Performance Management System Project Update - March 09, 2017

Kickoff Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date/Time: 2/27/2017 - 1:45 @ Downtown Library

Attendees: Michele Gorman, Kelley Hoffman, Kiley Ingram, Melody Kellogg, Lorraine Kituri (consultant), Karen Litteral, Kristine Magers, Julia McConnell, Ben Mead-Harvey, Todd Podzemny, Risa Sargent, Paula Singer (consultant), Ashley Welke

1. ​Meeting outcomes: We discussed the goals for this meeting and our desired outcomes. 
   1. Agree on purpose, charter, and work plan for committee.
   2. Develop shared understanding of the possible components for a new performance management system.
   3. Draft a list of core competencies for all staff and for managers.
       
2. Committee Charter: The committee reviewed a draft charter and, after discussion, agreed to make it our official charter. The Charter outlines the purpose, role, and duties of the committee during the project. The full Performance Management Project Charter can be found in the Attachments list on the Project Page. Here is a brief summary:
   1. Communication: Be "point of contact" for staff questions; communicate staff concerns, questions, ideas to consultant; provide clear and regular updates via this Project Page and other means.
   2. Provide Guidance to Consultant: The committee provides input and feedback from each individual perspective and as a representative for their coworkers.
   3. Reviewer: Review preliminary findings and recommendations and serve as a sounding board for project findings and recommendations.
   4. Advocate: Support and advocate for plan implementations. By having a deep understanding of the process and the recommendations, committee members will be able to explain and justify final decisions as the best option.
       
3. Discussion, New Performance Management System: We began discussing the basic components that could be included in a new performance management system. We have not begun drafting what the system will look like, how appraisals will be scored, etc. This conversation was very broad, focusing on what things might be included. Here were possible components we discussed. Keep in mind that this is an early draft of ideas to investigate further:
   • Goals: Consider including a section in the appraisal for setting and achieving goals that relate to system-wide and local department objectives.
   • Core Competencies: Core Competencies are the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are vital to being a successful Metropolitan Library System employee.
   • Self-Evaluation: Possibly have employee appraise themselves in conjunction with supervisor as a communication tool. This would more fully include employees in the performance evaluation process and allow the manager and employee to recognize possible gaps in understanding about work efficacy. 
   • Job Description: Our current appraisal system is wholly based on job descriptions. If included, our current thought is that this section would be much broader without the level of detail seen in our current system.
   • Intention Statements: Broad statements meant to focus on supervisors' intended actions, rather than their perceptions of the employee, such as "I always go to ___ when I need extraordinary results." 
   • Increased Frequency: Possibly have appraisals more frequently than once per year. Possibly have formal check-ins regularly that are not the appraisal itself, but do focus on performance.
      
4. Brainstorm Core Competencies: We begin brainstorming possible Core Competencies which would apply to all staff and to all managers. For more detail about this part of the meeting and other work related to Core Competencies, see the Development of Core Competencies update.

This committee had previously done some information gathering about what people like and do not like about our current appraisal system. While we do not know what form the new system will take, a primary goal is to make it shorter and simpler than our current one. Singer Group also received feedback during the focus group portion of the all-staff meetings on the 27th and 28th. They will be providing a summary of the themes that emerged from those meetings.