Everyone in the entire firm has the responsibility for performance management.

Janel O’Connor is  Chief Human Resources Officer at Sikich LLP – www.sikich.com, a leading accounting, advisory, investment banking, technology and managed services firm, has more than 800 employees throughout the country.

Whose responsibility is Performance Management?

Everyone in the entire firm has the responsibility for performance management.  From the time an employee joins the firm with initial goal setting, to interim reviews (where applicable and required for our business), the cycle really unfolds throughout the year and ends with an annual review where the summary and insight of strengths and developmental opportunities is recapped.  HR leads the process, but our individual service areas are accountable for following the touch points and following through on the related systematic and overall project plan for delivering performance discussions.

Should Development discussions be de-linked from Performance Reviews?

I believe they should be linked, but also treated as a separate process pertaining to separate conversations that take place throughout the year.  For our firm, key managers and partners have the opportunity to participate in a leadership assessment process.  This is a separate process whereby an assessment is performed, and a conversation is scheduled to provide a summary, including leadership and developmental feedback for the employee or participant.  This allows discussions to take place regarding specific developmental opportunities.

Which is the Performance Management model that’s most effective?

The nine box is quite effective, in addition to calibration meetings to assist with further dialogue regarding an individual, taking into account the feedback of others who may be exposed to the employee.

Is the Bell Curve any longer relevant?

I’m not convinced the bell curve is no longer relevant.  Our performance cycle does push us to understand where people fall – those who need to develop, those who are steady performers and those who consistently exceed expectations.  Continuing to retain those top performers tends to be the broader challenge.

What works best in Employee Performance Management?

Continuous discussion, training of all parties (those receiving feedback and what to do, how to handle) as well as training those who are responsible for delivering effective feedback are key.  Not allowing the process just to be an annual event is equally important.