Implementation of Interpersonal Skills in The Workplace Performance Campaign

Running
Head: TRAVAGLINI - PERFORMANCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

PlasiCorps Performance Needs
Assessment for the Implementation of
Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace
Campaign
Cassandra Travaglini
Instructor: Ann-Louise Davidson

ETEC 651 Fundamentals of Human Performance Technology
Concordia University
TRAVAGLINI - PERFORMANCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT 1

Contents
A. Introductory Material ..................................................................................................................... 2
Summary of the Project ............................................................................................................................... 2
Data Collection ............................................................................................................................................. 2
B. About the Problem ....................................................................................................................... 2
1. Sponsors Request .................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Business Need ........................................................................................................................................ 3
3. Current and Ideal Performance ................................................................................................................ 3
Current performance narrative: ............................................................................................................... 3
Tasks in current performance: ................................................................................................................. 3
Ideal performance narrative: ................................................................................................................... 4
Tasks in ideal performance: ..................................................................................................................... 5
4. Performers ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Demographics: ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Character sketches: .................................................................................................................................. 6
5. Context ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
6. Constraints ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Project constraints: ................................................................................................................................ 10
Product constraints: ............................................................................................................................... 10
C. Requirements ............................................................................................................................... 10
7. Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Business objective: ................................................................................................................................. 10
Performance objectives: ....................................................................................................................... 10
Other environmental issues to address: ................................................................................................. 11
8. Cause Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 11
9. Summative Evaluation Instruments ....................................................................................................... 13
a. Engagement ....................................................................................................................................... 13
b. Individual performance (similar to levels 2 and 3) ............................................................................. 13
c. Organizational performance (similar to level 4) ................................................................................. 13
Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................ 14
Appendix B ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Appendix C ........................................................................................................................................ 16
References ........................................................................................................................................ 18


A. Introductory Material

Summary of the Project

This is a human performance campaign to develop a performance intervention to encourage recently
hired college graduates to implement the interpersonal skills they attained through training, in their
careers. Research done by Statistics Canada has revealed that there has been a decrease in work
productivity rates and an increase in work-related error rates amongst recent college graduate
employees at PlasiCorp Industries. The statistics have also revealed that many managers at PlasiCorp
believe this is because recent college graduate applicants lack interpersonal skills. Therefore, this
campaign was requested by the CEO of PlasiCorp for recently hired college graduates who are trying to
improve their efficiency at work. Upon completing this performance needs assessment, lack of
information, incentives, and motives have been found to be the problem areas contributing to the lack
of interpersonal skills implementation in the workplace.
Data Collection

This report identifies the motivational needs underlying this campaign, which were identified by
conducting interviews, surveys, and observations at PlasiCorp.
Interviews:
15 recently hired college graduates were interviewed to obtain information on how much they
value interpersonal skills in the workplace, how confident they feel in utilizing these skills, and
what kind of mood they perceive themselves to be in while on the job.
The sponsor and five members of upper management were interviewed to determine whether
financial and/or non-financial incentives and consequences are being utilized to motivate
employees to perform and if so, how?
Surveys:
Both management and recently hired college graduates were surveyed to determine whether
information such as timely feedback, clear expectations of interpersonal skills requirements, and
clear standards are being offered.
Observations:
Office conditions were observed to determine whether they provided the staff with sufficient
and appropriate resources.
Employees were observed to understand how they interact with one another.
Policy guides as well as documents from the Human Resources Department were reviewed to
obtain an understanding of office rules and procedures.
B. About the Problem

1. Sponsors Request

The CEO of PlasiCorp has requested that I design a training program that will address the issue of recent
college graduates lacking interpersonal skills on the job. The goal of this program is to help performers
demonstrate to employers they can problem-solve, collaborate in teams, and create positive
communication amongst colleagues. The benefits of this program include: increased employee

productivity and efficiency and the development of positive communication skills that the employees
will be able to carry with them as they grow in their careers.
2. Business Need

The primary business need underlying the request is to contain expenses by helping recently hired
college graduates attain and exhibit the interpersonal skills necessary for the workforce. In this way,
they will be more likely to problem-solve and collaborate effectively on the job. This means that by
having employees avoid miscommunication and arguments, less company time and money spent on
mistakes will be wasted.
3. Current and Ideal Performance

Current performance narrative:
Ginnie, a 23-year-old recent college graduate, has just completed her second month working as a
project manager at PlasiCorp Industries. Upon hiring Ginnie, management at PlasiCorp had been very
impressed with her resume as it read that she not only had the necessary practical skills obtained
through her Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management and internship experience, but that she
had also completed the required interpersonal skills training course. For these reasons, Ginnie has been
trusted as head of a major project and is expected to frequently hold meetings in order to effectively
communicate and collaborate with her colleagues.

Despite these expectations of Ginnie, she arrives to work and bolts straight to her office and shuts the
door. She knows she is supposed to request a meeting with her colleagues but decides she can simply
request to chat with them using the messaging application called Google Hangouts and plan a meeting
on another day when she feels more up to it. Suddenly, Ginnie hears a knock on her door and sluggishly
walks over to the door to open it. Her colleague, Paul, stands at the door asking her if she would mind
looking at his progress report for the project they are working on. Ginnie scans his report quickly and
hands it back to him while telling him he has done a fantastic job. Paul looks as though he is unsure and
then thanks Ginnie for her time.

Ginnie shuts her office door, rushes back to her desk and slumps into her chair thinking to herself. While
reading through Pauls report, she did spot a few errors. She begins to feel terrible because she knows
how to give constructive and honest feedback yet instead, she did not try to help Paul. She tells herself
that she avoided offering Paul feedback because she is still new and does not want to create enemies in
a place she spends her entire week in. She then wonders if Paul genuinely values her feedback or
whether he was sent to her by their supervisor. After all, she believes that her supervisor prefers that
she meet her deadlines and not that she waste time reading over her colleagues work. Ginnie is left
feeling confused about her role and undervalued by her colleagues.
Tasks in current performance:

Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp typically prefer to demonstrate that their
acquired practical skills are more valuable to the company than the interpersonal skills they
have attained in training

o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp devote their entire workdays to
perfecting their independent work opposed to helping to work alongside their
colleagues and share their knowledge
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp will spend the majority of their time in
isolation in their offices working on their projects instead of planning meetings with
colleagues also working on the projects
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp misjudge collaborating with colleagues as
optional and not as a performance requirement conditional to their advancement in the
company
o Recently hired college graduates avoid team building activities during their office
orientation
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp avoid working in teams when assigned
a project and instead, take on independent projects
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp hold back from offering constructive criticism on
other employees work in order to avoid confrontation and avoid being disliked
On the occasion that recently hired college graduates do offer feedback to their colleagues, their
feedback is superficial and inauthentic
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp walk away from problematic situations instead of
trying to solve them using their problem solving skills
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp avoid utilizing their face-to-face communication
skills
o If given the choice, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp leave the office
early on Fridays instead of joining colleagues to network and socialize at the nearby
bistro
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp email their fellow colleagues
throughout the workday to ask questions and solve problems even if their
colleagues are located in the same office and they could easily see them in person
and obtain a clearer understanding from them
Management offers bonuses and incentives to employees who obtain sales for the company
regardless of whether or not employees are communicating and collaborating negatively with
their colleagues
Management inconsistently offers employees feedback on employees interpersonal skills
development and offers such feedback late instead of immediately
The Human Resource Specialist leaves contact information and support information on the
office door to the Human Resources Department instead of widely distributing this information
on pamphlets to the office staff
Ideal performance narrative:

Ginnie, a 23-year-old recent college graduate, has just completed her second month working as a
project manager at PlasiCorp Industries. Upon hiring Ginnie, management at PlasiCorp had been very
impressed with her resume as it read that she not only had the necessary practical skills obtained
through her Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management and internship experience, but that she
had also completed the required interpersonal skills training course. For this reason, Ginnie has been
trusted as head of a major project and is expected to frequently hold meetings in order to effectively
communicate and collaborate with her colleagues.


Ginnie arrives to work and waves hello to everyone she passes. This catches the attention of her
colleague Paul who stops her in the hall to ask her if she would mind looking over his report. She tells
Paul that this is no problem at all and takes his report into her office with her to review after she
schedules her daily meeting. She sits down at her desk and immediately schedules a meeting for later in
the day with her colleagues to discuss the progress of their project. She is eager to personally meet with
them to see how each one of her colleagues is faring and whether they have any major concerns they
may have not been able to express through email.

Ginnie begins to review Pauls report thoroughly. Once she is done, she calls Paul to her office to offer
constructive criticism on his report. Although she is pressed for time, she realizes that communicating
with and listening to her colleagues is an important component of her job. She is motivated to
participate in discussion with her colleagues because she knows this performance is what her company
values and supports. Paul thanks Ginnie for her time and tells her that he truly appreciates her input.
Despite being the new girl, Ginnie feels important in her role, feels as though she is valued, and finally,
feels a deep sense of belonging.

Tasks in ideal performance:
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp demonstrate that the interpersonal skills they
have acquired are valuable to the company
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp devote some time in their workday to
helping to work alongside their colleagues and share their knowledge
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp will plan meetings with colleagues
working on the same project instead of spending the workday in isolation in their
office
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp demonstrate in their everyday behavior that they
judge collaborating with colleagues as a performance requirement conditional to their
advancement in the company
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp take part in team building activities
during their office orientation in order to showcase how their acquired
interpersonal skills are valuable to the company and can help the company grow
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp request projects that will allow them
to work in teams more-so than independent projects
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp offer constructive criticism on other employees
work to help them improve
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp offer authentic criticism on other employees work
to help them improve
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp request feedback from their managers on their
progress when they do not automatically receive it instead of becoming frustrated and avoiding
their managers and colleagues for the rest of the day
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp confront problematic situations using their
problem-solving skills instead of trying to avoid them
Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp utilize their face-to-face communication skills as
much as they can
o If given the choice, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp join their colleagues
to network and socialize at the nearby bistro on Fridays, instead of leaving early

o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp prefer to ask questions and solve
problems effectively with their colleagues and in person and therefore pay visits to
their offices whenever need be instead of emailing them
Management offers bonuses and incentives to employees who are communicating and
collaborating with their colleagues
Management consistently offers, or provides a means of offering, employees constructive
feedback on their interpersonal skills development and offers such feedback immediately with
no errors.
The Human Resource Specialist widely distributes contact information and support information
to the office staff
4. Performers

Demographics:
There are 15 recently hired college graduates currently employed at PlasiCorp Industries. 70% of
recently hired graduates are males and 30% are females and are aged between 21 and 27 years. They all
have obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree and have taken the interpersonal skills training course
required for application to PlasiCorp. All speak English fluently, possess strong writing skills, and have no
speech and communication disorders.
Character sketches:
Group 1: Insecure
These recently hired college graduates feel insecure in their ability to connect with colleagues and shy
away from any challenge related to the utilization of interpersonal skills in the workplace to avoid facing
failure in the eyes of their colleagues. However, they do deeply want to connect with colleagues but
simply lack the confidence and motivation to do so.
Extreme negative: No previous field-related work experience
Raj is 23 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce in
Accounting. Raj was told by his parents that they would take care of all of his personal expenses
so that he would not have to get a job and could focus solely on school during his
undergraduate studies. Raj now regrets not having obtained a job at some point during her
undergraduate career. Although he has taken an interpersonal skills training course as required
by his company, he does not feel that a 30-minute course can compare to years of work
experience. He feels as though he is beneath his other colleagues who have had more work
experience than him and therefore avoids them so that they may not notice, what he believes is,
his lack of interpersonal skills.
Neutral: A small amount of previous field-related work experience
Leonard is 23 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of
Commerce in Business Administration. Although Leonard has had a small amount of previous
work experience related to his field of study and has had training related to interpersonal skills,
he does not feel prepared and confident enough to apply the skills he knows in his new job.
Leonard feels alone at the office but knows this is because he has not tried to take part in any
office events that encourage socialization. As a result of not knowing any of his colleagues well-
enough, he does not feel motivated to join team projects. Leonards lack of motivation to
practice his interpersonal skills results in him working independently and alone in his office,
giving and receiving no feedback from his colleagues. Leonard would benefit from leaving the

comfort of his office to pay his colleagues a visit, asking them for guidance and offering to give
them feedback when they need it.
Extreme positive: Much previous field-related work experience
Bernadette is 24 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of
Commerce in International Business. Her program required her to take two major internships
abroad over the past two summers. Although these internships had given her much experience
in her field, they both did not go well for her. Having experienced culture shock in both
instances, she had a difficult time getting along with her employers and colleagues even though
she once was perceived as having strong interpersonal skills from friends and family. Instead of
leaving her internships feeling confident in her abilities, she came back home to a new job
feeling more insecure than ever. She now wonders if the problem was not the different culture,
but rather her own personality traits. To avoid facing this theory she now believes to be true,
she spends her lunches in her office and avoids eye contact with her colleagues.

Group 2: Status-seeking
These recently hired college graduates are not interested in personal growth but are extrinsically
motivated by the idea of attaining a high social status in the office. The only importance they see related
to practicing interpersonal skills with their colleagues is that they will appease their managers enough to
move up in the company and maintain job security.
Howard is 22 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce
in Finance. Although Howards mother pushed him to obtain a job at their local bank during his
undergraduate studies, Howard preferred to appear popular and promote his university parties
and events on weekends. Nevertheless, this type of work experience forced Howard to practice
interpersonal skills as he had to sell a required amount of tickets and communicate in ways that
urged students into buying his tickets in order to keep his job. Howard therefore learned that he
must now sell his managers and colleagues on his ability to practice interpersonal skills in
order to avoid threats to his job security and fulfill his need to rapidly move up in the company.
He is not genuinely motivated to have authentic connections and interactions with his
colleagues.
Stuart is 25 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce
in International Business. Stuart had taken an internship related to his field during the summer
before his last semester of his undergraduate degree. All that he learned during his internship,
including the interpersonal skills, are still fresh in his mind. However, Stuart does not value these
skills enough to use them unless it means getting him something he desires at work, such as
extra time to complete a report or the chance to leave work early on a Friday. Some might call
him a sweet talker in the office because he is only there to help when he needs something in
return.
Penny is 26 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce
in Marketing. She has much previous work experience interning throughout her undergraduate
degree and has had training related to interpersonal skills. Penny does not enjoy collaborating
with her colleagues but has learned during her internships that pretending to enjoy it will get
her office advantages such as being allowed to leave the office early for the day whenever she
asks to. However, when a problem arises during colleague collaboration, Penny steps away
instead of trying to solve it in order to avoid conflict. Although Penny has the skills required to
offer constructive criticism, Penny will also lie to her colleagues when offering them feedback;

often only telling them what they want to hear. This has led her to become the office favourite
but has hindered her ability to practice the interpersonal skills she possesses which may hurt her
career in the long run. Penny would benefit from offering constructive and honest feedback to
her colleagues while also engaging with them to problem-solve, even if this creates momentary
tension.

Group 3: Achievement-oriented
These recently hired college graduates are too focused on achieving success in the company to perform
on a social level as well. In other words, they believe that also performing high on a social level will
hinder their practical skills from further developing and are therefore not motivated to create a balance
between the two performances.
Sheldon is 22 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce
in Finance. Sheldon has had no previous work experience in his field but has had training related
to interpersonal skills. Sheldon only took the interpersonal skills training course because it was a
requirement for application to his job. Sheldon does not personally see the importance of this
training course and has determined that the course was a waste of his time. Sheldon is more
focused on further developing his skills in financial reporting and knowledge of IT software than
he is on learning to positively communicate with his colleagues and clients. Sheldon does not
realize that his profession relies heavily on problem-solving skills and communication skills, not
just the numbers. Many of his clients leave his office still unsure about whether their financial
dilemma was investigated thoroughly and solved. Sheldon would benefit from practicing
positive communication and working to help solve clients financial dilemmas to the best of his
abilities, even if this takes time away from the development of his practical skills.
Arthur is 24 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce
in Marketing. He has minimal previous work experience in his field and has taken this recent job
opportunity to enhance his skills in Marketing. Therefore, Arthur finds himself unwilling to
spend time developing his interpersonal skills at the expense of his practical skills. He is highly
motivated by achievement and does not view interpersonal skills as a component that will help
him achieve success. His colleagues, on the other hand, find him stuck-up and do not offer to
help him out when he has questions as a result. Therefore, Arthurs refusal to collaborate with
his colleagues and to constant need to focus on himself alone is hurting his ability to excel in his
profession.
Amy is 27 years old and has recently graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce in
Accounting. Amy has much work experience in her field of study as she had shadowed her
father, who is also an accountant, throughout her undergraduate degree. Her father always told
her that she understood the practical skills he was exhibiting and applied them well but that she
was failing to see how he spoke to and treated his clients. He told her that having interpersonal
skills was the key to building his clientele. Amy brushed off his comments because she never
saw herself as the social type and had planned to work for a large company anyway and
wouldnt rely on clients. Although Amy was required to take an interpersonal skills training
course for application to her job, she did not see its relevancy to her field. She assumed that this
training applied more to those in Marketing, for instance, but that everyone was obliged to take
it anyway. She still does not understand how these skills can help her career. For this reason,
Amy is not motivated to practice the interpersonal skills she learned in the workplace.

5. Context

The context is outlined using Roger D. Chevaliers updated Behavior Engineering Model (2003). The
areas that require attention have been highlighted in blue and will be further discussed in the cause
analysis. The conclusion for this table is that the performance problems lie on the environmental,
information and incentives level as well as on the individual and motivation level.
Information Resources Incentives
1. Performance expectations of 1. The Human Resources Department 1. There are no financial and non-
utilizing interpersonal skills and provides employees with the financial incentives offered to
the impact of using them are not appropriate materials, tools and employees who perform at a high
clearly defined for employees; no time to help employee interpersonal level in terms of
frequent and relevant feedback communication remain positive as effectively problem-solving and
well as to help keep the overall
concerning the use of collaborating with colleagues;
workplace environment positive.
interpersonal skills is given. employees salary and bonuses are
2. Documents outlining procedures to
2. Clear and relevant guides are used follow and HR contact information not affected by performance in
Environment
to describe general office policies when found in a situation of office interpersonal skills but rather in
and regulations however, none harassment are given to employees. terms of growth in their practical
outline the expectancies and best 3. The overall physical and skills.
practices for employee interaction psychological office environment 2. There are no reward systems in
and communication. contributes to improved employee place i.e. office contests, to enrich
3. There are no performance performance as conditions are safe, employee jobs and reinforce
management systems currently in clean, organized, and favorable for positive performance in
place to offer support to employees to perform optimally. interpersonal skills.
employees regarding 3. Overall office environment is
interpersonal skills development. positive allowing employees to
believe opportunities for growth in
the company exist and that they
have the opportunity to succeed.
Knowledge/Skills Capacity Motives
1. Employees have the necessary 1. Employees are physically and 1. Employees are generally not
knowledge and skills to perform mentally capable of learning and do motivated to employ interpersonal
at the expected interpersonal what is needed to perform skills in their positions and do not
skills level. interpersonal skills successfully. realize the necessity of these skills
2. Employees with elevated 2. Employees are selected and hired to be successful in the company.
knowledge, previous work on the condition that they meet the
Therefore, such skills are not always
experience and skills in requirements for their positions.
valued by them.
professional communication are 3. Employees do not possess any
accurately placed in positions and emotional, physical and intellectual 2. Employees generally do not desire
Individual
projects that require a high level limitations that would hinder their that their colleagues socially accept
of interpersonal skills. ability to practice interpersonal skills them but would rather focus
3. Employees are minimally trained in the workplace. entirely on developing their
in roles other than their own in practical skills in order to maintain
order to better understand their job security.
colleagues roles. 3. Employees are recruited and
selected based on criteria that
involve having the necessary
practical skills required for their job
roles as well as having recently
completed an interpersonal skills
training course.
* Table adapted from Roger D. Chevaliers Updated Behavior Engineering Model 2002

6. Constraints

Project constraints:
The performance campaign has a drop-dead deadline of April 4th, 2017 and must be completed before
then. The not-to-exceed budget for this campaign is $40, 000.

Product constraints:
The operating system used at PlasiCorp is Microsoft Windows, therefore the sponsor has requested that
the authoring software used for this campaign function under this system. Therefore, a full-function
word processor, such as Microsoft Word, will be used to author the material of this performance
campaign and will be distributed to the performers as a PDF version (to be printed if the performers
wish).
C. Requirements

7. Objectives

Business objective:
The organization plans to reach a business objective that will allow PlasiCorp to contain expenses by
encouraging employees to collaborate with their colleagues and offer and receive feedback on their
work, which will reduce the amount of errors employees make and in turn, reduce the expenses needed
to fix these errors by 50%.

Performance objectives:
Given an incentive program, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp demonstrate that the
interpersonal skills they have acquired are valuable to the company 100% of the time
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp devote some time in their workday to
helping to work alongside their colleagues and share their knowledge
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp will plan meetings with colleagues
working on the same project instead of spending the workday in isolation in their
office
Given an incentive program, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp demonstrate in their
everyday behavior that they judge collaborating with colleagues as a performance requirement
conditional to their advancement in the company 100% of the time
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp take part in team building activities
during their office orientation in order to showcase how their acquired
interpersonal skills are valuable to the company and can help the company grow
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp request projects that will allow them
to work in teams more-so than independent projects
Given mentoring from a veteran employee, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp offer
constructive and authentic criticism on other employees work to help them improve 100% of
the time they are requested to do so
Given mentoring from a veteran employee, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp
confront problematic situations using their problem-solving skills instead of trying to avoid them
100% of the time

Given mentoring from a veteran employee, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp utilize
their face-to-face communication skills 90% of the time
o If given the choice, recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp join their colleagues
to network and socialize at the nearby bistro on Fridays, instead of leaving early
o Recently hired college graduates at PlasiCorp prefer to ask questions and solve
problems effectively with their colleagues and in person and therefore pay visits to
their offices whenever need be instead of emailing them
Given an amount of money that falls within PlasiCorps budget, management offers bonuses and
incentives to employees, who are communicating and collaborating with their colleagues, each
year.
Given support from the Human Resource Specialist, management consistently offers, or
provides a means of offering, employees constructive feedback on their interpersonal skills
development and offers such feedback immediately with no errors
Given Microsoft Outlook and a list of employees email addresses, the Human Resource
Specialist widely distributes contact information and support information to the office staff at
the beginning of each new year and every time an employee is hired
Other environmental issues to address:

Both the CEO of the company and the Human Resources Department are located on a different floor of
the building than the main office area. Delays in communication are experienced as staff feel distant and
feel that achieving face-to-face interaction with these parties is arduous.
8. Cause Analysis

By observing the office context, five factors were discovered at the environmental level (informational
and incentives) and two at the individual level (motives). The causes for these seven problem areas are
listed below in order of priority. Solving environmental factors are prioritized in this case when
compared to solving individual factors as environmental factors can act as the support for individual
factors affecting performance (Chevalier, 2003). This means that that resolving environmental factors
usually results in resolving individual factors as well. Furthermore, resolving environmental factors such
as resources, information and incentives is more cost-effective to fix than individual factors such as
motives (Chevalier, 2003).

1. Performance expectations of utilizing interpersonal skills and the impact of using them are not
clearly defined for employees; no frequent and relevant feedback concerning the use of
interpersonal skills is given.
a. Employees remain unsure as to whether interpersonal skills are truly valued in the
workplace. The value of possessing interpersonal skills needs to be demonstrated by
management through clear explanation of the important impact such skills have on
recently hired employees personal careers. Furthermore, recently hired college
graduates do not have the opportunity to work alongside and observe veteran
employees behaviours in the office for their first month on the job and are therefore
unable to reflect on their own behaviours in the office.
2. There are no financial and non-financial incentives offered to employees who perform at a high
interpersonal level in terms of effectively problem-solving and collaborating with colleagues;
employees salary and bonuses are not affected by performance in interpersonal skills but
rather in terms of growth in their practical skills.

a. Management needs to encourage behaviours that exhibit interpersonal qualities instead
of only encouraging a positive work ethic. Incentives can play a large role in motivating
employees to perform at a high interpersonal level until their behaviours regarding
interpersonal skills become habitual. An employee who has a strong work ethic but does
not collaborate with their colleagues and communicates negatively with their colleagues
may hinder the productivity and confidence of their fellow colleagues and the company
as a whole as a result.
3. There are no reward systems in place i.e. office contests, to enrich employee jobs and reinforce
positive performance in interpersonal skills.
a. All employees can benefit from taking part in meaningful incentive programs that offer
both financial and non-financial rewards and bonuses intended to motivate employees
to participate. Such programs will require them to exercise their interpersonal skills and
will create in them a sense of self-challenge. Employees can learn a lot more about
themselves and their fellow colleagues this way.
4. Clear and relevant guides are used to describe general office policies and regulations however,
none outline the expectancies and best practices for employee interaction and communication.
a. Guides describing office policies need to be updated with material regarding employee
interaction and communication. In doing so, recently hired employees will understand
the relevance and importance of exhibiting interpersonal skills in the workplace
5. There are no performance management systems currently in place to offer support to
employees regarding interpersonal skills development.
a. Recently hired employees need to benefit from support systems that will help them to
build confidence in themselves and in their fellow employees. Currently, contact
information for the Human Resource Department has not been widely distributed in the
office. Furthermore, the Human Resource Department has not held many meetings with
management to develop a feedback system for employees as well as to discuss
managements role in helping to influence the use of interpersonal skills in the
workplace.
6. Recently hired college graduates are generally not motivated to employ interpersonal skills in
their positions and do not realize the necessity of these skills in their work or to be successful in
the company. Therefore, these skills are not always valued by them.
a. In order to motivate employees to perform interpersonal skills in the workplace and
value such skills, the notion of achieving personal growth and growth within the
company from acquiring interpersonal skills needs to be highlighted by management
instead of only focusing on growth in terms of practical skills.
7. Recently hired college graduates generally do not desire that their colleagues socially accept
them but would rather focus entirely on developing their practical skills in order to maintain job
security.
a. Recently hired employees need to feel secure in their employment in order to want to
perform the interpersonal skills required to succeed in their employment. Management
needs to clarify to employees that possessing strong practical skills is not all that is
necessary them to maintain their jobs but that performing on a high interpersonal level
is necessary as well.


9. Summative Evaluation Instruments

a. Engagement
The survey on the following page titled Appendix A will be distributed online to recently hired college
graduates after the performance campaign has been implemented. This survey will measure how much
the newly hired employees now value interpersonal skills in the workplace, how confident they now feel
in utilizing these skills, and what kind of mood they now perceive themselves to be in while on the job.
Results from the survey will be gathered and an average score will be obtained. Following the survey is
an assessment rubric titled Appendix B for managers to use to observationally measure the level of
engagement in recently hired college graduates.

b. Individual performance (similar to levels 2 and 3)
The assessment rubric titled Appendix C seeks to measure recently hired college graduates level of
performance in demonstrating interpersonal behaviours on the job. This assessment will take place six
months after the interventions have been implemented. Managers are required to document any
conflicts between employees that have been brought to their attention during the six-month period.
Managers must log both sides of the story into a separate document, print this document, and have the
parties involved sign it to confirm that the information included in the document is correct (Holt, n.d.).
Based on the information logged in this separate document, managers must then list and briefly
describe these conflicts followed by an explanation of how they were dealt with in the appraisal
template below. After having completed the other components of the appraisal, the appraisal will then
be presented to and privately discussed with the employee under review.

c. Organizational performance (similar to level 4)
N/A

Appendix A

How Engaged Do You Feel on the Job?

Answer the following survey based on your motivation to perform interpersonal skills on the job. Your
answers will remain confidential.

Not at all Neutral Very Much
1. I feel motivated to work in teams

2. I feel motivated to attend office meetings

3. I feel that the Human Resource Department is

easy to contact

4. I carefully review feedback given by managers

and colleagues and make the necessary changes as
soon as I can

5. I find it important to engage in face-to-face

interaction with my colleagues

6. I feel valued when I offer another colleague

feedback

7. I feel valued when I help to solve an office problem

8. I feel enthusiastic about participating in office

events with my colleagues

9. I feel that exhibiting positive communication skills

is essential to my success in the company

10. I feel confident about my role in the company

11. I look forward to further developing my

interpersonal skills

12. I feel confident interacting and communicating

with my colleagues


Appendix B

Employee Engagement Evaluation

Name of employee: _____________________________________ Date: _______________

Task Yes No Comments

Employee volunteers to work in teams

without being asked to

Employee attends office meetings with
the occasional absence (providing a valid
reason)
Employee attends office events except for
1 or 2 missed events (providing a valid
reason)
Employee carefully reviews feedback
given by managers and colleagues and
makes the necessary changes
Employee offers constructive feedback to
colleagues when necessary
Employee utilizes his or her problem-
solving skills instead of exhibiting
avoidance

Employee positively communicates his or

her thoughts

Score meaning:
6 - 7 tasks answered yes = very engaged
4-5 tasks answered yes = engaged
3 tasks answered yes = somewhat engaged
1-2 tasks answered yes = not engaged

Appendix C

Individual Interpersonal Skills Performance Appraisal

Name of employee: _____________________________________ Date: _______________

Performance appraisal evaluation key:
1. Performance consistently exceeds expectations
2. Performance meets and usually exceeds expectations
3. Performance meets and sometimes exceeds expectations
4. Performance meets expectations
5. Performance does not meet expectations
Area Objectives Feedback Evaluation

Main: Offers constructive [feedback description] /5
Area 1: Positive criticism
Communication Supporting:
Offer a positive
comment to counter a
negative one made to
an employer or
colleague
Use appropriate,
indirect and impersonal
wording learned when
offering criticism
Give feedback that is Overall: How does
specific performance meet or
Offer recommendations not meet expectations?
on how employer or (use descriptions listed
colleague can improve above)
Area 2: Main: Is able to work efficiently [feedback description] /5
Collaboration and effectively with colleagues
Supporting:
Is able to remain calm
using calming
techniques learned in
training
Is able to acknowledge
employer or colleagues
differing perspective,
without necessarily
agreeing, using
techniques learned in
training
Discusses the
advantages and

disadvantages of
colleagues perspectives
Suggests ideas on how
to incorporate different
points of view in the Overall: How does
team project performance meet or
Use wording learned in not meet expectations?
training to highlight (use descriptions listed
cooperation above)
Area 3: Problem- Main: Is able to work through [feedback description] /5
solving the details of a work-related
issue and arrive at a solution
Supporting:
Is able to perform the
three steps learned in
training that are
required to target the
problem area
Is able to perform the Overall: How does
three steps learned in performance meet or
training that are not meet expectations?
required to arrive at a (use descriptions listed
solution to the problem above)
Overall General feedback: [description] Strengths
performance 1.
evaluation: /5 [description]
2.
[description]
3.
[description]
Areas for 1. [description]
improvement 2. [description]
3. [description]
Conflicts Conflict #1 description:
documented Conflict #1 resolution:
Conflict #2 description:
Conflict #2 resolution:
.
.
.
Template adapted from Saul Carliners Template: Appraisal Form


References

Aslan, O. (2016). People management [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
https://moodle.concordia.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=90575

Carliner, S. (2012, November 15). Template: Appraisal form [Web log post]. Retrieved March 27, 2017,
from https://commerceofcontent.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/template-appraisal-form/

Chevalier, R. (2003). Updating the behavior engineering model. Retrieved from:
http://www.aboutiwp.com/Updating BEM.pdf

Holt, M. (n.d.). How managers can handle conflict in the workplace. Retrieved March 27, 2017, from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/managers-can-handle-conflict-workplace-740.html

Kirkpatrick, J., and Kirkpatrick, W.K. (2009). Kirkpatrick Four Levels: A Fresh Look After 50 Years: 1959-
2009. White Paper. Retrieved online:
http://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/Portals/0/Resources/Kirkpatrick Four Levels white
paper.pdf

Stolovitch, H. & Keeps, E. (2004). Training Ain't Performance. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

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Head: TRAVAGLINI - PERFORMANCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

B. About the Problem

3. Current and Ideal Performance

Tasks in current performance:

Ideal performance narrative:

Other environmental issues to address:

How Engaged Do You Feel on the Job?

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