Why Training Rarely Solves The Problem- I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s Fix the System

By Michelle Malay Carter on March 29, 2010 

Management’s Magic Bullet – Training Training is a fabulous thing – if people need to build knowledge and skills. But how often are issues at work really caused by someone’s lack of knowledge or skill? What does training NOT address? What the accountabilties of my role are, AND what the accountabilities of others’ roles are. […]

Filed Under Accountability, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 7 Comments

Measuring Employee Performance Tells as Much about the System as It Does the Employee

By Michelle Malay Carter on February 19, 2010 

In addition to old-fashioned happenstance, there are three main areas of influence over one’s performance within an organization: Three Areas of Influence over Employee Performance 1. The first is the person’s capability profile which is composed of a) knowledge, skills and experience, b) values, temperament and inhibitors, as well as c) current cognitive capacity. 2. […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization | 3 Comments

Missed Opportunities to Rescue Dugard Linked to Poor Employee Screening or Poor Pay?

By Michelle Malay Carter on November 5, 2009 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “State parole agents fell down on the job again and again during the 10 years they supervised sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido, failing to check out clues that could have led to alleged kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard.”? [emphasis mine] Parole Agent Work is Level Two Work If you follow […]

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Performance Review or Effectivness Appraisal – Be Mindful of What Your Systems Communicate!

By Michelle Malay Carter on August 5, 2009 

I worked?with?a client this week conducting requisite role analysis and?writing job descriptions.? Although this?project is not about?performance review, we recognize that these job descriptions?will then become the basis for performance review. Be INTENTIONAL Please Systems drive behavior so the systemic implications for the way the performance review is designed, and its stated strategic intent are […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 2 Comments

Leadership Gut Check – Performance Reviews

By Michelle Malay Carter on October 23, 2008 

Eschew the Performance Review I wrote earlier this week about best intentions not leading to best practices.? Even if we were to grant that performance reviews started with the best of intentions – they have wandered dangerously off course. Deming argued against them back in his day.? I’ve argued against them myself.? But this Machine […]

Filed Under Accountability, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 2 Comments

Best Intentions Don’t Equal Best Practices – Ask the Bigger Questions of Your Systems

By Michelle Malay Carter on October 20, 2008 

I believe in people.? Their inherent goodness.? Their desire to contribute.? To do well by themselves and others.? But clearly, this does not always translate into best practices.? Sometimes to do right by ourselves, our systems force us to do wrong by others. Whoa!? Where Did?We Go? Many times we start out doing something for […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Executive Leadership, Requisite Organization | 4 Comments

Where is the Leadership Wisdom? Hiding with Waldo

By Michelle Malay Carter on October 15, 2008 

Have you played the game, Where’s Waldo?? The point is to search an incredibly cluttered image and isolate Waldo, who is hiding amongst the debris.?Can you find Waldo in the image to the left? We Don’t Need More.? We Need Discernment When it comes to leadership wisdom, it’s a little like Where’s Waldo.? There is […]

Filed Under Corporate Values, Executive Leadership, Requisite Organization | 2 Comments

Talent Management – What HR Should Have Done

By Michelle Malay Carter on September 23, 2008 

In last week’s post, Performance Evaluations, Rating Scales and Fraud, I discussed a manager who had a performance review returned to him from HR. He was told by HR to lower the ratings he gave his stellar employee because, “You can?t rate every line item a 5 out of 5”.? In other words, he was […]

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When is Fraud OK? Ask HR

By Michelle Malay Carter on September 17, 2008 

I’m picking on HR this week to make a point about the general lack of systems thinking within organizations, most particularly in the area of “people systems”. Executive Ignorance is Costly As I’ve stated before, I think the tarnished reputation of?Human Resources?is a result of a lack of collective consciousness on the part of executive […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Talent Management | 1 Comment

Performance Evaluations, Rating Scales, and Fraud

By Michelle Malay Carter on September 15, 2008 

Here is yet another real-life example of how performance evaluations can be a sham and?often do more harm than good. The Background My overqualified friend began a new job as a paralegal within a corporate law department several months ago.? Her manager was new to the corporate law environment as well, having come from a […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 3 Comments

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