Human Resources Management: Module 3 Setting Performance Goals Produced in conjunction with The African Entrepreneur Collective and Opportunity International

Review: Developing a performance management system Set performance goals for each staff member Give ongoing feedback throughout the year Conduct annual performance evaluations Meet with employees to discuss annual reviews In the last video, we described the four key steps for developing a performance management system. To review, those steps included: -Setting performance goals for each staff member …

Review: Developing a performance management system Set performance goals for each staff member Give ongoing feedback throughout the year Conduct annual performance evaluations Meet with employees to discuss annual reviews This video will focus on the first step, setting performance goals for each staff member.

Learning objectives By the end of this section you will be able to: Explain the difference between “Results Goals” and “Development and Team-Building Goals” Write your own SMART goals Design a process for setting annual goals with your employees

Setting Performance Goals Before you can evaluate your employees’ performance, you need to establish a clear, shared understanding of what each employee is expected to achieve over the next year – in other words, you need to set performance goals The head teacher should meet with each department to collaboratively develop their goals for the following year, which will form the basis for their evaluation As a starting point, you might ask every individual to set 2-3 “Results Goals” and 2-3 “Development and Team-building Goals”

Results Goals vs. Development Goals Definition Examples Results Goals describe the results that will be achieved through an employee’s direct job responsibilities Development and Team-Building Goals describe how an employee will grow as a professional and contribute to his or her department or organization “90% of my students will be able to write a full paragraph by May.” “I will enroll 100 new students by next July.” “I will read at least 2 books that enhance my science knowledge.” “I will spend 1 hour per week mentoring new staff.”

All goals should be “SMART” SMART goals are: Specific: The goal should define specific results and provide concrete details on what is to be achieved.  Measurable: Define exactly how you will measure success.  Ambitious and Achievable: Goals should be challenging but still realistic. Results-based: State the results to be achieved rather than the activity leading to those results.  Time-bound: Establish a time limit. State the date by which results must happen, or, for ongoing goals, how often it will be reviewed.

Activity: Writing SMART goals How might you change each of the following goals to meet the SMART criteria? “My students will improve their math skills.” “I will write better lesson plans.” “I will work harder to collect tuition payments on time.” By December, 80% of my students will be able to correctly divide two-digit numbers. Take a minute to brainstorm how you might revise each of these goals to meet the SMART criteria. The first one is “My students will improve their math skills.” How can you make this goal more specific, measurable, ambitious and achievable, results-based, and time-bound? Pause the video and write your response on a piece of paper. There is no one right answer, but here is on example response: By December, 80% of my students will be able to correctly divide two-digit numbers. Consider – is this goal specific? Is it measurable? Does it seem ambitious but achievable? Is it results-based? And finally, is it time-bound? If so, it is a SMART goal. I will revise my lesson plans for next term to incorporate at least 1 critical thinking activity each day. I will work with parents to achieve 75% on-time payment of fall term school fees

Activity: Practice with SMART goals Write down 2 SMART goals for yourself for the next year 1 Results Goal 1 Development or Team-Building Goal Are your goals Specific, Measurable, Ambitious and Achievable, Results- Based, and Time-Bound? Pause the video for a few minutes and write down 2 SMART goals for yourself that represent your goals for the next year – one performance goal and one development or team-building goal Now, look at your goals again with a critical eye – are they specific? Are they measurable? Are they ambitious yet achievable? As they results-based? Are they time-bound?

A Final Note: Setting goals should be a collaborative process Research has shown that employee commitment to goals is critically important for goal attainment, and employees must feel that they are able to achieve their goals. Therefore, it is important to ensure that employees participate in the goal-setting process, accept their goals and are motivated to work towards those goals. It is also important for managers to communicate their willingness to assist employees in achieving their goals by providing guidance and resources. As you go through the process of setting goals, you may choose to ask your employees to write a first draft of their goals in partnership with their direct managers, and then submit those drafts to you for feedback and final approval. That way your employees will feel fully committed to the process, and will be more likely to work towards achieving their goals. Source: Pulakos, Elaine D. “Performance Management: A roadmap for developing, implementing and evaluating performance management systems.” SHRM Foundation.

Developing a performance management system Set performance goals for each staff member Give ongoing feedback throughout the year Conduct annual performance evaluations Meet with employees to discuss annual reviews Ready to learn about the final three steps of the performance management process? Check out the next video.

End of Human Resources Management: Module 3 Setting Performance Goals To continue your learning experience, visit www.oppteachers.org