That development - discovering and analyzing performance gaps, planning for future improvements in human performance, and designing and developing cost-effective solutions to close performance gaps - lies with middle management.
Managers play a crucial role in human performance improvement, but many lack the know-how needed to maximize performance in their employees because as Preston Brown wrote in his article, Having Their Backs: Improving Managers' Skills in Developing Others in this months issue, "Many organizations have failed to equip their managers with the skills and knowledge they need to develop their direct reports."
Many of you have been tasked with establishing and maintaining a high-performance workplace and encouraging productivity. To do this, you must focus on helping managers gain the skills needed to set employee goals, communicate clear expectations, and provide frequent feedback to help people perform most effectively.
Managers have been feeling the pressure to do more with less while ensuring that customer needs are met and employees work more efficiently. To gain the desired results, managers must be able to manage resistance, get buy-in from their direct reports, and communicate the case for change from a knowledge-based workplace to an environment based on productivity.
Have you prepared your managers to be change agents? Have you given them the skills to analyze performance, coach employees, and communicate feedback?
It is a well-known fact that middle managers are the lifeblood of organizations. They are responsible for executing business strategies and must find ways to motivate employees to achieve excellence through performance. It is crucial that you invest time and training to improve your managers' abilities to support employee development. The success of your organization depends on it.
Paula Ketter
Editor, T+D
pketter@astd.org