Tip #5 — Build your mission, vision, and values into the form.
Performance appraisal is a means, not an end. The real objective of any performance management system is to make sure that the company’s strategic plan and vision and values are communicated and achieved.
Core competencies expected of all organization members should be included, described and assessed. If your mission statement isn’t clearly visible in the performance appraisal system, cynicism will likely result. Values become real only when people are held accountable for living up to them.
The easiest way to make sure that your new form supports your mission statement is to have one final assessment item that reads something like this: “What were the three most important contributions the individual made to _____________________________?” Then just plug the text of your mission statement into the blank. Everyone will now see that they’re being held accountable for helping to achieve the organization’s mission.
About the Author
Dick Grote is a management consultant in Dallas, Texas and the author of several books. His most recent book, How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals, was published by the Harvard Business Review Press in July 2011.
