Course Outcomes

This web-based performance management course will:

  • Outline the aims and principles of performance management.
  • Suggest a sequence of activities associated with organization-wide performance management.
  • Review several performance management models.
  • Offer suggestions for identifying competencies and capability requirements.
  • Provide best practices for setting job standards.
  • Recommend methods for managing performance throughout the year.
  • Suggest strategies for addressing resistance to performance management.

Course Overview

A strong performance management process can mean the difference between a well-oiled machine and one that’s limping along from one year to the next. No longer does a once-a-year review qualify as performance management. While these meetings are certainly part of the process, they’re hardly a standalone answer. This three-part virtual classroom course covers the theory and practice of successful performance management. During this program, participants will define performance management, explore its evolution, identify competencies and capabilities required for successful performance, identify the processes that must exist to grow capacity and engagement, and discuss tactics for addressing resistance and shortcomings. The program marries the academic with practical application and tools participants can put to immediate use.

Session One:  The Foundation

At this session’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Define performance management, and explain its evolution.
  • Outline the benefits of performance management and areas of risk associated with its implementation.
  • Explain the role responsibilities associated with the performance management process.
  • Link performance to departmental and organizational goals.

Segment Modules

  • A Little Bit of History: Exploring How We Got from There to Modern-Day Best Practices
  • Why Manage Performance: Making the Case
  • Roles and Responsibilities: Identifying Who Does What
  • Competencies and Capabilities: Deciding What Matters
  • Line of Sight: Linking Individual Work to Departmental and Organizational Goals

Session Two: Setting Goals, Communicating Expectations, and Reducing Ambiguity

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Set performance goals.
  • Communicate expectations and reduce ambiguity.
  • Explain the importance of regular feedback.
  • Give specific, meaningful feedback.
  • List the reasons people do not perform.
  • Identify strategies for addressing poor performance.
  • Explain the value of a 360 assessment.

Segment Modules

  • Goals: Choosing Meaningful Targets
  • The Clarity Imperative: Avoiding Ambiguity
  • Planned and Unplanned Feedback: Practicing Regular Communication
  • Root Causes: Pinpointing Performance Problems
  • Remediation: Addressing Poor Performance
  • The 360 Advantage: Gaining Additional Perspectives

Segment Three: Annual Reviews and Continuous Improvement

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Map the formal activities associated with performance management.
  • Describe methods for ranking employee performance.
  • Plan for the future.
  • Deliver an effective performance appraisal.
  • Respond to common appraisal delivery reactions.
  • Solicit feedback about the performance management process.

Segment Modules

  • A 365-Day Endeavor: Mapping A Year’s Worth of Performance Management Activities
  • Order: Methods for Ranking and Differentiating Performance
  • A Comprehensive Approach: Planning a Complete Review
  • The Annual Review: Conducting an Annual Dialogue
  • The Feedback Loop: Working Toward Continuous Improvement

By the conclusion of this web-based training course, participants should understand the value of formal performance management and be able to implement the activities associated with its various stages.