"What would you suggest to help evaluate my supervision objectively at review time?" SteveG via the Internet

OBJECTIVE SUPERVISORY EVALUATIONS

By Gene Levine - www.genelevine.com

  My experiences reveal that most supervisors have no idea how they're evaluated beyond getting work out the door on time. So, your question is a good one.

To begin with, if your company has no formal supervisory training program there is little probability that you can be objective during the review process. Just what criteria are you hoping to evaluate? What we seek is improvement in a supervisor's job performance and that does not come by hope or osmosis. It is the result of training. Supervisors and for that matter anyone in management needs to be evaluated on how much their skills, efforts, knowledge, abilities and results improve from one period to the next.

The key to profits and problem minimization most often depends on these supervisors who are the few people who control your many people. Getting supervisors to perform, to do what needs to be done, is therefore one of management’s most demanding tasks. All too many company executives sit around wondering why their bottom lines are so poor rather than cure the cause by spending quality time and the necessary dollars to train subordinates.

If you really want to evaluate supervisors properly and do not yet conduct supervisory training then it's mandatory that you consider it. To decide where to focus your training is a rather easy task. Previous articles of mine discussed ways to develop curriculum and training agendas (copies of those articles can be found on my website) so I won’t cover them again at this time. The suggestions that follow will focus on a successful multi-faceted approach that entails both evaluation and development. It involves mutual trust and superior communication skills between the supervisor and the person doing the reviewing. Used correctly it clearly shows how well your supervisors are progressing towards reaching your business goals and where they may need further development.

I think it is important therefore to first briefly cover some basic examples of what factory goals should be. All of my clientele use these as their goals. By interfacing these goals against your supervisor’s attainment of them you should get a clearer picture as to the supervisor's worth. Among the standards that present-day supervisors are measured by, you would expect (at least) the following seven (7) major goals:

1. Efficiency of their direct labor work force to exceed 100%

2. Meet or beat scheduled S.A.H. workloads

3. Manufacturing quality rejects not to exceed 1/4 of 1% of their total production

4. Total Direct Labor Variances (time work, make-up, overtime premium) not to exceed 15% of Total Incentive Payroll

5. Their annual direct labor turnover, not to exceed 30%

6. Their department's absenteeism not to exceed 3%

7. Their department's tardiness not to exceed 1%

Then, there are the supervisory performance benchmarks which, by design, vary from company to company. These can all be objectively measured a review time. I will provide you with nine examples that should get you started. They are, in no pre-determined order; 1) Communication and Personnel Contacts, 2) Goal Achievement, 3) Professional Knowledge and Skills, 4) Judgment and Decision Making, 5) Attitude and Cooperation, 6) Personnel Leadership, 7) Planning and Organizing, 8) Direction and Influence and 9) Initiative and Perseverance.

Two multi-page evaluation questionnaires are used and, as you will see, they are almost identical. One questionnaire is given to each supervisor to fill in and the supervisor's supervisor completes the other (which is printed on a different colored paper). The answers are usually as truthful as the honesty and confidence level between people. Space constraints only allow me to use one of the benchmarks and only 4 items from that benchmark. The two different versions of the form should be evident.

The entire questionnaire usually contains a total of about 100 questions. The explanation page of the 6-page questionnaire the supervisor fills out reads as follows;

SUPERVISORY SELF-ANALYSIS INVENTORY

Name ___________________________________ Position Title___________________

Department ______________________________

Date in Position ____________________ Date Last Review_______________ Due Date ___________________

Instructions: This form provides a systematic guide for you to evaluate your job accomplishments since your last review date. The person conducting your review will evaluate your performance and development on a similar form. Later, you and your reviewer will go over the evaluation together to discuss accomplishments, problems, and make plans for progress. The following instructions should be followed in completing this form:

1. In each of the nine performance areas, carefully consider each statement, which applies to you. Place a check mark in the appropriate column to the right to describe your judgment on each statement. The scale is graduated and identified as follows:

2. In the space provided following the statements in each performance area, write in any additional statement which you feel is necessary to fully describe your performance in that area.

3. Review each of the statements under a performance area, consider your recorded judgment of each, and place a check mark at the appropriate level on the summary evaluation scale to express your judgment of your overall performance in that area.

4. Transfer your summary evaluation in each performance area to the Supervisory Review Profile Scale.

5. Based on your evaluation of your performance and progress since the last review date, establish your personal improvement goals for the coming review period.

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