How Objective Is Joe's Appraisal of Mike's Performance

1) How objective is Joe's appraisal of Mike's performance?

Joe is not objective at all. He is very emotional, very negative and demoralizing. Joe actually blames Mike directly for the incorrect delivery, yelling at him for the loss of the company's money. He does not listen to Mike as he tries to explain why the incident happened. He has already labeled Mike as a poor worker, who does not show any initiative, and has a bad attitude.

2) How valid was the critical incident of the mistaken shipment to Sudbury in judging Mike's overall performance? Why?

This incident should not have been the nail in Mike's coffin. Yes, he had one prior documented occurrence of sending the wrong food to the wrong location but his supervisor never discussed it with him. He has tried to explain his reasoning and he was ignored. He has tried to demonstrate that others may be making the same mistake and he should be not singled out for a process problem. He believes that he is trying his best to do his job. This just proves that this could be a training issue.

3. Do you think that Mike's performance will improve? Why or why not?

No, Mike's performance will not improve. There is no incentive for him to change. Joe's negative attitude toward Mike has him feeling threatened and defensive. He is confused that this is the first time he is hearing about his mistakes or the fact that his supervisor thinks he is doing a poor job.

4. Put yourself in Joe's place prior to his conversations with Mike.

a. How would you have handled the interview so as to get better results from Mike? In your answer refer to the Mager and Pipe Model in determining the performance problem(s) and root cause(s).
b. Using the Five Steps to Constructive Feedback and Steps in Giving Feedback, located on pages 10 and 12 of Module 6 in your Participant's Guide, plan an interview with Mike. Indicate the questions/points/strategies you would use with Mike during this interview in order to correct Mile's performance problems.

a) I would not have yelled at Mike or belittle him for the mistake. After the first incident I would have discussed the situation with Mike to find out what had happened and why he thinks it happened.

Using the Mager and Pipe model:

i) What is the performance discrepancy? Standard-the right food gets to the right place. What is happening- there have been mix-ups in the deliveries.

ii) Is it important? Yes, it is important as it costs the company money if the right food does not get to the right destination. If this problem does not get resolved it will cost the company more money and could eventually lead to loss of customers.

iii) Is it a skill deficiency: The employee has done the task in the past, sometimes incorrectly.