Performance & Competency Management

1st Block Assessment
 

Case Study

Deloitte was the first big name to announce in 2015 that it was scrapping once-a-year performance reviews, 360-degree feedback and objective cascading. This was after it calculated that these processes were consuming a remarkable 2 million hours a year across the organisation.

Deloitte’s new process requires every team leader to check in with each team member once a week to discuss near-term work and priorities, comment on recent work and provide coaching. To ensure these check-ins take place frequently, the check-ins are initiated by the team members, rather than the team leaders.

These weekly check-ins are supported by quarterly reviews in which team leaders are asked to respond to four future-focused statements about each team member. Rather than asking team leaders what they think of the team member, which is what traditional performance ratings do, they ask what the team leader would do with the team member.

 

Question 1

What were the new strategies incorporated by Deloitte?

 

Team leader to check in with each team member once a week to discuss near-term work and priorities

Comment on recent work and provide coaching

360 Degree Feedback

Both a and b

 

Question 2

What supports the weekly check-ins, where the team leads are supposed to share future perspectives?

 

Quarterly reviews

Monthly reviews

Yearly review

All of the above

 

Question 3

From your understanding of the concept and the case, what is performance management?

 

Continious review of performance of the employees

Performance rating

Providing coaching

All of the above

 

Question 4

What were the methods of performance management were used by Deloitte prior to incorporation of the new strategy?

 

360 degree feedback

Performance rating

Commenting on recent work and provide coaching

None of the above

 

Question 5

Why were the new strategies incorporated?

 

To ensure that the new method is understood properly

To ensure that the check-ins take place frequently

To ensure that everyone gets a chance to be appraised

None of the above

 

Question 6

Why was the decision taken to change the strategy for performance management by Deloitte?

 

2 million hours a year was being consumed across the organisation

5 million hours a year was being consumed across the organisation

The management wanted to be a global leader

None of the above

 

Question 7

In the new strategy, what are the team leaders asked during the quarterly meeting?

 

Their thought about the team members

what the team leader would do with the team member

what the team leader would do with the team member

All of the above

 

Question 8

Using the new strategy, how many working hours could Deloitte save per year?

 

2 Million

3 Million

6 Million

1 Million

 

Question 9

Which among the following are widely used strategies in most organisation?

 

Once-a-year performance reviews

360-degree feedback

Objective cascading

All of the above

 

Question 10

Which year was the change in strategy implemented in Deloitte?

 

2018

2016

2015

None of the above

 

2nd Block Assessment

 

Case Study

"Rohit became chief financial officer and a member of the Executive Committee of a medium-sized and moderately successful family owned contracting business six months ago. The first non-family member to hold such a position and to be included in the Executive Committee, he took the job despite a lunch-time remark by the company’s CEO that some members of the family were concerned about Rohit’s ‘fit with the company culture’. But the CEO (who is married to the daughter of the founder of the company) said he was willing to take a chance"" on Rohit.

 

Soon after Rohit started, the company decided for the first time to ""right-size"" (a euphemism for downsize) to respond to rapid changes in its business. Rohit, who had been through this before when he was a senior manager in his previous company, agreed this was good for the long-term health of the 20-year old company. He decided not to worry that family members seemed more concerned about their own short-term financial interests.

Besides, the CEO was relying on Rohit to help him determine how to downsize in an ethical manner; the CEO said he trusted Rohit more on this than he did on the head of his personnel departmenL who had ""been around a little too long.

 

On Rohit's recommendation, the company decided to make its lay-off decisions based on the annual performance appraisal scores of the employees. Each department manager would submit a list of employees ranked by the average score of their last three appraisals.

 

If the employee had been with the company less than three years, if the score for two employees was identical, or if there was some extraordinary circumstance, the manager would note it and make a decision about where to rank the person. At some point, Rohit and the Executive Committee would draw a line, and those below the line would be laid off.

 

As Rohit was reviewing the evaluations, he was puzzled to find three departments in which the employee at the bottom of the list had 'N/A"" where the evaluation score should have been written. When he asked the managers to explain, they told him these employees had been with the company almost since the beginning. When performance appraisals had been instituted six years earlier, the CEO agreed to the long-time employees' request that they keep receiving informal evaluations ""as they always had.""

The managers told Rohit they'd questioned this decision, and the CEO had told them it wasn’t their problem.

 

When Rohit raised this issue with the CEO, he responded, “OH, I know, I haven't really evaluated them in a long time, but it's time for them to retire anyway. They just aren't performing the way they used to. The company's been very good to them. They've got plenty of retirement stored away, not to mention the severance you've convinced me to offer. They're making pretty good money, so cutting them should let us lower the line a little and save jobs for some of the younger people you know. Young kids with families just starting out. And don't worry about lawsuit, No way they would do that.""

 

""Do they know they're not performing well?"" Rohit asked. 

""I don't know, ""the CEO responded. “They should. Everybody else in the company does”. 

As they walked to the door, the CEO put his arm around Rohit's shoulder. “By the way, ""he said you should know that you've won over the Executive Committee. They think you are a terrific fit with this company. I'm glad you talked with me today about these three employees. You got it right: This is a company that cares for its employees - as long as it can and as long as they're producing. Always has and always will.""

 

Rohit left the CEO’s office with the vague feeling that he had some moral choices to make. 

Does he have an ethical dilemma? what’s the right thing to do? lf he disagrees with the CEO, how does he protect his own career and the interests of his own family? 

"

 

Question 1

What is performance appraisal?

 

Performance Review

All of the above

Performance Evaluation

Employee Appraisal

 

Question 2

What is the first decision taken by Rohit to respond a rapid change in the business?

 

Downsizing

Employee appraisal

None of the above

Change in managerial responsibilities

 

Question 3

What was the lay-off based on?

 

Appraisal scores

Annual performance

Performance evaluation

All of the above

 

Question 4

How were the older employees in the organisation got appraised?

 

Annual performance

None of the above

Informal evaluations

Performance appraisal

 

Question 5

Why was it that the older employees not laid off even if they were not performing?

 

The company cared for its employees

The company did not have any other employees

The company believed in the older employees than the younger folks

All of the above

 

Question 6

Why was there a disagreement for Rohit to be employed in the organisation?

 

He had been an employee in the organisation

All of the above

He was not a member of the family

He was married to the daughter of the CEO

 

Question 7

What is the other term used for downsizing in the case?

 

Size reduction

Cutting the excess

Right-size

None of the above

 

Question 8

How many years has the company been following the method of performance appraisal?

 

8 years

6 years

5 years

7 Years

 

Question 9

In how many departments were there employees not taken for appraisal?

 

None of the department

3 departments

1 department

4 departments

 

Question 10

Why had the family members disagreed for Rohit's appointment in the organisation?

 

Rohit would not fit the family culture

None of the above

Rohit would not fit into the company culture

Rohit would not fit into the family

 

3rd Block Assessment

 

Case Study

"The leading light of India’s software industry is placing its bets on new models of HR development based on competencies rather than the conventional equation of age equals experience. Infosys Technologies recently announced a strategic shift towards building a role-based organization that is not only flatter, but one that builds on its high performance value system. Code named FERRARI, an acronym for - focus on enabling, recognizing and rewarding appropriately the human resources of Infosys; this initiative is a key element in the company’s aggressive growth plans. 

The new performance-linked model envisage different from the earlier system. With this model, Infosys embarked on a massive exercise to chart out a role-based framework for the company to work in. The idea is to clearly define roles and the competencies they require and make it easier for each employee to understand where he stands. This also clearly maps out the career path or ladder and there is no ambiguity in an employee’s performance matrix. In this model there are five key roles or streams that have been identified - project management, programming, technical, consulting and customer interface. And each role has two aspects to it - the technical and the behavioural. And each role will be defined by five key things - responsibility for business, resources at hand, relationships, thinking and criticality of the job. With this, competencies become the fulcrum for all processes including assessment and henceforth we will even do recruitment based on what competencies and roles we are trying to cultivate or bring in. The earlier model was based on the years and grade yardstick and there were 15 grades between an entry level and a director. Infosys has tried to extensively embark on a strategy to integrate a more global workforce and make the employee base more diverse.

The management also believes that, use of technology and processes will optimize HR processes to play at a global level. This competency-linked and role-based model makes sure that assessment is done correctly with the right people in the right job, especially for a globalization drive. Infosys kicked off the change management initiative in October 2000 and by December 2001 it had identified the roles and built an appraisal framework based on the new structure.

Infy also put together - FERRARI - a cross functional team that worked together and developed a model for the role-based structure. Now the focus is on building in higher variability of compensation and look at differentiation based on performance. The variable component could be anywhere from 10 per cent to over 25 per cent depending on each person’s role. Infosys currently has people from 34 different nationalities including Japanese, Taiwanese, American, Canadian, German, British etc and all put together it represents around 2-2.5 per cent of the non-Indian work force."

 

Question 1

Why had Infosys taken a strategic shift?

 

To build an employee friendly organisation

To build a role-based organisation

To recruit more employees

To compete with other organisations

 

Question 2

What was the idea behind the strategic shift?

 

To build on its appraisal system

To build on its retention strategy

To build on its high performance value system

All of the above

 

Question 3

What is the full form of FERRARI?

 

Focus on enabling, recognising and rewarding appropriately the human resource of Infosy

Focus on enabling, responsive and rewarding appropriately the human resource of Infosy

Focus on enabling, responsive and recognising appropriately the human resource of Infosy

Focus on enabling, recognising and rewarding accurately the human resource of Infosy

 

Question 4

What was the role-based framework based on?

 

Roles and the competencies required by the company

Career path or ladder for the employee

Employee’s performance matrix

All of the above

 

Question 5

What are the key roles in the Infosys model?

 

Building in higher variability of compensation

Look at differentiation based on performance

Building in lower variability of compensation

Both a and b

 

Question 6

Based on the new model, which of the following are parameters for each role rating?

 

Responsibility for business

Resources at hand

Thinking and criticality of the job

All of the above

 

Question 7

Which method was discarded by Infosys in the year 2000?

 

Change management

Performance appraisal

Roles and responsibilities

None of the above

 

Question 8

On what aspects had Infosys divided the employee roles?

 

Performance

Behavioural

Technical

Technical

 

Question 9

What is the reason of Infosys taking the decision of shifting to a competency-linked and role-based model?

 

Employee retention

Employee performance

Aggressive growth plans

None of the above

 

4th Block Assessment

 

Case Study

"This innovative company prides itself on being ahead of its competitors in technology, education, and social responsibility, among other categories. In being ahead of the curve, this client saw the potential in a more efficient and better managed workforce, particularly in its manufacturing plants where workforce efficiency is easier to measure and where quality increases are vital to company productivity.

It was no surprise when the company’s President asked the training department to develop a program to meet a set of basic skill requirements, called Level I Certification. The training department had only one year to create a quality management initiative that increased product quality, decreased workforce inefficiencies, and show proof of it by statistical data. Over the year timeline the training department was required to show the steps taken, the measured improvement over time of its workforce, and an increase in product quality.

The Program Manager at the organization had heard a colleague discuss his success with a similar certification challenge and in the end was referred by his colleague to Hal Gerrish, Avilar’s Director of Competency Management. Hal Gerrish and his team worked closely with the trainers, and a small group of line supervisors to create assessments that would accurately measure the necessary knowledge for employees to meet Level I Certification. Hal and the internal manufacturing team finalized the tasks and skills to be assessed to address each area of certification. Supervisors assessed the proficiency of their employees. Data was aggregated to provide management with consolidated reports showing where training and coaching was needed most. 

Within months the managers and trainers were able to assess their employees and analyze those assessments, and within the year the trainers were able to use the efficiencies of competency management to train specifically and efficiently to the needs of the manufacturing employees. In addition to a successful TQM initiative, other sites initiated projects to address quality objectives and became efficient and systematic in training methods. The Director of Training admitted that without the tools to support this vision, the project would not have met its stringent time requirements. "

 

Question 1

What helped the training team to meet the task provided?

 

Team work

Discussing with colleagues

Consulting with experts

None of the above

 

Question 2

The client's appreciation on efficient work made the realization for better workforce. What step was been taken by the president of the company measure workforce efficiency?

 

All of the above

Level II certificate to meet a set of basic skills

Level 0 certificate to meet a set of basic skills

Level I certificate to meet a set of basic skills

 

Question 3

What is the requirement of the certification?

 

Both a and b

To create a quality management initiative that proved efficiency of the employees

To create a quality management initiative that decreased workforce inefficiencies

To create a quality management initiative that increased product quality

 

Question 4

What is the term used for such competency management initiative?

 

Skills management initiative

TQM initiative

Role enhancement initiative

None of the above

 

Question 5

What is the full form of TQM?

 

Total Quality Management

Total Quality Measurement

Team Quality Measures

Team Quality Management

 

Question 6

What made the the President move towards creating a Level I certificate?

 

Company's prides in itself on being ahead of its competitors

Company's being neglected in the market

Company not being able to survive the competitors

None of the above

 

Question 7

The trainers were able to use the efficiencies of ______________ to train specifically and efficiently to the needs of the manufacturing employees

 

Training

Competency management

Employees

All of the above

 

Question 8

Along with whom the internal team finalised the task and skills?

 

President of the company

Avilar’s Director of Competency Management

None of the above

Project Manager

 

Question 9

What was the aim of the training and competency management?

 

Measured improvement over time of its workforce

Both a and b

Workforce equality

Increase in product quality

 

Question 10

What was the benefit of the proficiency test data?

 

Helped to decide where the training and coaching was needed

Helped to forecast the recruitment plan

None of the above

Helped to manage the competency

 

5th Block Assessment

 

Case Study

"Overview

Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited (GHCL) is one the premier companies in heavy chemicals and textile

GHCL was commissioned Leadership Competency Model for Automobile Industry in March 1988 and over the years it has diversified into the field of manufacturing industrial chemicals and textiles. The products are catering to both domestic and international markets. GHCL is distinguished by its growth, financial performance, people and processes. It is a customer-focused company committed to leadership through quality. It strives for building trusting relationship, encouraging entrepreneurship and sharing prosperity.

Objective

With a vision to meet the challenges of the national and international market it was decided to enhance the operational performance and further develop the potentials of their employees. One of the most challenging tasks was to assess the present competencies and find out gaps for future superior performance. In order to achieve the goal, a competency mapping assignment was carried out. Competency Mapping Assignment at GHCL included the middle-and senior-level executives from DGM and above (officers at Noida, Ahmedabad, Virawal, Madurai and Vapi).

Process 

A competency model for various positions, definition of all competencies along with a weighing scale was developed in Phase I and Phase II. The competencies were identified on the basis of discussion with the top management, in order to understand the vision and mission of GHCL including both the short term and long- term perspective. This was followed by one to one behaviour event interviews for the position holders and the peer group that was to develop the competency model. The draft competency model was discussed at various stages with the top management and HR for valuable inputs and these were incorporated in the model before carrying out the assessment center. The tools were developed and customized for the assessment center to map the competencies of each and every individual. Two psychometric tests were also included in the battery of tools for the assessment center.

The assessment center was conducted at various locations. The individual profile of each and every participant has been prepared as an outcome of the assessment center, which includes Rating Description, Individual Profile, Individual Competency Behavioural Summary, Competency Rating Summary, Individual Development Plan and Potential Mapping. The desired weightages on each and every competency for various positions as well as the assessed weightages as that resulted from the assessment center were summarized.

A detailed potential mapping of each and every participant was given in the individual profiles. The ‘potential mapping' of each individual profile summarized and gave indications of those performing indicative remarks whether the performance is beyond his or her role to take up higher responsibility in the future or he/she is the right fit or the gaps identified to be the right fit for the role. However, while taking a decision the past performance, consistency and the organization's requirements were also to be considered.

"

Question 1

What is competency?

 

Employee capability

Employee Retention

Both a and b

Employee Proficiency

 

Question 2

What was included in the outcome of assessment center?

 

Individual profile

Individual Competency

Rating description

All of the above

 

Question 3

With the results of the assessment center what parameters were considered for higher responsibilities?

 

Management Skills

Past Performance

None of the above

Employee Compensation

 

Question 4

How were the competencies decided for the competency model of the organisation?

 

None of the above

Discussion with the top management

Decision based on the workflow

Decision based on departments

 

Question 5

Who were included in the competency mapping assignment?

 

Mid-level executives

Both a and b

Senior-level executives

Top level executives

 

Question 6

What are the distinguishing parameter for GHCL in the industry?

 

Growth

Outstanding people

All of the above

Financial Performance

 

Question 7

What is the USP of GHCL?

 

Customer focused company

None of the above

Financially outstanding company

customer-focused company committed to leadership through quality

 

Question 8

What is the objectives of GHCL in having the best competency model?

 

Encouraging entrepreneurship

Building trusting relationship

All of the above

Sharing prosperity

 

Question 9

How was the draft for competency model finalised?

 

All of the above

By monitoring at all stages

By implementing and monitoring

By checking and discussing the strategy at every level with the top management and HR

 

Question 10

The individual profile for each and every participant has been prepared as an outcome of the ___________

 

Assessment center

None of the above

Assessment evaluation

Performance

 

Full Syllabus Assessment

 

Case Study

"Like Adobe, Cargill, the US food producer and distributor, started to transform its traditional performance management processes back in 2012, when it introduced ‘Everyday Performance Management’. It removed performance ratings and annual review forms and instead focused on managers having frequent, on-the-job conversations and giving regular, constructive feedback.

They have made this work by:

• Regularly rewarding and recognizing managers who demonstrate good day-to-day performance management practices

• Sharing experiences and tips of their successful managers

• Holding teams accountable for practicing day-to-day performance management

• Building the skills needed to succeed at everyday performance management, including effective two-way communication 

• Giving feedback and coaching

The outcome has been impressive, with 70% of Cargill employees saying they feel valued as a result of their ongoing performance discussions with their manager. When we look at the organizations implementations, we can see some very clear trends emerging which are likely to form the basis of performance management for the years to come.

The trends are:

• Regular one-to-one performance conversations, or ‘check-ins’, initiated by the employee

• Frequent, in-the-moment feedback from peers and managers, both positive and constructive

• Near-term objectives rather than annual objectives 

• Setting and reviewing objectives regularly, rather than once a year

• Forward-looking performance reviews, focusing more on development and coaching and less on assessment.

• Dropping performance ratings

• Performance processes supported by mobile-friendly online performance management software

"

 

Question 1

What is the new performance management system introduced by Cargill?

 

All of the above

Everyday Performance Management

Annual Performance Management

Monthly Performance Management

 

Question 2

What were the components removed from the performance management system?

 

Recruitment process

Performance ratings

Both a and b

Annual review

 

Question 3

What was the outcome of the new system?

 

50%

None of the above

70%

40%

 

Question 4

What were the new components added to performance management system?

 

Executives having frequent on-the job conversations

Managers having frequent on-the job conversations

None of the above

Managers not conversing on-the job

 

Question 5

What are the criteria to make the new performance management system work?

 

Sharing experiences and tips of their successful managers

All of the above

Giving feedback and coaching

Giving feedback and coaching

 

Question 6

Which company did Cargil choose to change their performance management system?

 

Deloitte

Accenture

Adobe

None of the above

 

Question 7

What are the trends emerged from the new performance management system?

 

Dropping performance ratings

Setting and reviewing objectives regularly, rather than once a year

All of the above

Performance processes supported by mobile-friendly online performance management software

 

Question 8

What were the feedback of the employees for the new system implemented?

 

The employees feel oriented towards work

All of the above

The employees feel valued

The employees feel pressurised

 

Question 9

How did the management decide to reward the managers?

 

By recognising their day-to-day performance and management practices

By managing the work of the employees

None of the above

By analysing their performance by the end of the month

 

Question 10

What is performance management?

 

Ongoing process of conversation regarding performance between supervisor and executives to perform a task efficiently

None of the above

Ongoing process of feedback session

Annual feedback of employees

 

Course Summary Assessment