Business Performance Assessment Program Best Practice 16 – In-Progress Assessment Briefings

StrategyDriven Business Performance Assessment Program Best Practice ArticleBusiness performance assessments lose their value if the recommended performance improvement actions are not fully implemented. Consequently, it is not only important for executive leadership accept the recommendations; the mangers responsible for providing the time, capital, and labor to implement the actions must also buy-in. Because these managers tend to be those whose area was cited as needing improvement, their buy-in can be difficult to earn.[wcm_restrict plans=”47790, 25542, 25653″]

Involving managers whose organizations are being evaluated throughout the assessment process is key to developing the level of buy-in necessary for effective implementation of identified improvement actions. These managers do not need to be a part of the assessment team, but rather should be apprised of the assessment’s progress and offered an opportunity to provide recommended avenues of investigation and critical challenge to assessment team findings. Such engagement is most effectively gained though the use of in-progress briefings.

In-Progress Assessment Briefings

The following briefings are important to the business performance assessment process:

  • Kick-off Meeting: This meeting informs the manager(s) of the assessment to be performed including the assessment focus and scope, date range covered, and assessment timeframe. Also included is general background information on the assessment process as well as introductions to those who comprise the business performance assessment team.
  • In-Progress Assessment Briefings: Throughout the course of the assessment, affected managers are briefed on the assessment’s progress, significant observations, and team conclusions. The purpose of these briefings is to afford managers the opportunity to validate facts and review and challenge team conclusions. These briefings should occur at least weekly and, for in-depth assessments, on a daily basis.
  • Closeout Briefing: At the conclusion of the assessment team’s work, the final report should be presented to and discussed with the manager(s) whose organization was being evaluated. If additional follow-up is necessary, than a supplemental briefing should be conducted. (See StrategyDriven Business Performance Assessment best practice article, Large Group Closeout Briefings)

Conducting In-Progress Assessment Briefings

In-progress assessment briefings provide an opportunity to share information and insights that conveys the team’s view of performance in the area being evaluated. An effective format for performing these briefings is as follows:

  • Opening: Briefly state the number of previously briefed findings, identify new and significantly changed observations and findings, and summarize the items to be discussed in detail during the briefing.
  • Body: Discuss the observations and findings as summarized during the opening. Actively seek the manager’s validation of facts and insights and challenge to conclusions. If necessary, schedule additional meetings with the manager to cover all necessary information.
  • Conclusion: Convey the observation activities to be performed by the team following this briefing and before the next.

During in-progress assessment briefings, assessment team members should be careful not to offer opinions or convey an overly positive message. At no time should a team member offer his/her opinion as to the overall business performance assessment grade. The assessment grade should only be communicated during the Closeout Meeting.

Common Phases of Buy-In Development Experienced During In-Progress Assessment Briefings

Gaining buy-in for assessment findings can be difficult. Typically, individuals go through several emotional phases before accepting criticisms. These phases include:

  1. Openness to the Assessment: At this point the manager being assessed is confident in their performance and that the assessment will reflect their good work. The Manager tends to be open and welcoming to the assessment team.
  2. Cautious Hesitation: As the assessment team finds facts that may or may not individually be complimentary to the manager and/or to his or her organization, the manger becomes weary of the assessment team’s observations and hesitant to embrace them.
  3. Denial and Rejection: Once the assessment team has gathered a body of facts and starts to formulate conclusions, the manager initially rejects the findings. This state of denial occurs because of the pride and confidence of the manager in their performance and organization is challenged. The manager feels as though he/she has been “hit with a cold bucket of water.”
  4. Acceptance: Having had time to consider the team’s facts, consult with peers and superiors, and reach his/her own similar conclusions, the responsible manager begins to accept the assessment findings. It is at this point that buy-in occurs.

Final Thought…

There will be times when those being evaluated either don’t reach the same conclusions as the team or refuse to accept the team’s conclusions regardless of the evidence and soundness of their logic. At these times, it is important that both the assessment team leader and team executive be fully engaged with senior organization leaders regarding the issues and that the assessment team be willing to ‘agree to disagree’ with management’s position. Unfortunately, there will always be negative repercussions from assessments reaching this type of impasse. That said, in our experience, these adverse outcomes are insignificant to the personal, professional, and organizational damage done when the integrity and wisdom of the assessment team is set aside and their findings discarded.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”47790, 25542, 25653″]


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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

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