Inverting Performance Management
One of my favourite elements of working at Oxygen Conservation is how we deliver performance management. Now, before you recoil in your seat and wonder what this crazy HR person is thinking, bear with me because this is NOT performance management as you’ve seen it before!
We have completely flipped the dynamic of this experience. Rather than dealing with underperformance when it’s likely too late, we are proactive and invest our time and attention in helping people to thrive, inspiring them to reach their full potential. Of course, it helps that we recruit exceptional people, you can read more on that here and here. However, once we’ve recruited these amazing people, we build relationships and inspire them to perform in increasingly better ways. Our Quarterly Review discussions are one of the most important tools to do so.
Cross-Sector Insights Shaping Our Performance Strategy
One of the benefits of my circuitous career path is that I’ve picked up really helpful concepts along the way. When I was studying for a PhD in motivational psychology I found, and fell in love with, the concept of positive psychology. Then, while working in business improvement, I became obsessed with designing processes and systems that exceeded “customer” needs, wants, and desires. These two concepts have coalesced and formed part of our performance management approach.
Reflections & Preparation
We start this process by having each person reflect on their quarter. The first question asks about their health and wellbeing. Of course, this is no accident. We genuinely care about every team member and always encourage them to think about their wellbeing first. We keep the person at the heart of the subsequent discussion, and in our wider approach to management, because people are more likely to reach their potential if they are healthy, happy, challenged, and encouraged.
The Core of Our Approach: Engaging and Meaningful Dialogues
The note is then sent to the line manager three days before they meet face to face, giving proper time for reflection and planning for this incredibly important discussion. However, line managers are not merely passengers in this process; they think deeply about the person. Line managers consider the last 3 months: the excellent moments, the challenges, and how together we can solve these problems before they arise. From this, they can reflect on how each individual can grow and develop in line with their ambitions in the next quarter. When they meet, line managers are encouraged to make the conversation meaningful and memorable for each team member, incorporating activities they enjoy (e.g. a walk in nature followed by a delicious coffee) and providing well-considered feedback that fosters genuine personal growth.
The Crucial Impact of Clarity and Prioritisation
I’ve worked in complex organisations or projects where people work exceptionally hard to make progress, sometimes to the detriment of their health and wellbeing. Sadly, they don’t really know what elements of their work are crucial and they try to make progress on as much as possible. If everything is a priority, nothing is. So, a critical output from our quarterly review conversation is clarity, which we create by drafting quarterly priorities. By identifying the top three things to work on in a quarter, we encourage prioritisation, decision-making, and collaboration. Sure, those priorities might change after three weeks but that doesn’t matter because we’ll adjust to our changing circumstances. What matters is moving forward together at pace.
Identifying and Implementing Key Themes
After insightful and inspirational discussions, we review all Quarterly Review Notes, identifying key themes across Oxygen Conservation and suggesting ideas for improvement. For example, in Q4 2023 we identified the supportive and inspirational culture as a positive and productivity, prioritisation, and wellbeing as areas to improve. By sharing our findings with the team in a company-wide discussion, we gained feedback on the themes and built a sense of excitement and curiosity across the team. We then focused the 2024 Kick-Off Meeting around these themes, exploring marginal gains, productivity systems, and various ideas to improve wellbeing while building relationships with colleagues and reinforcing our amazing culture. The quick response time and targeted improvements, which make a tangible positive impact on people’s lives, are staples of our approach and critical to encouraging improvement.
Looking Ahead: Continuous Learning and Development
We’ve now completed this analysis three times over the last year, improving the process and results each time. The results have been powerful examples of individual and organisational learning. The themes people are raising are changing, showing that people are learning individually, with their line managers, and with other team members. This is amazing because we’re seeing the team’s continued improvement drive the development of Oxygen Conservation. We’re excited to see what we will learn at the end of this quarter and how the team will develop to embrace the exciting challenges of next quarter.
Author: Andrew Dewar, Head of People