JKO DoD Performance Management and Appraisal Program (DPMAP)

What does DPMAP stand for?

Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program

What is DPMAP designed to do?

1) Provide a framework for supervisors and managers to communicate expectations and job performance.

2) Link individual employee performance and organizational goals.

3) Facilitate a fair and meaningful assessment of employee performance

4) Establish a systematic process for planning, monitoring, evaluating, recognizing and rewarding employee performance that contributes to mission success.

5) Nurture a high-performance culture that promotes meaningful and ongoing dialogue between employees and supervisors, and holds both accountable

What is the appraisal cycle?

The minimum period of 90 days where the employee will be rated based on the period of demonstrated performance.

What should be included when writing a SMART performance plan?

Specific: Goals are sufficiently detailed in describing what needs to be accomplished.


Measurable: The accomplishment of the performance element is clear and can be quantified or substantiated using objective criteria.


Achievable: Goals are realistic, yet challenging and can be accomplished with the resources, personnel, and time available.


Relevant: The critical element aligns with or links to organizational mission and success.


Timely: Goals will be completed within a realistic timeframe.

When is the supervisor required to provide a performance narrative?

At the final performance appraisal

Can employees receive ratings for their elements?

Yes, for their performance, standards and overall rating of record at the end of the appraisal.

How many documented discussion sessions must the supervisor conduct for the rating period?

Three

When does the annual rating period for employees run from and through?

April 1st through March 31st

What does DPMAP Performance Levels reflect?

The performance rating assigned should reflect the level of the employee's performance as compared to the standards established.

What are the performance levels for DPMAP?

Level 5 - Outstanding

Level 3 - Fully Successful

Level 1 - Unacceptable

Performance Management

The process of creating a work environment in which people can perform to the best of their abilities

Performance Appraisal

A process, typically performed annually by a supervisor for a subordinate, designed to help employees understand their roles, objectives, expectations, and performance success

3 main purposes of performance appraisal

1. Strategic: Developing measures and feedback systems that push employees to engage in behaviors and produce results
2. Administrative: used in personnel decisions (pay raises, layoffs, etc.)
3. Developmental: provide feedback, improve communication, evaluate goal achievement

Reasons Appraisals fail

Managerial issues
-Little face to face discussion with employees due to lack of interest or fear of confrontation
-Managers dont understand job well enough to rate performance
Unclear performance standards
-What distinguishes superior performance from good, bad, etc?
Rater bias/errors

Error of Central Tendency

A rating error in which all employees are rated about average

Leniency or strictness error

A rating error in which the appraiser tends to give all employees either unusually high or unusually low ratings

Similar-to-me error

An error in which an appraiser inflates the evaluation of an employee because of a mutual personal connection

Recency Error

A rating error in which appraisal is based largely on an employee's most recent behavior rather than on behavior throughout the appraisal period

Contrast Error

A rating error in which an employee's evaluation is biased either upward or downward because of comparison with another employee just previously evaluated

Halo/Horns error

A rating error in which an appraiser's evaluation of an employee's performance is biased/skewed because of the appraiser's overall impression of the employee as good (halo error) or bad (horns error)

Establishing Performance Standards

-Must be based on job-related requirements derived from job analysis and reflected in ob description and job specifications
-Help translate an organization's goals and objectives into job requirements that define acceptable performance levels

Calibration

A process whereby managers meet to discuss the performance of individual employees to ensure their employee appraisals are in line with one another

Strategic relevance

Individual standards directly relate to strategic goals

Criterion Deficiency

Occurs when standards don't capture all of an individual's contributions. Focus on minimizing this.

Criterion Contamination

Occurs when performance capability is reduced by external factors. Focus on minimizing this.

Reliability (Consistency)

Standards are quantifiable, measurable, and stable

Manager and/or Supervisor

Appraisal done by an employee's manager and reviewed by a manager one level higher

Self-appraisal

Appraisal done by the employee being evaluated, generally on an appraisal form completed by the employee prior to the performance interview

Subordinate appraisal

Appraisal of a superior by an employee, which is more appropriate for developmental than for administrative purposes

Peer appraisal

Appraisal by fellow employees, compiled into a single profile for use in an interview conducted by the employee's manager
-why peer appraisals are not more often used:
1. Peer ratings may be a popularity contests
2.Managers are reluctant to give up control over the appraisal process
3. those receiving low ratings might retaliate against their peers
4. Peers rely on stereotypes in ratings

Team appraisal

Based on TQM concepts; recognizes team accomplishment rather than individual performance

Customer appraisal

A performance appraisal that, like team appraisal, is based on TQM concepts and seeks evaluation from both external and internal customers

Establishing an appraisal plan

-Provide an explanation of the performance appraisal system's objectives so that raters will understand the compensation and development purposes for which the appraisal is to be used
-explain the mechanics of the rating system
how frequently the appraisals are to be conducted
who will conduct them
what are the standards of performance
-Alert raters to the weaknesses and problems of appraisal systems so that they can be avoided

Rating error training

-observes other managers making errors
-actively participate in discovering their own errors
-practice job-related tasks to reduce the errors they tend to make

Feedback Skills Training

-communicating effectively
-diagnosing the root causes of performance problems
-setting the goals and objectives

Trait-based methods

-Graphic Rating Scale
-Mixed Standard scale

Behavior-based methods

-Critical incident
-Behaviorally Anchored rating scale (BARS)
-Behavior Observation Scale (BOS)

Results-based methods

-Productivity Measures
-Management By Objectives (MBO)

Graphic Rating-scale method

A trait approach to performance appraisal whereby each employee is rated according to a scale of individual characteristics

Mixed-standard scale method

An approach to performance appraisal similar to other scale methods but based on comparison with (better than, equal to, or worse than) a standard

Critical Incident Method

Critical Incident
-An unusual event that denotes superior or inferior employee performance in some part of the job
-The manager keeps a log or diary for each employee throughout the appraisal period and notes specific critical incidents related to how well they perform

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)

Consists of a series of vertical scales, one for each dimension of job performance; typical developed by a committee that includes both subordinates and managers

Behavior Observation Scale (BOS)

-A performance appraisal that measures the frequency of observed behavior (critical incidents)
-Preferred over BARS for maintaining objectivity, distinguishing good performers from bad performers, providing feedback, and identifying training needs

Productivity Measures

Appraisals based on quantitative measures that directly link what employees accomplish to results beneficial to the organization
-Criterion contamination
-Focus on shot-term results

Management by Objectives (MBO)

A philosophy of management that rates performance on the basis of employees achievement of goals set by mutual agreement of employee and manager

Managing Ineffective Performance

Possible Courses of Action
-Provide training to increase skills and abilities
-identify and correct motivational issues
-transfer employee to another job or department
-take disciplinary action
-discharge the employee
Cautions
-all actions taken must be objective and fair
-do not treat underperformer differently, setting the employee up to fail

Performance management is the

​continuous process of improving performance by setting individual and team goals which are aligned to the strategic goals of the organization, planning performance to achieve the goals, reviewing and assessing progress, and developing the knowledge, skills and abilities of people.

Performance appraisal

Evaluating the current or past performance of an employee or a team

Reasons for performance appraisal

- Career Planning
- Compensation Program
- HR Planning
- Potential Analysis
- Talent Management
- Training & Development

Career Planning

assessing an employee's strengths and weaknesses and in determining the person's potential.

Compensation Program

PA results provide a basis for rational decisions regarding pay adjustments

HR Planning

identify those who have the potential to be promoted or for any area of internal employee relations.

Potential Analysis

Talent Management

Training & Development

point out an employee's specific needs for training and development

Performance Appraisal Process

1. Identify specific goals
2. Establish performance criteria (standards)
3. Examine work performed
4. Appraise performance
5. Discuss appraisal with employee

Performance Management Process

Appraisal Methods

- Behavioral method
- Comparison method
- Result-based method
- Trait method

Trait Methods

ask raters to evaluate each employee's traits or characteristics

Comparison Method

evaluate a given employee's performance against that of other employees. Employees are ranked from the best performer to the poorest performer

Types of comparison methods

• Forced distribution method
• Paired comparison method

forced distribution method

Performance appraisal method in which the rater is required to assign individuals in a work group to a limited number of categories, similar to a normal frequency distribution.

Paired comparison Method

Supervisors compare each employee to every other employee, identifying the better performer in each pair

Paired comparison method for whom?

best suited for small groups of employees who perform the same or similar jobs

Limitations of comparison Methods

tend to encourage subjective judgments, which increase the chance for rater errors and biases
small differences in performance between employees may become exaggerated by using such a method if supervisors feel compelled to distinguish among levels of employee performance

Behavioral method

• Behavioral anchored rating scales
• Behavioral observation scales
• Critical incident technique

CIT

Critical incident technique

BARS

Behavioral anchored rating scales

BOS

Behavioral observation scales

Result-based method

• Management by objectives
• Work standards method

MBO

management by objectives

360 Degree-Feedback

Combining evaluation input from multiple levels to receive feedback from different (internal and external) perspectives

360-degree feedback synonym

multi-rater Feedback

Feedback as an essential element of the appraisal process

Example: Appraisal „without bosses“ at Gini Guidelines

Fairness:

• everyone should be paid fairly, depending on their seniority level and their performance

• diminish external bias as much as possible

Clarity:

Everyone understanding the process would enable transparency and trust in the outcomes.

Growth:

By clearly addressing good, as well as poor performance, we hoped to enable the growth of each individual.

Safety:

By making the compensation setting process clear we want to provide stability which allows employees to feel safe for their livelihood.

Example: Performance evaluation and salary setting @Gini

Preparation Phase
Evaluation Phase
Decision Phase
Delivery Phase

Preparation Phase Gini

• Employee evaluates teams
• Are evaluated by team and others (if they want)
• themselves

Evaluation Phase Gini

• Evaluation tool
• Quantitative and qualitative data collection

Decision Phase Gini

• (teamscore + ind. Score) : 2 = overall score
• (marketsalary performanceplus) parttime factor = New compensation

Delivery Phase Gini

One-on-Ones with insight into reports

Performance Rating Guide Example

Performance Appraisal problem

- Bias
- Central tendency
- Contrast errors
- Errors of leniency or strictness
- Halo effect
- Horns effect
- Recency
- The sunflower effect

Problem of Bias

Allowing your bias to influence the rating

Where can bias come from

attitudes and opinions about race, national origin, sex, religion, age.....

Halo effect

Letting one positive work factor you like affect your overall assessment of performance.

The Horns effect

The opposite of the halo effect - letting one negative work factor or behavior you dislike color your opinion of other factors.

Recency

Rating only recent performance, good or bad

Sunflower effect

Rating everyone high, regardless of performance, to make yourself look good or to be able to give more compensation

Central tendency

Clustering everyone in the middle performance categories to avoid extremes of good or bad performance

Errors of leniency or strictness

Tendency of appraising more or less strict than compared with objective criteria

Contrast errors

Comparing employees to others rather than to specific performance standards

Characteristics of an effective performance management system

• Standardization
• Train appraiser
• Use multiple raters
Use multiple criteria
• Provide ongoing feedback
• Job-related criteria
• Performance expectations
• Due process