How to maintain improved performance
Improving the performance of staff is hard enough; maintaining and building on that improvement present even greater challenges for managers. Most improvement processes consist of four stages - agreeing on the standards or expectations, monitoring progress, recognising achievement, and reviewing the performance displayed. Recognition and review will also feature prominently in any maintenance plan. To foster ongoing improvement in your staff, consider the following...
1. Link behaviour to outcomes.
Employees have to know what their improved performance - and the maintenance of that improvement - means to the organisation for two reasons. First, employees need to realise that, if the organisation prospers, so too do their opportunities for advancement and their job security is enhanced. Second, employees must understand that their actions affect others, thereby increasing interdependence and a desire to continue to improve.
2. Demonstrate your commitment to continuing improvement.
Schedule regular meetings with individual employees to talk about the importance of improved work performance - for the organisation and for them. At those meetings, demonstrate your knowledge of the employee’s accomplishments by describing in specific terms what you have observed. Compliment them on their achievements and offer further appropriate encouragement. To maintain improved performance you have to be ‘on the ball’ at all times.
3. Reinforce desirable behaviours.
Recognition is a powerful motivating tool that helps to bring out the best in people by reinforcing observed improvements. A few well-chosen words at the right time can mean a lot to someone trying to do better. But that’s only one example of how you can reinforce desirable behaviour. Positive reinforcement can also be traced to these four managerial behaviours:
- Create a work climate that is warm, supportive, trusting, and encouraging.
- Provide learning opportunities that let employees know that it’s OK to fail.
- Be available to listen, even when you know it’s news you’d rather not hear.
- Show that you know what employees are doing so that you can tell them how they’re doing.
