MONITORING AND MENTORING :

Introduction

Monitoring Managee Performance and Mentoring Managee

Development (MMP and MMD) is the heard and soul of PfM. It
is the performing phase. It links planning with stocktaking. The
primary purpose of monitoring and mentoring process is to help
the managee succeed. If the ongoing monitoring of managee
performance is ineffective, then truly speaking, managing is
absent.
If individual and team development is neglected, leadership is not
happening – and positive motivational forces will most likely be
weak or non-existent. MMP and MMD component of PfM gives
concrete meaning to the concept of organizational supervision
and oversight
Without effective MMP and MMD, performance
planning can be done, but plans will remain
largely unexecuted; personnel appraisal can
be undertaken, but it will create – as we
know it does- more problems than it will
solve. In any event, the synergy that
synchronized PfM can bring about will remain
unrealized
MONITORING AND ITS OBJECTIVES

The PfM explicitly promotes the value that a

manager and her managee accept joint
responsibility for monitoring progress on the
tasks and goals agreed upon during the
initial performance planning or expectation
setting meeting and subsequent review
meetings.
Managers use
Timely like written reports, review discussions
and on-the-spot inspections to track:
1. Timely and quality fulfillment of managee
tasks and goals
2. Help and support legitimately needed by
the managee’s tasks, including that agreed
upon during planning and review meetings
Important objectives of ongoing performance
monitoring and review are to:
1. Systematically observe managee performance
against the planned quantity, time, cost and
quality, etc., dimensions of tasks and goals; and
intervene where intent of the plan doesn’t seem to
be correctly understood. A primary task of
supervision is to ensure that the intent of the
performance plan is correctly understood and
interpreted by the managee at all times throughout
its implementation phase.
2. Jointly ensure the requisite completion of all planned
tasks and goals.
3. Mutually and reciprocally exchange – provide and
receive- developmental feedback within the
manager-managee dyad, helpful to effective
execution of performance plan
4. Check and coordinate that the manager and other
have provided to the managee the needed and
agreed upon help and support for plan
implementation adequately and in time.
5. Together with the managee, identify hurdles
or road-blocks to performance and make it
available manager’s superior problem-solving
skills to identify alternatives for smooth
passage, besides discussing corrective
actions if needed to improve managee
performance
PROCESS OF MONITORING

The manager observes managee performance through:

a) Periodic written reports
b) Scheduled meetings
c) On-the-spot inspections, or field or site visits in
case of managers whose location is different from
that of the manager.
d) Relevant and reliable information form other
available sources.
In the course of monitoring, the manager provides feedback to the
manager(s) and asks for feedback from the managee(s)
during
a) Group or team meetings to discuss common issues,
problems, etc,
b) One-on-one, meetings to discuss specific issues and
problems encountered by individual managee(s)
The manager and the managee, thereafter, discuss corrective
measures needed, actions to be taken by either or both of
them and other help or support needed to accomplish the
requisite tasks and goals.
Communication

There is substantial evidence to relate human

communication to human productivity. An
effective dialogue between a manager and
her managee is a back-and-forth process
involving repetitions and revisions of what is
discussed. An effective dialogue involves
dealing with reality at four levels:
I. FACTUAL LEVELS: where the more subtle views, feelings,
values, beliefs and assumptions- which influence a
situation- are shared and clarified
II. INTUITIVE OR INTERPRETIVE LEVELS where manager
and the managee attempt to understand the factual and the
reflective data, what these mean, and what their
implications or ramifications are for the managee’s
performance.
III. DECISIONAL LEVELS where the manager and the
managee reach conclusions or agreement in the nature of
decisions, action plans or procedures for implementation of
follow-up.
LISTENING

Listening sensitively to the managees can provide

substantial benefits in simpler work methods, and
reduced costs. Besides, when managees begin to
trust their manager, even when, occasionally, the
manager is placed in positions where she/he has to
make unilateral decisions, he finds that the
managees understand his compulsion and accepts
and support his decision in a spirit of cooperation.
“ BUILDING TRUST BEGINS BY BUILDING A
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP THROUGH
LISTENING”
Some common concerns of managees, regardless of
their organizational level, about whether or not the
management listens to them are:
1.In converging areas of interest, such as making the
organization a better place to work, managements
not only rarely take initiative to seek managee
assistance and input, they usually turn a deaf ear to
the managee suggestions, resulting in dysfunctional
polarization between the mangement and the
mangees.
2.This polarization usually results in skepticism, or at
best a sense of guarded optimism, when
managements initiate programs such as PfM.
Management philosophy and intent in such programs
becomes suspect in the eyes of managees. It would
greatly enhance morale and trust if managees could
rely on the management to listen to their suggestions
and grievances, and see them willing to seriously
consider these in the hope that things might run
more smoothly
3. If the manager listens to mangees, systematically
resolves problems and get things done, then the
managees feel vindicated in making efforts towards
improving things. If, on the other hand, they sense a
cold shoulder or a condescending attitude, they tend
to turn cynical, harbor further doubts about the
manager’s intents and trustworthiness and get more
demoralized
4. Managees expect intellectual honesty form
mangement in listening to what the
managers have to say, acknowledging that
these are important to mangees and
demonstrating sincerity in dealing with what
they say- in helping resolve problems and
conflicts.
 REVIEW DISCUSSION

A Review discussion/periodic review discussion is an

opportunity to coach, mentor, learn and understand.
The manager encourages her managee to critically
reflect over progress made on the performance plan
and to develop creative, yet feasible alternatives for
problem areas. Review discussions are semi-formal,
scheduled, periodic interactions – usually bimonthly
or quarterly-between a manager and her managee.
The manager uses this opportunity to:
 Review the mangee’s performance
 Discuss with the mangee problems faced by
her/him, solutions tried and the degree of
success achieved.
 Revisit with the manager, his annual plan for
the remaining time period and develop
revised action plans, if necessary
AIMS OF REVIEW DISCUSSIONS

 SHARE PERCEPTIONS – what, when,

where, how, why – selectively on significant
events and activities during the period under
review and the progress made on the
performance plan.
- recall key success and achievements from the
managee’s perspective
- Recall key success and achievements from
the manager’s perspective
 Take up recurring and persistent problems
and explore ways of tackling them so they do
not cause avoidable interruptions in plan
execution
- what problems occurred from the managee’s
perspective ?
- What, if anything, did the managee do about
these?
- What was the degree of success in resolving these
problems as a result of what the managee did?
- How did these problems affect the managee’s overall
performance on her annual plan?

- what problems occurred from the manager’s

perspective?
- What, if anything, did the manager do about these?
- What was the degree of success in resolving these
problems as a result of actions that the manager
took?
- What could the managee have done
differently in order to achieve greater
success?
- How did these problems affect the
managee’s overall performance on the
annual plan?
- Are the recurrent or persistent problems that need
analysis and advance planning?
- What is the underlying cause of each, separately,
according to the manager and the managee?
- What alternatives are being suggested separately,
by the manger and the mangee , to remedy each
cause?
- How do the two jointly evaluate these alternatives
and what do they agree to be the best and the most
feasible?
 Prepare an action plan to deal with these problem
area to the extent possible
 Revisit the plan if necessary
 Agree on the other actions to be taken, at any rate,
till the next review meeting
 Share any other concerns or thoughts that may
improve task effectiveness and performance of the
managee in the context of his performance plan
All the said discussions are concisely documented to
capture important problems and agreements. Usually
the managee prepares a brief synopsis highlighting
important matters discussed and decisions made.
Review discussion is a time for dialogue.
Performance planning is a tool to enhance both the
managee’s performance as well as his job
satisfaction. This is also time to share perceptions of
managee strengths and weakness and to examine
developmental steps needed
The average duration of a normal review discussion
should be around an hour. It helps the managee
maintains a docket as preparation of the review
discussion. This docket can contain:
 A summary of the mangee’s revised and updated
performance plan.
 Progress achieved on the performance plan to date
 Support received from the manager
 Problems encountered sine performance planning,
or the immediately preceding review meeting.
 Solutions attempted to these problems, with
the degree of success or otherwise
 Summary of review discussions
 Revisions carried out during each review
discussion
 Any other matter agreed to be recorded for
future reference, such as environmental
forces, or systems improvement
HOW DO PERIODIC REVIEWS WORK
BETTER – AND HELP ?

Periodic review helps the performance

manager:
 Correct planning assumptions and errors
mid-course-before it is too late
 Monitor and encourage progress, and keep
the work on track
 Strengthen dyadic relationship between the
manger and his managee.
THE BEST TIMES FOR PERIODIC
REVIEW MEETING

 Prior to critical due dates to ensure that

deadlines are met.
 When there is a serious change-anticipated
or actual- that can or will affect the
managee’s work
 Whenever the manager or the managees
need to check or reassure that things are on
track
REVIEW MEETINGS INVOLVE….

 Review of progress on tasks and activities in relation

to the mangee’s performance plan, including
developmental initiatives
 Identification of variances in terms of delays,
requisite quality and shortfalls in help planned for the
managee, if any, and analyzing their causes
 Preparation of action steps for solving identified
problems and contingency plans for anticipated
problems.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IF THERE IS
A SHORTFALL IN THE
ACCOMPLISMENT OF PERFORMANCE
PLAN

1.Try to figure out why. The plan may go off-

track if:
- The manger and the managee don’t have a
shared understanding of the plan
- The managee lacks requisite skill/skills
needed to execute the plan.
- Factored-in support has not been provided to
the managee
- Environmental forces are unduly retarding or
unfavorable
- Outcomes of performance are not sufficiently
attractive and rewarding
2) Don’t lay blame on each other- take the problem-
solving route. Examine the plan with an open mind
– see if the informational inputs, assumptions or
interpretations of what the data implies for the tasks
at hand were in error or inadequate during
performance planning and if so, acknowledge the
errors and work to modify the original plan.
Problem solving

 The manger must explore together with the

concerned managee, about the nature of
problem- its description and its causes;
possible ways of overcoming it; who needs to
work on it; and with whom? When? How
soon? Now or later? How? Then jointly work
out a plan of action
 This is the phase that demands the best out of a
manager or supervisor. It fully stretches his ability to
make sound decisions harnessing all his knowledge
and experience, motivate his managees or
supervisees, take charge of a situation when it
threatens to go out of control, assume responsibility
when courage is needed to do so, give everyone a
square deal and inspire confidence.