Assess performance and capabilities in an inclusive way

Performance Criteria – in my team, I…

• Use a strength-based approach to capability assessment.
• Am explicit about the assessment criteria.
• Question assumptions about job and task requirements, qualifications, need to conform to norms, and “potential”.
• Collect evidence for assessment in appropriate ways.
• Avoid bias in assessing the performance and capabilities of others.
• Provide feedback on performance and capability in an appropriate way.
• Recognize that individuals can gain and demonstrate knowledge and skills in a variety of ways.
• Demonstrate open and positive curiosity about people’s skills and capabilities.
• Invite others to share their knowledge and experience with the team.

Definitions – what the terms used in this competency mean

1. Assessment: formal, informal, diagnostic, formative, summative
2. Feedback: formal, informal, verbal, written
3. Appropriate ways: appropriate to the assessment criteria, and to the individual’s culture, personality, understanding, ability to express, objectives, career history, expertise
4. Others: direct reports, peers, supervisors, managers, clients, suppliers
5. Individual: team member, colleague and peer, candidate, applicant
6. Evidence: work samples, witness testimony (from colleagues, supervisors, customers, suppliers), video of you performing

Required knowledge

1. Assessment criteria
2. Giving feedback
3.  Biases:
   • Common biases related to dimensions of diversity
   • Common cognitive biases that affect decision-making (e.g. confirmation bias)
   • How to identify one’s own biases
4. Assessment tools and methods
5. Foreign credential recognition resources and tools
6. Objective knowledge of the role / task (e.g. required qualifications vs. nice to have)

Example(s) – what might this look like in practice?

• In an upward feedback process, you provide specific behavioral examples of situations when your manager’s actions did not feel inclusive.
• In a meeting to review employee potential and performance, the HR advisor challenges underlying assumptions about “appropriate style” of people with leadership potential.
• To uncover your own personal biases, you review the candidates for promotion with your HR Advisor, specifically asking him to challenge your choices.
• A supervisor asks a colleague to provide an additional perspective on a recent incident to avoid a misunderstanding due to cultural differences.

Related resources – Strengthen your competencies with TRIEC Learning

E-Learning: Understanding cultural competence
 E-Learning: Unconscious Bias in Resume Screening
 E-Learning: Inclusive Interviewing
 E-Learning: Performance Management
Printable resource: Typical Tasks in Preparation for the Performance Appraisal Meeting