Measuring Results and Behaviors:

Overview
Measuring Results
Measuring Behaviors

Measuring Results: Overview

Accountabilities
Objectives
Performance Standards

Key questions

Where should each individual focus

efforts?

What are the expected objectives?

How do we know how well the

results were achieved?

Accountabilities
Broad areas of a job for
which employee is
responsible for producing
results

Objectives
Statements of important
and measurable outcomes

Performance Standards

Yardstick used to evaluate

how well employees have
achieved objectives

Determining Accountabilities

Collect information about job (Job

Description)
Determine importance of task or
cluster of tasks
% of employees time spent
performing task
Impact on units mission if performed
inadequately
Consequences of error

Determining Objectives

Purpose: to identify
Outcomes
Limited number
Highly important

When achieved

dramatic impact on overall organization

success

10 Characteristics of Good
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Specific and Clear

Challenging
Agreed Upon
Significant
Prioritized

10 Characteristics of Good Objectives

(continued)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Bound by Time
Achievable
Fully Communicated
Flexible
Limited in Number

Determining Performance
Standards

Standards refer to aspects of

performance objectives, such as:

Quality
How well the objective is achieved

Quantity
How much, how many, how often, at what cost

Time
Due dates, schedule, cycle times, how quickly

Standards must include:

A verb
The desired result
A due date
Some type of indicator
Quality and/or
Quantity

Good Performance Standards:

6 Characteristics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Related to Position
Concrete, Specific, Measurable
Practical to Measure
Meaningful
Realistic and Achievable
Reviewed Regularly

Measuring Behaviors: Overview

Identify competencies
Identify indicators
Choose measurement system

Identify Competencies
Measurable clusters of KSAs
Knowledges
Skills
Abilities

That are critical in determining

how results will be achieved

Types of Competencies

Differentiating
Distinguish between superior and
average performance

Threshold
Needed to perform to minimum
standard

Identify Indicators
Observable behaviors
Used to measure extent to which
competencies are present or
not

Necessary Components for

Describing Competencies

Definition
Description of specific behaviors
When competency demonstrated
When competency not demonstrated

Suggestions for developing the

competency

Comparative Systems
Simple rank order
Alternation rank order
Paired comparisons
Forced distribution

Choose Measurement System

Comparative system
Compares employees with each
other

Absolute system
Compares employees with prespecified performance standard

Advantages of Comparative
Systems
Easy to explain

Straightforward
Better control for biases and
errors found in absolute systems
Leniency
Severity
Central tendency

Disadvantages of Comparative
Systems

Rankings may not be specific

enough for
Useful feedback
Protection from legal challenge

No information on relative distance

between employees
Specific issues with forced
distribution method

Absolute Systems
Essays
Behavior checklists
Critical incidents
Graphic rating scales

Essays

Advantage:
Potential to provide detailed feedback

Disadvantages:
Unstructured and may lack detail
Depends on supervisor writing skill
Lack of quantitative information;
difficult to use in personnel decisions

Behavior checklists

Advantage:
Easy to use and understand

Disadvantage:
Scale points used are often
arbitrary
Difficult to get detailed and useful
feedback

Critical
incidents
Kinds of
measurement
1. Report of specific employee
behavior

Allows focus on specific behavior

Very time-consuming

2. Examples of behavior illustrative

of core competencies

Easier to use
Describes behavior desired

Graphic rating scales

Clear meaning for each
response category
Consistent interpretation
by outside readers
Supervisor and employee
should have same
understanding of rating

Graphic rating scales:

BARS improvement

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

(BARS)
Use critical incidents as anchors
Involves multiple groups of employees in
development

Identify important job elements

Describe critical incidents at various levels of
performance
Check for inter-rater reliability

Measuring Performance

Several types of methods

Differ in terms of:
Practicality (time and effort)
Usefulness (quantifiable)

Quick Review

Measuring Results
Identify accountabilities
Set objectives
Determine standards of
performance

Measuring Behaviors
Identify competencies
Identify indicators
Choose measurement system