I’ve spent the last week talking about KPAs and competency frameworks with three different clients. Two have been with HR people who are trying to get acceptance for their performance appraisal processes. One has been with a line manager who is confused and frazzled by the whole thing.
Some things change. A lot of things stay the same – especially ones that we wish would change!
Two things have not changed in decades:
- The difficulty HR people have in making KPAs and competencies simple and accessible to their line managers
- The frustration and lack of acceptance with which line managers greet their attempts
It ought to be simple.
KPAs, goals, targets or outputs; whatever you call them, are the things you have to produce or achieve to add the value to the organisation for which you are being paid. So yes, there should be a clear connection between your achievement against required outputs and how much you earn.
Competencies, knowledge, skills, attitude, personality characteristics or inputs – this is the personal stuff you bring to the job that largely determines how successful you will be in achieving the outputs.
When you want to improve your performance you need to work on the inputs. What new skills can you learn that will make you more effective? How can you capitalise on your personal strengths to become more successful?
Most performance appraisal processes put their emphasis on visible outputs.
Coaching and mentoring really help in improving competencies but managers find them difficult to work with.
Most managers dislike the whole process.
So do most employees…
How do you feel about it? If you would like me to discuss this topic in more detail let me know.