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Employee Performance: Why Good Systems Matter More Than Pop Psychology

By Leon Noone

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 27Feb2010 Word count: 445 Viewed: 204 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Introduction. When performance falters, look at your systems before you look at your employee. There are more theories about people management than there are about successful marriage. I don't pretend to be an expert in either subject. But in over 35 years in human resources and performance management, this is what I've learned.

If the Systems Are Poor The People Will Fail. That's what I've learned after 40 years of working in people management. It's expressed in other ways too. "Poor systems, poorer people". "Fix the systems before the people" "There are few poor people but lots of poor systems".

You may be a manager who prefers to discuss things with employees. You may prefer counselling or even issuing formal warnings. Some industrial relations laws require that approach. These approaches can be useful. But I repeat what I've learned. When performance falters, look at your systems before your people.

If your people are performing poorly, you have a systems problem somewhere. If you train, counsel or even replace your people without fixing your systems, your people problems will continue. That's beyond doubt.

What's A System. A system is simple. It's "the way we do things around here". Your systems may be extraordinarily complex and sophisticated. They may be completely ad hoc with nothing in writing.

If that's how you do things, that's your system. If that system, brilliant or banal, doesn't support your people to help them to do their jobs competently, the system, or part of it has failed.

Systems Problems Can Be Anywhere. Just because the staff in the warehouse are underperforming, doesn't mean that your warehouse systems are faulty. The system problem could be * recruiting the wrong people * liaison between warehousing and purchasing * administrative procedures that inhibit performance * poor storage facilities * poor training * or any of a number of different issues.

In other words, it could be anywhere. But I'll guarantee there is a system problem. In this case, it could be something as simple as poor form design.

Simple Solutions. You'll often find that the solution to your systems problem is relatively simple. If could be form redesign, paper flow adjustment or work sequence change.

I once saw a serious bottleneck fixed by changing the spot where orders were placed on a desk. The solution was absolutely simple. No one had realized the exact nature of the problem. Staff themselves often know the answer. Ask them.

Conclusion. You may have some lazy, incompetent and difficult people in your workplace.

But the reason for their behaviour may lie with the systems you require them to operate with.

Replacing and retraining people is very costly. Try improving the systems before replacing or retraining the people.

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