PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
QUICK-START GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENT PURPOSE & INTRODUCTION
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HIGH-PERFORMANCE FACTORS
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WHAT IS TEAMWORKS?
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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES & BACKGROUND
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HOW IT WORKS & THREE-PHASE CYCLE
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TEAMWORKS BENEFITS & EXPLANATION
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PHASE ONE: SETTING EXPECTATIONS
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PHASE TWO: MONITORING PERFORMANCE
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MONITORING ACTIVITY & FEEDBACK
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TIPS FOR GIVING & RECEIVING FEEDBACK
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PHASE THREE: RECOGNIZING PERFORMANCE
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FAYETTEVILLE JOB SUCCESS FACTORS
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PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT This Fayetteville Teamworks Quick-Start Guide has been designed to give City personnel a general overview of the new performance management system as well as specific instructions on how to engage with it immediately.
INTRODUCTION Over the last year, City leaders have been diligently developing an approach to performance management that best suits the City of Fayetteville in accomplishing the City Council’s Strategic Priorities. This work culminated in the development of this performance management system known as “Teamworks.” The City of Fayetteville is continually striving to become a High-Performing Organization (HPO) that promotes quality management within a cultural environment of openness and continual employee development and improvement.
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HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATION ESSENTIAL FACTORS The lists below are a breakdown of the essential factors of an HPO: INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP
MANAGING WITH FOCUS
• Servant Leadership Qualities • Vision-focused • Coaches staff to achieve
• Mission minded (“why we serve”) • Goal-setting essentials • Identify non-performers early and set
(MOTIVATING BY EXAMPLE)
• • • • • •
extraordinary results Environment open to risk-taking (mistakes are okay) Models values and ethics Creates a motivating environment Trusted management team Fast and effective decision-making Holds employees accountable for results
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
(DEVELOP TOP-QUALITY TEAM MEMBERS)
• • • • •
Mentoring Effective feedback Appreciation and recognition Succession planning Modeling qualities of a highperforming person • Free exchange of ideas within team/ best practices • Model after the best - research other successful governments • Hiring those who align with our organizational culture
• • • •
Clear communication Weekly meetings Active listening Effective communication skills
(PROCESSES & CLEAR GOALS)
training plan accordingly • Effective decision-making • Delegation and direction • Developing an action orientation (Performance Management)
HEALTHY TEAMS
(OUTSTANDING TEAMWORK)
• • • • •
Trust Conflict Commitment Accountability Focus on results
INNOVATION
(NEW - DIFFERENT – BETTER)
• Exceptional customer service • Process improvements (ensure processes are improved, simplified, and aligned to better serve all stakeholders) • Brand innovation (service delivery) • Culture and community appeal • Citizen engagement
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FAYETTEVILLE TEAMWORKS Implementing the Teamworks performance management system is a key component for the City to become a high-performing organization.
WHAT IS IT?
Teamworks is a performance management system that facilitates a better understanding of City personnel roles and work expectations and helps personnel more clearly grasp how they contribute to the organization’s overall strategic goals. Teamworks emphasizes outcomes, but it also takes care to involve personnel in setting their own goals and work strategies in order to achieve those desired outcomes. On the technical side, Teamworks utilizes ClearCompany software to allow personnel to input goals and to align them to the goals of their supervisors, departments, and divisions, and ultimately to the City’s Strategic Priorities. In a broader and more personal sense, Teamworks provides a framework for more frequent and constructive work assessments that will lead to a greater sense of involvement in achieving the City’s Strategic Priorities. Along the way, supervisors work with employees to identify resources and gain the training and experience necessary to perform at an excellent level, which helps the City become a high performing organization.
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CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES • Invest in Transportation • Develop the Economic Opportunity • Protect and Grow Infrastructure • Improve Neighborhoods • Efficient and Effective Government Operations
INITIATIVE BACKGROUND In 2019, City leadership developed a logic model template that outlined inputs, activities, outputs, role/position work objectives, and departmental objectives, as well as short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term outcomes for each City Department. In these models, the role/work objectives are aligned with the departmental objectives, which in turn are aligned with the departmental and division outcomes and the strategic priorities of the City. For the performance management process, the role/position objectives will be referred to as “work expectations.” Throughout this process, which included the management teams of each City Department, it was the goal of the City to ensure the chosen performance management system would allow for the following: • Clear expectations for all employees • An evaluation process that is fair and looks at the overall
contributions of an employee and not just a single event • An effective two-way communication process where feedback is specific, timely, meaningful, and candid • Employee development is effectively tied to those areas where an employee can both enhance their skill set and improve upon their weaknesses • A process that is user-friendly for all employees
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Teamworks performance management system operates in a three-phase cycle: Setting Expectations, Monitoring Performance, and Recognizing Performance.
THREE-PHASE CYCLICAL PROCESS Teamworks will include three main phases, as follows:
PHASE 1 The employee and supervisor collaborate to develop work expectations for the employee that align with both the supervisor’s goals and the respective Department’s goals.
PHASE 2 The supervisor and employee monitor performance throughout the year and collaborate on feedback sessions at least once a quarter.
PHASE 3 The supervisor schedules and conducts an annual evaluation for the employee, which summarizes the year’s accomplishments. Employees are rated on work expectations and effective alignment with the organization’s job success factors.
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WHY PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, AND WHY NOW? Performance management, which is the use of performance information to help guide management decision-making and improve overall operational efficiencies within the organization, will allow for the accomplishment of strategic priorities and ensure fiscal sustainability over the long term. The City of Fayetteville is growing as an organization with close to 200 employees across several divisions and departments, yet we all work toward achievement of the City’s Strategic Goals. The Teamworks performance management system offers employees, leadership, and other stakeholders a clear, comprehensive picture of what it takes on a broad scale to succeed as a City while also recognizing, equipping, and empowering individual employees who do the work and collectively achieve the necessary outcomes. The Fayetteville community continues to grow, and the City of Fayetteville government is growing with it. As City leaders guide the organization into the future, the Teamworks performance management system will serve as an important tool in ensuring the community gets the best government possible.
HOW DOES IT BENEFIT ME?
The Teamworks performance management system isn’t just about making sure personnel are staying on task and working hard. It’s a system that recognizes the importance of every employee’s role and how their work contributes to the City’s success. This system also esteems an employee’s need for recognition and reward for performing well in their role. Because every employee within the City uses the same performance management system, and because all employees are equally measured within their roles, Teamworks is reasonable and fair. Performance feedback will be more frequent, meaningful, and practical while reducing bias in the appraisal process. An underlying goal within Teamworks is that supervisor-employee relationships as well as coworker relationships are strengthened through collaboration and clearer mutual understanding of roles and outcomes. As City leaders and personnel discover ways to improve the system, those tweaks and changes can be made.
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THE TEAMWORKS THREE-PHASE CYCLE
Teamworks is a dynamic and interactive three-phase performance management process consisting of planning, monitoring, and recognizing performance. Each phase is critical to the success of an effective performance management process. Together, employees and their supervisors play an important role in making Teamworks successful.
PHASE ONE: SETTING EXPECTATIONS
During the first phase of the Teamworks Three-Phase Cycle, an employee will collaborate with their supervisor to set at least five work expectations related to their role that will be tied directly to one or more of their supervisor’s work expectations. These employee work expectations should be tied to key points of the employee’s job description. For example, when people ask you what you do for a living, you should be able to tell them a few key points from your official job description. These key points will be a good place to start in establishing your main performance management goals. When setting work expectations, think about “SMART” goals: SPECIFIC • MEASURABLE • ACHIEVABLE • RELEVANT • TIME-BOUND • SMART GOAL: I will allocate 1-2 hours a month for online training to increase my processing efficiency. • NOT A SMART GOAL: I want to improve my computer skills.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING EXPECTATIONS:
While it is true that all employees of the City of Fayetteville contribute to the organization’s successful outcomes, every role within the organization is different. An employee’s value to the City is not based on a comparison with another employee, but rather the employee is valued based on how well they perform within the role they have been assigned. Setting firm role expectations is the first step in ensuring employees get the full credit they deserve for the work they perform within their unique role.
MORE REASONS THAT SETTING EXPECTATIONS IS IMPORTANT:
1. Employee morale is raised when their value and success is established within the organization; 2. Accountability and trust are increased when employees and peers can see that expectations are being met; 3. Employees can see how their work directly benefits the City and the community; 4. There is agreement from all stakeholders as to what is expected of the employee as well as the City; 5. Over time, an employee and their supervisor will more accurately identify and establish necessary resources and training opportunities that will mutually benefit the employee and the City; 6. Others in the City will have a better understanding of the importance of the employee’s role within the organization.
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PHASE TWO: MONITORING PERFORMANCE The second phase is all about supervisors and employees discussing the employee’s performance based on the goals and expectations set in Phase One. How are things going? Is the work getting done? Is significant progress being made toward achieving goals on time? Have the work expectations turned out to be truly “SMART” (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound)? In this phase, supervisors and employees work together to share feedback. Ideally, the employee will invite feedback on their performance, checking in to share progress, but regular check-in sessions should also be scheduled. Deficiencies can be addressed early, and successful performance recognized. This information is critical to make necessary adjustments in order to meet immediate goals and also to help set SMART future goals and expectations. Supervisors and employees can enter notes into the ClearCompany software, and those notes may be made sharable or private. (Please note: all entries in the ClearCompany software are visible to the Human Resources director and other City leaders.) It is good to record notes along the way, because we may forget later what was working well and what was not when it comes time for an employee’s quarterly and annual appraisals. During Phase Two, supervisors and employees should identify and implement one to five employee development opportunities, which may be formal training or other opportunities to help the employee become more knowledgeable and capable to do their job and achieve their goals. A high-performing organization is always developing its employees through numerous training formats. Most importantly, it inspires employees to develop their skills so that they can be innovative and creative in accomplishing the desired results.
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MONITORING ACTIVITIES:
1. Review work expectations and make sure they are still “SMART� (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound); 2. Record notes in ClearCompany; 3. Share feedback between supervisors and employees; 4. Schedule check-in sessions; and 5. Identify one to five employee development opportunities.
FEEDBACK
The Monitoring phase is built around the concept of feedback. Feedback is the exchange of constructive suggestions between a supervisor and their subordinate, in either direction. For the feedback process to be effective, the feedback given needs to be received. When given in a professional and tactful manner, the feedback process can create a stronger, more harmonious workplace culture where employees are more engaged, and productivity is enhanced. On the flip side, feedback that is done poorly can possibly do more harm than good and negatively impact employee engagement and productivity. Below are some tips for giving and receiving feedback.
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TIPS FOR GIVING FEEDBACK: • Be solutions oriented and offer effective guidance on how to proceed. • Use a neutral tone and ensure that feedback is not always corrective. Commend employees for the good things they do. • Be empathetic and don’t approach a feedback session frustrated. • Be timely in giving the feedback. Do not wait for a long time between a given event and the feedback. • Focus on an employee’s behaviors (what they do) rather than on their personality traits (what they’re like). Feedback directed at the person tends to decrease performance. • Separate the corrective feedback from the positive feed in order to avoid the “sandwich approach” where the person giving the feedback presents positive feedback in-between areas of corrective feedback. This can create confusion for the receiver and negatively impact performance. • Provide confirming feedback either publicly or privately. Provide corrective feedback privately. • Base feedback on the work expectations and job success factors that were set.
TIPS FOR RECEIVING FEEDBACK:
• Ask for it, and be ready to actively listen to your supervisor’s ideas; • Give regular updates to your supervisor, so you’re getting feedback along the way and not just at the end of a project; • Use the feedback, and don’t just go through the motions of hearing it; • Trust that your supervisor wants you to succeed; • Ask questions to clarify your supervisor’s feedback avoiding misunderstandings; • Don’t be defensive, or you may not get all of the feedback you need to succeed; • Honest feedback may not be pleasant to hear, but it may help you better understand how people interpret (or misinterpret) your words and actions; and • Ask for feedback from peers and colleagues, too.
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PHASE THREE: RECOGNIZING PERFORMANCE Employees will be evaluated in quarterly meetings by their supervisors based on work expectations and job success factors that will culminate with an annual performance evaluation. Agreed-upon work expectations set during performance planning will be used to evaluate whether an employee is “meeting” or “not meeting” the expectations. Notes entered into the ClearCompany software will be useful during this time of evaluating what happened throughout the year, recognizing performance successes, and addressing any performance deficiencies. If an employee is “not meeting” expectations in some area, but there is an acceptable, documented reason for this, the supervisor can make adjustments to work expectations for that employee upon approval of the director. Performance evaluation feedback is intended to treat employees fairly and consistently and helps them understand how to be successful. During a performance evaluation, supervisors and employees need to share meaningful dialogue in a manner that promotes individual development and continued performance. Both parties need to be good listeners to ensure that the feedback process is beneficial to both, while at the same time ensuring that the goals and outcomes of the organization are being accomplished. The ClearCompany software will be utilized to help manage the performance evaluation process. As part of the evaluation process, employees will also be evaluated annually based on the City’s defined Job Success Factors.
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CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE JOB SUCCESS FACTORS:
City of Fayetteville employees are measured by six Job Success Factors, which are not limited to performance. These factors indicate an employee’s behavioral strengths and weaknesses as well as their functional proficiencies.
JOB SUCCESS FACTORS:
1.
CUSTOMER FOCUS – Depending on their duties, an employee’s “customers” may be members of the public, or they may be other City personnel. How well do employees relate to customers? Do they use first-hand information from customers to improve products, services, and processes? Do they gain their customers’ respect and trust?
2.
FUNCTIONAL & TECHNICAL SKILLS – Does the employee have the aptitude and training to perform the work they are assigned?
3.
WORK QUALITY – Is the employee’s work prompt, accurate, and free of errors?
4.
WORK HABITS – Is the employee on-time for work? Do they follow policy and safety procedures? Do they employ good habits of learning from mistakes and improving on their work? Do they learn to streamline processes and prioritize activities? Do they follow through with their work and follow up to ensure quality?
5.
PEER RELATIONSHIPS – Does the employee find common ground in relating with peers and other City personnel? Does the employee respect other people’s opinions while expressing their own? Can they peacefully solve disagreements? Are they a cooperative team player? Do they collaborate well? Do they easily gain and maintain the trust and respect of peers? SELF-KNOWLEDGE – How well does an employee know their own strengths and weaknesses? How open are they to constructive criticism? How willing is an employee to implement changes to their own behavior in order to benefit themselves and the team? Does the employee look forward to and enjoy performance evaluations?
6.
RATING THE JOB SUCCESS FACTORS: The City of Fayetteville rates Job Success on four levels: Exceptional, Exceeds, Meets, and Does Not Meet.
• • • •
EXCEPTIONAL – This employee far exceeds expectations, and they make unique contributions to the team and organization. EXCEEDS – This employee goes above and beyond what is required to do their job, and they model this Job Success Factor. MEETS – This employee is a solid performer, they always meet expectations, and they sometimes exceed expectations. DOES NOT MEET – This employee needs help to improve their performance.
Concluding the annual performance evaluation meeting, the supervisor and employee will begin the process of re-entering Phase One, and the Teamworks Three-Phase Cycle begins again
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NOTES: