Download Probation to Performance the necessary ingredients

From Probation to Performance – the necessary ingredients
Key concepts:

Identifying poor performance

Managing underperformance

Organisational climate

Optimal performance
It’s a common scenario … a new employee is scheduled to start today, and you have
confidence that the recruitment and selection process delivered a rigorous, fair and
competitive strategy to find and appoint the right person to the role. But it’s only now that
the real test begins: will the new hire stay and more importantly, will they succeed both in
performing duties and in settling into the organisational culture? The first few months - or
for some roles, the first year or even longer - is a time referred to as an onboarding period,
and in countries such as Australia, the United States and India it is even legally and culturally
established as a probation period. Yet to assist a new employee to really perform at or
beyond expectations, there must be more than a risk-mitigating recruitment process,
followed by a “wait and see” approach to watch them succeed or fail. Thus, the probation
period should be seen not only as a legal protection, but also as an opportunity to provide
onboarding and to assist the new hire to become a high performer.
What is “performance”, really?
Despite its individualistic connotations, performance in the workplace has more to do with
the whole team rather than the individual whose “performance” is assessed. Performance
is, like the actor on a stage, determined by how closely the individual’s actions, attributes,
behaviours, and achievements match the expectations of the audience. As such, the
audience set the rules about what is - and importantly, what is not - high-performing
behaviour for that role, in that team, and as part of that organisation. And this is where the
recruitment and selection process once again plays an integral part for deciding: What was
the person actually hired for? Were the selection criteria suitable for the ‘unwritten rules’ of
the role or were they simply lifted from stock expectations? A typical example is that of the
“team player”. It’s common to include the intention in a job advertisement to hire a team
player if you want the person to be committed to a team. However, what if the person is
being hired as, for example, a consultant whose role is to observe the team rather than be a
part of it?
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Performance: A Prism
Consider this hypothetical case of a Change Manager who is appointed to:
1. Assess the long-term viability of a business unit that provides a service in danger of
becoming obsolete
2. Provide recommendations to the Board on what steps need to be taken to either
change or remove that service
3. Engage the plan to change or disband that business unit
What should performance be assessed on? Assessment in terms of the performance of the
current business unit’s activities is unproductive and irrelevant. But assessment on a metric
such as a vague reference to ‘teamwork’ is likewise problematic: the Change Manager’s
productivity could be potentially damaged if he or she becomes loyal to the team and then
to their loyalty to the service as it stands. Obviously, performance must be judged
according to short-term metrics such as limiting costs of redevelopment, and long-term
metrics such as return on investment or potential savings with the service’s redevelopment
or cancellation.
Individual focus may complement or conflict with performance expectations
Clients
Team
Organisation
Service
Industry
Preparation for a new worker should include some consideration on the assessment of what
would be considered strong performance, as well as what would be considered
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unsatisfactory performance. When assessing the potential for performance by an individual,
hiring staff need to consider three key aspects of performance: organisational commitment,
work attitudes and behavioural outcomes; and in terms of each of these aspects, the
potential intensity of their commitment, attitudes and behaviours. For example, does the
hypothetical Change Manager need to be committed at all to the business unit? What types
of behaviour may be desirable or undesirable in that sensitive position? (Gagnon, Jansen &
Michael, 2008). Failure to ensure that the performance metrics for brands, business units,
teams, and individuals matches and benefits organisational strategy is well-known as
“strategic misalignment”; instead what needs to be nurtured and promoted is “strategically
congruent behaviour” (Gagnon, Jansen & Michael, 2008).
Who will determine probation success?
Finally, the people responsible for ensuring the probation period is successful should be
identified early. It is tempting to accord sole responsibility to line managers or supervisors
for the success or failure of a new hire. Yet this is unproductive. Additionally, the question
needs to be asked whether the failure of the hire was simply a ‘bad hire’ or a sign of
something more structural (Gupta, 2008).
The Strategic Underpinnings of High Performance
The Performance Mix: what is the individual driven to support?
Team
Customers/
Clients
Organisation
Performance
Mix
Product/
Service
Industry/
Profession
For a new worker to be successful, they need to have an appropriate level of understanding
of the organisation’s strategic vision and goals, as well as how their position contributes to
the organisation’s strategy. However “understanding strategy” is not the same as lumbering
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new workers or those with little interest in the finer points of Board policy with reams of
complex documents. Instead, consider the difference to be between every worker having
explicit or tacit knowledge of organisational strategy - do they need to know the exact
phrasing of a policy, or are they better off with an implicit interpretation of how their role
aligns with the organisation’s vision? For instance, a call centre worker may not have indepth knowledge of how exactly their customer contact relates to market positioning for
their insurance firm; but they may understand tacitly that the organisation prides itself on
being friendlier and more accessible, and that this translates into the call centre’s focus on
friendly discussion, providing helpful advice to callers on how to save on their insurance,
and a lack of timers or “contact targets” for the number of calls they need to answer per
hour (Gagnon, Jansen & Michael, 2008). As can be seen from some of the world’s most
celebrated firms, alignment to strategy isn’t just something for c-level executives. Leibner
and Mader (2011) found that all levels of an organisation benefit from being involved with,
and discussing, strategic development and goal orientation. Conversely, micromanagement
and secrecy is damaging to the achievement of strategic objectives.
The Structural Support of Performance
In much the same way that performance is a function of both the individual and the
audience, so too is the function of remuneration about the market as well as the business:
remuneration strategy of the top-performing organisations takes into account not simply
their own business, but their peers, the wider industry, and the employment market as a
whole (Lippincott & Costa, 2012). Remuneration structures are the starting point for
managing performance behaviour. For remuneration to have a beneficial effect, it needs to
be strongly tied to business strategy and the role’s function to that strategy. For example, a
change manager’s remuneration may reward the long-term benefits of a change but not
reward dedication to a team or a particular project (Lippincott & Costa, 2012).
As performance should be considered from a range of perspectives from the organisational
through team to individual level, the standard process of working through these should be
considered. Training & Development (2011) ran a case study on the metal manufacturer Ball
Corporation and their desire to improve team productivity and strategic achievements. This
is one of many examples: identify the problem, its causes, a strategic process to address the
problem, and measuring results. The benefits of the process for Ball Corporation were a
return on investment of over $3 million, increased productivity, and a halving of complaints.
Turning Probation into Quality Assurance
The value of performance is in far more than the individual’s own personal attitude but
rather, how their interests, knowledge, intentions and actions integrate with their coworkers and assist a whole organisation to become “more than the sum of its parts”. When
appointing a new worker - whether a candidate from outside or an internal promotion - the
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question “are they a strong performer?” cannot be truly answered from historical
achievements. Instead the question is far broader and must consider whether the individual
has the right attributes and potential to become a strong performer upon the ‘new stage’ on
which they are expected to perform. The failure of a new hire to achieve expectations may
be a failure of the individual, but the question for Human Resources practitioners is whether
the system failed by appointing someone without the necessary traits or attitudes for the
performance mix that was required.
Probation periods are about establishing that a new hire can perform satisfactorily, and
performance could be considered like a form of Quality Assurance Program: the policies,
processes and structures put in place should be designed specifically to ensure that workers
are hired and supported to achieve high-performance. The toolkit for human resources to
optimise performance is not limited to asking the question “Will they fit into our culture?”
or placing the cliché into advertisements “Must be a high performer”. It should include
assessing the candidate for the types of attitudes that the role requires, structural
considerations such as remuneration to ensure the right behaviours are rewarded, and
providing them with an understanding of how their role is linked to the strategy.
“Performance” is often seen as an all-encompassing term, but often is it more nuanced and
multi-faceted than it appears.
How are the fundamentals of your most important employee stage going?
The best time to establish performance expectations is during the onboarding process. To
move from Probation to Performance and ‘get it right the first time,’ HR need to consider
programs that allow for long term expectations, and quickly engage a new employee.
According to a Hay Group research paper, organisations that want higher engagement and
lower turnover should focus on getting the fundamentals right. What new staff are looking
for in their new organisation is confidence in the organisation and its leadership
demonstrated by clear direction and support, career development opportunities clearly
articulated, a fair reward system across both financial and non-financial benefits, with the
right tools and information they need to be successful in a positive environment that fosters
innovation and gets results.
Get this right and induction flows effortlessly into career development and a long-term
commitment to organisational goals. If you were reviewing how your induction program
served as a basis for performance and retention and were interested in an objective opinion
or specialised support, we would be delighted to assist - just call us on 03 9670 0590 or
email us on [email protected].
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References
Dierickx, C., & Veneziano, J. (2008) “Three Keys to CEO Succession: expectations, choices
and integration” in People & Strategy, 31(2), 36-43.
Gagnon, M.A., Jansen, K.J., & Michael, J.H. (2008) “Employee Alignment with Strategic
Change: a study of strategy-supportive behaviour among blue-collar employees” in
Journal of Managerial Issues, 20(4), 425-443.
Gupta, P. (2008) “Excellence in Supervision” in Quality, August, 22.
Johnstone, A., & Johnston, L. (2005) “The Relationship between Organizational Climate,
Occupational Type and Workaholism” in New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 34(3),
181-188.
Leibner, J., & Mader, G. (2011) “Total Commitment: getting all employees involved is a
matter of survival” in Public Management, May, 25.
Lippincott, T., & Costa, M. (2012) “Getting Pay for Performance Right: what companies that
deliver sustained performance over time do differently” in Directors & Boards, Third
Quarter, 34-36.
Training & Development (2011) “Aligning People and Processes for Performance
Improvement: a metal manufacturer learns that effective leadership is necessary for
optimum plant productivity”, March, 80.
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