’s
requirements, preparing session plan, preparing basic instructional
materials and organizing learning and teaching activities for you to
complete. In this module, you are required to go through a series of learning
activities in order to complete each learning outcome. In each learning
Outcome are Information Sheets, Self-Checks, Task Sheets and Job
Sheets. Follow and perform the activities on your own. If you have
questions, do not hesitate to ask for assistance from your facilitator.

Remember to: Read information sheets and complete the self-checks.

Suggested References are included to supplement the materials provided in
this Module. Perform the Task Sheets and Job Sheets until you are
confident that your outputs conform to the Performance Criteria Checklist
that follows the sheets. Submit outputs of the Task Sheets and Job Sheets
to your facilitator for evaluation and recording in the Accomplishment
Chart. Outputs shall serve as your portfolio during the Institutional
Competency Evaluation. When you feel confident that you have had
sufficient Practice, asks your trainer to evaluate you. The results of your
Assessment will be recorded in your Progress Chart and Accomplishment
Chart. You must pass the Institutional Competency Evaluation for this
Competency before moving to another competency. A Certificate of
Achievement will be awarded to you after passing the evaluation. You need
to complete this module before you can perform the module On Facilitating
Learning Sessions.

CBLM on
Electronic Product Date Develop:
Assembly Servicing June 25 2020 Module:
NCII Practicing Career
Professionalism
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 Electronic Products Assembly and Servicing NCII
COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING MATERIALS

List of Competencies

No. Unit of Competency Module Title

Code

Participate in workplace 5 00 311105

Participating in workplace
1.
communication communication

Work in team 5 00 311106

Working in team
2.
environment environment

Practice career 5 00 311107

Practicing career
3.
professionalism professionalism

Practice occupational Practicing occupational

5 00 311108
4. health and safety health and safety
procedures procedures

CBLM on
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 Table of Contents
Cover page

Acknowledgement………………………………………………………..… i

How to use this competency based learning materials…………..…ii

List of competency …………………………………………………………iii

Table of Contents ………………………………………………………….iv

Module content ……………………………………………………………5-8

Learning Experiences…………………………………………………….9-10

Information Sheet 3.1-1………………………………………………..11-26

 Self-Check 3.1-1
 Answer Key 3.1-1

Information Sheet 3.1-2………………………………………………..27-38

 Self-Check 3.1-2
 Answer Key 3.1-2

Information Sheet 3.1-3…………………………………………........39-62

 Self-Check 3.1-3
 Answer Key 3.1-3

CBLM on
Electronic Product Date Develop:
Assembly Servicing June 25 2020 Module:
NCII Practicing Career
Professionalism
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UNIT OF COMPETENCY: Practice career professionalism

UNIT MODULE: Practicing career professionalism

MODULE DESCRIPTOR: This unit covers the knowledge, skills and

attitudes in promoting career growth and advancement.

NOMINAL DURATION : 8 hours

QUALIFICATION LEVEL: NC II

INTRODUCTION:

This module contains information and suggested learning activities on

Electronic Product Assembly Servicing NCII. It includes materials on
Practice career professionalism

Completion of this module will help you better understand the

succeeding module on the Practicing career professionalism

This module consists of 3 learning outcomes. Each learning outcome

contains learning activities supported by each instruction sheets. Before you
perform the instructions, read the information sheets and answer the self-
check and activities provided to ascertain to yourself and your trainer that
you have acquired the knowledge necessary to perform the skill portion of
the particular learning outcome.

Upon completion of this module, report to your trainer for assessment

to check your achievement of knowledge and skills requirement of this
module. If you pass the assessment, you will be given a certificate of
completion.

CBLM on
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SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this module, the trainee/student must be able to:

LO1. Integrate personal objectives with organizational goals

LO2. Set and meet work priorities

LO3. Maintain professional growth and development

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Learning Outcome # 01

Integrate personal objectives with organizational goals

CONTENTS:

 Personal growth and work plans towards improving the

qualification
 Intra-and interpersonal relationships in the course of
managing oneself
 Commetment to the organization and its goals in the
performance of duties

Assessment Criteria:

1.) Attained job targets within key resul tareas

2.) Maintained intra-and interpersonal relationship in the course of
managing oneself based on performance evaluation
3.) Completed training and career opportunities which are based on the
requirements of the industry
4.) Acquired and maintained licenses and/or certifications according to
the requirement of the qualification

CONDITIONS:

Students/trainees must be provided with the following:

 Workplace
 Human
 Financial
 Technoogy
-Hardware
-Softwrae

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 METHODOLOGIES:

 Interactive lecture
 Simulation
 Symposium
 Film veiwing
 Group dynamics

ASSESSMENT METHODS:

 Portfolio Assessment
 Interview
 Observation
 Third Party Report
 Exam and Test

CBLM on
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 Learning Experiences
Learning Outcome:
Conduct Test
Learning Activities Special Instructions
1. Read Information Sheet 3.1-1 Personal Read and understand
growth and work plans towards improving the information sheet
the qualification and Check yourself by
on page 11-24 in CBLM answering the Self-
Check. You must answer
all questions correctly
2. Answer Self-Check 3.1-1 in CBLM page 25 before proceeding to the
Compare your answers with Answer Key 3.1-1 next activity
page 26 in CBLM
Job Sheet /Operation
3. Read Information sheet 3.1-2 in CBLM Sheet will help you
(Intra-and interpersonal relationships in the practice your skills on
course of managing oneself the particular learning
) pages 27-36 outcome completed

4. Answer Self-Check 3.1-2 page 37 of the

CBLM Compare your answers with answer key The Performance Criteria
3.1-2 page 38 Checklist will guide and
help you evaluate your
work as you are
9. Read Information Sheet 3.1-3 for practicing your skill
Commetment to the organization and its
goals in the performance of duties
pages 39-60 in CBLM
Evaluate your own work
10. Answer Self-Check 3.1-3 page 61 in CBLM using Performance
Compare answers to Answer Key 4.2-3 page 62 Criteria. When you are
in CBLM ready, present your work
to your trainer for final
evaluation and
recording. Your output
shall serve as one of
your portfolio for
Practicing Career
Professionalism
 INFORMATION SHEET 3.1-1
Personal growth and work plans towards improving the
qualification

Learning Objectives:

After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:

1. Able to define personal growth and work plans to improve the
qualification
2. To know the different stages and benefits of personal growth
3. Apply and create goals on personal growth towards the qualification

Definition of Personal Growth

 Personal Growth or self-improvement refers to self-guided improvement
—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—most frequently with a
substantial psychological or spiritual basis.

The basis for self-help is often self-reliance, publicly available

information, or support groups where people with similar problems join
together. From early exemplars in self-driven legal practice and home-spun
advice, the connotations of the phrase have spread and often apply particularly
to education, business, psychological or psychotherapeutic nostrums,
purveyed through the popular genre of self-help books and through self-help
personal-development movements. According to the APA Dictionary of
Psychology, potential benefits of self-help groups that professionals may not be
able to provide include friendship, emotional support, experiential knowledge,
identity, meaningful roles, and a sense of belonging. Any health condition can
find a self-help method or group such as parents of the mentally ill. But there
are limits and these methods do not work for everyone. As well as experienced
long time members sharing experiences with a similar practical problem such
as finances of a health problem, these health groups can become lobby groups
and educational material clearing houses. Those who help themselves by
learning about health problems are helping themselves through self-help. But
self-help in this context is often really peer-to-peer support.

History

The authors of First Things First invoke wisdom literature dating back as

far as 2500 B.C. as a validation of their particular enumeration of fundamental
human needs. Within Classical Antiquity, the advice poetry of Hesiod,
particularly his Works and Days, has been seen as an early adaptation of Near
Eastern wisdom literature. The Stoics offered advice with a psychological
flavor. The genre of mirror-of-princes writings, which has a long history in
Islamic and Western Renaissance literature, represents a secular cognate of
Biblical wisdom literature. Proverbs from many periods embody traditional
moral and practical advice of diverse cultures.

"Self-help" appears to have been first used in the legal context, referring to the
doctrine that a party in a dispute has the right to use lawful means on their
own initiative to remedy a wrong.

Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) published the first self-consciously personal-

development "self-help" book — entitled Self-Help — in 1859. Its opening
sentence: "Heaven helps those who help themselves", provides a variation of
"God helps them that help themselves", the oft-quoted maxim that also
appeared previously in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac (1733 -
1758). Alcoholics Anonymous was started by two alcoholics, Bill Wilson and
Dr. Bob Smith who first met on May 12, 1935. The twelve-step program grew
from this to become perhaps the world's most popular basis of self-help care.

Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) founded the self-help movement in the 20th century
when he published How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936. Having
failed in several careers, Carnegie became fascinated with success and its link
to self-confidence, and studied the subject for years. Carnegie's books have
since sold over 50 million copies. Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich
described the use of repeated positive thoughts to attract happiness and wealth
by tapping into an "Infinite Intelligence".

The 5 Stages of Personal Growth

1. Don’t expect yourself to be anywhere other than where you are. Accept your
current place on the path.

2. Anticipate the very next phase beyond the one you’re in, so you can be
prepared for it when it arrives.

3. Be compassionate and understanding to others, regardless of their progress

on their own personal journey.

I've described the five overarching phases below:

1. Asleep
If you’re reading this, you’re either past or nearly past this phase. If you
were asleep, my work wouldn’t resonate with you. But I bet you remember
when you’re conditioning and fears ruled you. That's when you were asleep —
playing the victim, assuming we don’t have the power or ability to change our
own lives. Placing blame, neuroticism, fear, and lack of fulfillment are common
side effects of being "asleep." At some point, we realize we’ve been living our
lives on cruise control and decide to stop.
2. Awakening
Usually, after a good old-fashioned expectation hangover (when we’ve
expected certain things from ourselves or others and found ourselves
disappointed — again), we finally wake up and start asking ourselves why that
keeps happening.

We begin to learn that our experiences aren’t random, and we start looking for
answers. We connect the dots and recognize that life is about learning and
finding our true selves. We have a lot of realizations — both exciting and
perhaps difficult to deal with.

3. Integration
In this phase, we shift from knowing to doing. If you feel like you have a
lot of information but things in your life aren't reflecting that knowledge, you’re
probably in the integration phase. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and make
things happen

Awareness is not enough for transformation. We must change our belief

systems and behaviors. We can let go of our old stories and upgrade our
programming. Here, now, we do the courageous emotional work of healing old
issues so they no longer define us or hold us back. We take the tools we have
and the skills we’ve learned and put them into action.

You might find yourself getting “do-overs,” or chances to respond to situations

you’ve encountered before in different ways. This is the most powerful way to
break a pattern. Do-overs are the way you integrate awareness and action.

4. Acceptance
Once we’ve made new habits and are starting to inhabit this new way of
being, we begin to accept. We are not new people. We’re just more authentically
ourselves than ever.

Does this mean we are totally evolved and never have anything to work on? No.
We are still human. The only difference is that now when we get an expectation
hangover, we can move past it and into acceptance.

We stop fighting with reality and either accept it or change it. We are happy
with ourselves and no longer slaves to our impulses.

5. Application and service

This phase is about a bigger vision: changing the lives of others. We feel
called to share the love we feel. You might be tempted to jump into this phase
before you've finished integrating. Be patient with yourself. There is no “gold
star” or finish line on this journey.
 To reiterate, this is not a one-size-fits-all model, but it may help to lend
structure to your unique spiritual journey. Every phase is rich with learning
opportunities, so be grateful for whatever phase you’re in.

Keep in mind that you may go back and repeat the phases multiple times,
when an expectation hangover triggers awareness of a problem area, or new
insight inspires further self-discovery.

I’d love to hear if this structure resonates with you and which phase you think
you might be in

What is Personal Development Plan?

The procedure of developing an action plan  which is based on

values, learning’s, reflection, awareness, knowledge, fixing of goals (both
long term and short term) for the betterment of education, career,
relationship, social status and self-improvement are known as Personal
Development Planning .

PDP consists of four basic steps-

1. Gathering knowledge from a variety of sources.

2. Reflecting on the gathered knowledge, self-learning, achievements.
3. Make suitable personal development plans aimed at 360 degree
development of self, career or education.
4. Recording and analyzing the achievements within the specified time
frame.
The process of PDP may provide adequate answers to the following
questions-

 What is my goals and career ambition?

 What kind of human being do I want to be?
 What do I want to become in life?
 Have I taken the right path to fulfill my dreams?

 How much I have achieved till now?

The Personal Development Plan is also sometimes called Individual
Development Plan because it includes a statement of one’s strengths,
weakness, aspirations, education, etc., which gives a rough idea about
how to make the personal development plan. The PDP is a continuous
cycle  of reflecting on the past experiences, learning to harness one’s
strengths, identifying gaps in personal development, identifying specific
skills ,  setting long term goals , analyzing achievements and so on. There
are several benefits of PDP- motivation, quick learning, improving
employability , more self-awareness, tap the hidden potential of an
individual and so on.

Need for Personal Development Plan

It’s simple. It works. That’s why it is important to note down a PDP.

If you write your personal development plans on a paper, it will be helpful
in the following way-

 Provides clarity- As personal development plan lays down major

milestones to be achieved for goal achievement, it gives you a clear idea about
your deeds as well as target achievement.
 Discover the answer to “Why”- Personal development plan gives you an
answer to “Why” questions like why I am doing this? It gives you a sense of
 motivation even on such days when you feel lazy, demotivated. It helps you to
identify things which are really important for you.

 Define a course of action- Writing down a personal development plan

helps you to identify your goals and dreams and helps you to decide a course of
action for fulfilling those dreams. It helps you to jot down daily tasks, monthly
tasks as well as yearly accomplishments towards achieving your personal
development plan goals.

 Track your performance- In the process of personal development plan,

you can have a ready reference of your achievements, performance, failures,
success. You can transform your failures into success and make necessary
changes to your PDP so that your long term goals are accomplished.

Benefits of PDP to students

There are many benefits of personal development programs to students

who are pursuing academic courses. They are-

 Increase the motivation level for studying hard.

 Able to focus clearly on your learning’s.
 Better learning techniques.
 Ways of improving performance.
 Learning becomes enjoyable rather than monotonous and boring.
 Better stress management.
 The reflective thinking skills gathered from PDP can improve academic
results.
 Betterment in academic life which in turn leads to a prosperous future.
 Benefits of PDP for professionals

It is very common that bosses expect their employees to analyze

their own performance at office. They expect their employees to have the
adaptability for increased work pressure, stress or any circumstances of
change. Employees are always expected to modify  themselves according to
necessary personal development plan changes in the workplace. While
some employers offer training on personal development , others expect
employees to arrive with skills which makes them analyze their own
performance as well as the team’s performance. In such cases, it becomes
extremely crucial to understand people’s behavior. Hence, a personal
development plan is crucial to provide a solution to the above situations.

PDP has direct benefits to working professionals. The benefits of PDP to

working people are as follows-

 More self confidence in decision making activities.

 Clarity about the kind of work you prefer.
 Greater confidence in the qualities, skills which make you select the right
job.
 Efficiently compete with peers for jobs.
 Improved planning and problem solving skills.
 Improved decision making skills.
 Improved co-worker relationship.
 Imbibing the positive thinking as well as positive attitudes needed for
 Successful work life and sustaining in the corporate world.
 Greater leadership qualities
 Greater level of motivation.

Brainstorming
To start the process of Personal Development, first spend some time
thinking about your life and career. You can ask following few questions
to yourself-

 What are my short term goals?

 Identify areas for personal development.
 Am I satisfied with my current job?
 In which areas of my job I deliver excellent performance?
 In which areas am I lacking and how I can improve myself in those
areas?
 Do I have the mandatory skills needed for success?
 Identify suitable projects at work which would be helpful in my personal
development in the future.
 Identify any format learning opportunities that I can participate like
virtual trainings, quizzes, debates, classroom trainings.
 Identify the quality of life you desire.
As you write down these questions and provide thoughtful answers to
these, note down the areas in which improvement is needed. Be frank and
honest about your particular personal development needs. You can also
jot down any specific points in favor of goals which may crop up during
the process of brainstorm.

Getting Started: Personal Development

 Once the process of brainstorming is over, one should have some
preliminary ideas for long term personal development plan goals and
subsequent personal development opportunities. The next step is to
organize the gathered ideas. After this step, one should note down
different methods for the attainment of goals. There should be a detailed
description of the methods to be followed. The last step of PDP includes
writing down performance evaluation methods to be followed. This is vital
as the deviation from the set standard of performance should be
monitored well. Based on the level of deviation, corrective measures
should be taken.

Usually, the PDP should have the following contents

 Personal analysis
 Clear statement of long term goals (5-10 years)
 Clear statement of short term goals (1-4 years)
 Specific work schedule for the coming years, which aid you achieve the
goals within the time frame.
 Corrective actions to be taken in case of failure to achieve the set goals.

Personal Analysis

Before setting up of goals, you should do a thorough personality

analysis  of oneself. For this you can make use of SWOT Analysis-
 SWOT analysis is a powerful technique for identifying your strengths,
your weaknesses, identification of opportunities and possible threats. It is
a structured method to identify a person’s potential and possible
environmental challenges. Identification of elements in the SWOT process
is important step in the process of PDP as this analysis will help you
personal development plan the later stages of the PDP.

Strengths- This includes positive traits of yourself  as a person. They can

be tangible or intangible qualities which are completely under your
control. They can be your personality traits,

Weakness- This includes negative traits in yourself which prevent you

from offering your best to others. This portion gives you a competitive
disadvantage. This is something you want to demolish. You would not
want to disclose your weakness to others except people who are extremely
near to you. You should enhance this particular portion so that you
achieve your goals easily. Overcoming your weakness also gives you a
competitive edge.

Some of the few questions which you can ask yourself-

1. What factors are responsible for your weak spots?

2. Any particular incidents responsible for your weak areas?
3. What are the areas of improvement in order to achieve your objectives?
4. What are the qualities lacking in yourself?
5. What are the weaknesses in your professional life?
Opportunity- The analysis of the external environment should be done,
which often reveal options for growth and profit. This area requires you to
look for positive factors in the external environment. This includes areas
where you can prosper well in life as well as in career.

Some of the questions that you may answer in this phase-

1. What opportunities exist in the outside environment from which you will
be benefited?
2. Is the perception of yours in the society positive?
3. Has the latest market growth created new areas of opportunity for you?
Threats- These include external factors that can pose a risk to your career
or life as a whole. The threats are beyond your control. Hence, you should
have a contingency plan to tackle them as they occur.

Some of the common questions in this stage are-

1. What are the challenges that you may be facing?

2. What are the distractions that may prevent you from achieving your
goal?
3. What are the contingency plans in case of hostile situations?

How to create Goals?

 The essence of any PDP is to create solid goals for creating a
developmental activity plan. Goals should be practical, attainable and
Goals will help you identify activities which would ensure that your
current activities are in accordance with your long term goals.

Always keep the following acronym in mind while setting your goals-

SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound.

It means goals should have the following characteristics-

Specific- It is very important to set particular goals. Try to narrow down

your goals and only write down goals which would satisfy your personal
developmental needs. Be sure to stick your goals to the point. The goal
should provide answers to questions like “Who is involved”, “What exactly
do I want to achieve”, “Why is it necessary to attain the goal” and so on.

Measurable- The goals should have solid criteria for measuring progress

rate. By measuring the goals, you can track your performance , reach your
goals easily and make a continuous effort towards goal achievement.

Achievable- When you are fixing your goals, you should be knowing the
ways to be followed which would lead you to your ultimate goals. Goals
slowly become attainable and easy to achieve not because the so called
goals shrink, but it is because of the fact that you expand and grow to
match them. Once you set your goals, you chalk down practical methods
to fulfill the goal.
Realistic- The goal should not be impractical and hard to achieve. It
should be realistic and possible to achieve with a demonstrated level of
hard work and dedication. A high goal is usually convenient to achieve as
it needs high motivational factor.

Time Bound- A goal should always have some specified time frame within
which it should be fulfilled. Without a time limit, there is no urgency as a
result; there are high chances of failure to attain the goal. Hence time
boundary should be maintained and regularly checking of efforts towards
the set goals should be done.

So, get up, take a pen and a white sheet. Be ready to brainstorm a little
and then start the process of developing your own Personal Development
Plan. Don’t forget to have fun in the.

SELF-CHECK 3.1-1

Test I: General instruction: Define each of the following letters

Acronyms of :
1.) S
2.) M
3.) A
4.) R
5.) T

Test II: Enumerate in any order the following five overarching phases

1.)

2.)
3.)

4.)

5.)

ANSWER KEY 3.1-1

Test I:
1.) Specific
2.) Measurable
3.) Achievable
4.) Realistic
5.) Time Bound

Test II:
1.) Asleep
2.) Awakening
3.) Integration
4.) Acceptance
5.) Application and service
 INFORMATION SHEET 3.1-2
Intra-and interpersonal relationships in the course of
managing oneself

Learning Objectives:

After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:

1. Able to define intra-and interpersonal relationship in the course of
managing oneself
2. To know the critical for manager to acquire interpersonal and
intrapersonal to be effective
3. Apply intra-and interpersonal relationship in the course of managing
oneself

INTERPERSONAL AND INTRAPERSONAL ARE CRITICAL FOR MANAGERS

TO ACQUIRE IN ORDER TO   BE EFFECTIVE

A manager is typically someone who supervises multiple employees and

therefore requires a strong core of emotional intelligence and empathy. It is

unlikely that a manager will succeed without developing these critical soft

skills.
 A ‘’lack of empathy is a primary cause of interpersonal difficulties that

lead to poor performance, executive derailment, and problems with customer

relationships," says Dr. Brusman, executive coach at Working Resources.

What's more insidious about this suggestion is the implicit assumption that

empathy is innate; some people are more naturally empathetic.

However, empathy is only a developed emotional intelligence that allows

you to understand a person's condition from that person's perspective. Like

any intelligence, empathy can be exercised and strengthened. Seek to

understand and manage your own emotions. Only then can you understand

others though social awareness and how to manage others says Dr. Brusman.

Developing a genuine curiosity about others is the first step towards

empathy, says Roman Krznaric, Ph.D. at the School of Life in London. "Highly

empathic people have an insatiable curiosity about strangers. They will talk to

the person sitting next to them on the bus, having retained that natural

inquisitiveness we all had as children, but which society is so good at beating

out of us."

This doesn't mean to take your employees away from their work to

discuss their lives – that isn't productive in a workplace. Instead, an authentic

curiosity leads to high-competency management because it develops

investigative habits such as deep listening, question forming and an ability to

read emotional cues that may be informing the situation.

 Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills used by a person to interact with others

properly. In the business domain, the term generally refers to an employee's

ability to get along with others while getting the job done. Interpersonal skills

include everything from communication and listening skills to attitude and

deportment. Good interpersonal skills are a prerequisite for many positions in

an organization.

The term "interpersonal skills" is somewhat of a misnomer because it

refers to character traits possessed by an individual rather than skills that can
be taught in a classroom. Within an organization, employees with good
interpersonal skills are likely be more productive than those with poor
interpersonal skills because of their propensity to project a positive attitude
and look for solutions to problems.

Interpersonal skills are closely related to the knowledge of social

expectations and customs, and they take into account others' reactions to

adjust tactics and communication as needed. Some describe interpersonal

skills as a type of social intelligence that relies on paying attention to the

actions and speech of others and interpreting it correctly as part of forming a

response. While they are based in part on an individual's personality and

instincts, these skills also develop as a result of life experiences and

knowledge.
Improving Interpersonal Skills

While many people believe that interpersonal skills are, to some extent,

innate in each person or acquired at an early age, job seekers and those

looking for promotions can take steps to improve their interpersonal skills and

thereby make they more valuable to an organization. Steps individuals can

take to hone their interpersonal skills include expressing appreciation for team
members and support staff, practicing empathy, moderating disputes quickly

so they don't get out of control, and planning communications rather than

saying or writing the first thing that comes to mind. Active listening is also a

skill that can be learned through the process of repeating back to a speaker

what she has said to make sure true communication is taking place

Intrapersonal Skills

Every now and then you meet someone with extraordinary intrapersonal

skills but chances are, you may not even know it. That’s because you usually

notice it only when someone has poor skills in this area.

Someone without good intrapersonal skills might be timid, take stupid

risks or start yelling and screaming at the drop of a hat. You tend to notice

these extremes of behavior but you don’t notice it when someone is balanced

and even tempered.

Intrapersonal skills are the foundations of a successful career. This is

emotional intelligence which is the ability to know, understand and manage

your own emotions.

Some years back, I used to wonder how some senior executives in

companies got how to where they are. With time recognized their success was

partly predicated on emotional intelligence and has come to realize that this

type of intelligence has two parts, interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills.

Started examining this list of interpersonal skills and found that some of

them warranted examination. This list is not exhaustive list as there are so

many skills you could list in this area.

The List

 Knowing what drives, angers, motivates, frustrates, inspires you

 Ability to control unexpected emotions like anger and frustration

 Knowing your own strengths and limitations

 Self confidence

 Initiative

 Taking measured risks

 Taking responsibility

 The ability to stay calm and balanced in stressful situations

 Persistence and perseverance in challenging situations

 Resilience and ability to bounce back from setbacks

 The ability to forgive and forget

 Some people are high in some skills but low in others and no two people

have the same set of skills in the same degrees. And the mix probably doesn’t

correlate with effectiveness. You just need enough interpersonal skills in

enough different areas to be effective in a work situation.

Various factors affecting interpersonal relationship:

Compatibility

Two individuals in a relationship must be compatible with each other.

There should be no scope of conflicts and misunderstandings in a
relationship. Individuals from similar backgrounds and similar goals in life
do extremely well in relationships. People with different aims, attitudes,
thought processes find it difficult to adjust and hence fail to carry the
relationship to the next level.

Communication

Communication plays a pivotal role in all types of relationships whether it

is personal or professional. Feelings must be expressed and reciprocated in
relationships. Individuals need to communicate with each other effectively
for better understanding. Do not stay mum as it leads to problems and
misunderstandings.

Two people in love must interact with each other on a regular basis
through various modes of communication such as telephone, emails,
letters (though exchanging letter is now considered an outdated form of
communication). Staying in touch is essential for the love to grow
especially in long distance relationships where individuals can’t meet quite
often.
In professional relationships as well, colleagues must communicate well for
a better bonding. Sit with your coworkers and discuss issues face to face to
reach to a mutually acceptable solution.

The recipient must understand what the sender intends to communicate

and vice a versa. Clarity of thoughts is essential in relationships.

Honesty

Be honest in relationships. Do not lie or hide things from your partner.

Remember every problem has a solution. Think before you speak.
Transparency is important in relationships.

Stay calm

Do not overreact on petty things in relationships. Stay calm. Be a little

more adjusting. Be the first one to say “Sorry”. It will solve half of your
problems.

Forgiving

An individual needs to be a little more forgiving in relationships. Do not

drag issues unnecessarily. Fighting over small issues is foolish and makes
the situation all the more worse.

Smile

As they say “Smile is a curve that makes everything staright.” Flash your
smile more often. It works. Take care of your facial expressions while
interacting with the other person.

Time

Time plays an important role in relationships. Individuals in love must

spend adequate time to know each other better. Frustrations arise when
people do not have time to meet or interact with each other. Even in
organization, individuals must spend quality time with their coworkers to
strengthen the bond amongst themselves. Married couples must take time
out for each other for the charm to stay in relationship forever.

Make the other person feel important. Appreciate your partner whenever
he/she does something for you. Praise him/her in front of others.

Every relationship needs time and an individual’s effort to grow. Sit with
your partner and try to sort out the differences amicably. Don’t be too
rigid.

Role of Communication in Interpersonal Relationship

Communication is said to be the basis of every interpersonal

relationship. In fact effective communication is the key to a healthy and
long lasting relationship. If individuals do not communicate with each
other effectively, problems are bound to come.

Communication plays a pivotal role in reducing misunderstandings and

eventually strengthens the bond among individuals.

A relationship loses its charm if individuals do not express and

reciprocate their feelings through various modes of communication. A
healthy interaction is essential for a healthy relationship.

It is not always an individual needs to talk to express his /her feelings.

Feelings can be expressed through nonverbal modes of communication as
well. Your body movements, gestures, facial expressions, hand movements
communicate something or the other. Make sure you do not make faces at
anyone. You should look happy and contented for the other person to enjoy
your presence. Do not always look sad and irritated. Eye movements also
have an important role to play in relationships. One can make out whether
you are angry, unhappy or frustrated through your eyes only.
 Take care of your tone and pitch as well. Make sure you are not too loud
or too soft. Being loud might hurt the other person. Speak softly in a
convincing way. The other person must be able to understand what you
intend to communicate.

Choice of words is important in relationships. Think twice before you

speak. Remember one wrong word can change the meaning of an entire
conversation. The other person might misinterpret you and spoil the
relationship. Be crisp. Express your feelings clearly. Do not try to confuse
the other person. Being straightforward helps you in relationships.

An individual must interact with the other person regularly for the
relationship to grow and reach to the next level. Speaking over the phone.
SM Sing is ways of communicating and staying in touch especially in long
distance relationships where individuals hardly meet.

Be polite. Never ever shout on your partner even if he has done

something wrong. Discuss issues and try to sort out your differences
amicably. Abusing, fighting, criticizing spoil the relationship and in adverse
cases might end it as well. Being rude is a crime in relationships.

Try to understand the other person’s point of view as well. Be a patient

listener. Unless you listen carefully, you will never be able to communicate
effectively.

Individuals can also communicate through emails. If you do not get the
time to call your partner regularly, drop him/her a mail. The other person
would feel happy and important. Emails are also an effective mode of
communication at workplace. For better relations at workplace, try to
communicate through written modes of communication. Be careful about
the mail body and make sure they are self-explanatory. Using capital
letters in emails is considered to be rude and loud. Do not share any
information with any of your fellow workers verbally. Mark him a mail and
do keep your Boss in the loop. All the related employees must be marked a
cc as well. If discussed orally, the other person might refuse later on,
creating problems for you.
 SELF-CHECK 3.1-2

Test I: Enumerate in any order the various factors affecting interpersonal

relationship

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)

Test II: Define interpersonal skill what is?

ANSWER KEY 3.1-2

Test I:
1.) Compatibility
2.) Communication
3.) Honesty
4.) Stay calm
5.) Forgiving
6.) Time

Test II:

Are the skills used by a person to interact with others properly in the
business domain, the term generally refers to an employee's ability to get along
with others while getting the job done. Interpersonal skills include everything
from communication and listening skills to attitude and deportment.
 INFORMATION SHEET 3.1-3
Commetment to the organization and its goals in the performance of
duties

Learning Objectives:

After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:

1. Able to define commitment to the organization and its goals
2. To know the different effective performance management and duties
3. Apply commitment to the organization and its goals to the performance
of duties

Performance Management
Performance management is a process by which managers and
employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work
objectives and overall contribution to the organization. More than just an
annual performance review, performance management is the continuous
process of setting objectives, assessing progress and providing on-going
coaching and feedback to ensure that employees are meeting their objectives
and career goals.

An introduction to performance management

The fundamental goal of performance management is to promote and
improve employee effectiveness. It is a continuous process where managers and
employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee's work
objectives or goals and his or her overall contribution to the organization.
 Related HR Management Standard:
Standard 3.4
The performance of each employee is fairly
What is this? assessed, at least annually, at the end of the
work plan or performance period.

Before you embark on the development of an effective performance management

system, you should take a moment to consider whether or not your
organization has HR management practices in place to support the performance
management process. These include:

 Well designed jobs and written job descriptions

 Effective supervision
 Comprehensive employee orientation and training
 A positive and supportive work environment
 

An effective performance management system will:

 Be job specific, covering a broad range of jobs in the organization

 Align with your organization’s strategic direction and culture
 Be practical and easy to understand and use
 Provide an accurate picture of each employee’s performance
 Include a collaborative process for setting goals and reviewing
performance based on two-way communication between the employee and
manager
 Monitor and measure results (what) and behaviors (how)
 Include both positive feedback for a job well done and constructive
feedback when improvement is needed
 Provide training and development opportunities for improving
performance
 Ensure that employee work plans support the strategic direction of the
organization
 Establish clear communication between managers and employees about
what they are expected to accomplish
 Provide constructive and continuous feedback on performance
 Identify and recognize employee accomplishments
 Identify areas of poor performance and establish plans for improving
performance

 Support staff in achieving their work and career goals by identifying

training needs and development opportunities
 Support administrative decision-making about promotions, terminations,
compensation and rewards
 Provide legal documentation to demonstrate due diligence for legal
challenges related to dismissal or vicarious liability (an employer can be held
liable for the acts or omissions by its employees during the course of
employment)

The establishment of an effective performance management system requires

time and resources and therefore, the support of the board, the executive
director and other senior managers. When developing a new performance
management process, an organization can strike up a committee made up of
employees, managers and board members to increase buy-in, understanding
and support for the process.

Management support to act upon the outcomes of the performance

management process is also necessary to ensure that good performance is
recognized, inadequate performance results in the necessary support and/or
training to improve performance and consistently poor performance results in a
change of responsibilities or termination, as appropriate.
Whether you are introducing a new performance management system or if you
are modifying an existing process, it is critical that you communicate the
purpose and the steps in the performance management process to employees
before it is implemented. Also remember to review your new performance
management system after the first year and make adjustments as necessary.

The performance management cycle

There is much more to performance management than the annual

performance review meeting. As mentioned in the introduction, performance
management is a continuous process of planning, monitoring and reviewing
employee performance.
  

Phase 1 — Plan
The planning phase is a collaborative effort involving both managers and
employees during which they will:

 Review the employee’s job description to determine if it reflects the work

that the employee is currently doing. If the employee has taken on new
responsibilities or the job has changed significantly, the job description
should be updated.
 Identify and review the links between the employee’s job description, his
or her work plan and the organization’s goals, objectives and strategic plan.
 Develop a work plan that outlines the tasks or deliverables to be
completed, expected results and measures or standards that will be used to
evaluate performance.

 Identify three to five areas that will be key performance objectives for the
year. The choice of areas may be determined by the organization's strategic
plan, by the employee's desire to improve outcomes in a certain part of their
 job, or by a need to emphasize a particular aspect of the job at this time.
These are objectives that are critical to the overall success of the position. If
the employee does not meet his/her critical objectives then overall
performance will be evaluated as unsatisfactory.
 Identify training objectives that will help the employee grow his or her
skills, knowledge, and competencies related to their work.
 Identify career development objectives that can be part of longer-term
career planning.
Both the employee and manager need to sign off on the proposed work
assessment plan. A copy of the plan should be given to the employee and
another should be kept in his or her confidential personnel folder.
 
Setting objectives and measurements
Often the most difficult part of the planning phase is finding appropriate and
clear language to describe the performance objectives and measures or
indicators of success. Managers need to ensure that the objectives are a good
representation of the full range of duties carried out by the employee, especially
those everyday tasks that can take time but are often overlooked as significant
accomplishments.

What is a valid measure of good client service?

If the measure used only considers the number of clients served (i.e. what was
done), then the quality of service or how well it was done is not captured.
Assessing both "what" and "how" would be a more valid measure for good
customer service. For example, in addition to the number of clients served, the
quality of the information provided and a complaint rate of 1% or less could
represent good client service.
To assess quality of information provided, the supervisor could do spot checks
to listen to or look at the information that the employee provides to clients. The
supervisor would then assess accuracy and completeness of the information.

Objectives and indicators need to be SMART

Specific
Specify clearly what is to be done, when it is to be done, who is to accomplish it
and how much is to be accomplished.
Measurable
Ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is
accomplished? Multiple measures should be used if possible, for example,
quantity, quality, time frame and cost.

Attainable
Assure there is reasonable path to achievement and feasible odds that you will
get there.

Realistic
The objective needs should match the level of complexity with the employee's
experience and capability and no insurmountable forces outside the control of
the employee should hinder its accomplishment.

Time-bound
Be clear about the time frame in which performance objectives are to be
achieved. In most cases, objectives are to be completed by the end of the
performance review period.
 

Writing SMART objectives:

Action verb + Object of the action verb + Measures

Example: For an employee who is responsible for supervising volunteers at a

drop-in center for youth.

SMART Objective 1: Conduct monitoring visits to the drop-in center on a

monthly basis to assess the performance of the five volunteers against the plans
and objectives that were developed with them.

SMART Objective 2: Provide written updates on the work of the volunteers to

the Program Manager on a quarterly basis.

Not SMART: Visit the drop-in center and see how the volunteers are doing.

Phase 2 — Monitor
 For a performance management system to be effective, employee progress
and performance must be continuously monitored. Monitoring day-to-day
performance does not mean watching over every aspect of how employees carry
out assigned activities and tasks. Managers should not micro-manage
employees, but rather focus their attention on results achieved, as well as
individual behaviors and team dynamics affecting the work environment.
During this phase, the employee and manager should meet regularly to:

 Assess progress towards meeting performance objectives

 Identify any barriers that may prevent the employee from accomplishing
performance objectives and what needs to be done to overcome them
 Share feedback on progress relative to the goals
 Identify any changes that may be required to the work plan as a result of
a shift in organization priorities or if the employee is required to take on new
responsibilities
 Determine if any extra support is required from the manager or others to
assist the employee in achieving his or her objectives

Continuous coaching
Performance management includes coaching employees to address concerns
and issues related to performance so that there is a positive contribution to the
organization. Coaching means providing direction, guidance, and support as
required on assigned activities and tasks.

As a coach, managers need to recognize strengths and weaknesses of

employees and work with employees to identify opportunities and methods to
maximize strengths and improve weak areas. The role of the coach is to
demonstrate skills and to give the employee feedback, and reassurance while
he or she practices new skills. Good listening skills on the part of the coach,
together with the ability to deliver honest feedback, are crucial. In a coaching
role, you are not expected to have all the answers. The strategic power of any
coaching dialogue lies primarily in the coach's ability to ask the right
questions.

Providing feedback
 Positive feedback involves telling someone about good performance. Make
this feedback timely, specific and frequent. Recognition for effective
performance is a powerful motivator.

Constructive feedback alerts an individual to an area in which

performance could improve. It is descriptive and should always be directed to
the action, not the person. The main purpose of constructive feedback is to
help people understand where they stand in relation to expected and/or
productive job and workplace behavior.

Often, it is the positive and supportive feedback that is most readily and
easily shared, while finding the right way to provide constructive feedback to
address a particular performance issue can be more daunting. If an employee
is not meeting performance expectations, managers need to provide
constructive and honest feedback. It's important to do this when an issue first
arises - before it escalates into a significant problem. Here are a few points to
consider when giving constructive feedback:

Prepare
 Think through what you want to address in the meeting, confirm the
facts of the performance issue and make sure you know and can describe
what happened or is happening

 Be clear about what the issue is and about the consequences if the
employee's performance does not improve
 Plan to meet in a location where there will be privacy and minimal
interruptions (note that in a unionized environment, you may have to invite a
union representative to be with the employee during the discussion)
 Be calm, so that you can approach the discussion objectively and with
clarity

State the facts

 Using a non-threatening tone, describe the performance issue in an

objective, factual, nonjudgmental way, providing specific examples
 Identify the negative impact on people in the workplace or on the
organization
 

“You are always late.”

This statement is general and judgmental. It does not address the performance
 issue effectively.

“You were late 3 times last week. When you arrived late for the staff meeting,
you missed an important discussion about our new fundraising campaign.” 

This statement is factual and specifically addresses the performance issue and
the impact of being late.

Listen

 Have the employee describe the situation from their perspective and
provide an explanation. Be open to any new insights that may arise.
 Respond to denial, blaming of others, etc. by restating factual
information and reviewing the negative impacts of the performance issue.
Although we may sympathize with an employee’s unique personal
circumstances and their reasons for why they are not performing, it is
important to remain focused on the performance issue. If you alter what is
required of one employee (i.e. “bend the rules”) you will have to be prepared to
do so for all employees. As a performance manager, try to avoid putting
yourself in the position to have to judge which circumstances warrant “special
treatment” and those that do not.

Agree on an action plan

 Ask the employee for their suggestions for addressing the issue and offer
your suggestions if necessary
 Agree on a specific plan of action: including what the employee will do,
how they plan to do it and within what time period
 Document the action plan and attach to employees performance
management file
 Specify the consequences for the employee if the performance issue is
not resolved

Follow up
 Monitor results and meet periodically to discuss progress
 Provide positive reinforcement for improvement and continue to offer
support
 If the issue has not improved or been resolved over the specified time
period, enact the consequences as discussed in the action plan

HR Toolkit: Supervision
 HR Toolkit: Interpersonal communication
HR Toolkit: Discipline

Phase 3 — Review
The performance assessment or appraisal meeting is an opportunity to review,
summarize and highlight the employee’s performance over the course of the
review period.

Self-assessment is a standard part of most performance appraisals. By using

the performance plan and assessment form as a guide, employees can assess
their performance in preparation for the appraisal meeting. This process can
identify gaps between the employees self-perceptions and the views of the
manager and can allow for more in depth discussion of these performance
points during the meeting.

Managers should review their performance management notes and

documentation generated throughout the year in order to more effectively
assess the employee’s performance. Only issues that have already been
discussed with the employee should be part of the assessment documentation
and meeting. This will ensure that managers deal with performance problems
when they arise and that there are no surprises during the performance
assessment meeting.

In the performance assessment meeting, employees and managers will:

 Summarize the work accomplished during the previous year relative to

the goals that were set at the beginning of the performance period. This
includes capturing the key results, accomplishments and shortfalls for each
of the objectives
 Document challenges encountered during the year and identify areas for
training and/or development
 Identify and discuss any unforeseen barriers to the achievement of the
objectives
The employee and the supervisor should sign off on the form. This
acknowledges involvement in the process, but not necessarily agreement by
employee with the content of the evaluation. If an employee disagrees with any
part of the performance assessment, provide them with the opportunity to
attach their comments and file with their performance assessment form.

Managers must ensure that the employee receives a copy of the assessment
form and the signed document is put in the employee's file.
Important: An appeals process
Even with a well-designed and implemented performance management process,
there may be situations when an employee has a serious difference of opinion
with the manager about his or her performance assessment. A procedure for
the employee to discuss disagreement with the process should be established.

Some options for dealing with disagreements about performance appraisals

are:

Step review system

The disagreement is heard by higher levels of management such as the
supervisor's manager, followed by the Executive Director as necessary. In small
nonprofit organizations, there may not be higher levels of management to
appeal to.

Peer review system

A small group made up of equal numbers of employees and
management staff review disagreements. (Note that this system may not be
sanctioned in a unionized workplace)

Ombudsman 
Employees can seek assistance from an individual within the
organization who is designated as an impartial ombudsman.
 

Avoiding rater bias or assessment errors

Our judgments about many things are affected by our perception. When
a person evaluates someone else, his or her evaluation reflects both the person
being assessed and the evaluator's built in biases. Managers should be aware
of their possible evaluation biases, so they can try to eliminate them from the
assessment process.

Some common biases include:

Halo
A tendency to form a generalized positive impression of an employee,
meaning rating the employee highly on all rating criteria rather than
independently for each item.
 Horns
The opposite of the halo effect bias, with a general negative impression of
an employee resulting results in artificially low ratings. This bias may come up
if the manager generally dislikes, or has little confidence in an employee.

Central tendency
A tendency to evaluate most employees as "average" when applying a
rating scale. For example, given a scale that run from 1 (poor) to 7 (excellent),
with 4 being the average, some managers refuse to use the points at either of
the ends. The tendency is for almost all ratings to fall within the 3-5 range.
Shorter rating scales (e.g. those with only three points, rather than seven) tend
to cause less central tendency bias, but they also become less exact.

Leniency bias / Strictness bias

A tendency to be more lenient or more strict than his or her peers, when
rating employees, OR, is more lenient or strict with one employee as compared
to another.

Developing a performance assessment form

A performance assessment form is a tool that helps guide and document a discussion between a manager and an
employee about the employee's performance over the past year. A poorly
designed assessment form can undermine a good performance management
system. Below are some guidelines on what to include on a performance
assessment form.

General information
Typically the first section of a performance assessment form includes standard
information about the employee, the manager and the organization. This
includes the:

 Employee’s full name and job title

 Manager’s full name and job title
 Assessment period
 Date that the assessment meeting took place
Assessment form instructions
Include some brief instructions on how to complete the assessment
form, the type of information to include on the form and the reason that the
information should be included.

"The performance assessment form is designed to guide the manager and

employee in documenting the employee's results in comparison to the agreed
upon objectives. Please follow the instructions for each section...”
 

Performance objectives and measures

Document the performance objectives identified in the employee’s work
plan and the measures to be used to assess achievement. List the objectives in
their order of importance, with the most important listed first.  

Competency profile
If your organization has a performance assessment process that is based on a
competency framework, be sure to include the list of relevant competencies on
the assessment form. Examples of competencies include teamwork, effective

Members of a team have a goal of planning an event and carrying it out as

scheduled. However, if the members are to be effective in planning the event
and in working together after the event, they also need to demonstrate effective
team work skills. The aim is not to get the event planned at any cost; instead
the aim is to get the event planned and preserve the working relationships after
the event is over.

Key competencies To be demonstrated by

Teamwork  Assists or cooperates with members of
the team to reach the common goal
 Is tactful and diplomatic when dealing
with others
 Accepts constructive criticism and
adjusts behavior to achieve the team's goals
 Gives constructive feedback
 Clear rating scales
Performance assessment forms often include rating scales to help guide and
simplify the assessment process. Poorly constructed rating scales can be a
source of confusion, subjectivity, ambiguity and conflict - all of which
undermine the performance assessment process. A reliable assessment has
consistent ratings given for the same performance over time and with different
raters.

To increase the reliability of rating scales:

 Avoid language that may be inflammatory and, when possible, use words
that are not open to interpretation
 For words that are open to interpretation, provide definitions and
examples to clarify what is meant
 Use simple rating scales
 The reliability of frequency scales can be improved by defining the
percentage of time for each point on the scale. For example: "Almost always"
could mean 95% - 100% of the time.
For key work objectives a rating scale like this is simple and can guide the
discussion between the manager and the employee:

Exceeded Met objective Did not meet

objective objective
 

For key competencies or other behavioral measures consider a frequency scale

like this one:

Almost Frequently Sometimes Seldom Almost

always never
 

Employee training and development plan

As part of the performance assessment process, the manager and employee
may have identified areas for further training and/or development, as well as
the types of activities that the employee could undertake. Document the
expectations for training and development in the performance assessment
form. At the end of the year, document the results of the learning activities.
 

Example: For a Volunteer Coordinator:

Training objectives Improve group/meeting facilitation
skills
 Become more comfortable & effective
in facilitating group process
 Understand how to plan a meeting
and build a better agenda
Relationship to  Responsible for recruiting new
responsibilities volunteers, facilitating information and
orientation sessions as well as various
othew small group meetings
Activities  Attend workshops at local volunteer
bureau
 Will work with ED to plan and
facilitate staff meetings once per month
Resources required  Fees for two day workshop
 Minimal time to coordinate with ED
each month prior to staff meeting
Time line  By end of year
Results  
 

Example: For an Office Manager:

Development objectives  To improve networking skills
 Gain a better understanding
of the HR profession
 Increase knowledge of HR
management
Relationship to  Currently responsible for
organizational goals and some HR management (payroll,
career plan personnel files, etc.)
 No one on staff has formal HR
training or background
 Interested in exploring field
and possibly pursuing continuing
education
Activities  Join provincial HR profession
association
 Attend meetings, networking
events and workshops
Resources required  Annual membership fee
 Time line  By end of year
Results  
 

 
What an effective 360-degree feedback process can achieve:

 Individuals get a broad perspective of how they are perceived by others

and how they impact others — both positively and negatively
 Encourages open feedback and this feedback is often perceived as more
valid and objective, leading to acceptance of results and actions required
 Clarifies critical performance aspects, reinforces desired competencies
and identifies strengths that can be used to the best advantage of the
organization
 Supports a climate of continuous improvement and focuses agenda for
development, identifying key development areas for the individual, a team or
the organization as a whole
 Gaps are identified between employee’s self-perception versus the
perception of manager, peers or direct reports
 When feedback comes from a number of individuals in various job
functions, discrimination because of race, age, gender, and so on, is reduced.
Similarly, the "horns and halo" effect, in which a supervisor rates
performance based on his or her most recent interactions with the employee
is also reduced

Why organizations may choose not to adopt the 360-degree

approach:

 Feedback from multiple assessors increases the number of people

participating in the process and the organizational time invested
 Employees are not ready to give or receive honest and open feedback.
The process can be intimidating as few people enjoy being evaluated,
especially by a circle of colleagues and peers. Some cultures rigidly avoid
passing constructive feedback, or information, to superiors or managers
 If a performance management system is tied to pay increase and reward
systems, people may be hesitant to participate. There is a big difference
between providing feedback that will contribute to professional development
or providing feedback that determines pay, rewards, and promotion
 Since feedback is most often provided in written form, not in person to
ensure anonymity, people receiving feedback can’t ask directly for
clarification of comments or more information about ratings and their basis
 

Final checklist for your performance management system

As stated previously, performance management has a variety of purposes, one
of which is documentation should there be a legal challenge related to
performance. To ensure that your performance management process is
defensible:

 Base the process on well written job descriptions and job-related

activities
 Have the manager and employee collaborate on setting performance
objectives
 Establish results (objectives) and behaviors for which you can develop
observable measures; avoid traits such as 'initiative' which require subjective
assessments
 Ensure that the employee keeps a copy of the performance plan (work
plan) and expectations set at the beginning of the performance management
cycle
 Provide ongoing monitoring and feedback on performance to the
employee
 When problems are identified with performance, provide support
(training, coaching, etc.) and adequate time for the performance to improve
 Train managers on all aspects of the process and on how to reduce bias
and error in assessments
 Ensure that the performance assessment form accurately documents
performance - if overall performance is poor say so
 Do not make any notes that you would not want the employee to see
because the documentation may be admissible in court (or at arbitration in a
unionized workplace)
 Periodically review the performance management process to ensure that
it is being applied consistently and fairly

 Establish an appeals process

Overall Goal

Overall Goal and Focuses of Performance Management

 The overall goal of performance management is to ensure that the
organization and all of its subsystems (processes, departments, teams,
employees, etc.) are working together in an optimum fashion to achieve the
results desired by the organization.

Performance Improvement of the Organization or a Subsystem is an

Integrated Process

Note that because performance management strives to optimize results

and alignment of all subsystems to achieve the overall results of the
organization, any focus of performance management within the organization
(whether on department, process, employees, etc.) should ultimately affect
overall organizational performance management as well.

Ongoing Activities of Performance Management

Achieving the overall goal requires several ongoing activities, including

identification and prioritization of desired results, establishing means to
measure progress toward those results, setting standards for assessing how
well results were achieved, tracking and measuring progress toward results,
exchanging ongoing feedback among those participants working to achieve
results, periodically reviewing progress, reinforcing activities that achieve
results and intervening to improve progress where needed. Note that results
themselves are also measures.

Note that these general activities are somewhat similar to several other
major approaches in organizations, e.g., strategic planning, management by
objectives, Total Quality Management, etc. Performance management brings
focus on overall results, measuring results, focused and ongoing feedback
about results, and development plans to improve results. The results
measurements themselves are not the ultimate priority as much as ongoing
feedback and adjustments to meet results.

The steps in performance management are also similar to those in a well-

designed training process, when the process can be integrated with the overall
goals of the organization. Trainers are focusing much more on results for
performance. Many trainers with this priority now call themselves performance
consultants.

Basic Steps

Various authors propose various steps for performance management.

The typical performance management process includes some or all of the
following steps, whether in performance management of organizations,
subsystems, processes, etc. Note that how the steps are carried out can vary
widely, depending on the focus of the performance efforts and who is in charge
of carrying it out. For example, an economist might identify financial results,
such as return on investment, profit rate, etc. An industrial psychologist might
identify more human-based results, such as employee productivity.

The following steps are described more fully in the topics Performance Plan, 
Performance Appraisal and Development Plan, including through use of
an example application. The steps are generally followed in sequence, but
rarely followed in exact sequence. Results from one step can be used to
immediately update or modify earlier steps. For example, the performance plan
itself may be updated as a result of lessons learned during the ongoing
observation, measurement and feedback step.

NOTE: The following steps occur in a wide context of many activities geared
towards performance improvement in an organization, for example, activities
such as management development, planning, organizing and coordinating
activities.

1. Review organizational goals to associate preferred organizational results in

terms of units of performance, that is, quantity, quality, cost or timeliness (note
that the result itself is therefore a measure)

2. Specify desired results for the domain -- as guidance, focus on results

needed by other domains (e.g., products or services need by internal or
external customers)

3. Ensure the domain's desired results directly contribute to the organization's

results

4. Weight, or prioritize, the domain's desired results

5. Identify first-level measures to evaluate if and how well the domain's desired
results were achieved

6. Identify more specific measures for each first-level measure if necessary

7. Identify standards for evaluating how well the desired results were achieved
(e.g., "below expectations", "meets expectations" and "exceeds expectations")

8. Document a performance plan -- including desired results, measures and

standards

9. Conduct ongoing observations and measurements to track performance

10. Exchange ongoing feedback about performance

11. Conduct a performance appraisal (sometimes called performance review)

12. If performance meets the desired performance standard, then reward for
performance (the nature of the reward depends on the domain)

13. If performance does not meet the desired performance standards, then
develop or update a performance development plan to address the performance
gap* (See Notes 1 and 2)

14. Repeat steps 9 to 13 until performance is acceptable, standards are

changed, the domain is replaced, management decides to do nothing, etc.

* Note 1: Inadequate performance does not always indicate a problem on the

part of the domain. Performance standards may be unrealistic or the domain
may have insufficient resources. Similarly, the overall strategies or the
organization, or its means to achieving its top-level goals, may be unrealistic or
without sufficient resources.

* Note 2: When performance management is applied to an employee or group of

employees, a development plan can be initiated in a variety of situations, e.g.,:
a.) When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is
needed, that is, that there is a "performance gap"

b.) To "benchmark" the status of improvement so far in a development effort

c.) As part of a professional development for the employee or group of

employees, in which case there is not a performance gap as much as an
"growth gap"

d.) As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned

change in role in the organization, in which case there also is not a

Performance gap as much as an "opportunity gap"

e.) To "pilot", or test, the operation of a new performance management system
 SELF-CHECK 3.1-3

Test I: Enumerate in any order the following steps occur in a wide context
of many activities geared towards performance improvement in an
organization

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)
ANSWER KEY 3.1-3

Test I:

1. Review organizational goals

2. Specify desired results for the domain

3. Ensure the domain's desired results

4. Weight, or prioritize, the domain's desired results

5. Identify first-level measures to evaluate

6. Identify more specific measures