HRD Mechanisms

1. Coaching and mentoring2. Performance appraisal, performance

management.3. Career development and planning

1. Coaching and Mentoring

COACHING

Coaching means educating, instructing and training subordinates.

Managers rely on coaching for some of their most important duties such as

Appraising employees

On the job training

Coaching can be defined as a process used to encourage employee to accept responsibility for their own performance, to enable them to achieve and sustain superior performance, and to treat them as partners in working toward organizational goals and effectiveness.

Coaching: A four step process

1. Preparing to coach: It is partly an observational process. Preparation means understanding the problem, the employee, and the employee’s skills.

ABC approach can be applied in identifying the problem

▪ Review the antecedents-those things that come before job performance

Does the employee know what the performance standards are?

Does he or she know that they are not being met?

Review the employee’s behavior

was the training adequate?

does the person have necessary aptitudes?

Consequences of doing the job right

Do you reward the person for doing the job well?

2. Planning: This stage requires reaching agreement on the problem and on what to change.

Layout a change plan in the form of steps to take

Measure of success

Date to complete

Getting agreement on these items requires high interpersonal communication skills

3. Active coaching: Start the actual educating,

instructing and training Interpersonal skills are the heart of

effective coaching

4. Follow up Re-observe the coach performance

periodically

HRD Professional’s role in coaching

HRD professionals can help managers and supervisors become effective coaches by training of coaching process and necessary interpersonal skills needed for this

Other HRD interventions such as training may solve problems uncovered by a coaching analysis

Coaching is an HRD intervention

Mentoring

Mentoring refers to relationship between junior and senior member of the organization that contributes to the career development of both members.

Mentoring can be formal or informal.

Mentoring caveat: For the supervisor mentoring is both valuable and dangerous. As mentoring focuses on long term hard to reverse longer term issues, and often touches on person’s psychology (i.e. motives, needs, aptitude etc.,)

Special Forms of Mentoring Reverse mentoring: The younger employees

mentor senior employees/leaders Group mentoring: People connect with

different people including peers and seniors and learn from them at the same time.

Shadowing: The mentee shadows the mentor (leader/manager) everywhere at workplace to learn the intricacies (Nokia in India uses shadowing in its induction process, where new joinees are mentored by top leaders for one week).

Effective mentor

Effective mentor set high standards, willing to invest time and effort required in mentoring relationship

It also requires trust: level of trust reflects mentor’s Professional competence Ability to communicate Readiness to share control

Protégés responsibility

Choose an appropriate potential mentor

Don’t be surprised if turned down Respect the mentor’s time: The

mentoring relationship generally should not involve personal problems or issues.

A Case on Coaching and Mentoring:A New Lease of Life

2. Performance appraisal It means evaluating an employee’s

current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards.

Key elements: Setting work standards i.e. define the

employee’s job and performance criteria Assessing actual performance in relation to

standards. This normally involve some rating form.

Providing feedback

Defining employee’s goal and work standards

1. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals2. Assign specific goals3. Assign measurable goals4. Assign challenging but doable goals5. Encourage participation

Why appraise performance?

Most employers still base pay and promotional decisions on the employee’s performance

Assists boss and subordinate to develop a plan for correcting any deficiency

It provides an opportunity to review the employee’s career plans in light of his or her exhibited strengths and weaknesses.

It plays an integral role in performance management process

It provides source of most of the current employees information

The supervisor’s role

The supervisor not HR-usually does the actual appraising.

The HR department serves a policy making and advisory role.

The HR team should also be responsible for training supervisors to improve their appraisal skills

Techniques for appraising performance

1. Critical Incident Technique: The supervisor keeps a log of positive

and negative examples (critical incidents) of a subordinates work related behavior

Critical incidents provides examples of good or poor performance the supervisor can use to explain the person’s rating.

Every 6 months or so, supervisor and subordinate meet to discuss the latter’s performance, using incidents as example.

Provide examples of what employees can specifically do to eliminate deficiencies

Without some numerical rating this method is not useful for comparing employees or making salary decisions.

Examples of Critical Incidents for an Assistant Plant Manager

2. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)

It is an appraisal tool that anchors a numerical rating scale with specific examples of good or poor performance.

Steps:1. Write critical incidents: i.e. describe specific

illustrations of effective and ineffective job performance

2. Develop performance dimensions: Group these incidents into 5 to 10 dimensions and then define each dimension such as salesmanship skill

3. Reallocate incidents: Have another group to reallocate the original critical incidents.

4. Scale the incidents: Rate the behavior described by the incident as to how effectively or ineffectively it represents performance on the dimension.

5. Develop a final instrument: Choose about six or seven of the incidents as the dimension’s behavioral anchors

Example of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale

Advantages of BARS

More accurate tool for performance assessment

Clearer standards Feedback: Critical incidents makes it easier

to explain the ratings to appraises Independent dimensions: it reduces the

rating bias Consistency skills: BARS based evaluation

seem to be reliable in that different raters appraisals of the same person tend to be the same

In summary, BARS is an appraisal method that aims at combining the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantified ratings by anchoring a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good or poor performance

HRD manager’s responsibility in PA

Organize workshops to explain to the employees the basic purpose of performance appraisal.

Train raters to reduce biases

He should protect the confidentiality of appraisal

He should link performance appraisal with other system such as training, promotions and research.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance management is an continued process of identifying, measuring and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with the organization’s goals.

Basic building blocks of PM:

1. Direction sharing means Communicating the higher level goals throughout the company and translating these into achievable departmental, team and individual goal.

Performance Management….

Goal alignment i.e. having a process that enable any manager to see the link between an employee’s goals and those of the department and company

Ongoing performance monitoring usually include use of computer based system

Coaching and development effort, as a part of feedback session

Rewards, recognition and compensation play a role in keeping the employee's goal directed performance on track

PA vs PM

1. PA: meeting once or twice a year to review performance.

PM entails continues interactions and feedback to ensure continuous improvement

2. PM is always goal directed

3. PM goes beyond annual appraisal ratings and interviews, and incorporates employee goal setting, feedback, coaching, rewards, and individual development.

Performance Appraisal Performance Management

Top-down assessment Joint process through dialogue

Annual appraisal meeting Continuous review with one or more formal reviews

Use of ratings Ratings less common

Monolithic system Flexible process

Focus on quantified objectives Focus on values and behavior as well as objectives

Often linked to pay Less likely to be directly linked to pay

Bureaucratic-complex paper work Documentation kept to minimum

Owned by the HR department Owned by line managers

Case Discussion on Performance Management

Questions for Discussion

What are the key issues involved in the case? What went wrong in the above case?

How should performance management process be linked with employee performance? What should be its objectives, besides being linked to the compensation system?

“Performance Management for any organisation is not just a HR functional process but it is important organisational enabler.” In this light give the suggestions to improve the situation from HRD perspective.

Background of the case: As competition in the market deepened, profit margins started to decline in Nest Ceramics. The company’s new strategic business plan clearly indicates the need to improve performance.President advised HR Vice President Ms. Prerna and the HR Department to amend the performance review process.

Issues:• Declining sales• Mr. Mahesh (Sales Manager) complaint for pay performance without merit system• Decade old performance review system• Lenient rating to employees• As per the suggestion received from Mr. Manas (Head), Mahesh re assess the performance rating of each employee.• Mr . Kalyan disagreed with the lower ratings.

Objectives of PMS:• To take increment decision or bonus pay out.• Differentiate between the stars and the rest.• Capability building and employee development platform

Suggestions:• Existing system and process should be understood before incorporating a

new change.• Any change in PM concept should be discussed at the corporate strategy

level.• Change should be announced well in advance.• There should be a connect between strategic priorities and individual

expectations.

3. CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Questions for Discussion

What is meant by the idea of a “new” employment relationship?

When you think about the term “career,” what comes to your mind?

Does it make sense to speak of careers and career planning in today’s business environment?

What are the typical issues employees face as they progress through their careers?

What types of career development activities are actually used?

“New” Employment Relationship

Traditionally, employee had entitlement mentality and employers had paternalistic approach.

Career progress was defined primarily in terms of promotion and pay increases within one organization.

This requires a stable, predictable environment and a hierarchically structured organization.

The concept of a “boundaryless” career has become quite popular.

Does the concept of organizational career management and development still make sense?

Several themes underlying different dimensions of the term

The property of an occupation or organization

Advancement Status of a profession Involvement in one’s work Stability of a person’s work pattern

Career terminology

“Career” Defined

“The pattern of work-related experiences that span the course of a person’s life.” This definition includes both objective

events, such as jobs, and subjective views of work, such as the person’s attitudes, values, and expectations.

Career terminology…..

Career management: “an ongoing process of preparing, implementing, and monitoring career plans undertaken by the individual alone or in concert with the organization’s career systems.”

Career development: “ an ongoing process by which individuals progress through a series of stages, each of which is characterized by a relatively unique set of issues, themes and tasks”

Career development involves a person’s past, present and future work roles.

Career planning: “ a deliberate process of 1) becoming aware of self, opportunities, constraints, choices, and consequences, 2) identifying career related goals and 3) programming work, education, and related developmental experiences to provide the direction, timing, and sequence of steps to attain a specific career goal.

Spectrum of Career Development Activities

HRD and Career Development

Understanding employee careers Influencing those careers Changing KSAOs to reflect changes

in environment Assist employees in preparing for

new work and enhance their employability

Career management

“Ongoing process of preparing, implementing, and monitoring career plans undertaken by the individual alone or in concert with the organization’s career system.”

Individual oriented career management model

Organization oriented career management model

Individual Oriented Model of Career Management

Summary of Career Management Activities

Career exploration: gathering information about one’s self and environment

Awareness of self and environment Goal setting: specifying career goals Strategy development: action plan to accomplishing

the career goal. Strategy implementation: carrying out the strategy Progress toward goal Feedback from work and non work sources Career appraisal: Feedback and information on

progress toward the career goal permit the individual to appraise his or her career.

Organizationally Oriented Career Management Models

1. Pluralistic approach (Brousseau et al.) – aligning individual and organizational interests. Organizations can have career cultures that mirror

these career concepts (i.e. linear, expert, spiral, and transitory)

At the same time, the organization’s career culture should support its strategic direction

Three type of career management methods have been suggested under this approach Counseling Individual career development program contracts Cafeteria approach

Career development

It can be defined as the interaction of psychological, sociological, economic, physical and chance factors the shape the sequence of jobs, occupations/professions or careers that a person may engage in throughout a lifetime.

Traditional view Contemporary view

A balance between management and planning makes for effective career development.

Traditional model of career development

Five stages in Greenhaus et al. model:

Preparation for Work (0–25): Activities include assessing, possible occupations, selecting an occupation, obtaining necessary education

Organizational Entry (18–25): selects the job and the organization

Early Career (25–40): finding place in the world, becoming established in a career and in an organization.

Midcareer (40–55): Reexamination of the life structure and choices, career plateauing, obsolescence.

Late Career (55–retirement):

▪ Strive to remain productive and maintain sense of self esteem

▪ Disengaging from work

Contemporary view of career development

Protean career – Individuals drive their own careers and

reinvent their careers over time (Hall & Mirvis)

A person’s career is made up of a “succession of ministages” of

exploration-trail-mastery-exit.

Multiple career concept model:Four different patterns of career experiences known as career concepts

Linear – steady movement up the hierarchy (motivated by desire for power and achievement)

Expert – devotion to expertise within an occupation (desire for competence and stability)

Spiral – periodic moves (7 to 10 years) across related occupations (motives are creativity and personal growth)

Transitory – frequent moves (3 to 5 years) across different jobs or fields (motives include variety and independence)

Roles in Career Management

Who is responsible for career development? Individual Manager HRD professional/career counselor

For all, it is a cyclical and continuing process

The Individual’s Role

Knowing What: understanding the industry’s opportunities, threats and requirements

Knowing Why: understanding the meaning, motives, and interests for pursuing a career

Knowing Where: understanding the locations and boundaries for entering, training, and advancing within career

Knowing Whom: forming relationship, social capital

Knowing When: understanding the timing and choice of activity

Knowing How: understanding and acquiring the skill and talents needed for effective performance in assignment and responsibilities

Manager’s Responsibilities

Coaching Appraising Advising Referral agent

HRD Professional’s Responsibility

Recognize individual's career ownership Recognize that career development is a

relational process in which the career practitioner plays a broker role.

Develop expertise in CD and assessment technologies

Create support and info for individual efforts Promote work planning over career planning Promote learning through relationship at work Be interventionist Promote mobility and lifelong learner