People First - October 2007

Improving Performance Standards

Motivation is Key

by Mark Keays

When supervisors and managers are unable to meet deadlines or production standards, the call often goes out to hire more people. If you were to poll the employees in most organizations, whether or not they could do more, the vast majority would tell you they could, but aren’t motivated to do so. In many cases, performance standards are out of date with what could actually be achieved, with the technology in place, by motivated employees. There are always reasons why something can’t be done, and in many cases, that is where change stops.

Prior to May 6, 1954, it was believed to be impossible that anyone could run a mile in less than four minutes. Then Roger Bannister did just that, and since that time, the record continues to be broken. Bannister was very motivated and didn’t perceive the sub-four-minute mile an insurmountable goal. As a result, through motivation, hard work and dedication, he ran a record-setting mile in three minutes and 54 seconds. The parallel here is that people are often capable of exceeding the minimum expectations set as acceptable performance or production standards.

Another negative influence that interferes with attempts to improve performance standards is the impact of peer pressure. New employees often realize that performance standards can be exceeded and provide opportunity to move ahead in the organization. However, peer pressure often rises to influence the new employee to not “rock the boat,” and they typically adapt to meeting the minimums in order to get along with coworkers.

The real challenge is to identify realistic performance and productivity measures, and create an environment where employees are continually motivated to reach higher levels of performance and productivity. Time and motion studies can analyze work flow and determine the amount of work or number of functions to perform under optimal conditions. Reviewing current performance against the revised standards can identify the incremental improvements that need to be made.

Introduce employees to the new standard and ensure they understand the importance of adopting it, in order to meet the new performance goals. In an effort to motivate people, organizations can create a workplace environment where employees motivate themselves. Enlightened leaders who know how to get results out of their people will communicate the importance of meeting new standards, provide reinforcement, incentives and support. At times, additional employees may need to be hired, but only after the organization has carefully studied its current performance and production standards, and adjusted them to achieve the maximum realistic performance possible. The cost of hiring new employees is usually an expensive undertaking, and not always the answer when the current employees don’t meet the organization’s needs.

Mark Keays
Mark Keays is president of Desert Management Services, a Las Vegas-based management consulting firm, and a faculty member of the University of Phoenix, where he teaches in the areas of organizational change, human resources and management.