Flashcards

Case Study #1: Reinventing Performance Management: A Deloitte Case Study

 http://www.business.com/management/reinventing-performance-management-a-deloitte-case-study/

1. What are the key elements of the performance management system at Deloitte?  How could these elements be used to enhance the effectiveness of individual team members as well as overall teams?

Deloitte wanted to focus more on fueling the performance rather than assessing it in the past. They do not believe in the once a year, 360 –reviews because they do not give a transparent view of the current working system. In addition, Deloitte found that people rate other people skills inconsistently. To combat this, Deloitte didn’t ask the team member what they think of each team member. Instead, they asked team leaders to rate their own future actions regarding each team member. In summary, they asked team leaders what they would do, not what they think. These could be used to enhance the effectiveness of individual team members by being able to praise or help suggest improvements of team members. This allows team members to be motivated by their good work or given the opportunity to fix something right away. These new elements of performance management can be used to help enhance the effectiveness of a team by looking at ratings you give individuals and creating a team that will work well together and all are performing well.

2. What were the recommendations for improving performance management from the case?  Which ones do you feel are the most important?  Why?

The recommendations from the case are that the optimal frequency of the new performance reviews should be weekly and the best way to ensure frequency is to have regular check-ins about near-time work initiated by team members. In addition, employee performance snapshots should be regular, preferably weekly and the technology should be designed to be simply, quick, and engaging to use. 

3. What are some key practical takeaways for team management in the real world?

Some key takeaways from this case are that it is important to have frequent check in with different team members and the team itself. This will allow for more open communication and a chance to solve any problems sooner. Another takeaway is that team leaders, when rating others, should look at what they would do, not what they think. These will help when running an effective team.

Case Study #2:

Crucibles of Change

http://www.hr.com/en/magazines/leadership_excellence_essentials/april_2015_leadership/crucibles-of-change-how-great-teams-are-tested_i7x5r1te.html

1. What recommendations would you provide to team leaders for managing team effectiveness in the examples included throughout the article?

As a team leader, you need to lead the team into the crucible, into the difficult conversations and situations. They won't do it otherwise. It is important to focus on the mission of the team, the values of the team, or some of your existing team principles will help your team through. When brining a team together it is important to collaborate during team meetings. The best leaders operate from the opposite belief: focus on the pain. Increase the conflict. That is where the elevation comes from. The magic of meetings are in the difficult. If you have talented people on your team, you must create some pain in your meetings to get the best result. Lastly, embarrass yourself every day, try new things, be more open and be more creative.

2. Identify and describe some general characteristics of effective team performance evaluation systems within the article.

An effective team performance evaluation is looking at the “We Wills” of the team. Your team needs to come up with principles they will follow in order to achieve something greater than the “easy path.” By evaluating your team on the guiding “we will” principles you create you can see how well your team is doing. Some examples are: When it impacts the team, we will strive for consensus, We will listen and respect each other, We will examine what we can do to handle a problem, instead of complaining about 'the others', We will take time to celebrate our successes at our team meetings, We will seek opportunities to plan together, We will share information, proactively, We will make this team a priority by doing periodic check-ins on these principles. It is also important to review and evaluate yourself. To be the best you have to look at yourself and ask hard questions.

3. What are some best practices for managing team effectiveness that you can identify in the article?

Some best practices are not being afraid to push your team into difficult conversations and situations. One way to do this is by focusing on the team mission, values of the team, and existing team principles. A leader should not operate from delusion that people are acting happy around them means that everything is good. The best leaders who manage team effectiveness well work to increase conflict to create elevation in their team. This can lead to innovation and progress.

4. What are some practical implications for managing team effectiveness as a professional in the workplace?

When managing team effectiveness there are many different components to look at. Based on this article, one that is very important is pushing past the easy and having the difficult conversations and taking on the difficult situations. There is something to be valued in pain and creating collaboration when reaching beyond what is easy.

Additional Resources

Articles on Teams

Easy Steps for Evaluating Project Team Performance

http://www.ittoolkit.com/how-to-it/projects/evaluate-team-performance.html

Evaluating Group Process and Performance

http://managementhelp.org/groups/evaluating.htm

Five Points to Consider During the Team Performance Evaluation

http://trainingstation.walkme.com/5-points-to-consider-during-the-team-performance-evaluation/

Supporting Effective Teamwork: A Checklist for Team Performance

http://learningforsustainability.net/pubs/teams_checklist.pdf

Team Peer Evaluation Examples

https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/Team_Peer_Evaluation_Examples.pdf

Is 360 Degree Feedback Right for You?

http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/03/09/is-360-feedback-right-for-your-team/

Improving Team Performance Using 360-Degree Feedback

http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/masters-learning-and-organizational-change/knowledge-lens/stories/2012/improving-team-performance-through-360-degree-feedback.html

Team Member Performance Evaluation Techniques

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/team-member-performance-evaluation-techniques-14626.html

How Should I Prepare My Team for a 360 Degree Feedback Session

http://blog.reviewsnap.com/how-should-i-prepare-my-team-for-a-360-degree-feedback-session/

Tree Diagram

http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/new-management-planning-tools/overview/tree-diagram.html

Tree Diagrams: Simplifying Complexity

http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/new-management-planning-tools/overview/tree-diagram.html

How to Evaluate and Appraise Team Performance

http://davidguest.com.au/buildingbusinesses/team/teamwork-how-to-evaluate-and-appraise-team-performance/

Videos on Teams

Evaluate Team Performance and Identify Ways Improve It 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_pq7wQ9-J8

Three Insights for Evaluating Your Team’s Performance and Behavior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy-4A8me-jM

Books

Lepsinger, R. & Lucia, Anntoinette (2009). The Art and Science of 360 Degree Feedback.  New York:  Pfeiffer.

Alain, P. (2013).  The Quick and Easy Performance Appraisal Phrase Book: 3000+ Powerful Phrases for Successful Reviews, Appraisals, and Evaluations. New York: Career Press.

Fleenor, J. Taylor, S. & Chappelow, C. (2008).  Leveraging the Impact of 360 Degree Feedback.  New York: Pfeiffer.

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