“Performance management is a challenge, but a fun challenge.”
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Watch Interview Excerpts
The Golden Thread
The Florida Department of Revenue has a problem. Unless the
organization of 5400 employees consistently does its job better than
the private sector, there is no reason why its work shouldn’t be
outsourced. And key to achieving that level of performance is the
organization’s performance management process.
The implementation of their performance management process was a
critical part of a strategic effort that involved multiple process and
performance initiatives. One, the move to a more horizontal structure,
required that people truly understand how their goals fit with the
agency’s. When it was initiated, there were three primary goals that
the performance management process was to help address:
Improve the agency's processes
Provide relevant information to make decisions
Provide timely, consistent feedback to individuals
The Golden Thread is the centerpiece of that effort. The program, known
more commonly as cascading goals and objectives, provides a clear line
of sight from the individual performer, to the team, to the strategic
goals of the organization. The Golden Thread makes explicit the
relationship between an individual’s goals and those of FDOR, and has
made it possible for this state agency to be the first to win the
Governor’s Sterling Award (the equivalent of a Malcolm Baldrige Award
at the state level), while collecting $39 billion a year for the state.
Process
For most employees, there are 6 month and annual reviews using the
employee evaluation and development system. There is a 1-5 rating scale
across the agency, with final ratings recorded in the SAP HR system.
Employees are also expected to have an Individual Development Plan
(IDP) that addresses courses and curricula.
In addition, the agency has a Strategic Leadership System (SLS) that is
in its first year of implementation. The team that developed the SLS
benchmarked the private sector, and created the new structure. The
System puts an emphasis on development for the 600-700 leaders of the
organization. There are 25 leadership competencies and each leader has
a set of performance expectations based on those that is stored in an
online Individual Development Plan. Following an annual 360degree
process, managers have a discussion with each leader about their
performance on the top five and bottom five competencies. Then the
leaders meet with their employees to discuss their plans to improve the
bottom five.
