Free Offer The Performance Management Discussion Guide was created as a companion to the best selling book by Robert Bacal, Performance Management - A Briefcase Book, published by McGraw-Hill. We have obtained permission to make this discussion guide available free of charge in adobe acrobat format. To download the guide you need to access it via our webstore. Once you complete the process, you will see that guide listed in your shopping cart, with a cost of $0.00. To get your free copy of the The Performance Management Discussion Guide, click here. For more information on Performance Management - A Briefcase Book click the link below:

PS. Make sure to check out the free previews of our performance management and appraisal tools while you are getting your free discussion guide.

In this fast read book/white paper, performance management consultant and author Robert Bacal explains why most performance management and appraisal schemes fail to help the employee, the manager and the company, and suggests some changes to improve the return on investment for performance management.

Performance appraisal works best when it is based on a dialogue/discussion between employee and manager, and should never be something that is done to employees by the manager.

That requires that employees understand the appraisal and performance management process and are prepared to be full participants. Oddly enough, there is little material out there written for employees to help them with this process.

This helpcard is written specifically for employees, and provides concrete actions an employee can take to help make the appraisal process meaningful and constructive.

Performance appraisal need not be unpleasant or daunting, provided it's done properly, and the emphasis is on improving performance and not on blaming.

This helpcard maps out the performance appraisal process so managers can learn to do them properly, and without pain.

Performance management and performance appraisal work best when they are seen as part of an overall system to manage work so that everybody succeeds.

To do this properly, there are a number of steps that managers should include in the overall process. When steps are missed the performance management and appraisal process fails employees and fails the company.

This helpcard helps managers ensure that no steps are missed.

One of the first steps in the process, or "flow" of performance management and performance appraisal involves goal-setting for individual employees, or performance planning. Without clear goals, no employee can achieve his or her potential.

Performance planning is the process where performance goals are negotiated so that each employee's goals fit and contribute to the overall goal achievement of the work-unit or company.

This card maps out the steps in performance planning and goal setting.