▪  Senior management must establish and communicate strategies for achieving a clear vision

▪  All managers in an organization must know what the company stands for—and what it will not.  Managers must share messages in a consistent manner.

▪  A performance management system should achieve three primary objectives:

1. Provide a blueprint for orienting   employee actions/behaviors

2. Serve as a useful management tool for sparking dialogue

3. Provide a clear picture of where an employee stands in terms of their contribution to the organization

Our experience has shown us that many companies fail to realize how interconnected many of their internal "systems" (performance management, management development, planning processes, etc.) really are.  We seek to ensure that client systems are as business-focused and as aligned as possible.  The goal is to create ultimate clarity on where the company is headed, what it will take to get there, while reducing as many barriers between people as possible.

Performance Management Systems

We believe companies should clearly articulate, in their performance management systems, the core behaviors desired from all contributors within the company. In this way, employees can:

Our process to refine or overhaul performance management systems includes:

• Reviewing established visions, values and goals
• Identifying critical success factors/desired behaviors necessary to achieve business goals
• Developing a performance management system that is easy to use and understand
• Facilitating manager training sessions for use and implementation
• Facilitating company-wide sessions introducing the new system

Perim Consulting’s experience in working on performance management systems has demonstrated the need for, and critical importance of, ensuring that the review process is not something that is done by the management to employees, but rather is a process faced jointly by both… Much of our clients’ success in enhancing their performance management systems has been influenced by the explicit fostering of a sense of joint responsibility among managers and employees for performance and a shared ownership of producing results. Management must play a concrete role in helping employees achieve their objectives, and the performance management system provides the means for clearly identifying deliverables for both the manager and employee. The power of a shared sense of, "we’re in this together" is tantamount to achieving business objectives, as is specific training for managers in facilitating performance reviews.

Workplace Assessment & Planning Tools

Our philosophy regarding assessment instruments supports what we learned in business school:  management should utilize data to assist in decision-making.  The main impact of data is actively opening dialogue:  What, if anything, does the data suggest?  Any impact upon our strategic direction, service to customers, attraction and retention of talented employees, etc.? 

Perim Consulting utilizes assessments with client organizations to gather data regarding:

• Employee perceptions of the work environment
• Areas of strength & opportunity within divisions, departments, teams or groups

We are extremely sensitive to the fact that many employees are tired and/or frustrated with the sheer number and complexity of assessments they've had to complete in the past, and/or the fact that they very often hear little back from their investment of time and energy. Our processes for distributing, collecting, and tabulating assessment instruments ensure efficiency, confidentiality, and results.  We are adamant about closing the loop with feedback to the very people who invested the time to complete the instruments. 

The quantitative and qualitative assessment results serve as a needs-indicator as well as provide a baseline for future comparison.  We are pleased to assist in exploring any insights and weighing the potential impact upon the business.  We can then assist in creating potential strategies to respond to the data, if so desired. 

Helping to implement new company OD roll-outs, refining/overhauling performance management systems, linking systems to business needs (present and future) of organizations, consulting and providing keynote addresses are several of the ways we provide value for our clients in the area of Organizational Development Initiatives.