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Group Performance in Appraisals

There's good news for Federal agencies that want to include organizational or group performance in determining individual ratings. You don't have to wait for new laws or regulations! Current regulations (see 5 CFR 430.204(d)(2)) encourage agencies to include achievement of organizational objectives in individual performance plans, as appropriate.

In practice, however, most agency performance management programs emphasize individual performance and do not support grouporiented approaches. This lack of group orientation in performance management programs was noted by the National Performance Review and the National Partnership Council in their respective reports. The NPC report recommended establishing a governmentwide system that would permit agency-based performance management programs that are "designed to operate almost entirely at the group level" while retaining some element of individual accountability.

Some organizations in government have already incorporated group performance measures into their individual performance appraisals. Frequently, these organizations support or emphasize quality management initiatives, employee involvement, and organizational performance. Often they use group performance as part of the basis for individual assessment.

• Example: Naval Aviation Supply Office
• Other Team-Focused Appraisal Approaches

Example: Naval Aviation Supply Office. The Naval Aviation Supply Office (ASO) in Philadelphia, PA, developed an appraisal process for its management team (GS 13-15 managers) that recognizes individual contributions while emphasizing team performance. First, generic critical elements and standards are used to rate individual performance. Then, top-level management determines the organization's rating by assessing ASO's accomplishment of its corporate strategies. Finally, supervisors compare individual accomplishment on common team elements to the organization's rating. Ratings of record are determined by combining both the individual's AND the organization's performance rating. Although ratings of record for team members rarely exceed the rating of the organization, individual ratings have on occasion been lower, based on the supervisor's rating on individual accomplishment. Poor performance is dealt with at the team level, and, to date, no formal actions have been needed. On occasion, team members are moved within the organization.

Employees favor the emphasis on group goals and team members have expressed satisfaction with this appraisal process. Marvin Sandler, head of the Total Quality Leadership Office at ASO, says that the success of the process is "because it is perceived as more fair than the previous one and it encourages movement toward corporate strategies."

Other Team-Focused Appraisal Approaches. Other organizations are also using team-focused appraisal approaches that emphasize team performance while still recognizing individual performance. The CECOM, Communications Security Logistics Activity at Fort Huachuca, AZ, is using self-managing teams as part of its "quality revolution." Among the many areas that the seventeen self-managing teams were given responsibility for is performance appraisal. Some teams have opted to use a group rating as part of the individual ratings. Tony Stevens, Total Quality Management Coordinator at CECOM, notes: "Since individual performance appraisals are directly linked to the fulfillment of team objectives, it is incumbent for every team member to clearly understand the goal and the metric which measures the progress toward it."

Another Federal organization using a team-focused approach is the Defense Mapping Agency's Office of Human Resources in St. Louis, MO. Their self-directed team uses a team performance factor when deriving individual ratings. Also, components within the Department of Energy such as the Richland Washington Field Office and the Western Area Power Administration are developing appraisal systems that incorporate team-based ratings.

Origianlly published on June 1994.