Performance Diagnosis Juan I. Sanchez, Ph.D.

1. Performance DiagnosisJuan I. Sanchez, Ph.D.

2. Diagnosis: An Overview • Importance • Observation • The observation cube • Identifying Causes • Attribution Theory • Causal Matrix • actor/observer bias • System causes • Person causes

3. DIAGNOSIS • Importance • Drives Remedies • Influences Evaluations • Underlies Conflict If not done systematically and consciously, diagnosis will still be done, but informally and automatically.

4. Observation • Required for correct and defensible diagnosis. • Observation doesn’t mean constant surveillance, but it needs to be adequate. • To be adequate, observation must occur across • Workers • Tasks • Time • Diagnosis and evaluation, even if correct, will be suspect if based on inadequate observation. • Perceived as deficient • Perceived as taking action without the facts

5. Observation Cube • Cube concept makes clear that observations of each person (or team) are needed on at least multiple tasks and across more than one occasion.

6. Common approach to observation • Haphazard • Informal • Passive step of data collection • Recommendations • Should be an active and participative component of performance management • Use a record of performance observations • Eliminates memory fallibilities • Provides justification for your judgments & actions

7. CAUSES OF PERFORMANCE • Diagnosis requires more than observation: the causes underlying the observed performance must be determined. • Fundamental determination: Does the cause reside in the person or in the system? • Person Causes • Ability • Motivation • System Causes • Factors external to the person

8. Person versus System Distinction • Seems conceptually simple, but can be more difficult than it seems. • Work environment is usually “noisy” • It may be human nature to make causal judgments automatically & subjectively • Actor/observer bias

9. Correct & defensible causal judgment requires systematic consideration of patterns of performance observations. • Using cube framework: • A person cause would be consistent performance observations (at whatever level – outstanding, average, or poor) across tasks and time. • Consider handout - Figure 3.1

10. What can be determined about the possible causes of performance? • Point here is to determine underlying causes, not just which workers are performing at higher or lower levels. • Determining causes allows for meaningful feedback & other actions • Consider Pam, a relatively low performer. Is the cause a person factor – something about Pam? Or, is the cause a system factor – maybe something about the task being too difficult or ambiguous? • What about Joe? • What about Task 2?

11. Diagnose performance problems • Be aware of the “fundamental attribution error:” • We tend to attribute our failures to external factors (“I just didn’t have the support of my boss”). • We tend to attribute others’ failures to their personal characteristics (“he is lazy”). • Think of an example of poor performance that you are familiar with; then, diagnose the source of the problem by answering the questions in the table included next:

12. Performance problems checklist

13. Performance problems checklist

14. Performance problems checklist

15. Performance problems checklist

16. Exercise A Customer Service Representative is entering incorrect zip codes, U.P.S accounts, and Sales Reps codes in the MAS 200 order system. As a result, many shipments have ended at the wrong address. There was a meeting held between the employee and his manager. Examples of the errors mentioned above were presented to the employee. Further training was offered to minimize errors.  The employee did not take the criticism too well. He explained that the errors were minor, and that “we all make mistakes”. The employee then asked if he would be put on the commission incentive plan. He was told that he will not receive the incentive until his performance is reviewed again in 6 weeks. Think about the recommendations that you would provide to the employee’s manager regarding how to handle the upcoming performance review meeting in six weeks.