What do you do if conflict arises during performance appraisals in Performance Management?

The initial thought is that individuals are not machines; they cannot transform instantly or in a single moment. People possess emotions, intelligence, and comprehension. Therefore, performance management is an ongoing journey that requires navigating through each person's unique personality. It extends beyond just the metrics on a scorecard. Eventually, the scorecard may not resonate with the individual unless their personality has been positively impacted. The key factor is the rapport established between the manager and the employee. When the manager adopts a mentoring role, negative feedback is more likely to be received positively because of the increased level of acceptance.

The strategic aspect is to look at the bottom line. When KPIs are clearly and logically assigned and communicated along with a numerical term clearly articulating the points against every task and where expectations are clearly communicated to team, the probability of conflict when assigning appraisal declines. Moreover, its very important for the supervisors to review and provide robust constructive feedback more frequently to avoid any conflict at the end of the year.

The first thing that comes to my mind is that, ' People are not Machines.' They cannot be changed overnight or at, one instance. People posses emotions, intellect and understanding. Therefore, performance management is an ongoing process as one needs to tackle through the personality of an individual. It's not about the scorecard alone. At some point the scorecard might not make sense to the appraisee unless, his personality has been positively affected. It is the level of rapport that is maintained between the appraiser and the appraisee. When the manager takes the position of a mentor, negative feedback will be taken positively to a large extent as the level of acceptance increases.

Incentive a comunicação aberta entre o avaliador e o avaliado, permitindo que ambos expressem suas opiniões e preocupações. Escute atentamente e esteja disposto a entender o ponto de vista do outro, dando feedback construtivo e específico. Destaque os pontos fortes e áreas de melhoria objetivamente e evite críticas pessoais e foque nos comportamentos observáveis. Se o conflito persistir, considere a mediação. Em vez de se concentrar apenas no problema, concentre-se em encontrar soluções. Mantenha registros detalhados das discussões e ações tomadas para resolver o conflito. Ofereça treinamento em habilidades de comunicação e resolução de conflitos para todos os envolvidos. Espero ter contribuído. Até mais.

We can contribute by providing a neutral and supportive environment for both parties to express their perspectives. Encouraging active listening, empathy, and mutual respect can help de-escalate tensions and foster understanding. Additionally, offering guidance on conflict resolution techniques and ensuring adherence to company policies and procedures can help navigate the situation toward a positive outcome. Ultimately, our goal is to promote a fair and transparent process that preserves relationships and supports the growth and development of all parties involved.

My performance management cycle encompasses six essential stages: Planning > Obtaining Buy-in > Monitoring > Developing > Evaluating > Recognizing. I have always included the crucial step of "Obtaining Buy-in" in my performance management model. By obtaining buy-in, several significant outcomes are achieved. First, it fosters a sense of ownership among all individuals involved. Second, buy-in enables managers to align employee strengths and weaknesses in a complementary manner, distributing responsibility across the team and allowing them to support one another and achieve greater success collectively. Last, it encourages creativity and a willingness to take risks.

one think I've find helpful is, We should give feedback on the positive and effective behavior of employees too. Feedback does not only include the negative of people's performance, but we should also give feedback about the positive aspects of the person's work. If the positive and negative feedback is given to people at the same time, it will prevent the conflict from rising. accepting negative feedback is more acceptable to the employees when the positive performance of the people is also seen.