High performing operating cultures are continually striving for improvement. Continuous improvement requires continuous feedback - candid, timely, honest, constructive. For the individual this means regular conversations with the supervisor about:
- Progress toward goals (aligned with the unit’s goals)
- Success demonstrating core competencies (e.g., teamwork, leadership, communication)
- Development of skills and knowledge relevant to the specific job responsibilities
How does this happen on a regular basis?
The traditional tool is the annual performance evaluation. Berkeley’s forms are available in the Performance Management section of the HR website.
Also important is feedback throughout the year:
- Comments from the supervisor when something goes right
- Helpful guidance when there are stumbles
- Occasional aggregated, anonymous feedback from peers, subordinates, and clients - often for developmental rather than evaluation purposes (i.e., “360” feedback)
In a culture where we are willing to take risks in order to excel, we have to expect that there will be failures along the way. Failures are not always a bad thing. We need to fail fast, learn from mistakes, and move on. Receiving feedback about what worked and what didn’t is a learning opportunity that should not be squandered.
How does it happen at the unit or business process level?
Feedback is in the form of metrics - measurements of things like:
- Customer satisfaction
- Elapsed time to complete a task (e.g., How long does it take to recruit and fill a position?)
- Number of steps in a process (e.g., How many layers of approvals are needed? Are they necessary? If so, why?)
Some examples of what Berkeley is doing that are consistent with a high performance culture:
- Administration and Finance is implementing a performance management plan that requires all individual evaluations to be completed in the month of October. The plan will assess completion rates and better prepare managers to conduct evaluations.
- Several units in addition to Administration and Finance require that any proposed annual rating at the highest level must be reviewed by the executive leadership team so there is concurrence on what is meant by exceptional contributions.
- Some units on campus are requiring 360 evaluations for all management level positions.
- We are developing metrics for continual process improvement.
One Cal – keeping it simple - always learning – continually improving – outcome driven!