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There are 7 Reasons
For Performance Problems ...
And Training Only Solves
One Of Them!
Are your employees performing at the level you need them to, and getting the business results you want?
If not, there is something you can do about it.
There are seven reasons for performance problems, in three categories. Once you know where to look, you can address these reasons in a straight-forward way and increase both employee performance and business results.
Organizational
The first category is organizational; lack of performance stems from the absence of three important elements that are best addressed throughout the organization:
- Lack of standards
- Lack of measurement
- Lack of feedback
Lack of Standards
Lack of standards can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which have to do with change.
- Changing specifications in equipment or products
- Merging two companies with different cultures
- Replacing a process or product
To address a lack of standard, decide what the standard for performance is now. Once you have identified it and communicated it, be sure to measure performance against it and provide feedback.
For help with creating standards go to Action-Focused Consulting.
Lack of Measurement
Lack of measurement can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which stem from conflicting priorities.
- Identifying what and when to measure
- Knowing how the measurement relates to performance and results
- Finding time
To address a lack of measurement, decide what and when you want performance measured against the standard. You can have posted standards of performance but only when employees have a way to measure how well they are doing can they improve.
Bottom-line, that which gets measured gets improved.
So now that you have standards, with measurement, communicate the results.
For help with identifying what and when to measure go to Action-Focused Consulting.
Lack of Feedback
Lack of feedback can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which are connected to a perceived lack of value to the organization.
- Reviewing employee performance once a year is considered good enough.
- Meeting production goals is what gets rewarded.
- Exploring alternatives methods of providing feedback has not been considered.
To address this, decide how you want to communicate the measurement of a particular standard, whether it is a time-sensitive scoreboard posted for everyone to view, a weekly update passed on to employees through their supervisor or a regular conversation on a formal or informal basis. Once they know how their performance measures up to the standard, employees can adjust their behaviors to improve results.
For help with creating and delivering feedback go to Action-Focused Consulting.
Managerial
The second category for lack of performance is managerial; these reasons are evident at the operational level, closer to the employees and to the work being done. While these issues can be addressed at an organizational level, they can be solved more quickly and effectively by an individual manager or supervisor. These reasons issues stem from inattention to three critical elements:
- Inattention to the physical environment, including equipment
- Inattention to the performance requirements of the position in relation to the capacity of the person
- Inattention to individual motivation
Inattention to the Physical Environment, Including Equipment
Inattention to the physical environment can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which relate to business growth.
- Increasing the number of employees in the same space
- Increasing the responsibilities of existing employees with the requirement of additional equipment
- Overlapping departments and functions without considering the environmental requirements of each
To address inattention to the physical environment, survey the employees and their environment and address what you discover. Be sure employees have what they need to perform to the standard or above, including enough space and light, appropriate protection from noise or air contaminants and the right equipment.
For help with surveying the employees and their environment go Action-Focused Consulting.
Inattention to the Performance Requirements of the Position in Relation to the Capacity of the Person
Inattention to the performance requirements of the position in relationship to the capacity of the employee can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which relate to changes at the operational level.
- Changing technology or equipment
- Increasing customer demands
- Ignoring the balance needed between the performance requirements and the abilities of the person doing the job
To address inattention to the performance requirements of the position in relation to the capacity of the person, you need to know what is required in order to get the job done well. You also have to know your employees well enough to match the right employee with the job. Finally, you have to be willing to have candid conversations with employees when the match isn’t there and explore other alternatives.
For help with matching the employee capacity with the requirements of the job, go to Co-Active Coaching.
Inattention to individual motivation
Inattention to individual motivation can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which relate to the interpersonal elements of supervision. In these cases the supervisor fails to recognize that the employee is
- Having a bad experience with them as a supervisor
- Perceiving a lack of advancement opportunities
- Dealing with personal challenges outside of work that have nothing to do with the job
To address inattention to individual motivation, , the supervisor needs to be willing to have a candid conversation about what is going on with the employee and be willing to explore ways to address the employee’s issue while keeping them accountable for their performance.
For help with addressing individual motivation go to Co-Active Coaching.
Individual
The final category for lack of performance is individual and only has one reason. In this category, the individual does not have the knowledge and skills for performance.
Lack of Knowledge and Skill
Lack of knowledge and skill means that employee simply does not know how to do what they need to do for performance and results, because something is new. There are three situations where this occurs:
- The employee is new to the job
- The employee has a new role with new responsibilities
- There is a new procedure, equipment or requirement
To address lack of knowledge and skill the employee needs learner-focused, performance-based training. For this to be successful the training needs to meet the performance requirements of the organization so that the employee can use what they learned immediately back on the job. The employee will also need the support of his or her supervisor for their performance and results to be sustained over time.
For help with increasing the knowledge and skill of your employees, go to Learner-Focused, Performance-Based Training.
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