• delivering the brand through customer service
• developing effective organisations
• managing change
• defining HR strategy
• developing competency frameworks
• managing performance
• developing managers and leaders
• developing sales skills
• managing talent
• assessment and recruitment
• reward and recognition
• training and development programmes
• building successful teams
• evaluating return on investment
• communicating to build employee engagement

Managing performance

In today’s competitive and dynamic environment it is vitally important to harness the contribution of each individual. Performance management aligns individual and team effort with the objectives of the organisation as a whole.

Here at cda we focus on developing simple, effective performance management tools and processes which link into wider performance objectives – such as competency frameworks, organisational values and the strategic planning process. We combine a simple, robust process with a programme of training and briefing for appraisers and appraisees to equip them to get the most out of the process. Many of our performance management processes also include a regular review to measure completion rates and satisfaction with the process.

Another, optional part of the performance management process is 360 Feedback. Our on-line 360 tool cdafeedback   is tailored against the organisation’s own competencies or performance criteria. It gathers information from a range of peers, subordinates and external contacts nominated by an individual employee, plus his or her manager. It provides an efficient, automated way of gathering and summarising this data into an individual feedback report, which can form a very useful part of the performance management process. 
 

Case studies

Alliance UniChem  planned to differentiate the business and achieve challenging growth targets for its 800 pharmacies around the UK through factors such as the service provided to customers. They asked cda to help them to drive culture change through a single competency framework which would provide a ‘unifying core’ for training and development processes. We met with a wide cross section of staff across the business to understand their roles and worked with a Steering Group to agree a single Competency Framework which covered all jobs across the business. This was written in a way that provided a concise, simple competency profile for each job, including a clear link to the company’s values. The Competency Framework was brought to life at an individual level when it was used to review individual performance and development needs, via a new performance management process which was also designed by us.

Anglian Water Group (AWG)  was undertaking a major strategic review of their entire business. We worked with AWG at several key stages during this process. Most recently we have worked with the business to support a process of 360-feedback using cdafeedback [LINK]. This process has been structured to provide feedback against the Skills and Behaviour Framework, which has formed a key part of the organisation’s change programme. The process started with Directors, and subsequently included ‘Key Reports’ and Senior Managers across the organisation. The flexibility of cdafeedback [LINK] has allowed us to tailor the process to provide information which is very relevant to the strategic challenges facing the business.

Barclaycard recognised that training alone could not deliver sustained improvements to Call Centre customer service skills and behaviour. We worked with them to develop a concise set of competencies for key roles which reflected the Barclaycard customer experience and key performance metrics such as JD Power. Call Monitoring/Coaching processes were adapted to reflect the new competencies, providing a clear message to staff about what is important for success in the role.

We worked with Heineken UK to develop the STAR performance management process. STAR is focused on developing the skills and behaviours required for the medium term success of the business and allowing teams to manage performance against a clear, measurable set of objectives. It was developed to reflect the views and requirements of a cross section of staff and subsequently piloted and tested before being rolled out accross the business. The STAR process now forms the foundation for Heineken's Learning and Development activity and Talent programmes.

As part of our work with  North Lincolnshire Housing Services aimed at delivering improvements to customer service, we developed the ‘ASK’ process. This simple performance management process centered around a six-monthly individual review of performance and behaviour. The review was carried out using the Skills and Knowledge Framework which we developed with North Lincolnshire Housing services to summarise the competencies required to deliver effective customer service. The ASK (Annual Skills and Knowledge Review) process was developed in conjunction with a Project Team including managers, tenant representatives and union officials, and was introduced to the organisation through a series of two-day training courses for managers and half-day briefings for staff. The ASK process was well accepted by the organisation and delivered significant improvements to the motivation and customer service skills of managers and their teams.

RSM Robson Rhodes (now part of Grant Thornton) worked with us to develop an improved performance management process which would focus performance and development on the key competencies that were required to deliver the Firm’s ambitious business objectives. The new process, called ‘Developing Talent’, was launched via a programme of training and briefing workshops developed and co-facilitated by cda; all managers (including partners) attended a two-day workshop aimed at improving their performance management skills. All non-managers attended a shorter workshop which briefed them on the competencies and ‘Developing Talent’ process; equipping them to carry out their part in the process.

As part of the ‘Retail Revolution’ programme for T Mobile UK we developed a set of ‘Brand Behaviours’ which translated the T Mobile brand into a set of practical, understandable skills and behaviours for the retail team. The Brand Behaviours were also informed by customer research carried out using cdai to investigate the buying preferences of T Mobile’s customers. The Brand Behaviours were used as the basis for training and performance management for retail teams, to develop a consistently good customer experience and improved sales performance. T Mobile also adapted their performance measures for retail stores (principally their ‘Mystery Shopper’ processes) to align with the Brand Behaviours, creating a ‘virtuous circle’ of development and measurement aimed at embedding the behaviours into the working culture.

Welcome Break needed a new approach to performance management that would develop the skills and behaviours of 5,000 staff, based across the 23 sites and multiple brands (such as Burger King, Delifrance and KFC). We worked with a Steering Group drawn from across the business to develop a competency model summarising the most important skills and behaviours and linked this into a simple performance management process. The new process was launched to managers and staff through a programme of briefing and training. It made a significant impact on key performance areas such as employee turnover, employee morale and customer satisfaction.