Business Performance Assessment Program Best Practice 5 – Seek Local Participation for Context

StrategyDriven Business Performance Assessment Program Best Practice ArticleProperly performed self assessments provide business leaders with deep insights as to what is working well and opportunities for improvement within a business function, area, or process. These insights become even more beneficial when the practices and results of top performers are used as a reference or benchmark for the evaluation. Best practices, however, are not always relevant to every situation or circumstance. Therefore, it is important to consider local context when evaluating performance against accepted best practices.[wcm_restrict plans=”47750, 25542, 25653″]

No one better understands the local performance context than those who work within it every day. These individuals know from experience what drivers, written and unwritten, cause the organization to function as it does. For this reason, business performance assessment teams benefit most when receiving the local perspective from an objective, top performing member of the organization being assessed.

Important to the success of the business performance assessment team, including the local content provider, is the clear definition of this individual’s role. The context provider should not be assigned to the assessment team to defend his or her organization or to ‘soften’ the assessment team’s findings and recommendations. A context provider’s role is to provide:

  • perspective of the organization’s performance over time
  • insight to the cultural and behavioral norms accepted within the organization, both written and unwritten
  • historical events driving implementation of policies, practices, and procedures
  • organizational circumstances and situations incompatible with the specific best practices being considered
  • guidance as to whom the team should interview and/or observe to gain additional insight; including making introductions to these individuals
  • direction as to how needed documents and information can be obtained
  • facility tours and access guidance/coordination

If the business performance assessment is formally presented, the local context provider should attend so to be available to offer the stakeholders receiving the report any additional perspective they may desire.

Final Thoughts…

Participation on a business performance assessment team is a broadening experience; offering team members an opportunity to learn about the organization as well as interact with senior leaders. Therefore, the position of local context provider should be given to those rising stars who will use the opportunity to further their professional growth. Additionally, because the local context provider gains firsthand experience with the business performance assessment process, these individuals are excellent candidates to serve on the assessment teams evaluating other parts of the organization; yet another development opportunity for the rising star.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”47750, 25542, 25653″]


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