Consultant Interview: Tya Adhitama
In 2017, the Performance Magazine editorial team interviewed Tya Adhitama, Founder/CEO at PT Navigadhi, Indonesia. Her thoughts and views on Performance Management are detailed below.
Coaching conversations are an important means by which experiences are turned into learning. Through coaching, managers can help employees become more self-aware.
Trends
- Which were the 2016 key trends in Performance Management, from your point of view?
From my point of view, the 2016 key trends in Performance Management were related to understanding the effective and appropriate way of assessing millennials that have joined the work force, while the majority of employees still follow more “conventional” performance evaluation KPIs.
- What are your thoughts on the integration of Performance Management at the organizational, departmental and employee level?
The integration of Performance Management at the organizational, departmental and employee level is extremely important, as aligning these three can help the organization set the same goals and standards throughout the entire organization, ensuring that all employees work towards achieving the same goals.
- Which will be the major changes in managing performance, in the future?
I believe that in the future, feedback sessions will become more immediate/timely, improvement-oriented, as well as more creative and more motivating and that the use of IT/online systems could become even more effective.
Nevertheless, when taking into consideration the human factor I also believe that face-to-face feedback sessions will remain just as important, especially here in Asia.
Research
- What aspects of Performance Management should be explored more through research?
In my opinion, one aspect of Performance Management that needs to be explored more through research is the way in which top leaders can inspire teams and employees, and get buy-in for the organization’s vision, strategies, and strategic initiatives when many are not within the same location.
This aspect should be thoroughly explored, as townhall meetings 1-2x/year just don’t cut it anymore.
- Which organizations would you recommend to be looked at, due to their particular approach to managing performance, and their subsequent results?
I recommend a comparison between multinational companies and successful national companies. National companies encounter significantly different business landscapes and challenges relative to multinational corporations.
Operating a business that targets a smaller market requires distinct strategies compared to doing business in multinational settings. However, despite sometimes facing an uphill battle, national companies have their strengths when it comes to competitive industries worldwide.
- Which of the existing trends, topics or particular aspects within Performance Management have lost their relevance and/or importance, from your point of view?
I believe that one dimensional assessments (target achievements) that don’t include a more holistic approach (stakeholders, environment, triple bottom line, etc) have lost their relevance and/or importance, because in reality MANY organizations are saying one thing, while practicing something else on a daily basis.
Practice
- Which are the main challenges of Performance Management in practice, today?
The main challenges of Performance Management in practice today seem to relate to those moments in which team leaders need to help their team members translate KPIs into daily routines, which can help them achieve their individual and team goals.
- What should be improved in the use of Performance Management tools and processes?
The most important process that I believe needs to be improved is the frequency of meaningful, behavior changing feedback that should be implemented through better coaching conversations.
Coaching conversations are an important means by which experiences are turned into learning. Through coaching, managers can help employees become more self-aware. They can also reinforce strengths and explore challenges, and help employees take responsibility for their actions and their development.
- What would you consider as a best practice in Performance Management?
In my opinion, one best practice in Performance Management is the coaching for improvement vs reprimanding for not achieving. Managers should focus on motivating and helping the members of their team to improve and to work towards achieving the same goals.
Even though motivation and discipline are on opposite ends of the management spectrum, managers need to provide both to lead a team successfully. That is why, managers should combine moments of coaching with moments of feedback, namely they should combine motivation and discipline, in order to create a balance of rewards and corrective actions that can drive a team to perform better.
Education
- Which aspects of Performance Management should be emphasized during educational programs?
One aspect of Performance Management that should be emphasized during educational programs is the best way in which one can translate KPIs into daily routines and habits.
Students must learn and understand that KPIs should be used as the mechanism that can link the top-level vision for the business down to the individual drivers of performance on a day-to-day basis.
- What are the limits that prevent practitioners from achieving higher levels of proficiency in Performance Management?
Some practitioners cannot achieve higher levels of proficiency in Performance Management, because they get caught up in different situations, urgent or not, thus leaving little space for investing their time in more important things, like improving proficiency in performance management.
Personal Performance
- What is your opinion on the emerging trend of measuring performance outside working hours?
To lead a balanced life, we must align the body with the mind, the spirit and the heart. Some people have difficulty doing this on their own: setting personal goals and measuring achievement helps. I strongly believe that what gets measured, gets done. I do not appreciate people being forced to work beyond a rigorous, but healthy schedule.
- What personal performance measurement tools do you use?
I mainly use coaching conversations and the 4 Disciplines of Execution.
Specialization Specific Question
- Consultant Point of View: What are the processes and tools you look at, in order to differentiate a successful performance management system, from a superficial one?
In order to differentiate a successful performance management system from a superficial one I mainly look at whether: it is being executed regularly; it is simple enough that everyone actually uses it; employee satisfaction surveys are qualitatively verified in the field; online systems are accessible to all.
Tags: Coaching, Consultant, Interview
