Often talked about and sometimes shunned, Performance can be a sensitive subject in an organisation. Some people want to measure it. However, it’s often easier to measure the results of performance than the performance itself, which can be a largely subjective thing.
Others will not admit that Performance is not so good. After all, when you as a manager complain about your team’s performance you often have one finger pointing outwards and several pointing towards yourself. You might get away with criticising performance in your first 100 days in your management role but after a while you can be perceived as part of the problem.
So, what is the secret to high performance?
You may be asking yourself this question. And, is there an easy, constructive and effective way to measure Performance Potential? Well, as it turns out, there is.
The secret to high performance lies in Enjoyment-Performance theory, which is a way to measure work satisfaction and the most reliable way to determine motivation and forecast whether a person will prosper, succeed and stay with an organisation.
Working Smarter
Applying enjoyment-performance theory results in people working together to enhance existing performance levels; recognising individual and team strengths; acknowledging individual and team de-railers; and supporting each other to develop and achieve the teams goals. It moves from criticism and a potential blame game to a dynamic opportunity for mutual growth and development.
Enjoyment-Performance goes something like this:
When you enjoy a task you tend to do it more often and thus you get better at it. It becomes like a self-fulfilling prophecy that reinforces itself.
The opposite is also true: when you don’t enjoy a task you tend to do less of it and then when you have to do it you often make mistakes or it takes you a lot of time to complete it properly. Once again, the self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in.
3 keys to greater work satisfaction
- Preferred tasks fit the job
- Interests fit the job
- Work environment preferences (including fit with supervisor) fit the job
Since 1990, our ongoing research at Harrison Assessments Talent Solutions indicates that employees who enjoy at least 75% or more of their job are 3 times more likely to succeed than employees who enjoy less than 75% of their job. Measuring factors related to work satisfaction makes it possible to predict job success and therefore to hire, motivate, promote and retain top talent.
