7-2 Performance consulting: The mental model and logic

Question 1

Robinson et al., 2015’s book on Performance Consulting is a great starting point. it talks about

Compelling Logic Map (from Robinson et al., 2015: 63)

Answer 1

a compelling logic map as a starting diagnosis for an effective performance management system

Question 2

Starter List of SHOULD, IS, CAUSE Questions

Answer 2

Business Need:

1. What is the business goal or objective?

Employee Group:

1. What workgroup(s) contribute to the achievement of this goal?

IS questions identify what the current state is as it is with respect to business and performance.

Question 3

Client: Who is/are accountable for achieving this business goal?

Answer 3

Business SHOULDs:

1. What are the business goals for your group?
2. What are your measures of success for these goals?
3. If there is any business unit or function achieving the goals now, what are they doing differently to contribute to these results?

Performance SHOULDs (Accomplishments and Behaviours)

1. If the goals are to be achieved, what on-the-job performance is required of (name of the workgroup)?
2. If there are star employees, what do they do more, better, or differently to achieve these goals?

As can be seen, the SHOULD questions highlight what ideally the business and performance SHOULD look like. This is an ideal scenario.

Question 4

What do the CAUSE questions do?

Answer 4

CAUSE questions help understand the fundamental reasons for the current situation.

These questions also uncover what is not known but needed, that is, the gaps and the next steps required to obtain that information.

This is to obtain the root cause of the performance gap

Question 5

3 aspects for consideration after the gap is found in performance

Answer 5

Here it is important to consider three aspects i.e. factors that are

1. external to an organisation which is outside of everyone’s control,
2. factors internal to the organisation in terms of organisational capability and
3. factors internal to the individual i.e. individual capability.

Robinson et al., (2015) mention that often the root cause of performance gap is a mixture of both organisational as well as individual capability issues

Question 6

Performance gap issues that are internal to the organisation include:

remember that this is the CAUSE part for the organisation

Answer 6

1. Clarity of roles and expectations-often set by line managers as well as top management.
2. Coaching and reinforcement to support individual employees as they go about carrying out their jobs.
3. Incentive - in terms of both tangible and intangible rewards.
4. Work systems and processes in terms of structures that either inhibit or help performance by providing the right infrastructure
5. Access to information, people, tools, job aids
6. Supportive organisational culture

Question 7

Factors internal to an individual employee are their knowledge and skills.

Answer 7

This is the cause part for the individual.

Question 8

Root Cause Categories for Gaps (from Robinson et al., 2015: 141)

EXTERNAL FACTORS
INTERNAL FACTORS
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS

Answer 8

Factors EXTERNAL to the Organisation

1. These are factors out of control of anyone in the organisation including economic conditions, competition and government regulation.

Factors INTERNAL to the Organisation

1. These are factors within the control of management and include:

a. Clarity of roles and expectations.
b. Coaching and reinforcement.
c. Incentives
d. Work systems and processes
e. Access to information, people, tools, job aids
f. Supportive organisational culture

Factors INTERNAL to the Individual

1. These are factors that the individual are capable of performing as needed.

a. knowledge and skills
b. Inherent capability