Why HR Managers Must Enforce Data Security and Information Protection Policies
When Knowledge is Power, It Makes Sense to Protect it from Theft In times when the knowledge based economy thrives and is predominant, it is more than important for organizations to protect their most valuable asset, which is data and information. Indeed, given the fact that contemporary organizations use knowledge as the main leverage over […]
Knowledge Management in the Age of Information Overload
The Evolution of Knowledge Management Knowledge Management as a separate stream of business and as an organizational function and practice emerged with the advent of the Information Age with its reliance on knowledge as power. Indeed, while the Industrial Era did have some connection to accumulating, preserving, and share knowledge, it was only with the […]
Six Steps for Making a Business Case
Organizations tend to work collectively. Ideas tend to come to individuals within the organization. However, they need to be spread across the organization. Any change only takes place if several people in key positions believe that the idea is good enough. This is where a business case comes in handy. Executives from all departments in […]
Performance Appraisal Process
For many employees working in the organized sector, the term appraisal process conjures images of hope and fear simultaneously. Hope for a better grade and fear about potential downgrading or a bad rating. The weeks leading up to the appraisal are filled with hectic activity when the employees get down to evaluating themselves and prepare […]
Managing Employee Performance
Introduction Managing employee performance is one of the key drivers for organizational success in the present context of firms trying to adopt a resource centered view of the organizational. We have seen elsewhere that integrating HRM practices with those of organizational goals and strategy increases the competitive advantages for the firm. Similarly, managing employee performance […]
Feedback after any form of assessment or evaluation helps in mirroring the information regarding their performance to the candidate and also initiates the learning process in them.
An objective, transparent and respectful conversation needs to be conducted during feedback to drive home the points which the participant needs to work upon.
Giving feedback is never easy not even for an external consultant conducting an assessment in the organization and when assessments are done internally it becomes all the more important that the feedback process is handled delicately.
It sure does not mean that the points which address the negative aspects of a candidate’s personality are left un-discussed; neither has it to be sweet talked or disguised.
There are certain considerations which can guide an assessor during feedback:
The feedback provider has to remember that feedback is also a mechanism to learn for people. We might as well make a reference to the Johari Window, here:
The feedback should aim that the participant gets aware of both the areas of strength and areas of development. It should encourage introspection, help participants draw inference and reach conclusions.
People are very good at hiding any feeling of hurt and upset. However, beneath the fa ade lies a demoralized and de-motivated individual.
For example, some participants might start thinking “if that is what I am like, am I really going to get where I want” or “Is this they think of me” such situation require very careful handling of feedback else it can become the road to frustration.
If the desired level of trust does not exist between the assessor and the participant, the facilitation of the feedback discussion becomes very difficult and the purpose is defeated.
If assessors share the outcomes and feedback with the participant without allowing discussion or comment, the feedback session becomes a fiasco.
Where participants do not share hopes, aspirations or intrinsically commit to their development actions no further progress can take place.
Some participants may also blatantly refuse to accept the observation and information provided by assessors and could externalize reasons to validate their behaviors, even questioning the entire assessment process.
For example, “these exercises are not relevant to my work situation” or “I work in the XYZ industry and this is not the case there” or “this is just an exercise we did, actual work is very different”.
This is an attempt at blocking discussion around their performance being examined.
Participant age and demographic profile also strongly impact their perception and expectations from assessors.
Older, more experienced and senior participants feel vulnerable being observed by juniors or internal colleagues.
Hence, a lot of planning is required before the feedback session. It helps if the assessor can know the profile of the participant before-hand as it later helps in navigating the feedback discussion appropriately.
And in the end it is important to remember the very basic principle of androgogy that adults learn if they find the learning relevant to what they do.
It is important to link feedback to the everyday work of the participant and how improving can have positive effects on their work also can be outlined.
This helps in greater acceptability of feedback.
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