Final Project: Summary of Findings

Instructions: Combine all the previous milestones into a cohesive final paper. Your final paper
should include revisions based on the feedback you received from your
instructor on each milestone. Attached are the Final paper project guidelines as well as all three milestones. I am attaching the feedback from the professor for each one on a Microsoft word document. Please make sure to follow each sections in the guidelines for this assignment as well as use professor feedback for each of the Milestones. Guidelines for Submission: Your summary of findings paper should be 6 to 8 pages in length, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font and APA formatting.

Reading and Resources

Textbook: Painless Performance Conversations, Chapter 9

Library
Article: Avoiding Difficult Conversations Can Cost You: Why It’s Not
Worth Putting Off Performance-Related Conversations With Employees “As
much as we appreciate and value our employees and what they do to help
make our businesses a success, we sometimes find ourselves challenged by
the management aspect of our jobs.” This article details the potential
impact on an organization if performance-related conversations are
continuously put off.

Module Nine focuses on putting together the components for having
meaningful performance conversations. First, you started by learning
about your communication style to gain a better understanding of how it
effects your ability to have effective conversations. Next, the four
mindsets to use for positive communication were introduced. The four
mindsets include the following: lead with behavior, eliminate judgment,
inquire with purpose, and be clear. Using these tools can help a manager
gain the confidence needed to have conflict conversations.

Any performance or conflict conversation can leave a manager feeling
nervous or unsure. You never know how the employee will react or how the
conversation will go. As a manager, you can ease some of the
uncertainty by having a plan for the conversations.

The location where a performance-based conversation takes place is a
critical component to the success of the conversation. Managers need to
pick the most appropriate place to ensure the employee will be
comfortable and the employee and manager can focus. Choosing the right
time of day and day of the week is also important. Avoiding a Friday
afternoon before the workday ends is a good idea. Try to have the
conversation at a time when both you and the employee are in a good
frame of mind and are able to concentrate.

Prior to conducting the conversation, managers should ensure they are
in the right mindset. Remember the four mindsets learned introduced in
this course. Begin the conversation; open it and set it up for success.
By following the essential elements of a performance conversation,
managers can hold positive performance conversations.

Figure 9.1

(Green, 2013)

Managers should be prepared to have performance conversations by
using the performance conversation planner. This model is structured to
use the four critical mindsets and allow the manager and employee to
work through the issues. It forces the employee to own the outcome and
the manager to have the confidence to lead the conversation.

Discussion With: Date/Time:
Step 1: Explain the situation What are the facts? What is the impact of the situation? Remember: Be concise!
Step 2: Listen and probe What open-ended questions will you ask to encourage the employee to share his or her perspective? What reaction do you anticipate from the employee?
Step 3: Find agreement What will you ask to define the change that needs to be made? What is a basic premise you and the employee can agree upon? How can you be sure not to force a solution on the employee?
Step 4: Discuss alternatives What open-ended questions will you ask to encourage the employee to offer alternatives?
Step 5: Agree on next steps What open-ended questions will you ask to clarify your agreement with the employee?
Step 6: Express confidence What will you say to convey your confidence in the employee’s ability to address the issue?

Because performance conversations can be uncomfortable, managers tend
to put them off or not have them at all. Avoiding performance
conversations can be disastrous. Waiting can affect many facets of the
employee-manager relationship. Employee’s morale can drop from not
getting any feedback on performance. The employee’s engagement can drop
and ultimately lead to the employee leaving the organization. The
employee loses trust in the manager and organization. The manager
suffers productivity decreases. There is lost time when the manager
allows the employee to continue to work without the appropriate
corrections. Finally, legal issues can result if feedback is never given
to the employee and the manager moves right to termination.

Planning, preparing, and conducting performance conversations are
integral parts of being a manager. Knowing performance conversations are
a critical task of a manager’s job, planning for the best outcome is
important. When prepared, managers can have successful conversations.
Conversation avoidance is fraught with problems and managers should take
active steps to not fall into this trap.

References

Green, M. E. (2013). Painless performance conversations: A practical
approach to critical day-to-day workplace discussions. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.