Turning on the Marginal Performer

8/13/2019 Turning on the Marginal Performer

1/13

Too many of todays workers do merely okay on the job But managers cantur n these marginal perf ormers in o high achievers

Manageme t Dialogues:TurningOn the MarginalPerformer

J O H N R . S CH E R M E R H O R NWILL IAM L . GARDNERTHOMAS N . MART IN

JR-

b is an employee in the R&D labora-tory of a large high-technology firm. Hewas hired by the lab supervisor, Fred,

after a thorou gh recruitment and selection pro-cess. Both men were enthusiastic about the ap-pointment. Bob had excellent technical creden-tials, wa s glad to be hired by the lab, and reallyliked Fred. Fred was confident in Bob s abili-ties and sure that Bob was just the person thelab needed. He passed by Bobs work stationduring B&s first day on the job. Heres theway things started off:

FYtdBob:Fred

Bob:FredBob:Fred

Hi, Bo b. First full day on the job, I see?Yes, and Im ready to go to work.Goo d. I just though t Id stop by firstthing to say hi and remind you wereexpecting good results. Youll be prettymuch on your own here , so it will beyour responsibility to stay on top ofthings.Well, that shouldnt be a problem.I hope not. But if you hit any snags,dont be afraid to call me.All right.Good enough, Bob. See you later.

Everything seemed in order with this briefbut positive exchange between a manager and

his new employee. The two men talked easilywith each other. Fred quite specifically remindedBob of his expectations and pledged his support.Bob expressed confidence in his ability to fulfillFreds expectations, and he acknowledged theoffer of support.

But six months later, things h ad changeddramatically. For examp le, consider on e ofBobs typical workdays. He arrived late forwork and looked at the clock, which read 855.Little late this morning, he thoug ht to him-self. Oh well, no big deal. Freds not aroundanyway.Later in the day he noted that he hadcome up short again in his work. But nottoo bad, he said. This ought to be enoughto keep Fred off my back. Finally, just beforequitting time he considered getting a jump onthe next days schedule. But after thinking justa moment, he concluded, Ah, why sweat it?Ill do it tomorrow.

People like Bob show up in most worksites. Althoug h they initially seem capable andhighly motivated , they becom e marginal per-formers - workers who do just enough to getby. Many frustrated manag ers simply considerthese people unfortunate employmen t mistakesthat must be tolerated. By contrast, we believemanag ers can turn around many marginal 47


2/13

John R. Schermerho rn, JI : eachescourses in management, organizationalbehavior, and organization development atthe College of Business Administration ofOhio University, where he is the CharlesG. OBleness Professor of Management.He has a Ph.D. from Northwestern Univer-sity and previously served as chairpersonof the department of management andassociate dean of the College of Businessand Administration at Southern IllinoisUniversity-Carbondale, and as visitingprofessor at the Chinese University ofHong Kong. The author of M anagementfor Product i vit y Wiley, 1989), seniorcoauthor of M anaging Organizat ional e-havior Wiley, 1988), and past chairpersonof the management education and devel-opment division of the Academy ofManagement, he is an active manage-ment trainer and consultant with a specialinterest in human resources strategies forproductivity development. His internationalexperience includes assignments in In-donesia, Thailand, Egypt, Tanzania, andVenezuela, among other countries. His re-search on interorganizational cooperation,management and organization develop-ment, cross-cultural agreement, andmanagement education has appeared ina number of scholarly journals.

48

performers and thereby produce large produc-tivity gains for their organization. Such high-performance management gets the best fromeach and every individual contributor.Lets go back to the opening vignette to de-termine what went w rong in Fred and Bobs rela-tionship and wha t could have been done aboutit. Why did Bob, a capable and motivated per-son, become a marginal performer? What couldFred have done to turn the situation around sothat Bobs high-performance potential wouldhave been realized?

A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TOINDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

The answers can be found in a manage-ment framework based on what w e call theindi vi dzlal performance equati on: Performance= Abil it y x Support x Effort . Central to the

equation is the principle that high levels of wor kperformance result from the combination of apersons job-related abilities, various forms of or-ganizational suppo rt, and individual wor k ef-forts. The multiplication signs indicate that allthree factors must exist for high performance tooccur. Take any one or more away, and perfor-mance will be compromised. High-performancemanagemen t starts with the following implica-tions of the individual perform ance equation.

1. Performance begins wi th abil it y. In-dividual abilities are the skills and other personalcharacteristics we use in a job. For someone toperform well, he or she must have the skills andabilities required to comp lete the wor k. If theperson lacks the requisite baseline ab ilities, itwill be very difficult for even extraordinary ef-fort and support to produce high performance.

Becau se ability is a prerequisite for per-formance , it is the first factor to consider whensearching for explanations of marginal wor k.Initially, managers must determine whe theremploye es have the skills and aptitudes neces-sary to succeed. The best way to ensure thatthey do is to develop selection procedures that


3/13

properly match individual talents and job de-mands. In cases where employees lack essen-tial skills, manage rs should use training anddevelopment programs to help them acquirethese skills. The manager may also considerreplacing or reassigning personnel to achievea better m atch of individual abilities with jobrequirements.

In addition, as Victor Vrooms expectancytheory of motivation points out, individualsmust believe in their abilities if they a re to ex-hibit high performance. A person may havethe right abilities but may fail to develop theexpectation that by using the se skills, he or shewill achieve the desired pe rforman ce levels.Thus part of a manage rs job is to help buildself-confidence among the individual contrib-utors - to help them realize that they have theabilities required to meet high-perfo rmance ex-pectations.

2. Performance reqti i res support. The sec-ond but frequently overlooked high-performancefactor is support. Even the most hard-workingand highly capable individuals will be unableto maximize their performance if they do nothave the necessary support.In searching for the causes of marginal per-formance, managers need to examine two majordimensions of suppo rt. First, they must a sk ifthey have done their part to create a physical worksetting that supplies employ ees w ith broad op-portunities to fully use their abilities. A suppor-tive wor k environment provide s appro priate tech-nologies, tools, facilities, and equipment; offersadequ ate budgets; includes clearly defined taskgoals; gives autonomy without the burden of toomuch red tape and other performance obstacles;and pays a market-competitive base wage or sal-ary. Deficiencies in these areas impose situationalconstraints that too often frustrate employ eesperformance efforts.

Second, m anagers must give proper atten-tion to the social asp ects of the wor k environ-ment. Recent research into job stress, for exam-ple, suggests that social support is critical forsustainedhigh perform ance. Emotional suppor t

William L. Gardner is the Hearin-HessProfessor in Business Administration andassistant professor of management at theUniversity of Mississippi, where heteaches courses in management, or-ganizational behavior, research methods,and organization development. He re-ceived a B.S. in business administrationfrom Susquehanna University and anM.B.A. and D.B.A. from Florida StateUniversity. Gardner served as the re-search associate for a major grant com-missioned by the State of Florida to iden-tify the key competencies of educationalmanagers. This experience coupled withhis background in the wholesale hardwareindustry serves as a basis for his re-search and teaching efforts. His researchinterests include managerial work, impres-sion management, leadership, motivation,and management education. He has pub-lished articles in the Academy of Manage-ment Journal Academy of ManagementReview Journal of Management and Pub-lic Productivity Review.

49


4/13

r

Thomas N. Martin is the Noddle Distin-guished Professor of Management andchairperson of the department of manage-ment at the University of Nebraska atOmaha. He teaches courses in manage-ment, organizational behavior, organiza-tion theory, and business and society. Hereceived a B.S. in engineering from IowaState University, an M.B.A. from SantaClara University, and a Ph.D. in manage-ment from the University of Iowa. He isauthor or coauthor of articles that haveappeared in the Academy of ManagementJournal Academy of Management ReviewPersonnel Psychology Personnel Adminis-trator; Human Relations and CaliforniaManagement Review.

5

from a persons supervisor and co-w orkers, as wellas from non-job sources (i.e., spouses, family, andfriends), can have long-term positive effects onjob performance. Indeed, empathy can help aworker b etter handle such work stresses as skillunderutilization, high work loads, and role am-biguity.

A manager s responsibility thus includesproviding every individual contributor withthe maximum opportunity to perform at a highlevel. This advice echoes Robert Houses path-goal theory of leadership. Path-goal theory sug-gests that effective manag ers use various man-agemen t styles - directive, supportive, achieve-ment oriented, and participative-as necessaryto ensure that employees have clear paths asthey seek to accomp lish their goals. That is,good managers use leadership behaviors thatmaximize the amount of situational suppo rtavailable to others.

3. Performance involves effort. Effort is thefinal, and perhaps most commonly emphasized,individual performance factor. Here, effort refersto the amount of energy (p hysical an d/or men-tal) a person applies to perform a task. In otherwords, it represents someones w illingness to workhard.

Effort is necessary to achieve high-perfor-mance results. Capab le, well-suppor ted, but un-inspired employ ees are no more likely to succeedthan are hard-working persons w ho lack abilityand/or support. Yet unlike the other performancefactors, which are subject to direct managerialcontrol, the decision to exert or withhold oneseffort rests solely with the individual contribu-tor. To understand why employees sometimes de-cide not to work as hard as possible, it is againuseful to consider Vrooms expectancy theory ofmotivation. According to this perspectiv e, themotivation to work is the product of expectancy,instrumentality, and valence: Expectan cy is theindividuals assessment of the likelihood that hisor her work effort will lead to task performance;instrumenta y is the individuals belief that agiven level of perform ance will lead to certainwork outcomes; and valence is the value the per-


5/13


6/13

Theorists advise us that Freds threats re-veal a number of shortcom ings. For examp le,behaviors targete d for punishment frequentlyreceive positive reinforcement from anothersource-like peers and co-workers or even thesupervisors inadvertent actions. For another,managers who use punishment often come tobe viewed negatively by the recipients of the2

Reviewing this interaction, Fred though tit had been right to let Bob know he wasnthappy with his performance. But in this de-veloping schem e, w e have an indication thatthe only time Bob got the desired personal at-tention from Fred was when he did poorly. Associal-learning theorists will tell us, Bob wasessentially learning throug h reinforcement towork below his actual performance potential.By giving attention only when Bo b turned inmarginal, rather than high, perform ance, Fredwas positively reinforcing the wrong behav iorsand neglecting critical opportunities to posi-tively reinforce the right ones. A s long as thispattern continued, Bob was likely to remaina marginal perform er. And, as we will see, amanager s frustrations with this situation canall too easily lead him o r her to adopt evermore punitive approaches.

A few weeks later Fred noted that Bobsperform ance still wasnt back up to standard.While he was not the worst performer in thelab, he surely could have been doing a lot bet-ter; Bobs past record was proof positive. Be-ing even more concerned now, Fred went toBobs work area to discuss things with him.

Fred Bob, I want to talk to you.Bob: Hi, Fred, whats on your mind?Fred Your lousy performance, thats what

Your output has been down again forthe past tw o weeks. Look , Bob, I knowyou can hit the numbers, but youre justnot putting out. I need someo ne in herewho can get the job done. If it is notyou, Ill get someone else. I hope I wonthave to do that. Now lets get to it

Bob : [No response.]

punishment. At the very least, then, w e canexpect that Fred had set the stage for poten-tially irreparable dama ge to his working rela-tionship with Bob. It is not clear what Fredreally gained as a result of his punitivemanagerial posture.

One thing is clear from the above episode.Fred was telling Bob that it was Bob s responsi-bility to find out what had gone wrong over thepast couple of weeks, then take steps to correctit. Implicitly he was also attributing Bob s mar-ginal performance to one or more things thatmight be wrong-with Bob Unfortunately, Fredmade a common mistake: He focused only onwhat the employee might have been doing wrongwhile overlooking other possible causes for themarginal performance.

ATTRIBUTION ERRORS INPERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Take a look at the data in Exhibit 1. It sum-marizes h ow managers from the health careand banking industries respond ed to two ques-tions: (1) What is the most frequent cause ofpoor performance by your employees? and(2) What is the most frequent cause of poorperformance by yourself? The exhibit showsquite different patterns of responses: When em-ployees perform ance deficiencies wer e at is-sue, the managers tended to attribute the prob-lem to employ ees lack of ability and/or effort;when the managers own performance deficien-cies were at issue, the problem was overwhelm-ingly viewed as a lack of outside suppo rt. But,we must ask, if managers need better supportto achieve higher performance, doesnt thesame hold true for their employees?

Responses such as these are of no greatsurprise to those familiar with an area ofmanagem ent researc h known as attributiontheory. When dealing with marginal per-formers like Bob, the theory predicts thatmanag ers like Fred are more likely to attrib-ute any performance problems to some defi-


7/13

Exhibit 1M ARGINA L ERFORM ANCE:TTRIBUTIONS GIVEN BY MANAGERS AND BY EMPLOYEES THEMSELVES

Number of Responses t o t he Questi on: Number of Responses t o t he Questi on:M ost common cause of poor M ost common cause of poor

performance by you r empl oyees? At tr ibut ion performance by yourself ?22 Lack of Ability 215 Lack of Support 6636 Lack of Effort 6

Data are from healthcare and banking managers attending executive development seminars. One respondent did not reporton his/her employees performance. Data were collected during two executive development seminars conducted by JohnR. Schermerhorn Jr. for groups of healthcare managers and senior bank managers.

ciency within the individual -that is, to a lackof ability or lack of effort-rath er than to adeficiency in the wo rk situation, like a lackof organizational or managerial suppo rt. Giventhat Bob was considered technically compe-tent when he was hired (thus satisfying the abil-ity factor), Fred probably assumed that Bobsreduced performance resulted from a lack ofmotivation (a problem with the effort factor).

Managers who view performance prob-lems in such a manner will spend valuable timeand money trying to find ways to increase theiremploy ees motivation directly and immedi-ately. When these initial efforts fail, thethreatening and punitive ap proac h that Fredused in the last episode is likely to follow.

The fact that employees tend to attributedeficiencies in their performance to externalcauses, such as inadequate suppo rt, rather thanto the internal causes their managers favor fur-ther complica tes such situations. Bob, for ex-ample, is more likely to attribute his medioc reperformance to a lack of supervisory recogni-tion (an external cause) than to his own lazi-ness (an internal cause) -which Fred seems toassume is the case. When such gaps between at-tributions exist, employ ees like Bob typically re-sent the harsh and punitive response s theirmanagers use. On the other hand, managers getincreasingly frustrated because they cannot un-derstand the employees failure to perform.

If this cycle of mismatched manager-em-ployee attributions is allowed to continue, a worst-case scenario, in the form of wha t social psychol-

ogists call learned helplessness, may occur. Thisterm refers to the tendency for people who areexposed to repeated punishment or failure tobelieve th ey do not possess the skills needed tosucceed at their job. A s a result they become pas-sive in their w ork, and they tend to remain soeven after situational changes occur that makesuccess once again possible. A feeling that out-comes are beyond ones control, when in fact theyare not, is the essence of learned helplessness.People become convinced that they are doomedto fail no matter what they do. As a consequence,employees w ho experience learned helplessnesswill usually continue to exhibit passive and mal-adaptive behavior long after changes (such as in-creased support or the arrival of a new manager)occur that make success possible.

In Bob s case, learned helplessness resultingfrom Freds punitive responses may cause Bobeventually to doubt the very abilities that ledto his hiring and early successes. While learnedhelplessness is a wors t-case scenario, it exempli-fies the serious complications that can arise ifmanagers fail to address marginal performancein a constructive way. The appro ach that werecommend for dealing more positively with themarginal perfor mer is outlined below.

DEALING W ITH BOB-A BETTER WAYMany marginal performers, like Bob, are

aware that they are not working up to theirpotential - and they know w hy. Given a posi- 53


8/13

tive environment for dialogue, they are oftenwilling and able to pinpoint the causes-bothpersonal and situational - of their perform anceproblem s. They a re also willing to assume theirshare of the responsibility for correcting them.Toward this end, we suggest the following man-agerial strateg y for turning around a mar-ginal performer.

Bring the performance gap to the mar-ginal perfor mers attention.

Ask in a nonthreatening manner for anexplanation.

Describe the implications of the mar-ginal performers substandard work.

Restat e the original and still-desirableperformance objectives.Offer the external support necessary forthe marginal performer to improve his or herperformance.

Exp ress confidence that the marginalperformer will respond as expected.

Agree on an appropriate time frame forjointly evaluating future perform ance in termsof the agreed-upon standards.

Continue the proce ss until it succeed sor the individual admits to an employmentmismatch that can be reconciled only by a jobchange.

To illustrate how these step s can be fol-lowed , lets go back in time and pick up ourvignette at the point whe re Fred first noticedthat Bobs performance had dropped off. Wellassume he was prepared to adopt this morepositive appr oach to the situation. As Fredsdialogue with Bob develop s, we ll occasionallyinterject some discussion of his actions andBobs responses. This will help illustrate thesteps and potential benefits of the recom-mended approach.

Fred noticed that Bobs performance hadbeen down for two weeks. A fter thinking itover, he realized that a capable person like Bobshould have been consistently performing ata higher level -but he may have needed somehelp. Fred decided to walk to Bobs w ork sta-

54 tion and talk to him about the matter at once.

Fred Bob? Id like to talk w ith you a bit. T hislast production report shows you camein below standard again the past week.

Bob: Yeah, I guess I was a bit behind.Immediately, Fred brought the perfor-

mance gap to Bobs attention. He did this po-litely, but specifically and face-to-fac e. Bobreadily admitted he had fallen behind.

FredBob:

Ho w do you feel about falling behind?Well, every time I get rolling I get hitwith a schedule change. Som etimes theymake sense, sometimes they dont. Imnot always clear about what to do. Ididnt want to say much. So I just triedto struggle through on my own.

In the above exchange, Fred gave Bob achance to expre ss his feelings w ithout puttinghim on the defensive. His next step was to tryto identify the causes for Bobs substandardperform ance. To do this, Fred asked in a non-threatening manner for an explanation.

Fred

Bob:

FredBob:

FredBob:

There certainly have been a lot of sched-ule changes lately. Wh ich ones are giv-ing you the most problems?Mostly the changes with the Series J de-signs. Im just not clear on how to han-dle them.Yeah, they can be tricky. Have you askedanyone about them?Well, I realize the project manager hasa lot on her mind. I just didnt wantto bother her with my own problems.And .And?Uh . I just didnt want her to thinkI couldnt do the job.

This back-and-forth talk revealed Bobs be-lief that his perform ance suffered from unclearschedule chan ges, som ething beyond his con-trol. Fred listened to the content of Bobs mes-sage and tried to understand his feelings. Healso asked B ob to clarify certain points, suchas the types o f schedule changes he had the


9/13

most problems with and the reasons why hedidnt ask for help. By remaining open-mindedand avoiding common attribution errors, Fredlearned a lot about the possible causes of Bobspoor performan ce. In fact, his active listeningrevealed that Bob feared he would look in-competent if he brought his problems with thedesign changes to the project managers atten-tion. Next, Fred provided Bob with some im-mediate support to reassure him that he wasviewed as a capable and trustworthy worker.

Fred

Bob:Fred

Bob:

You shouldnt worry about it, Bob. Shethinks highly of you. In fact, she saidhaving you here is really going to makethings a lot easier. And your part of theproce ss really counts. The project man-ager needs your help to meet the dead-lines.Well, I though t I could wor k it out, evenif it took extra time.Im sure you could, Bob, w ith your tech-nical skills. But on this project timecounts, and there are other people hereto help you when needed. Its impor-tant that you understand completelywhat happens when you dont makeyour numbers because of confusion overthe schedule changes. You slow downthe next process, and that compoundsthe schedule changes down the line.Then our standards fall off, and we riskmissing the target dates. So you see,your work directly affects the overall per-formanc e of the unit.Yes, I can see where it would.

After reassuring Bob that he was viewedas a highly capable and dependable worker,Fred made sure Bob understood the implica-tions of his substandard work. Fred explainedto Bob what happened when he slowed downon the job and stressed that his performanceaffected the entire project. This reminded Bobthat others depended on his work being donewell and on time so they could meet their per-formance objectives. It highlighted not onlythe significance of his job in general, but also

the significance of high performance in thatjob. F rom the perspective of Houses path-goaltheory, Fred clarified the path Bob needed tofollow to achieve the desired goal of high per-formance. But Fred wasnt finished yet.

Fred

Bob:Fred:

Bob:

Bob, before going further, lets reviewthe performance objectives we estab-lished for you. They are . . FredandBob rev i ew ob ject i ves. )Yes, Fred, theyre clear to me.Well look, Bob, the next schedulechange you get hit with, I want you totalk to the project manager or to mebefore it throw s you behind. In themeantime, lets discuss way s of dealingwith schedule changes for the Series Jdesigns so that you know how to han-dle them. Then Im sure your perfor-mance will be back up to the standardlevel whe re it belongs. Okay ?Okay. 111 ure feel better when thingsare back on track.

During this exchange Fred once againstated Bobs original and still-desired perfor-mance objectives. By doing this face-to-face,Fred reinforced the personal dim ensions oftheir relationship, further heighten ed Bobscomm itment to improve, and increased Bobssense of accountability to Fred. In addition,Fred offered the support necessary for Bob toimprove his performance. He urged Bob to askfor help when he ran into problems, somethingBob had previously considered an unwelcomeintrusion on the project manager. He furthersuggested that the two of them discuss howto deal with the Series J schedule chang es. Thiswas an offer of immediate help for dealing witha perceived job constraint. Finally, Fred ex-pressed confidence that Bob would respondas expected. Bob readily agreed that he wouldbe able to do so.

Following this discussion, Bob probablyfelt pretty good. Fred then made one more ef-fort to ensure that Bob would get back on andstay on the high-performance track. 55


10/13

Fred? I feel real goo d about our conversation,Bob. Y oure a capable guy, and I knowyoull be right back on top soon. Justto make sure things go okay, though,lets talk again after next wee ks repor tsare in. Wh at do you think?

Bob: 111 ook forw ard to it. Itll give us achance to touch base.

Fred established an appropriate time frameand standards for evaluating Bob s future per-formanc e. By adding this control, he helpedensure that the prom ised improvem ents inproductivity would become a reality. Bob wasassured that Fred was interested in his ongo-ing perform ance and that productivity gainswould receive attention. He also saw that afailure to obtain the desired results wo uld re-quire an explanation. By formally schedulingfurther meetings with Bob, Fred assured him-self of opportunities to recognize perform anceimprovem ents. If such improvem ents did notoccur, the meetings would ensure that Bobsmarginal performance would receive furtherattention before too much time had elapsed.At that point Fred could continue the proce sswith Bob or, if he believed the job w as a truemismatch, work with Bob to develop an alter-native solution. Thus, the stage seeme d set onceagain for Bob to become the high performereveryone expected him to be.

BROAD-BASED HIGH-PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENT

Our continuing examp le offers manage rsa starting point for developing personal andsituation-specific strategies for dealing withmarginal performers. Of course the exact na-ture of the marginal perform ance will varyfrom one person to the next. Our example hasdealt with only one type- the capable in-dividual whose w ork efforts have declined overtime. From the individual perform ance equa-tion, however, we know that marginal perfor-

56 mance can arise from a lack of ability, e ffort,

or support, or from some combination of thesefactors. To deal with the uniqueness of eachsituation, we suggest asking the diagnosticquestions listed in Exhibit 2. The followingguidelines also highlight useful actions.

To Maxim ize Ability

The manag ers task is to achieve and main-tain an appropriate match between the capa-bilities o f the marginal perfor mer and the jobhe or she is asked to do. Depending on the na-ture of the job and the person, one of severaloptions may be selected. In some case s the in-dividuals abilities can be develop ed throug htraining; in other cases the job may have tobe change d so it better fits the individual; andin still others , individuals may have to bereplaced with more capable workers. In allcases a job vacancy must be recognized forwhat it is-perhaps the managers greatest op-portunity to build high-perfo rmance potentialinto a system by hiring a person who se talentsand interests match the jobs requirements.

Earlier we noted that repeated exposureto failure and punishment can lead to learnedhelplessness. Becau se the ability deficits aremore imagined than real, how ever, individu-als suffering from learned helplessness willneed help in refocusing their concerns tow ardother performance factors. Take, for example,the case of a newly appointed manager whoinherits a team of marginal performers whohad received little or no suppo rt from theirprevious supervisor. To restore their feelingsof competence, the manager must first helpthem understand that any past performanceproblems wer e not due to a lack of ability. Thisis the first step of a turnaround strategy.

To Maximize SupportThe m anagers task here is to (1) help mar-

ginal performers secure the resources they need


11/13

Exhibit 2QUESTIONSMANAGERS AN ASK WHEN DEALINGWITH A MAR GINAL ERFOR MER

Questions to Ask About Abi l i tyHas the individual perform ed at a higher level in the past?Is the perform ance deficiency total, o r is it confined to particular tasks?Ho w well do the individuals capabilities match the jobs selection criteria?Has the individual been properly trained fo r current task requirements?

Questi ons to Ask About SupportHave clear and challenging task goals been set?Are other employees having difficulty with the same tasks?Is the job properly designed to achieve a best fit with the individuals capabilities?Do any policies and/or proce dures inhibit task perform ance?Is the manager providing adequate feedback?Is the individual being fairly compe nsated?Is the wor k environment comfortab le?Is the manager providing sufficient emp athy and emotional support?Are the individuals co-w orkers providing sufficient emotional support?Has the manager actually encouraged high performance?

Questions to Ask About EffortDoe s the individual lack enthusiasm for wo rk in general? For the assigned tasks in particular?Are individuals with similar abilities performing at higher levels?Has the individual been properly recognized for past accomplishm ents?Are rew ards and incentives provided on a performance-con tingent basis?Is the individual awa re of possible r ewa rds and incentives?Does the individual have an appropriate role model?

to achieve high levels of job perform ance, and(2) help remove any and all obstacles that in-hibit high perform ance. Success with this fac-tor sometimes requires a dramatic change inthe way manag ers view their responsibilities.Rather than simply being the person whodirects and controls the work of others, an ef-fective manager always acts to facilitate theiraccomp lishments. This involves doing muchmore than telling employees what to do andthen following-up on them. The truly effectivemanager creates a supportive work environ-ment by clarifying perform ance expectation s,changing job designs, providing immediatefeedb ack, fostering better interpersonal rela-tions, and eliminating unnecessary rules, pro-cedure s, and other job constraints.

Consider again the case of the newly ap-pointed supervisor. Supp ort is an especially

critical compon ent of an effort to alleviatelearned helplessness. Once marginal p erform-ers are convinced throug h attributional train-ing that they do have the ability required toperform, they must be further persuaded thatthey will receive the support required to ex-cel. The manager should en gage marginal per-form ers in dialogues that identify the types ofexternal support needed to help them applytheir abilities to best advantage . Ideally initialtask assignments will then be created to pro-duce successful exp eriences that further bo l-ster employ ees newfound self-confidence.

To Maximize Effort

Basic principles of motivation and posi-tive reinforcement should be applied whenev er 57


12/13

manager s de al with marginal perform ers. First,the marginal performer should be made awarewhenever his or her performance falls belowstandard. He or she should also be told howsubstandard performance adversely impactsother workers, subunits, and the organizationas a who le. Immed iate positive reinforcementshould follow performance improvements andall above-standa rd achievemen ts. Punishmentshould be avoided . By serving as an enthusias-tic role model, a supervisor can further helpmarginal performers become high achievers.

For the new supervisor dealing with agroup of marginal performers, strategies to cor-rect ability and suppo rt deficits mu st be ac-companied by assurances that high perfor-mance will lead to desired outcomes. The mostpowerful means of persuasion are successfulexperienc es clearly followed by positive re-inforcement - praise, recognition, and othervalued rewa rds. It is also helpful to providepositive role models w ho obtain desired re-war ds through skill utilization and task accom -plishmen t .

Finally, it is important to note that mana-gers motivational attemp ts gain leverage fromability and suppo rt efforts. The key is whatpsycholog ists call the effectance motive, a nat-ural motivation that occurs from feelings of self-efficacy. When people feel compete nt in theirwork, the argument goes, they can be expectedto work harder at it. Competence, in turn, comesfrom ability and the feeling that ones skills andaptitudes are equal to the tasks at hand. Com-petence also comes from support and the feel-ing that ones wo rk environment helps, ratherthan hinders, task accomplishm ent.

It is said that the very best motivation is thatwhich comes from within. Thus, managers cangain additional motivational impact by invest-ing in ability and supp ort factors. To the extentthat greater perceive d ability and suppo rt en-hance ones sense of comp etence, internal mo-tivation is a likely consequence . Rath er thanconcentrating only on motivational strategies de-

58 signed to encourage more work effort externally,

managers should make sure they take full ad-vantage of the improv ed internal m otivation thatmay be derived when ability and support factorsare addressed.

A VAST POOL OF RESOURCES

Marginal pe rform ers present significantchallenges to their managers- but they alsorepresent a vast pool of human resources withthe potential to offer major produ ctivity gainsto their organizations. To capitalize on thispotential, manage rs must be comm itted toworking with marginal perform ers to identifythe causes of their problems and take positiveactions to move them toward greater accom-plishments. T he individual per forman ce equa-tion can provide manage rs with the insight theyneed to tap the true potential of the marginalperfor mer. Specifically, it directs a manage rsattention tow ard three major factors that in-fluence individual perform ance - the oftenneglected support factor as well as the morecommonly recognized ability and effort fac-tors. Guided by this action framework, mana-gers can take advantag e of every interactionand every conversation with marginal per-forme rs to pursue their turnaround strategies.In the final analysis, the foundations for high-performance management rest with the mana-gers themselves. To achieve the desired results,managers must:

Recognize that marginal performers arepotentialsources of majorproduct i vit y gains fororganizations. At the very least, they m ust beconsidered just as important as any other hu-man resour ce within th e organization.

Recognize t he need t o im pl ement posi-t iv e tur naroundstr ategies for deali ng w it h mar-gins/performers. Systematic and well-consideredattention, rather than outright neglect and evenpunishment, is the order of the day-every dayof a managers workw eek.

9 Be ready to accept at eastpar t ia l respon-sibil it y for the fact t hat a subordinat e has be-


13/13

come a marginalperfomet: Many workers learnto be marginal performers from the way theyare treated in the workplace-they dont startout to be that w ay. Bob, for one, sure didnt.

CKNOWLEDGMENT

The case setting for this article was developedfrom a vignette presented in Wilson Learning Corpo-rations instructional video Dealing with the Mar-ginal Performer (Buil ding Leadership S. l/r, NewYork: Wiley, 1986 ) and examined in William L. Gard-ners accompanying instructors guide. The initial fourdialogues reported here are loosely adapted from thevideo. We are indebted to Wilson Learning Corpora-tion and John Wiley & Sons for allowing us to buildupon this case framework.

vSELECTED BIBLIOGR PHY

The individual performance equation and itsrationale are explained in Chapter 9 of John R . Scher-merhorn, Jr.s book M anagement for Producti vi ty ,Third E dition (John W iley & Sons, 198 9). Theoreti-cal foundations for the approach are found in the ex-pectancy theory perspective offered by Victor Vroomin Work and M ot ivat ion (John W iley, 196 4) and byLyman W . Porter and E dward E. Lawler, III inM anageri al At ti tudesandPerformance (Irwin, 1968).The elements of the equation are also consistent witha review of the scholarly literature presented in Mel-vin Blumberg and Charles D. Pringles article TheMissing Opportunity in Organizational Research:Some Imp lications for a Theory of Work Performance(Academy ofM anagementReview , October 1982 ). Fi-nally, the emphasis on support echoes the perspectivepresented in Robert J. Houses article A Path-GoalTheory of Leader Effectiveness (Administrat i ve Sci-ence Quart er/r, September 1971).

For discussions of the managerial implicationsc&social-learning theory, see Robert Kreitner and Fred

Luthans, A Social Learning Approach to BehavioralManagem ent: Radical Behaviorists Mellowing Out(Organizati onal Dy namics, Autumn 1984). Attribu-tion theory is explained in a managerial perspectiveby Terrence R. Mitchell, S tephen G. Green, and RobertE. Woods book chapter An Attribution Model ofLeadership and the Poor Performing Subordinate inBarry Staw and Larry L. Cumm ings, Editors, Researchin Organizat i onalBehavior (JAI Press, 1981 ). The im-portance of supportive work environments free of un-necessary job constraints is documented by LawrenceH. Peters, Ed ward J. OConno r, and Joe R. Eulbergin their chapter Situational Co nstraints: Sources, Con-sequences, and Future Considerations in KendrethM. Rowland and Gerald R. Ferris, Editors, Researchin PersonnelandHuman Resources M anagement , Vol.3 (JAI Press, 1985 ). For more on the support factor,see Thom as N. Martin, John R. Schermerhorn, Jr.,and Lars Larsons chapter Motivational Consequencesof a Supportive Work Environment in Carole Amesand Martin E Maehr, Adv ances n Mot iv ati on Research(JAI Press, 1990).

The notion that organizational properties andleadership behaviors can inadvertently induce leam-ing helplessness was first presented by Mark J.Martinko and William L. Gardner in their article Learned Helplessness: An Alternative Explanationfor Performance Deficits (Academy ofM anagementRevi ew , April 1982 ). This theme is further developedin a follow-up article by these authors, The Leader/Member Attribution Process (Academy of Manage-ment Revi ew , April 1987).

The effectance motive is described in Robert W.Whites Motivation Reconsidered: The Concept ofCompetence (PsychologicaLRevi ew , eptember 1959).For an explanation of its managerial significance, seeJay W. Lorsch and John J. Morses Organizat ions andTheir M embers (Harper & Row, 1974). Andrew Groveexplains the concept of managerial leverage in HighOut put M anagement (Random House, 1983)

l f y o u w i s h t o m a k e p h o t o c o p i e s o r o b t a i n reprintsof t h is o r o t h e r a r t ic l e s i n O ~ c a ~ ~ z a rm ~ ~ r DY NAM I CS

p l e a s e r e f e r t o th e s p e c i a l r e p r i n t s e r v ic ei n st ru c t i o n s o n p a g e 8 0 .

9

Turning on the Marginal Performer

Documents

Transcript of Turning on the Marginal Performer