(Cover Page)

University Centre: - IACM.

Code No: - 1503

TO STUDY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

IN CONVERGYS

By

A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for
Master of Business Administration
Of Sikkim Manipal university, INDIA

Sikkim-Manipal university of Health, Medical and

technological sciences
 Distance education wing
Syndicate house
Manipal -576119

(Student Declaration)

I here by declare that the project report entitled

TO STUDY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN

CONVERGYS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of
Masters of business Administration

To Sikkim-Manipal University, India, is my original work

and not submitted for the award of any other degree,
diploma, fellowship, or any other similar title or prizes.

Place: New Delhi ()

Reg. No: 520854748

2
 (Examiner’s certification)

The project report of

NAME:SADHNA YADAV
Reg.No: 520854748

TO STUDY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN

CONVERGYS

Is approved and is acceptable in quality and form

Internal Examiner External

Examiners

3
 (University Study Center Certificate)

This is to certify that the project report entitled

TO STUDY HUMAN RESORUCE MANAGEMENT IN

CONVERGYS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of
Masters of Business Administration of
Sikkim-Manipal university of Health, Medical and
technological sciences

Has worked under my supervision and guidance and

that no part of this report has been submitted for the
award of any other degree, Diploma, Fellowship or
other similar titles or prizes and that the work has not
been published in any journal or Magazine.

4
Reg.No:520854748
Center Code No:1503
Semester: IV

5
 Table of Contents

Pg
1. Executive Summary 7 – 10
2. Company Profile 11 – 17
3. Introduction To Competency 18 – 24
What are Competencies?
The competency Iceberg
The Competency Model
4. Methodology 25 – 25
5. Phase I: Developing a Competency Based 26 – 44
Interviewing Guide
Background
Competency Based Interviewing (CBI)
Competency Based Interviewing Model
6. Phase II: Designing Competency Based 45 – 56
Performance Management System
Introduction
Competency Based Performance
Assessment
7. Phase III: Developing Career Progression 57 – 70
Path for Support Function
Introduction

6
 Career Progression Program
Support Staff Career Progression Program
Recommendations
8. Bibliography 71 – 71

9. Competency Based Interview Guide 72- 102

10. Performance Appraisal Form & 103-115

Competence and Appraisal Guide

11. Appraisal Process 116-150

12. Growth Chart 151-155

7
 Executive Summary

A Competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual

that is causally related to criterion-referenced effective and/or
superior performance in a job or situation. The word
competency is widely used in business and personnel
psychology. A competency is also something you can measure,
and lists of competencies form a common language for
describing how people perform in different situations. Every
job can be described in terms of key competencies. This means
that they can be used for all forms of assessment, including
appraisals, training needs analysis and of course, selection. At
Convergys India, a Competency Framework consisting of 15
Competencies was developed and each role in the organization
was mapped to the same.

The project on HR Management has been carried out on behalf

of Convergys India. It has been carried out in three phases,
focusing on three areas of Competency-based applications:

8
  Recruitment & Selection: Competency Based
Interviewing guide
 Performance Management System: Performance
appraisal Process
 Career Planning: Career Progression Program for
Support staff

The first phase of the project involved developing a

Competency Based Interview guide, wherein questions were
framed based on each competency, that would focus on
interviewee’s past demonstrated behavior and would hence
provide a sound basis for his/her future performance on the job.

In the second phase of the project, a competency based

Performance appraisal form and Guide to the appraisal
process were developed. The appraisal form emphasized not
only on the employees behavioral performance based on the
competencies identified, but also on the employee performance
based on accomplishment of objectives set for the appraisal
period. It also focuses on identification of Training &
Development needs of the employee based on the gaps

9
identified during the appraisal process, and mutually setting of
goals/objectives for the next appraisal cycle. The appraisal
guide elaborated on the purpose of the appraisal process and
the use of the appraisal form.

During the same process, a ‘Competency Guide’ was also

developed which provides a platform to carry out any activity
in the organization based on identification of competencies.
The guide explains how different competencies are identified at
Convergys, how various roles in the organization are mapped
to each competency and how these competencies will be
further used in different organizational processes.
The Performance Appraisal Form and Competency Guidelines
so designed have been approved and consequently rolled out in
the organization.

The Final phase required developing a Career Progression

Program for the Support function in Convergys India. This was
in addition to the existing Career Progression Program (CPP)
for the Operations department. The Support Staff Career
Progression Program is designed to provide career growth

10
opportunities to staff members within their current jobs, to
identify potential promotional opportunities, as well as to link
pay opportunity to what individuals actually do on the job. The
foundation of this program is the Skill and Competency Model.
A systematic mapping exercise would be carried out to show
how existing qualifications fit with the proposed career
progression framework In addition to the suggested “Growth
Chart” for the Support function; some useful
recommendations were given to the company with respect to
Career Progression Plan for all employees at Convergys India.

11
I. Company Profile

Convergys is an international business process outsourcer with

particular expertise in customer management.

It develops and implements a range of outsourcing solutions

for many leading organizations in the commercial, financial
services, utility and public sectors. These include
transformational outsourcing, combining our skills in
consulting, technology and outsourced service provision to
stimulate and facilitate business change and flexibility.

Convergys is part of United Utilities plc, a FTSE 100 company.

In 2001, the company launched a strategic alliance with Cap

Gemini Ernst & Young. The agreement provides a powerful
combination of outsourcing and IT skills and experience that is
unique in the UK.

12
In December 2002, we acquired UK contact center operator,
7C and the shareholding of 7C India, in which GE Capital has
a strategic investment.

Services

Outsourced services include:

• Customer management outsourcing
• Business services outsourcing
• Transformation and technology

The Convergys Mission

“To work in partnership with our customers to transform public

service delivery, and continually improve services to the
citizen on the basis of best value.”

Values

Convergys is trusted by many leading organizations to manage

millions of customer interactions every year. It differentiates
through the following brand values, but to support their

13
clients' cultures they embed and communicate their brand
values to their customers. They are the sum total of everything
they want their clients to feel and think about them.

• Passionate about service

• Efficient and effective
• Proactive innovators
• Results focused
• Experts plus

Their core values shape the way they run Convergys and
interact as a team. They have five core values - all of which
reflect the company's founding belief that their people are as
critical to their success as are clients and their customers.

• Our customers are our business

• We will respect every individual in our company
• We will adopt a performance focused approach
• We will be flexible and decisive
• Quality as a way of life

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Locations

Convergy’s head office is in Manchester and their 9,000

employees are based in 30 UK locations covering the North
West, Midlands, East Anglia, London, Wales and Scotland.
They also have offshore operations in India and Canada.

Services and Markets

As an international business process outsourcer, with particular

expertise in customer management, Convergys develops and
implements a range of outsourcing solutions for many leading
organizations in the commercial sector, financial services,
utility and public sectors.

These range from contact center operations, for example,

through to complete transformational outsourcing - combining
their skills in consulting, technology and outsourced service
provision to stimulate and facilitate business change and
deliver a step change in performance.

15
They work in partnership with their clients to deliver enhanced
business performance, whilst reducing costs and improving the
service and realizing the potential of customer relationships.

Services at a glance:

• Contact centres
• Customer relationship management
• Telemarketing
• Billing
• Document handling
• Payment processing
• Debt management
• Print & fulfillment
• Finance & accounting
• Human resources
• Change management

Careers
Career development is fundamental to their success as a
business. It promotes a culture of continuous self-development;

16
provides a stimulus for personal and business growth;
complements their appraisal process; and, importantly,
supports an individual's ongoing development plans.

Convergys is a rapidly growing company delivering business

process outsourcing services for blue-chip clients in the UK
and overseas. They continually develop leading edge IT,
telephony and processing systems that ensure they can not only
win new clients, but also deliver world-class service on behalf
of their customers.

They are therefore continually seeking to recruit motivated and

committed individuals to join their team and develop their
careers in line with their growth. Opportunities are always
available in Customer Services, Transformation and
Technology and Business Change. In addition, they have
occasional openings in our Sales, Marketing, Finance and HR
operations.

Key Facts

Convergys is an international business process outsourcer with

particular expertise in customer management.

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 • £300 million turnover
• Manages over 34 million client customer accounts
• 9,000 employees

Economies through scale

• 204 million UK customer transactions
• 65 million bills and documents printed and sent out
• 95 million payments processed
• £6 billion collected in payments
Independent accreditations
• Investors in People
• ISO 9001

The Convergys Promise

• A flexible, scalable, multi-channel service delivered from

our Centres of Excellence
• Reduced cost per employee served
• Guaranteed levels of service
• Improved accuracy and timeliness of critical transactions
• Access to experienced Shared Service Center
practitioners who will leverage your existing Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) solution (HR Systems)

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*****

19
II. Introduction to Competency

At the heart of any successful activity lies a competence or a

skill. In today’s competitive world it is becoming particularly
important to build on the competitive activities of business.
There has been much thinking about business strategy over the
last three decades; particularly regarding what competencies a
business needs to have in order to compete in a specific
environment. Top management is identifying corporate core
competencies and working to establish them throughput the
organization. Human Resource Development builds
competency-based models that drive business results.

All organizations are talking about competencies. Some have

truly worked the concept into several of their processes. A few
have a fully implemented competency modeling and reporting
system in place. These address the development of people from
process design through succession.
The process is completely customizable. The decisions of
competency design are driven by a number of organizational
factors, including management philosophy, customer

20
requirements, business needs, and in-place processes. These
factors vary from one organization to another, requiring a
customized approach to competencies in the workplace.
What are competencies?
Competencies are clusters of knowledge, skills/abilities and
underlying personal characteristics that drive resultant behavior
leading to success/superior performance on job. The stress and
due bias is towards the behavioral dimension. The word
capability is also inter-changeably used to connote this
meaning.

Competency = Ability + Willingness

The word competency is widely used in business and personnel
psychology. A competency is also something you can measure,
and lists of competencies form a common language for
describing how people perform in different situations. Every
job can be described in terms of key competencies. This means
that they can be used for all forms of assessment, including
appraisals, training needs analysis and of course, selection.

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The Competency Iceberg

It can be helpful to think of competencies in terms of an

iceberg. Technical competencies are at the tip - the portion
above the waterline that is clearly visible (and therefore easier
to assess).
Behavioral competencies are below the waterline - they are
more difficult to assess, and often harder to develop.
Behavioral competencies can be understood as manifestations
of how a person views him or herself (self-image), how he or
she typically behaves (traits), or motives him or her (motives).

22
Skill: A person's ability to do something well.
Knowledge: Information that a person uses in a particular area.
Self-Image: A person's view of him or herself, identity,
personality and worth.
Trait: A typical aspect of a person's behavior.
Motive: What drives someone's behavior in a particular area?
(An underlying need for achievement, affiliation or power)

Competencies are not "add-on" responsibilities or skills.

Instead, they are a way of clarifying existing job requirements
and expectations about performance.

23
 A competency model describes the combination of knowledge; skills
and characteristics needed to effectively perform a role in an
organization and is used as a human resource tool for selection,
training and development appraisal and succession planning.
Identifying and mapping these competencies is rather complex. A
competency model consists of a set of competencies that have been
selected through some research process that demonstrates their
importance for success on the job.
The competencies identified for Convergys India have been listed in the Competency
model below:

Succession Planning

Training Promotions

Competency Model
• Business & Commercial focus
• Client & Customer Focus
• Working with others
• Developing others
• Confidence & Communication
• Performance Focus
Career Planning • Working proactively Recruitment
• Leading others
• Expert Knowledge
• Planning & Reviewing
• Solving problems
• Creativity & Innovation
• Change focus
• Influencing others

Pay Decisions Work Assignments

Performance Management

Competency model for Convergys India

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A competency model ensures the HRM systems:
Selection Systems All interviews are looking for the
same set of abilities and
characteristics.

Training and Development It provides a list of behaviors and

skills that must be developed to
maintain satisfactory levels of
performance.

Succession Planning It focuses on the same set of attributes

and skills relevant to success on the
positions under consideration.

Performance Management It clarifies what is expected from

the individuals.

Appraisal System It focuses on specific behavior,

offering a roadmap for recognition,
reward and possible advancement.

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This project focuses on three areas of Competency-based
applications:

 Recruitment & Selection: Competency Based

Interviewing guide
 Performance Management System: Performance
appraisal Process
 Career Planning: Career Progression Program for
Support staff

*****

26
III. Methodology

The project on Competency Mapping was carried out in

Three phases. The methodology adopted under each of

The three phases has been explained as follows:

27
PHASE I: Developing Competency Based Interviewing
Guide

This part of the project required initial identification of the

competencies applicable to Convergys India. The competencies
identified apply to all colleagues, at every grade/level, and the
competencies have been harmonized from the various sets that
were being used across the business.

The competency framework

The framework is made up of 15 competencies that cover

people skills, process skills, personal skills and business
knowledge. They are:
1. Business & Commercial Focus
2. Client & Customer Focus
3. Respecting Others
4. Working with Others
5. Developing Others
6.Confidence & Communication
7. Performance Focus
8. Working Proactively
9. Leading Others
10. Expert Knowledge
11. Planning & Reviewing
12. Solving Problems
13. Creativity & Innovation
14. Change Focus
15. Influencing Others

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Questions based on the above competencies were framed based
on an extensive search carried out through Internet and other
reference material made available by the project guide.

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PHASE II: Designing Performance Appraisal System

As part of the competency mapping exercise, we identified the

Core competencies, popularly known as the ‘Pinkies’, which
are relevant to all employees across a particular level in the
organization. For e.g., all managers of Convergys India are
required to have ‘Performance Focus’ as their core
competency. However, the target levels under a particular
competency could vary across levels.

The exercised was further carried out to identify the

role/function specific competencies, called the Professional
competencies or ‘Yellows’, which very across employees in a
particular job position. Thus, there is no fixed number of
competencies applicable to a particular job profile. It may vary
across different levels/job positions existing in the
organization.

The outcome of the above exercise was then incorporated into

our new performance management process & form.

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PHASE III: Developing Career Progression Path for
Support Function
The third phase of the project required suggestions to be given
to the company with respect to developing a Career
Progression Program for support function. An extensive study
was carried out on the Internet and various texts were referred
for the same. The recommended Growth Chart was also based
on the existing Career Progression Program for Operations
department in the organization.
The suggested Growth Chart was then discussed with the
Training team in order to identify the training and development
needs of the employees and incorporate the Training programs
to develop a comprehensive Career Progression Program for
support function.

*****

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 Phase I
Developing a Competency Based
Interview Guide

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1.0 Background

Like most properties of nature, effectiveness and competency

in workers is distributed along a continuum that takes the form
of a bell-shaped curve.
By definition, the vast majority of the work force falls in the
average, or perhaps more realistically, the "mediocre" range.
Only about one-sixth of the population on any measure of
competency and effectiveness will be found above the average
range.
These facts are essential in developing realistic expectations of
an organization’s hiring process. It is vitally important to a
successful hiring or recruitment campaign that a clear profile of
the necessary skills exists.

Research into recruitment and selection methodology suggests

that structured, competency based interviews can be one of
the most reliable and accurate forms of assessment.

A good recruitment and selection interview should assess

candidates against each essential criteria or competency,
asking questions about:

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• Past behaviors and performance
• Learning from past behaviors
• Future adaptability to new post
• Knowledge and understanding of issues in relation to the
post

It is ironic that while most hiring is done around technical

skills, most staff retention issues arise based on softer skills
such as attitude. A technical question would never reveal such
a potential behavioral flaw. When competency-based
behavioral interviewing forms the framework for the entire
recruitment process, interviewers are able to make much more
effective hiring decisions.

What will the interview be like?

The interview, will in general, will be conducted as follows:
• Introductions
• Brief discussion of job
• Competency based interviewing
• Validation of technical/functional skills where necessary
• Interviewee’s opportunity to ask questions

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 • Close out/ next steps

Note: While a competency-based interview seems very

different in certain perspectives, remember normal interview
etiquette is applicable and appropriate.

Most interviews will focus on the key areas. These will mostly
be competencies that are most important for the particular job,
but may also include other knowledge-based essential criteria.

Competencies are about finding the best "fit" between the

job and the person.

Competencies are individual abilities or characteristics that are

key to effectiveness in work. Competencies are not a way of
providing a complete inventory of a person’s skills and abilities
(which would be impossible as well as undesirable). Instead,
the starting point in using competencies is always what the job
requires.

Once the job requirements have been clarified (and

competencies provide a framework for doing this), then

35
competency interviewing helps interviewers look for evidence
of those requirements in each candidate.

The interviewer determines the knowledge, skills, and

behaviors (often referred to as competencies) that are essential
for success in a position.
Competencies may include: Business & Commercial focus,
Client & customer focus, Working with others, Developing
others, Confidence & Communication, Performance focus,
Working proactively, Leading others, Expert Knowledge,
Planning & Reviewing, Solving problems, Creativity &
Innovation, Change focus, and Influencing others.
Each competency contains various questions that are designed
to determine to what extent the candidate has performed
successfully in previous situations similar to those they will
encounter in the position for which they are interviewing.

Why use competencies?

• It is critical that organizations assess how selections are

made. With limited promotional opportunities, and

36
 planned attrition, getting the right people into the right
jobs becomes more critical to our success as an
organization.
• The cost of an unsuccessful selection is an expense that
organizations can’t afford
• Competencies can be developed; the emphasis of a
competency-based interview is the learning agility of
applicants, and how that learning agility can be used to
assess success in a position.
• Gives our organization a tool to evaluate known quantities
and see them in a different light, and evaluate their ability
to make effective contributions to the organization.

Why Hire for Competencies?

Matching people with jobs based on both behavioral and

technical competencies results in a better job-person "fit". This
leads to greater satisfaction on the part of both the employer
and the employee.

37
Objectivity

Advocates of competency interviewing say the technique in

both its versions aims to eliminate subjectivity. The intent is to
delete from selection the personal chemistry between
interviewer and candidate, as well as to minimize the
candidate's freedom to give hot-air answers. All candidates for
a position are asked the same questions.

2.0 Competency Based Interviewing (CBI)

Competency Based Interviewing is part of an overall

management system designed to identify, evaluate, train,
develop and retain competent employees. In order to succeed,
grow and flourish, all organizations must strive to attract “best
fit” candidates. They will need to train and develop these
people to their fullest potential and induce a personal
commitment to excellence.

38
CBI is a Hiring System
CBI provides a consistent process and the tools to evaluate,
compare and accurately measure the technical and
personal/interpersonal (or performance) capabilities of a
candidate for any position within the organization–big or small.
As part of a highly effective management system, CBI can be
combined with an aggressive recruitment campaign and some
form of "testing" or objective appraisal of an individual's
abilities.

Behavioral interviewing is a technique that uses a structured

set of behavior provoking questions designed to determine
truth or deception. It provides a unique competitive advantage
in the search for qualified people in today's tight job market. It
enables the interviewer to quickly identify the pattern of skills
and behavior needed for success in a specific job and then
select the candidate who best fits that profile.

Prior to interview, each position is assessed for the

skills/competencies and characteristics that relate to job
success. Interview questions are then developed to probe into

39
these areas. All candidates are asked the same questions and
notes are taken in order to evaluate candidates.

A Competency based interviewing guide has been developed

for the same (Refer Annexure A). Note that for each
competency, different questions are provided that tap into
different levels of the competencies.

The basic principle of interviewing for competencies is this:

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior

In competency-based interviewing, we ask the candidate to tell

you about specific, actual past events in which he or she played
an active role. We listen for evidence that the person
demonstrated behaviors in those situations that are identical to
or similar to the competencies we are looking for. For
example, if we hear about a candidate trying to persuade a

40
supervisor to change a decision, that would constitute evidence
of the Influencing others competency.

Probing for behaviors that demonstrate the competencies

should be used to get a full picture of the candidates’ past
behaviors. Probing typically includes asking what the candidate
did, said, felt, & thought and what were the outcomes of the
event. The behaviors that they recount should be compared to
the behaviors listed in the competency profile and used to
determine at which level of those critical competencies a
candidate is operating

Getting this type of information can greatly increase the power

and precision of the interview process. Specifically, this
approach is more reliable and effective than asking people to
say what they would do in a hypothetical situation.

What are the benefits of competency-based interviewing?

Competency Based Interviewing is a custom-tailored system

of interviewing and evaluation. It enables the interviewers to
select the best possible candidate for their firm and as such is

41
an invaluable tool for any recruitment partner. It enhances the
reliability and validity of the process used to screen
candidates. The process is straightforward in its application,
easy to learn, simple to use and legally defensible. Based on
solid scientific research, anyone can easily apply CBI after
just one day of interviewing training.

CBI is based on two fundamental principles:

First, successful candidates have in common a cluster of skills
and abilities that can be identified and measured. These are
referred to as competencies. Competencies can be Core
competencies and/or Professional competencies.
Second, the single best predictor of future behavior is past
behavior. The candidate's work behavior historically will
predict his/her capacity for achievement in the future.

The benefits of finding a good worker are profound. You enjoy

high productivity, less turnover, great morale and a much lower
failure rate. When you hire "hard," you enjoy the genuine
pleasure of managing "easy."

42
Competency Based Interviewing provides the following
benefits:

• Focus ones questions. The structure of competency

interviewing helps one to be clear about what qualities
he/she is looking for in a candidate.
• Tap an additional source of data. Listening to and
assessing the stories that candidates tell in response to
competency questions provides rich information one
probably would not get otherwise.
• Begin thinking in terms of competency requirements for
the positions one hires for. Using the technique of
competency interviewing can help deepen ones
understanding of what will lead to successful performance
in the job for which they are being hired, and how to look
for it when interviewing.

43
To sum up, Behavioral interviewing

• Enhances the quality and success of the interview process

• More closely matches a candidate's qualifications with job
dimensions
• Improves employee performance and productivity
• Is highly legally defensible and prevents post-hiring
challenges
• Benefits everyone involved in the interviewing and
selection process:
• The line manager, the human resources specialist, and the
applicant
• Improves the management of job performance
• Is accurate, efficient and highly cost-effective
• Is far superior to traditional interviewing techniques

44
3.0 Competency Based Interviewing Model

Following steps provides a framework to develop Competency

based Interviewing Model

Step 1: Assemble job information.

o Ask yourself: what does this person do?
o List duties and responsibilities.

Step 2: Link skills to tasks.

o Derive the skills needed to perform duties.
o Skills can be duplicated.
o Make a master list, eliminating duplicates.

Step 3: Pick the skills to interview for.

o Cross out skills that should be assessed elsewhere.
o Eliminate skills that do not distinguish superior
performance.
o Highlight questions you want to probe.

45
Step 4: Develop interview questions from competencies.
o Identify target behaviors for each competency.
o Write 2-3 interview questions per competency.

Step 5: Listen for complete responses.

o Stay in control: Dealing with difficult candidates -
Situation, Behavior, Outcome.
o Use probes to obtain missing information.

Step 6: Assess
o Use structured rating materials.
o Document
o Turn downs (declines)
o Assess yourself.

*****

46
 Phase II
Designing Competency based Performance
Management System

47
1.0 Introduction

World-class employees make global corporations. And world-

class employees need global targets to strive for. To enable our
employees to set ambitious targets, appraise them on
achievement of such targets and reward them accordingly, a
fair and objective performance management system is an
imperative. The performance system at Convergys India
integrates the organization’s vision into its strategy, goals and
achievements. It is an all-pervading system, which facilitates
linkages to sub processes like culture, values, the way we work
and the core HR processes, which moves an appraisal system
from “evaluation” to “building”. The processes are so
articulated as to ensure individual, team and organizational
goals are synergised and consistent at large. Other than
assessment of the performance of an individual, Performance
Management System helps develop the individual by giving
feedback on his/her performance, identify Training /

48
Development needs, obtain information on potential of the
individual and map his / her career chart.

What is a Performance Appraisal?

The performance appraisal is a communication tool designed
to support each individual's contribution to the organization.
The appraisal provides a way to measure skills and
accomplishments with reasonable accuracy and uniformity. It
provides a way to help identify obstacles to top performance. It
should help identify areas for professional growth.

Each employee is entitled to a thoughtful and careful

appraisal. Its success depends on the supervisor's willingness to
complete a constructive and objective assessment, and on the
employee's willingness to respond to constructive criticism and
to work with the supervisor to overcome performance barriers.

A performance appraisal is a review and discussion of an

employee's performance of assigned duties and responsibilities.
The appraisal is based on results obtained by the employee in
their job, not on the employee's personality characteristics.

49
Personality should be considered only when it relates to
performance of assigned duties and responsibilities.

Why Appraise Performance?

Periodic review helps supervisors gain a better understanding
of each employee's abilities with the goal to help train and
develop skills and strengths. It provides a chance to evaluate
job progress, stimulate interest and improve job performance
by recognizing productive work and by pointing out areas of
growth and development. It provides a feedback mechanism
that might otherwise be overlooked.

Performance appraisal provides information for other personnel

functions:
 Compensation: Determining fixed or performance based
pay
 Succession planning: Identifying candidates to replace
incumbents in other-usually higher jobs
 Discipline: Probation or dismissal action
 Development: Training, job assignments, or mentoring
relationships that increase employee competencies

50
  Career Pathing: Planning future job assignments designed
to give employees specific experiences and/or
competencies

Performance appraisal is very much about the management of

expectations. At Convergys India, these are defined and
agreed under two main headings:

 As Competence requirements.

 As performance requirements expressed as objectives,

the achievement of which is monitored by the use of
agreed performance measures.

A performance management system that combines planning,

management, and appraisal of both performance results and
competency behaviors is called a “Mixed model” of
performance management or a “Total PM” approach.
Mixed models assess and reward both performance and
competence, both what employees actually “delivered to the
bottom line” in the appraisal period and how they did it: the
characteristics they showed that predict superior
performance in their present job, or in future jobs.

51
2.0 Competency based Performance Assessment

Competency-Based Performance Assessment is an employee

driven evaluation and development process that complements
the Competency-Based Interviewing process. It begins with the
same skills and competencies that were originally identified.
The essential job competencies that were used to select the
candidate are continually reviewed in the employee
performance appraisal process. The Competency-Based
Performance Assessment is a logical, progressive procedure
used to obtain a fair, objective evaluation of an employee's
performance.

The real strength of such a system is not in comparing people

with each other in a competitive way, but analyzing the
progress of an employee in their own sense. This then directs
attention to those areas where they are excelling or where skills
may be improved.
The competence definitions are specific, observable, and
therefore measurable, terms that clearly define the behaviors
and performance expected of employees. By structuring

52
competences into increasingly complex 'levels of work' to
reflect the role holders responsibility and expected higher
levels of performance, performance appraisal rating scales
can be used to provide both expected and actual performance
improvement profiles. The same portfolio is also used to
identify development needs and plan their activities.

This process is initiated by the employee, rather than the

manager or supervisor. Thus, it produces a greater sense of
responsibility and empowerment in the employee. The
employee rates himself or herself on skill dimensions, based on
specific behavioral examples. The employee and employer
examine both the positive and negative behaviors relating to
each job competency.

A key feature of the new approach to performance appraisal as

part of the Performance Management System is that it is
concerned with inputs (competence) as well as outputs and
outcomes (results and contribution). A distinguishing feature of
the new approach to performance appraisal when compared
with merit rating is that the assessment of levels of input is job

53
or task related rather than concentrating on personality traits.
Performance assessment is based on an understanding of the
knowledge, skills, expertise and behavior

Required to do a job well and on an analysis of the extent to

which the attributes and behavior of individuals meet define
criteria in each of these areas.

The following is a list of 15 Competencies used by Convergys

India in their performance appraisal scheme:
• Business & commercial focus
• Client & customer focus
• Working with others
• Developing others
• Confidence & Communication
• Performance focus
• Working proactively
• Leading others
• Expert Knowledge
• Planning & reviewing

54
 • Solving problems
• Creativity & Innovation
• Change focus
• Influencing others

Objective of the new program

To promote a comprehensive performance appraisal system
that takes into account both objectives and behavioral
competencies, to encourage the development of competencies,
to link individual goals to organizational values and objectives
and to computerize the appraisal process. Thus, the objectives
of the new system may be summarized as under:
Clear link to our strategic plan and core values
Fair, honest, accurate and non-discriminatory assessment of
performance based on standards that are valid, properly
applied, and transparent to employees
A sound basis for enhancing the performance capacity of all
employees, rewarding high-performing people, and dealing
with “below expected” performers.

55
Benefits of a Competency based Performance Appraisal
System

A competency model can address many of the issues related to

performance appraisal. This ensures agreement on performance
criteria, what is accomplished and what is not accomplished,
collecting relevant and sufficient data. It also ensures
opportunity to supervisors to observe behavior, specificity and
concreteness in discussions about performance deficiencies and
handling of large amounts of data in a structured manner.

Provides a shred understanding of what will be monitored

and measured-A Competency model integrated with
performance appraisal ensures a balance between what
gets done and how it gets done. The concern is not only
with results but also with behavior and manner in which
those results are attained. It provides a shared picture of
what is considered relevant and important to effective
performance. Models aligned with the business objectives

56
 specifically outlines the performance criteria that will be
used to measure effectiveness and success in that position.
Focuses and facilitates the performance appraisal
discussions - Organizations face the challenge of
discussing a person’s behavior in a manner that is focused
and useful and does not put the individual on the
defensive. The skills, knowledge and characteristics that
are important to success are clearly described. It provides
a roadmap of where to begin the discussion and what
areas to focus on.

Provides focus for gaining information about behavior –

An appraisal process includes a simple accurate method
for a boss to assess job performance. By identifying the
specific behaviors crucial for effective performance,
competency models offer bosses a starting point.

57
The new Performance Appraisal form has been attached in
the Annexure B. Also attached herewith is the Competency
Guidelines & Performance appraisal guide, which gives the
details of the appraisal process followed in Convergys
India. The guide also provides answers to some common
queries relating to new Competency framework and
Appraisal process.

*****

58
 Phase III
Developing Career Progression Path for Support
Staff

59
1.0 Introduction:

One of the more hidden issues, which are evident throughout

the call centre industry, is the lack of career progression
available to most staff. Call centres have severe problems with
staff turnover and one of the reasons often cited is the lack of
opportunity to progress in the organization. The hierarchical
structure of call centres is traditionally very flat and promotion
opportunities are rare. Other problems exist in the management
grades of call centers where some employees find that the
flexibility that they thrived on at a junior grade is no longer
evident at management grades, making it difficult for some to
take promotion even when it is available.

Employees do not want to leave an organization if they feel

they are continuously growing and learning, what Herzberg
describes as the providing true job content (motivators).
Mentoring hierarchies and better inter-personal relationships
can ensure this environment. The following are the four main
categories of policy utilized by companies to reduce staff

60
turnover. (From a research done on Best Practices at Call
Centers in UK)

1. Pay & Conditions

• Increasing basic pay
• Increased number of pay reviews
• Higher performance bonuses (usually combined with
lower starting salary)
• Length of service payments
• Permanent contracts for all staff
• Improvements in annual leave and sick pay provision

2. Training & Development

• Increased availability of training
• Introduction of career development plans
• Introduction of multi-skilling
• Recognition of best performance

61
3. Better Management
• More participatory style, improved communication
• Introduction of employee forums
• Increased one-to-one feedback

4. Working Conditions
• Introduction of better facilities at the call center
• Adjustment of shift hours so workers could work four
longer days or fixing shift patterns to enable staff to plan
ahead
• Flexible working

These have been stated to be universal in nature and

applicability.

62
2.0 Career Progression Program

Career progression is no longer necessarily linear and "up the

ladder." It can take a variety of forms and can involve:
• Increasing the breadth or depth of responsibilities
• Using more advanced knowledge or skills,
• Taking on bigger or more challenging projects, and/or
• Supporting or interacting with higher-level administrators.

Career planning is viewed from two angles:

Linear plan - This is for employees who are driven by motives
such as power and achievement, which will help them move in
an upward direction within the organization.

Expert plan - For individuals who are keen on advancing their

expertise in one's chosen field on the assumption that they are
motivated by expertise, technical competence and security; the
important distinction being between the linear progression and
expert progression being that there is no specific time limit for

63
a person to move and also the financial implications are
different.

Career planning is a shared responsibility between an employee

and a manager/supervisor. The role of a manager/supervisor
is ongoing, and continues throughout the employment
relationship. It is an expectation and responsibility of a
manager/supervisor in a broad banded environment to provide
leadership in facilitating an employee's career development and
progression, salary progression, performance, and skill
development.
Employees are responsible for identifying their career goals
and areas in which they would like to expand their knowledge
and skills, then discussing with managers/supervisors how
these goals can support the mission of the employing unit.

64
It is the role of managers/supervisors to create an
environment of learning and professional growth for staff. A
learning environment reflects the values of Convergys India,
which encourages continuous learning and opportunities to
develop professional growth. Providing career development
opportunities assists in creating a motivating environment,
which can lead to increased job satisfaction. The organization,
as well as the employee, is the beneficiary when already
knowledgeable staff is provided with opportunities to enhance
their skills and abilities. Providing opportunities for growth can
also be an effective retention strategy.

The company focuses on developing career growth

opportunities for its employees. Over and above the training
program, the most important aspect of the company’s HR
policy is the career progression program for every individual in
the company. CPP for the Operations Department, that was
finalized by Aug 03 and operational By 15th Jan04 is a
distinctive feature that Convergys India has. This is not looked
as a retention tool but to tap & promote the top performers of

65
the workforce and to attract the people from the industry who
are looking at a well defined career progression plan.

In the existing career progression plan, "the pyramid has

been worked out is such a way that it makes for continuous
progress upwards." At Convergys the hierarchy is well charted
- from Business Associate to Senior Business Associate to
Team Manager to Duty Manager to Operations Manager to
Service Delivery Leader to Vice President.

2.1 Support Staff Career Progression Program:

The “Accelerated Career Development” (ACD) programs are

for highly driven and motivated individuals who are constantly
looking for new challenges and need opportunities to utilize
their energies. Then there is the “team innovation” (TI)
program for star performers who get involved at the “pilot” or
“proof-of-concept” stages of new programs. It is the realm of
these that we try to explore for implementation at Convergys
for the Support Function.

66
The Support Staff Career Progression Program is designed
to provide career growth opportunities to staff members within
their current jobs, to identify potential promotional
opportunities, as well as to link pay opportunity to what
individuals actually do on the job. The foundation of this
program is the Skill and Competency Model. A systematic
mapping exercise would be carried out to show how existing
qualifications fit with the proposed career progression
framework. The aims of the mapping exercise would be: to
fill significant gaps in knowledge relating to the levels, types
and general availability of qualifications for support staff of all
types; and to map how existing qualifications fit with the
proposed career progression framework.

The Model establishes an individual's pay opportunity through

an assessment of skills and competencies demonstrated on the
job. This ensures that the attributes and behaviors of the staff
member link with the requirements of the job. Each Support
Staff position has a Skill Band and a corresponding salary
range based on an assessment of the position. This will be
reviewed bi-annually, but will probably not change

67
significantly unless the staff member demonstrates
dramatically different levels or types of skills and
competencies.

3.0 Recommendations

• A revised career progression criteria (Growth Chart) for

the support function has been designed to give a clear career
path to employees across all levels in the support function.
(Refer Annexure C for the same)

• The Career Path to be communicated to the new employees

at the time of recruitment, along with the job description,
competencies required and the target levels corresponding to
each competency. The existing employees also to be
apprised of the same.

• A comprehensive Talent Review and Succession Planning

Process at the leadership level to identify high performing
and high potential talent available for growth requirements.

68
• Convergys to be promoter of talent from within the
organization. To promote meritocracy, we must ensure that
atleast 50% of leadership requirements are met from within
the company (IJPs and laterals).

• Convergys to have a dedicated resource (career counselor)

to deal with the career related worries of all employees.

• To establish an Assessment & Development center, to

constantly look for diverse skills within the organization.
Under this, personnel with high potential are routed via an
assessment center, which scientifically identifies the talent of
an individual, which finally culminates into a career
progression after qualifying certain parameters of written
test, group discussion followed by a detailed interview.
Individuals who do not qualify the assessment center
process, are also taken through a tutorial session as a road
map towards their needs for improvement in order to
overcome their weaknesses / short comings. This will ensure
employees get to do different roles in various departments

69
 rather than concentrating on vertical growth. These options
are—growth content specialists, trainers, quality experts or
even help in operational and business development of the
organization.

• A training program: The 2-3 year program will consist of

three 8-12 month rotational assignments. For eg. For an HR
employee, two rotations would be in HR and one in a cross-
functional position, which could include finance, audit staff,
marketing, EHS, quality/Six Sigma or other functional areas.
The Program structure would be same for every member, but
with a variety of rotations, assignments and educational
opportunities.

• A compulsory 9-12 month training program for all MTs

who join the organization, to enhance their leadership skilss
& strengthening front line people management skills.

70
• Internal Training programs to be held so that team
members can share with their colleagues their enhanced
knowledge base and expertise. For eg. Soft skill trainings
pertaining to time management, art of living, development of
communication skills and personality development, to be
held from time to time.

• Mentoring is done to integrate employees into the business.

A "buddy mentor" is allocated in the first month to help one
settle in.

• Employees to be put on six month long internal projects

with various departments, if these projects are found useful;
the reward is promotion to a higher level.

• The company to follow “pay for performance”, thus

individuals at the same level may be drawing widely
different salary packages

• Introduction of eHR in the organization, wherein all

employees in all parts of the company are aware

71
happening/factual across the organization available at
fingertips, the whole system is paperless and the culture is
employee driven. All new positions to be posted on Intranet,
employees can apply on-line in total confidentiality (without
even their managers’ knowledge) and the selected candidate
can move to a new job, maybe even in another function.

*****

72
 IV. Bibliography

 Books

 The handbook of ‘Competency Mapping’ by Seema Sanghi

 ‘Competence At Work’ by Spencer & Spencer
 ‘Performance Appraisals’ by Martin Fisher
 Understanding Performance Appraisal by Kevin R. Murphy
and J.N. Cleveland
 Documents
Following documents of Convergys India:
 Existing Performance Appraisal form
 Guide to Appraisal Process
 Competency guidelines
 Career Progression Program for Operations department
 Structured Interview Guide & Interview questions
provided by project guide
 Internet

*****

73
 ANNEXURE A
(Competency Based Interviewing Guide)

74
 Questions based on Competencies

Business & Commercial Focus

The motivation and ability to apply good financial and

commercial practice at all times, identify and exploit
opportunities to increase margin or profitability, to
understand the competitive marketplace and plan
strategically for the business.

1. Describe a challenge or opportunity you identified based on

your industry knowledge and
How you developed a strategy to respond to it.

2. Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a long-

term business objective.

3. Describe a time when you used your business knowledge to

understand a specific business situation.

75
4. Tell me about a time when you identified roadblocks to the
company’s success. What did you do?

5. Describe a situation where you have added value to the

business through a cost saving approach. What did you do?
What was the result?

6. Describe a situation when you have improved the service

provided through a commercial approach or idea. What did
you do? What was the outcome? What was the financial
impact?

7. How do you measure how well your department is doing?

8. How do you stay up to date/informed about industry

trends/competition?

9. Share an experience where you had to organize an event

with a limited budget.

10. Describe a situation where you used innovative ideas to

cut costs in your department.
76
11. Describe how you created a budget plan for your
department.

12. Tell me about a time when you had to recruit an

employee for a critical position with limited recruitment
budget.

Client & Customer Focus

The motivation and ability to add value to clients, both
internal and external; to understand, meet and exceed
their needs, to be perceptive to clients’ customers; give
excellent service and operate as a true business partner.

1. How is dealing with your internal customers different than

your external customers?

2. Give an example of how you provided service to a

client/stakeholder beyond their expectations. How did you
identify the need? How did you respond?

77
3. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a
client/stakeholder service issue.

4. Describe a situation in which you acted as an advocate

within your organization for stakeholders’ needs, where
there was some organizational resistance to be overcome.

5. Think about your most successful relationship with a

customer. What did you do to develop and maintain that
relationship?

6. Describe the process you use to stay in touch with clients’

short & long term needs.

7. Describe an effective customer relationship you have. What

is good about it? What actions have you specifically taken
to ensure it remains positive? How have you measured its
ongoing success?

8. What has been the most difficult customer request or

problem you have experienced? Why was it so difficult?

78
 How did you handle it? What happened as a result of your
actions?

9. Can you give me an example of proactive action taken in

response to anticipating client & customer needs. What
were the clients’ needs? How did this impact the long-term
profitable business partnership?

10. Can you give me an example of how you have not been
able to deliver something that you promised the customer
you would. What did you do to minimize the impact? What
was the result?

11. Describe how you keep your existing client base despite
threats from competition.

12. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate
customer. (What was the situation & how did you respond
to it? What was the result?)

79
13. Tell me about a time when you or the company lost a
customer. (What did you do about it? What did you learn
from it?)

Working with Others

The desire and ability to work co-operatively with others
at all times and in all situations for the good of the
business; to build a network of good relationships and
develop an understanding of the organization.

1. Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a

member of a team.

2. Describe a situation where you were successful in getting

people to work together effectively.

3. Describe a situation in which you were a member (not a

leader) of a team, and a conflict arose within the team.
What did you do?

80
4. What skills and personal qualities have you contributed to
the teams you have been part of?

5. Have you ever been involved in conflicts or disagreements

with other groups? What was the problem? What did you
do? What was the outcome?

6. Give me an example of sharing resources or information?

How did you make it work?

7. Tell me about how you dealt with your most “difficult”

colleague, client or customer.

8. What has been your toughest challenge in working with

others?

9. What experience have you had working on a team?

10. Describe an incident in which you had to work with a

colleague who had very different ideas about the goals or
processes involved than you did.

81
11. When have you worked on a busy team and you were
somehow expected to perform tasks that might have been
considered below you?

12. Have you ever faced disconnects between you and your
co-workers at work? (If yes, describe the situation. How
did you handle it? What was the outcome?)

13. Tell me about a time when you used your interpersonal

skills to build a network of contacts.

14. Tell me about a time when you solicited the help of

another department or team to create a better result.

Developing Others

The desire and ability to encourage, coach, support and

manage the effective performance of people and to
develop them to meet business requirements.

1. What part do you play in the development of others?

82
2. Tell me about a time when you coached someone to help
them improve their skills or job performance. What did you
do?

3. Describe a situation where you helped identify a team

member’s Performance Development Plan.

4. Describe a time when you provided feedback to someone

about his or her performance.

5. How do you ensure you deliver negative feedback in the

most positive way? Cite an example.

6. Give me an example of a time when you recognized that a

member of your team had a performance
difficulty/deficiency. What did you do?

7. How did you handle a situation where someone wanted to

develop in a different direction to that of an organization?

83
8. Tell me about a time when you had identified somebody to
be promoted to the next level. What specific competencies
did you identify for his promotion?

9. Tell me about a time when you selected individuals to work

on a particular project. How did you make those decisions?

10. Tell me about a time when one of your team members

was not accepting his/her full responsibility. How did you
deal with the situation?

11. Describe an incident where you assisted a team member

with his/her tasks to enable the team reach its goal.

Confidence & Communication

The confidence, self-awareness and ability to make a
positive impression on others; to communicate verbally
and in writing so as to be clearly understood and make an
impact.

84
1. What do you think are the three most important things
about communication?

2. Describe a situation you were involved in that required a

multi-dimensional communication strategy.

3. Describe a situation in which you had to use your

communication skills in presenting complex information.
How did you determine whether your message was
received?

4. Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that

required extensive communication?

5. Tell me about a time when you really had to pay attention

to what someone else was saying, actively seeking to
understand their message.

6. Tell me about a time when you were successful in getting

crucial information from another person.

85
7. Tell me about a time when someone misunderstood what
you were attempting to communicate to them.

8. How do you keep your clients informed about difficult

issues that directly affect their bottom line?

9. Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that

required you to use excellent communication skills.

10. Give an example of how you have developed

communication skills in others.

11. Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to a group? How did
you do it? Did they buy it?

Performance Focus
The ability to focus on performance, demonstrate energy,
enthusiasm and stamina and to be dynamic and
accountable in order to deliver results, close off issues,
meet expectations and improve personal performance.

86
1. Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal.

2. Describe the most challenging work goal you have set for
yourself.

3. Tell me about a time you were disappointed with the lack

of results that occurred after working on an issue.

4. Tell me about a time when you improved the way things

were typically done on the job.

5. Tell me about your last key job assignment. How was

success measured? How could you have been more
successful?

6. Describe something you have done to improve the

performance of your work unit.

7. Describe something you have done to maximize or improve

the use of resources beyond your own work unit to achieve
improved results.

87
8. What initiatives have you developed to drive the business
forward & enhance the business plan? What was the
impact?

9. How do you ensure you deliver even when times are tough?

10. Tell me about a time you had to work on several projects

at once. How did you handle this?

11. Tell me about a time when you dealt with unexpected

stress or uncertainty when trying to accomplish a goal.

12. Tell me about the time when you achieved your

greatest /best results.

88
 Working Proactively
The desire and ability to demonstrate initiative, to think
ahead and take prompt action to solve problems, complete
tasks, overcome obstacles and seize opportunities.

1. Tell me about a time when you anticipated a trend/change

which altered the vision or goals of the company.

2. Describe a time when you recommended technological,

staffing or philosophy change at work. Were they adopted?
Why or why not?

3. Tell me about a time when you had to act on something

important before you had time to come up with a good
answer or solution.

4. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond

to get results.

89
 Leading Others
The ability to define and communicate goals and to
motivate others to achieve them; to lead by example, to
inspire confidence and respect and take action to achieve
success; at the highest level to lead Convergys strategic
thinking and the communication of the Convergys way.

1. Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to

achieve an objective.

2. Describe a situation where you had to ensure that your

“actions spoke louder than your words” to a team.

3. Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a

common goal.

4. Describe a situation where you had to terminate a non-

performing employee.

5. Describe a time when you have used situational leadership

styles to handle a particularly difficult team member.
90
6. What steps have you put in place to manage your team’s
day-to-day activities & performance? How did you
measure them?

7. How do you delegate responsibility, but ensure results?

Provide an example.

8. Give me an example of a time when you had to motivate

others to work hard. How did you accomplish this?

9. Describe a situation where your example served as a model

for others.

10. Describe how you drive your team’s performance and

motivate delivery.

11. Give an example of handling a problem within your

team. How did you spot it, and what did you do? What was
the outcome?

91
12. Give me an example of using a different style or
approach with different employees. How did you determine
which approach? How did you ensure it was appropriate?

13. Describe a situation where you had to take charge either

with a demanding client or with your own team.

14. What has been the most obstructive group you have had
to get cooperation from?

15. Have you ever been a member of a group where two

members did not work well together? How did you handle
this?

Expert Knowledge
The ability to develop appropriate job/ professional/
specialist knowledge and skills and consistently apply
them to deliver quality, to freely share one’s knowledge in
order that others succeed; at the highest level to achieve

92
credibility as an expert, and contribute to leading edge
professional standards.

1. Give me an example of a time when your business or

technical skills helped you solve a complex problem.

2. Tell me about a task you took on but didn’t have all the
requirements or technical skills to accomplish the same.

3. Compare what you know about the job you are

interviewing for and your own knowledge and skill. What
areas of development do you feel you will need to meet the
job expectations?

Planning & Reviewing

The ability to identify and plan out a course of action
which effectively achieves goals and quality of delivery; to
organise work efficiently so that priorities are met; to
carry out systematic and timely reviews at the appropriate
level of detail, and apply learning points to future plans
and activities.
93
1. Describe a plan you created for one of your most complex
projects.

2. Describe a situation in which you set a challenging goal

and created a plan to attain it.

3. Describe a time when an unanticipated event affected your

project plans.

4. Describe a project for which you organized the activities of

others.

5. Give me an example of when you had multiple tasks on top

of a pending deadline. How did you manage the tasks and
deadline and what were the results?

6. What methods do you use to keep track of your activities

and results?

7. Tell me about a time when you redesigned a work process.

94
8. What do you do when your schedule is suddenly
interrupted? Give a specific example.

9. Have you been in a situation where you knew there were

more tasks than you had time to perform and everyday was
a challenge just in coping with workloads?

Solving Problems
The ability to define problems, systematically gather and
analyse information, identify cause and effect, develop
solutions and make decisions based on a judgement of the
best solution

1. Tell me about a time when you had to identify the

underlying causes to a problem.

2. Describe a time when you had to analyze a problem and

generate a solution.

95
3. Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a problem
or make a decision that required careful thought. What did
you do?

4. Tell me about a situation where you achieved a satisfactory

outcome to a problem that others thought couldn’t be
solved. What did you do and what was the outcome?

5. Tell me about a time when you had conflicting priorities

and what you did to resolve them.

6. What kind of problems do you handle best? (Or) Describe

the most complex issue or problem you have dealt with.

7. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision on

the basis of incomplete data.

8. Describe a situation in which you had to draw a conclusion

quickly and take action without manager authorization.

9. Give me an example of a time when your analytical skills

resulted in a successful solution of a problem.
96
10. We have all tried to solve a problem on our own only to
discover that others needed to be aware of the situation.
Give me an example of when you took full responsibility
for solving a problem but later found out that you really
should have included others in the process.

11. Tell me about a time when it was really difficult to

collect or find the information you needed. (What steps did
you take to find the necessary information? Were you
successful in finding the information?)

12. We all make decisions that turn out to be mistakes.

Describe a work decision you have made that you wish you
could do over.

13. Describe one of the best recommendations you have

made to your manager/supervisor/team leader or peers.

14. Describe an occasion when you decided to involve others

in making a decision. (Why did you do so? To what extent
did you use their inputs?)
97
 Creativity & Innovation
The ability to focus on a business issue and apply creative
and lateral thinking to introduce new ideas, methods or
processes to improve the business; to challenge the status
quo.

1. Describe something you have done that was new and

different for your organization, which improved
performance and/or productivity.

2. Tell me about a time when you identified a new, unusual or

different approach for addressing a problem or task.

3. Tell me about a recent problem in which old solutions

wouldn’t work. How did you solve the problem?

4. Have you done anything innovative that would be of direct

interest to your clients or enhanced awareness of your firm?

98
5. Cite some recent examples that demonstrate how you have
fostered creativity in your group.

6. Give me an example of a time when you were inventive

and offered fresh insights about a situation. What was the
situation?

7. Give examples to illustrate how you have generated ideas

that represent thinking “outside the box.” How did others
receive your ideas? What became of the ideas?

8. Tell two suggestions you have made to your supervisor in

the past year. How did you come up with the ideas? What
happened? How do you feel about the way things went?

99
 Change Focus
The ability and willingness to respond quickly and
positively to change; to maintain effectiveness and
resilience in a changing or ambiguous environment and to
identify and implement change in response to business
needs.

1. Give me an example of where you have encouraged others

to accept change. How did you help them to cope or adjust?
What was the result?

2. Tell me about an incident where you initiated a change

which helped improve the process you were working on?

3. Have you ever been involved in planning the

implementation of change? What steps did you take to
ensure effective management of change? What did you
anticipate would be the reactions? What did you about that?
What was the outcome?

100
4. Tell me about an important project/task/assignment you
were working on for a client in which the specifications
changed significantly but the deadline was not extended.
(What did you do? How did it affect you? Were you able to
meet the deadline?)

5. Tell me about a situation when you had to adjust quickly to

a change in organizational, departmental, or team priorities.
(How did the change affect you?)

6. Give me an example of a time when you have experienced

a setback. (Describe the situation. How did you react to the
problem? To what extent did others see how you were
feeling?)

101
 Influencing Others
The ability to have a positive influence on others and
persuade them to change their views, intentions or actions
or to adopt a particular course of action; at the highest
level to be influential even within a complex and
challenging environment.

1. Describe how have you influenced someone to do

something significant. What was important to the person?
How did you know? How did you expect them to react?
What did you do as a result? What was the outcome?

2. Tell me about a time when you were able to change

someone’s viewpoint significantly.

3. Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something

that you disagreed with.

4. Tell me about a person or event that has been influential in

your personal development.

102
5. Describe a time when you went through a series of steps to
influence an individual or a group on an important issue.

6. Tell me about one of your most satisfying attempts to

persuade others to your point of view. (How did you do it?)

7. Describe a situation where you found it difficult to

persuade others to your point of view. (Why was it so
difficult?)

8. Describe a situation in which you needed to influence

different stakeholders with differing perspectives.

9. Give me an example of using a different style to persuade

different people. What were your options, did they match
the other person’s; how did it work out?

10. Have you ever had to influence someone over a long

period of time? Tell me how did you do it. How did you
vary your approach?

103
11. Tell me about a time you most effectively “sold” one of
your ideas. (What was your approach?)

12. What was one of the best ideas you tried but could not
sell to a manager/supervisor/team leader/peer/customer?
(What was your approach? Why did it fail?)

13. Describe your most satisfying experience in attempting

to gain senior management’s support for an idea or
proposal. (What was the situation? How did you go about
it? What was the outcome?)

14. Describe a time you used information influence to

accomplish a goal.

*****

104
 ANNEXURE B
(Performance Appraisal Form
&
Competency and Appraisal guide)

105
 Performance Appraisal Form

Section 1: Employee Details:

Name: E Code:

Dept: Designation:

Appraiser Name: Appraisal Period:

DOJ: Today’s Date:

Appraisal summary:

Rating based on competencies

(A)
(From page 2)

Rating based on task objectives set at _________ 2004

(B)
(From page 3)

106
 Total Score (C)
(From page 3)

Overall Rating

(From page 3)

Section 2: Performance evaluation based on

Competencies:

Rating
S No. Competencies Target Weight Self Joint Total
Level age
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

107
 9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

TOT 100 (A)

AL

Instructions:

1. In the space provided above, please list the

competencies and the respective target level, relevant
as per your level / band from the Competency
Booklet.

2. Please refer to the ‘Competency Grid’ for the

weightages assigned to each competency. Each
Competency has been assigned an equal weight age,
the sum total of which should equal to 100.

108
 3. Use the rating scales mentioned in Section 7 for Self
& joint ratings.

4. Multiply the assigned weightage with the Joint Rating

& write in the total column.

For example, if the weight age on a particular

competency is 20 & the rating for the
Same is 4, and then the total score will be 80
(20X4=80).

5. Finally, add all the scores in the total column &

arrive at figure (A).

6. The figure (A) obtained above is to be entered on the

first page of the appraisal form.

Section 3: Performance Evaluation based on

Objectives accomplished:

Rating
Weight
S No. Objectives age Self Joint Total
1.

2.

3.

4.

109
 5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Instructions:

1. In the space provided above, please list your

performance objectives & assign a weightage to each
objective.

2. The weightage is on a scale of 1 – 100, 1 being the

lowest, and 100 being the highest. The weightages for
all objectives should total to 100.

3. Use the rating scales mentioned in Section 7 for Self

& joint ratings.

4. Multiply the agreed weightage with the Joint Rating

& write in the total column.

110
 5. For example, if the weightage on a particular
objective is 60 & the rating for the same is 4, then the
total score will be 240 (60X4=240).

6. Finally, add all the scores in the total column &

arrive at figure (B).

7. The figure (B) obtained above is to be entered on the

first page of the appraisal form.

Overall Rating:

• To obtain the Total score of the Appraisee, add the

values arrived at as (A) and (B).
The figure arrived at (C) is to be entered on the
first page of the Appraisal form.

• The Overall rating of the Appraisee can be

determined using the Rating Scale under Section 7.
The rating thus obtained is to be entered on the first
page of the Appraisal form.

Section 4: Objectives for the next six months (September

2004 – March 2005)

Establish at least 3 objectives for this position for the next

appraisal period. List them and describe what superior
results would be for each. Please review these goals with
the employee and secure agreement on the deliverables.
111
 SMART Objectives Date Due

Objective # 1

Objective # 2

Objective # 3

Appraisee’s Signature: Appraiser’s

Signature:

112
Section 5: Performance Development Plan (for the
next six months):

Personal Development Plan for the next six months

(September 2004 – March 2005)

Name:

E Code:

Designation:

Department:

Appraiser Name:

Based on the competency gaps identified, please suggest a

plan for Training & Development of the appraisee with
his joint consultation.

S Competencies Require Apprais Suggested Target

No. d ee’s Approach* Date
Target Target
Level Level#
1.

113
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

# Also specify the grades within the competency levels i.e.,

S-Strong, C-Competent, ND-Needs development

*Suggested Approach: O-On the job; P – Project; T –

Training course

Appraisee’s Signature: Appraiser’s Signature

114
Section 6: Summary of Performance:

First reporting manager’s comments:

Name: Sign:
Date:

Second reporting manager’s comments:

Name: Sign:
Date:

115
Appraisee’s comments:

Name: Sign:
Date:

Section 7: Rating Scales

Competency & Objective Rating Scale:

Rating Scale: Brief Description:

6 Performance consistently exceeds expectations with no

guidance

5 Performance consistently exceeds expectations with

Minimal guidance / supervision

4 Performance consistently meets but sometimes exceeds

Expectations

116
 3 Performance consistently meets expectations

2 Performance mostly falls short of expectations; requires

Significant amount of guidance / supervision

1 Performance consistently fails to meet expectations

Overall Performance Rating Scale:

Rating Scale: Score interval:

6 1101 - 1200

5 951 - 1100

4 801 - 950

3 651 - 800

2 501 - 650

1 Below 500

117
 Convergys India

Competency Guidelines
&
Guide to the
Appraisal Process

118
 Table of Contents

S Topic Page
No. no.
1. Competency Guidelines - Introduction 3
2. What are competencies? 3
3. The competency framework 4
4. Competencies and levels of behavior 4-5
5. Competency Level Descriptors
6. FAQs 6-7
7. Guide to Appraisal Process – Introduction 8
8. Principles 9
9. Purpose 9
10. Preparing for the appraisal meeting 9
11. Conducting the appraisal meeting 10
12. Using the form 10-13
13. Time table 13
14. FAQs 14

119
Introduction

This guide gives an overview of the new competency

framework for Convergys India and how and when it should
be used.

It applies to all colleagues, at every grade/level, and the

competencies have been harmonized from the various sets
that were being used across the business.

All future “people” related activities will be based on, and

progressed against these competencies in order that
colleagues are measured, reviewed and developed against the
same criteria.

This guide is available to everyone but will be particularly

useful to those with responsibility for managing people.

What are Competencies?

To meet our responsibilities at work, each of us needs to be

effective in three areas:

Knowledge – The things we need to know

Skills – The things we are able to do
Behavior – The way we choose to do things

120
Knowledge, skills and behavior can be compared to the three
legs of a stool. Without all three legs the stool is not effective
at fulfilling its purpose. Just like the stool, we need all three
elements of a competence to be effective in our work.

Fullyeffectivejobperformance

K B
n e
S h
o k a
w i v
l l i
e o
l r
d
s
g
e

Thethings we The thingswe Thewaywechoose

needtoknow areable todo todothings

Whilst our values express the kind of company we want to be,

having a common framework of competencies will enable
each of us to deliver our commitments and be successful in
the requirements of the job.

The Competency Framework

The framework is made up of 15 competencies that cover

people skills, process skills, personal skills and business
knowledge. They are:

1. Business & Commercial 9. Leading Others

121
Focus
2. Client & Customer 10. Expert Knowledge
Focus
3. Respecting Others 11. Planning & Reviewing
4. Working with Others 12. Solving Problems
5. Developing Others 13. Creativity & Innovation
6. Confidence & 14. Change Focus
Communication
7. Performance Focus 15. Influencing Others
8. Working Proactively

The definition of each of these can be found later in this

Guide.

122
Competencies and levels of behavior

The competencies are split into 4 different target levels of

behavior. Each target level is further split into 3 different
categories - Strong, Competent & Needs Development. The
organizational structure is made up of people working at 5
different levels across all functions. Each level is further
categorized into 2 bands- Band A & B. All roles within
Convergys India have been mapped to the new competencies
and target levels. The full details can be found in the
accompanying booklet to this Guide.

• Target Level 1 indicates day-to-day behaviors, actions

and tasks appropriate for colleagues - as and where
required for each role.

• Target Levels 2 to 4 show incrementally complex and

demanding behaviors, leading up to far-reaching
strategic decisions and actions, which would typically be
achieved by senior management (at Level 5).

Each level is a building block on the previous level, so

someone, for example, achieving the behaviors at Level 3 in

123
Client & Customer Focus, will also be displaying the
behaviors described at Levels 1 & 2.

Recording evidence of someone’s actions makes it possible to

assess how consistently a competency is applied, and to what
level. It then becomes possible to see what contribution and
behavior looks like for any particular role and allows
colleagues to see what a role looks like above and beyond
their own profile.

You will notice that some competencies have behaviors that

may be similar or common to others, this degree of overlap is
unavoidable. The measurement of human behavior is not an
exact science; it will always require a degree of interpretation
from the people involved, but the company’s harmonized
competency frameworks will now ensure that there is a
common method of interpretation.

As part of the competency mapping exercise, we have

identified the Core competencies, popularly known as the
‘Pinkies’, which are relevant to all employees across a
particular level in the organization. For e.g., all managers of
Convergys India are required to have

124
‘Performance Focus’ as their core competency. However, the
target levels under a particular competency could vary across
levels.

The exercised has been further carried out to identify the

role/function specific competencies, called the Professional
competencies or ‘Yellows’, which very across employees in a
particular job position.

Thus, there is no fixed number of competencies applicable to

a particular job profile. It may vary across different levels/job
positions existing in the organization.

125
 FAQs

When should the new competencies be used?

The new competencies will be effective from the next

Appraisal cycle for the period ending 30th September 2004.
This does not mean it will be necessary to re-write all job
profiles immediately, rather, there will be a transition
period. So, when a job profile is being drafted or when it is
necessary to create an assessment center these set of
competencies will be used.

2. How long will the transition to the new

competencies take?

We will use the new year (2004) to make the transition

between the various competency models we have around
the company to the new Convergys India competencies.

3. Are the competencies a type of grading structure?

Absolutely not! Competencies focus on what a person
does, and they can provide a sound basis for deciding and
measuring improvements in performance. Our aim is that

126
 they are used as a part of a colleague’s personal
development; they are not a base for grading or salary
structures.

4. Do these competencies apply to all colleagues?

Yes, they do apply to all colleagues irrespective of their
role in the company. These are general competencies for
all colleagues in Convergys India.

5. Are all colleagues expected to be effective in all

competencies?
No. Typically, there are 6-8 essential i.e., Core
competencies in each level that are required to deliver
effective performance and inspirational service. These will
vary from level to level. In addition, Professional
Competencies have been identified across different job
positions in the organization. Two roles may have the same
core competencies but expect it to be delivered at different
levels because of the nature of the work and the level of
responsibility.

127
6. Could the levels of competencies attained vary each
year (e.g. one year you attain it and the next you don’t)?

Yes, every year is a new process and the individual’s

competency level could drop or increase, although it is
unlikely that the quality of work would drastically
decrease. The required level will, however remain the
same.

7. What happens if a competency level is not reached?

Within the competency target levels, there exists 3

grades/categories of Performance, i.e., S-Strong, C-
Competent and ND-Needs Development. An employs may
be ‘Strong’ in one competency but may require
development in other. As soon as there is evidence of a
need to improve a competency, the supervisor must offer
some coaching or training to the employee. It is to the
employee’s advantage to strive toward improvement and be
‘Strong’ in all competencies. However, for promotion, an
employs needs to be at least ‘Competent’ in core
competencies.

128
8. How is it decided what level a role should operate at?
Whilst this is not a grading system it is expected that
greater levels of competence will be required as breadth of
responsibility and experience increase.
As a general guide most colleagues below Team Manager
will be expected to operate at level 1 in the competencies
relevant to their role. However, this is not set in stone e.g.
in a high profile customer service role, a colleague may be
expected to operate at level 1 on all competencies except
Client & Customer Focus where they may be expected to
operate at level 2.
The important thing to remember is to think carefully about
the role and the level of performance you would expect for
an individual to be successful in that role – use the
definitions to guide you.
Whatever target level you determine for a role in each
competency it will include all elements of the lower levels.
E.g. Client & Customer Focus - Level 3 will include; Level
3 and Level 2 and Level 1

129
9. Does this mean that a minimum level should be set for
each role?
Yes, this is correct. A minimum level should be set for
each role. This should be included in the job/role profile.
Training and development can help a colleague reach or
exceed the level required of them.

10. If my job description is altered; will I belong to a

different job family or have different competency
profile?

If the duties of the position change significantly, for e.g.

through an IJP, it could place the position in a different
family or sub-group. However, the core competencies
being the same for the same level, it could also happen that
the competency profile would remain the same. Role
specific competencies would however be different from
those relevant to the existing job profile.

*****

130
 GUIDE TO APPRAISAL PROCESS

Performance Appraisal:

One of the most common purposes of appraisal is to enable

some kind of assessment to be made of an employee. This
may be against some pre-set objectives, or it may be in terms
of ratings on job competencies. If performance appraisal is to
be constructive and useful, there must be something in it for
both the appraisers and the employees being appraised. Its
success depends on the supervisor's willingness to complete a
constructive and objective assessment, and on the employee's
willingness to respond to constructive criticism and to work
with the supervisor to overcome performance barriers.

Performance Review is a bi-annual process that formally

documents performance and identifies ways to help
employees continue to contribute to achieving Convergy’s
mission and to provide employees with personal and
professional growth opportunities.

131
The objectives of the Performance appraisal system are:
Clear link to our strategic plan and core values

Fair, honest, accurate and non-discriminatory assessment of

performance based on standards that are valid, properly
applied, and transparent to employees

A sound basis for enhancing the performance capacity of all

employees, rewarding high-performing people, and
dealing with “below expected” performers.

There are essentially two components to this program:

 Look Back
Reviewing the past year, discussing how the employee
performed and giving constructive
Feedback.

 Look Ahead
Identifying specific ways in which the employee could
improve performance, build skills and competencies, and/or
take on additional responsibilities and setting goals and
objectives for the next appraisal period.

132
1. INTRODUCTION TO GUIDE:

Keeping in view the requirements of the new Appraisal

System, specific changes have been made to the existing
appraisal forms for the September 2004 appraisal. This
Objective setting and Performance evaluation form has been
designed to help managers set goals and communicate
expectations at the beginning of the appraisal period, change
plans as circumstances require, document accomplishments,
evaluate results, provide feedback to employees regarding
performance, and jointly formulate performance development
plans.

Appraisals will be done to review the past six months and to

generate a ‘rating’ for any bonus and increment calculations.
Ratings will also be used in the overall calculations as part of
the forthcoming annual salary review. The form will also be
used to identify any training and development needs and,
where appropriate, to agree task objectives for the coming six
months.

The appraisal system will continue to evolve over time as we

develop a company-wide integrated performance management
133
system to support a customer service culture. Your local HR
Representative is available to help with any queries about the
process and to provide update briefings as required.

2. PRINCIPLES

The appraisal is a two-way process. To make it effective, all

feedback should be specific and constructive with the focus
on acknowledging and encouraging strengths in addition to
identifying areas for improvement.

All actions arising from the appraisal should be agreed

between both parties, to encourage personal responsibility and
ownership on the part of the appraisee. The appraisal meeting
is the formal framework for monitoring performance and
development, however true development will only be
achieved if performance is managed as an ongoing, daily
process.

134
While managers are accountable for conducting appraisals,
Each employee is responsible for ensuring that their
Manager completes the appraisal on time.

Where necessary the individual should take the lead to ensure

that the timescales for their review are met.
The appraisal meeting should not be used as the only
opportunity to give feedback on performance issues; such
feedback should be given in the moment and not ‘stored up’
for the review.

To help ensure consistency across the company, the

appraising managers assessment of the appraisee will be
subject to the endorsement by the next level manager.
Individuals are encouraged to make full use of the comments
box on the appraisal document to comment on the appraisal
itself, the scores agreed and their personal development plan.

3. PURPOSE:

The March 2004 appraisal will define and assess individual

performance, where appropriate, in relation to:
135
 • Achievement of personal task objectives
• Levels of behavioral competence

In addition, for all employees, the appraisal will include the

opportunity to develop a personal development plan tailored
where appropriate to meet specific development activities.

The appraisal forms are used to:

• Review levels of competence over the past six months

• Agree or update each personal development plan
• Where appropriate, to agree task objectives for the next
six months.

PREPARING FOR THE

APPRAISAL MEETING

Appraising manager Appraisee

• Identify any areas you • Consider the specific

particularly want to areas the appraisal will
address address
136
• Ensure you understand the • Identify any areas you
documentation and the particularly want to
process address
• Have a copy of the last • Fill out your self ratings
appraisal to hand • Have a copy of your last
• Give a copy of the new appraisal to hand
appraisal document to the • Check out with colleagues
appraisee for self rating how they see you
• Ensure the appraisal performing
meeting can take place in
a private area, free from
interruptions
• Check out with your
manager and colleagues
any relevant views on
how the appraisee is seen
to perform
• Allow sufficient time

CONDUCTING THE
APPRAISAL MEETING

Appraising manager Appraisee

• Work through the • Work hard to listen and

documentation in a logical understand the feedback
sequence being given
137
• When giving feedback be • Seek specific examples
specific and constructive about what you do well
avoiding abstract and not so well
comments • Examine your own
• Encourage the appraisee performance and appraise
to examine and assess it honestly
their own performance • Learn from your
• Listen, don’t argue – manager’s perception of
discuss the reasons for you
any differences of opinion
• Agree joint ratings
• Learn from the
Appraisee’s perception of
you as their manager
• Send the completed forms
to HR and a copy to the
appraisee

6. USING THE FORM:

This form is for the review of the performance of an employee

during the last appraisal period. The form is divided into 6
sections. It is necessary that all the 6 sections of the form are
completed in all respects and then returned to the concerned
department to enable them to gather maximum information
from the same.

138
In order to get the most out of the appraisal process it is
essential that it is not viewed as a simple 'tick the box'
exercise. Prior to the appraisal meeting the person being
appraised should have the opportunity to self-rate his or her
own performance. For this reason the form must be handed to
the appraisee in advance of the appraisal meeting.

At the appraisal meeting the appraising manager should

jointly review with the appraisee all of the self-ratings and
agree joint ratings for every objective, core competence or job
knowledge area as appropriate.

6.1 Front Page

Enter the details on the first page as indicated. At the end of

the appraisal meeting, transfer the ratings based on
competencies and objectives accomplished onto the front
page and add together to give the total score, maximum being
1200. This will then be used to determine the overall rating of
the appraisee on a scale of 1 to 6, which needs to be entered
on the first page of the form. Give a copy of the form to the
appraisee and send the signed original to HR.
6.2 Performance evaluation based on Competencies

139
A competency is an observable skill or ability to complete a
task or job successfully. Once the company has established
the key abilities or attributes that are necessary for effective
employee performance, they may be incorporated into the
appraisal system to make assessment more objective. The real
strength of such a system is not in comparing people with
each other in a competitive way, but analysing the progress of
an employee in their own sense. This then directs attention to
those areas where they are excelling or where skills may be
improved.

There are 15 competencies identified, which are applicable

across all employees in the organization. The competence
definitions are specific, observable, and therefore measurable,
terms that clearly define the behaviors and performance
expected of employees. However, not all competencies may
be relevant to each and every employee in the organization.
An exercise has been carried out to map the various levels and
roles existing in the organization to these competencies. Since
an employee is required to exhibit proficiency across all
competencies, equal weightages have been assigned to all
competencies applicable to respective job positions in the
140
organization. A guide to the same is available as ‘Competency
Framework’ and ‘Competency Grid’. The former will be
made available to all the employees in the organization to
enable them to understand the parameters against which their
performance would be evaluated.

Convergys India now launches a Six-point rating scale,

which will be used to evaluate the performance of the
employee on both competencies and task objectives
accomplished. The use of the same will lead to a more
scientific performance evaluation process, thus giving away
with the use of ratings/scores in decimal points.

The 6-point rating scale is as follows:

The 6-point rating scale is as follows:

6 Performance consistently exceeds expectations with no

guidance
5 Performance consistently exceeds expectations with
Minimal guidance / supervision
4 Performance consistently meets but sometimes exceeds
Expectations
3 Performance consistently meets expectations
2 Performance mostly falls short of expectations; requires
significant amount of guidance / supervision
1 Performance consistently fails to meet expectations

141
The product of joint ratings and respective weightages should
be added to obtain the total value (A) for the appraisee. This
total should be entered on the front page.

By structuring competences into increasingly complex 'levels

of work' to reflect the role holders responsibility and expected
higher levels of performance, performance appraisal rating
scales can be used to provide both expected and actual
performance improvement profiles. The same portfolio is also
used to identify development needs and plan their activities.

6.3 Performance evaluation based on achievement of

objectives over the past six months (where appropriate):

Evaluate each objective set during the last performance

appraisal by assigning weightages to each of them and then
rating them on a scale of 1 to 6. (Same rating scale to be used
as under section 2).

The product of joint ratings and respective weightages should

be added to obtain the total value (B) for the appraisee. This
total should be entered on the front page.
142
Using the above two figures (A) and (B), total score (C) of the
appraisee can be obtained. This figure is used to determine the
overall rating of the appraisee, based on the following rating
scale:
Rating Scale Score
interval

6 1101 - 1200

5 951 - 1100

4 801 - 950

3 651 - 800

2 501 - 650

1 Below 500

143
6.4 Task objectives for the next six months

An objective is simply a statement of what is to done and

should be stated in terms of results. Personal task objectives,
where appropriate, should be agreed and written down along
with their measures and timescale. The timing must be
specific; 'on-going' is not sufficient. Objectives, which are
not completed in one review period, may be carried forward
by agreement.

A mnemonic aid to write objectives is SMARTING, i.e.

• Specific - does the objective have only one possible

interpretation
• Measurable - how will it be clear that the objective has
been achieved?
• Achievable - can this individual actually deliver this
objective?
• Realistic - can this actually be done, knowing all the
constraints that exist
• Time bound - when must the objective be completed by?

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All task objectives must be agreed between the appraisee and
appraiser before being set. It is understood that on occasions
objectives that have been agreed cannot be delivered, or may
become irrelevant, due to changing circumstances. In such
cases, it is for the appraisee to go back to the reviewer as soon
as the problem arises and agree revised objectives and
timescales. It is not appropriate to wait until the next formal
appraisal.

6.5 Performance Development Plan for the next six months

A Development Plan is important to help the employees learn

new skills, knowledge, abilities and behaviors and to continue
to remain current in their skills and/or improve their job
performance. The development plan identifies specific
activities, not just classroom training programs. While the
Objective/Competencies selected for the performance plan are
specific to the job, the development plan is an opportunity to
focus on the individual. The appraising manager and the
appraisee jointly create a development plan based on:
• Development for growth in the current job.
• Future development/career interests.
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 • Areas for improvement, where the employee is not
meeting expectations.

The need for the same is based on identification of the gaps in

the Appraisee’s target levels of competencies as against the
required target levels. While doing so, the appraising manager
is required to specify the grades within the target levels. The
three grades are as follows:

Strong (S): Significantly and consistently exceeds

performance requirements/expectations.

Competent (C): Proficient i.e., Fully satisfactory

performance which meets position requirements/expectations.

Needs Development (ND): Performance needs improvement.

A performance improvement, role change, or other corrective
action should be undertaken.

However, in order to be promoted, an employee needs to be at

least ‘Competent’ on the fixed/core competencies.

If the individual needs to improve in some aspects of the

position, and/or wants to grow in his or her current position,

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then development activities should be directly linked to
Objectives and Competencies, if applicable. If the individual
is meeting or exceeding expectations consistently and has
career interests beyond his or her current role, there may be
ways to incorporate skill building into the current position
that will help the individual move in the desired direction.

While you develop the plan together, think creatively about

what activities will be best for the individual based on the
skills, knowledge, abilities and behaviors needing
development, the opportunities available. Personal
development need not always require a formal training
course, instead consider other approaches such as
recommending books to read, special projects, job shadowing
etc.

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6.6 Summary of Performance

This section is the overall summary of the performance of the

concerned employee. On this page the appraising manager
should write comments about the Appraisee’s performance
over the past six months and sign. The former should provide
comments with specific examples to support evaluation and to
provide constructive feedback.

The appraisee then has the opportunity to comment regarding

his/her performance and indicate areas where he/she feels
additional assistance is needed in order to become more
effective. The appraisee should sign the document before it is
passed on to the appraising manager’s boss for endorsement
and comment.

6.7 Rating Scales

Using the rating scale given in this section, select the rating of
for each “indicator” that best reflects the employee’s
performance or skill level.

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TIMETABLE

• Appraisal of previous six months

performance. Advise score to HR.
September • Where appropriate – agree objectives
2007 for the coming six months
• Agree personal development plan

31st October • Last day for submission of

2007 completed documents to HR for any
bonus calculation (payable with
December payroll).

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 FAQs

1. How will the competencies link to our Performance

Management Process?

The competencies will be a part of our new performance

management process & form. Weightages would be
assigned to each of the competencies identified at the
beginning of the appraisal cycle, and the performance
evaluation of the appraisee would be based on the sum total
of the product of the joint ratings on competencies and the
respective weightages.
Specific development needs should then appear on the
Personal Development Plan and reviewed at the Bi-Annual
Performance Appraisal.

2. What are the goals of the new program?

The objectives of this new program are: To promote a

comprehensive performance appraisal system that takes
into account both objectives and behavioral competencies,

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 to encourage the development of competencies, to link
individual goals to organizational values and objectives.

3. Since the manager completes the

performance appraisal, how can one be certain of
his/her objectivity?

Open communication is encouraged between the manager

and the employee. The manager does the appraisal, as it is
his/her job, as well as a managerial right. However, this
appraisal ought to be done with the cooperation and full
participation of the employee as well as consultation with
the next management level. There is also a section, which
provides for the employee’s comments.

4. How do I evaluate an employee who is technically very

productive, weak in certain competency areas, however
doing work where the objectives (quality and quantity)
are more important than the competencies?

It is here that the need for Personal Development Plan is

identified. A Development Plan is important to help the
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employees learn new skills, knowledge, abilities and
behaviors and to continue to remain current in their skills
and/or improve their job performance. Based on the
competency gaps identified by the appraising manager, the
training & development needs of the appraisee are
addressed. Thus, we must recognize the areas of
improvement, note the impact they are having, and help the
employee to improve. We must also emphasize the benefits
(for co-workers and clients) of improving his/her
competencies.

*****

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ANNEXURE C
(Growth Chart)

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 GROWTH CHART

Level/ External/I Fast Track/Time

Band nternal scale Career Progression Criteria

1A to External Min of 1 appraisal (9mths-12 mths)

1B Hire Rating of 4/5/6

Min of 6 mths or 1 complete

IJP appraisal cycle (6mths) with a rating
Of 4/5/6

1B to External Min of 2 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

2A Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)

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 Min of 9 mths or 1 complete
IJP appraisal cycle (6mths) with a rating
Of 4/5/6

2A to External Min of 2 appraisals (9mths-12 mths)

2B Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (9mths-12 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 2 appraisals (6 mths) Rating

IJP of 5/6 (consecutive)

2B to External Min of 2 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

3A Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)
IJP Min of 2 appraisals (9 mths) Rating

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 of 5/6 (consecutive)

3A to External Min of 2 appraisals (9mths-12 mths)

3B Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (9mths-12 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 2 appraisals (6 mths) Rating

IJP of 5/6 (consecutive)

3B to External Min of 2 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

4A Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)

IJP Min of 2 appraisals (9 mths) Rating

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 of 5/6 (consecutive)

4A to External Min of 2 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

4B Hire Fast Track Rating of 5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 4 appraisals (12mths-18 mths)

Time Scale Rating of 4/5/6 (consecutive)

Min of 2 appraisals (6 mths) Rating

IJP of 5/6 (consecutive)

157