Addressing employee performance issues effectively requires identifying the root cause as either motivational or ability-based, leading to appropriate solutions through disciplinary measures or training and development.
Primary Implication
People performance problems that go unresolved cost you money. They kill morale for those who have to work around the performance issue and make your job harder.
If it’s a motivation problem, it is solved through progressive discipline. If it’s an ability problem, it is solved through training and development. Define the problem correctly, and your next steps become clear.
Overview
The majority of reasons why people don’t complete an assigned task or perform a required action come down to motive or ability. They either aren’t motivated to do it, or they don’t have the ability to do what’s asked of them.
The second part of what holds them back from following through on their commitments is either personal, social, or organizational obstacles that get in their way, as shown below:
1. Personal
- They don’t enjoy doing it because they enjoy doing an alternative more = motive problem.
- They don’t know how to do it because they lack skill, knowledge, or experience = ability problem.
2. Social
- Someone discouraged them from doing it = motive problem.
- Reliance or dependence on another person’s action or knowledge that was not made available, preventing them from doing it = ability problem.
3. Organizational
- Organizational policies or practices discouraged them from doing it or did not reinforce the need to complete the task = motive problem.
- Organizational policies, systems, or practices hindered or prevented them from doing it = ability problem
In dealing with employee performance problems, people often become far more emotional than the issue they are discussing warrants because they are talking about the wrong issue. If you are bothered by a pattern but are talking about this latest instance, your emotions will seem out of proportion.
In contrast, an interesting thing happens when you hold the right conversation. Your emotions calm down. When you talk about what is eating you—the pattern—you will be able to be more composed and capable.
When people fail to do what needs to be done, you correct for this by first identifying if you are dealing with a motivation or ability problem. When dealing with motive and you find yourself continually working around the person, then you need to use Progressive Discipline on the person’s behavior to ensure they do what you are paying them to do.
If it’s an ability issue, don’t mislabel this as a negative in the beginning. You must be sure that you have given them everything they need to do what’s been asked of them, or you will create a self-defeating cycle trying to solve an ability problem with motivation and corrective action. All you get is more of what you don’t want.
If it’s a motivation problem, it is solved through Progressive Discipline. If it’s an ability problem, it is solved through Training and Development. Define the problem correctly, and your next steps become clear.
