Watch an Interview with the former Manager of DaimlerChrysler, North America on the Timing of Performance Reviews Throughout the Year
John Gutowski – former manager of DaimlerChrysler North America, and
current President of the Fairwater Group – discusses his reasons for not
setting dates for yearly appraisals. He argues that requiring an
evaluation on a specific date can force judgments to be madelong
before, or after they are most relevant. Instead, managers should sit
down on a daily, monthly, or even quarterly basis with an open door
philosophy.
When managing performance, it is important to do so in the
context of the job because performance is fluid, and it makes no sense
to provide feedback 9 months after a job was completed. An additional
advantage of this strategy is that managers are not required to dedicate a large amount of time over a short period to performance reviews, as
is the case with fixed date evaluations, and the evaluations will be
more genuine and effective.
Mr. Gutowski believes that reviews should be
ongoing and occur at critical junctures, *addressing lessons immediately
and offering recognition in a timely manner. He also stresses that such
feedback must be structured to match the strategy of the corporation,
and thereby consistent with organizational goals and objectives. In this
format, managers better accomplish their role of providing the tools for
employees to perform at the highest possible level.
