PerformanceAppraisalforTeams:AnOverviewWorkforceCompensationandPerformanceServiceUnitedStatesOfficeofPersonnelManagementPMD-14August1998Thispageintentionallyleftblank.PerformanceAppraisalforTeams:AnOverviewTABLEOFCONTENTSConcept...................................................................1PerformanceElements........................................................2Team-RelatedPerformanceMeasurement...................................3Team-RelatedMeasuresMatrix...........................................4IndividualLevel.......................................................4AnIndividual’sContributiontotheTeam:BehaviorsorResults.............41.IndividualBehavior............................................52.IndividualResults.............................................7TeamLevel..........................................................8TheTeam’sPerformance..........................................83.TheTeam’sProcesses..........................................94.TheTeam’sResults...........................................11SourcesofInput...........................................................12Questions&Answers.......................................................13PerformanceAppraisalforTeamsUSOPM:PMIAD1CONCEPTAgenciesarerequiredbytheGovernmentPerformanceandResultsActof1993toestablishprogramgoalsandreportorganizationalperformancetostakeholders,includingtheOfficeofManagementandBudgetandtheCongress.Thiscreatespressuretousemethodsthatimproveorganizationalperformanceandmaximizegoalachievement.Usingteamstoaccomplishthework—andeffectivelymanagingteamperformance—isoneofthemethodsthatmanyFederalorganizationshavechosen.Increasinglevelsofemployeeinvolvementindecidinghowworkgetsdonehasimprovedcustomerserviceandthebottom-lineresultsformanyorganizations.Oneofthefirsthumanresourcesprogramsaffectedbymovingtoteamsisperformancemanagement,whichincludesappraisalandrecognitionprocesses.Organizationsthatonlymeasureandrecog-nizeindividualperformancehavefoundthatteamdevelopmentandperformancearejeopardizedbecausetheyappeartobeignored.Bybalancingthemeasurementofindividualandteamperformance,organizationshavebeenabletoaddressindividualdevelopmentaswellasfocusonachievingteamgoals.Inadditiontobalancingemployeeandteammeasures,effectiveteamperformancemanage-mentprocessesarealignedwithorganizationalgoals.Inparticular,byaligningandlinkingemployeeperformanceplanswiththegoalsestablishedintheagency’sperformanceplan,anorganizationismorelikelytoachieveitsgoalsbecauseitsemployees’effortsarechan-neledinthatdirection.Asaresult,performancemanagementbe-comesausefultoolforclarifyingindividual,team,andorganizationalgoalsandforpointingeveryoneintherightdirection.Sucheffortssupportandproducegoalachievement.Managers,supervisors,teamleaders,andteammemberscanusetheperformanceappraisalprocessto:Cplanteamandindividualperformance;Csetteamandindividualgoalsthatarealignedwithorganizationalgoals;Cestablishperformanceexpectations;Cmeasureactualteamandindividualperformanceagainstdesiredperformance;Cdeterminedevelopmentalandtrainingneeds;Cprovidefeedbackonperformance;andPerformanceAppraisalforTeams2August1998Cprovideabasisforrecognizingteamandindividualperformance.TheFederalappraisalprocessusesperformanceelementsandstan-dardsasthebuildingblocksofemployeeperformanceplans.Thisoverviewwillbeginbydefiningcritical,non-critical,andadditionalperformanceelements.Then,tofullyunderstandhowteamperfor-mancecanbeaddressedthroughsuchelementsintheappraisalprocess,adiscussionofteam-relatedperformancemeasurementwillexplorewhatismeantby“teamperformance.”Thatmeasurementdiscussionwillincludeexamplesof“team”elementsandstandards.Finally,themethodofassessingelementswillbediscussed,includingabriefdescriptionofmulti-rater(360-degree)assessmentmethods.NOTE:Readersshouldrememberthatdifferentagencyappraisalprogramshavedifferentrequirementsandmaynotuseallthetypesofperformanceelementsdescribedbelow.Pleasecheckwithyourhumanresourcesofficetofindouthowyourspecificprogramoper-ates.PERFORMANCEELEMENTSInthecontextofperformancemanagement,elementsareworkassignments,responsibilities,ordimensionsofworkthatcanaddressindividual,team,group,ororganizationalperformance.Threetypesofelementscanbeusedintheperformanceappraisalprocess:CAcriticalelementisaworkassignmentorresponsibilityofsuchimportancethatunacceptableperformanceontheelementwouldresultinadeterminationthatanemployee’soverallperformanceisunacceptable.Criticalelementsmustaddressindividualperfor-manceforwhichtheemployeecanbeheldindividuallyaccountable.CAnon-criticalelementcanbeadimensionoraspectofindividual,team,ororganizationalperformancethatisusedinassigningasummarylevel.Withthederegulationofemployeeperformanceappraisalin1995,eventhoughconsiderationofnon-criticalelementscannotresultinassigningaLevel1summaryperformancerating(“Unacceptable”),programscanbedesignedsothatnon-criticalelementshaveasmuchweightormoreweightthancriticalelementsindeterminingsummarylevelsaboveLevel1.Becausenon-criticalelementsmustaffectthesummarylevel,theycannotPerformanceAppra