OP 9 Counseling

7/28/2019 OP 9 Counseling

1/14

Organizational Psychology

For MHROD-III Sem StudentsBy Prof. Amit VermaYear: 2012


2/14

The word counseling doesnt mean psychological therapy. Itmeans confronting and correcting people whose performance isbelow standard.

When you deal with people who are not performing at anacceptable level, you must counsel them. As with the otherapproaches, this does not imply a total effort; poor performance can

relate to one action or one task, a part of the persons overall

performance.


3/14

The answer will vary, but substandard performance generally means:

Ongoing attitudes or actions that willfully or ignorantly fall short of stated, written ormodeled duties.

Not meeting performance measures or goals.

Negatively affecting others performance goals.

Questions to ask yourself to determine if counseling is appropriate include: Have the employees duties been clearly communicated with reasonable frequency? Is the employees behavior willfully or ignorantly inadequate toward these duties? Is the behavior ongoing?

If you answer yes to these questions (and assuming your criteria for standardperformance are achievable by most people), the employee in question is probablyoperating at a substandard level.


4/14

Fear of failure, not being sure what to do or say. Thinking that, given time, the employee will snap out of whatever is causing substandard

performance. Rationalizing that performance isnt that bad. People get defensive, I get defensive, and nothing good happens.

I didnt set the initial goals with this employee. I will terrorize the employee he will think something is seriously wrong. Giving people time will enable them to figure it out on their own.

Add to the list its not my job and thats why we have HR. You can see why so many smallperformance issues can explode over time into real performance problems. Discipline and

confrontation are not favorites of many people. In todays more supportive and employee -centered environments, many equate counseling or correction with the old autocratic, meboss, you do as I say way of running a business.


5/14

Knowing when to counsel is as important as knowing when to move toa coaching or mentoring approach. Many times, it is a first step inthe coaching process, and will evolve to a motivating and instructingapproach. When you can identify situations that require your

expertise for immediate behavior change and you can act swiftly,you become more effective.

Counseling doesnt only address behavior that is beyond bad.It is not the precursor of discipline and termination. Counseling can

sometimes eliminate the need for formal discipline, and certainly itis a form of disciplining or correcting performance.


6/14

Notice the variety of situations where your choice ofcounseling, over that of coaching or mentoring, is moreadvantageous.

Reorganization, restructuring of the organization, department, or work Layoffs, both for those who leave and those who stay Demotions or job reassignments Salary freezes, salary decreases or lowered responsibilities Associate unhappy with you as the boss Associate unhappy with a work assignment

Associate who has a conflict with a peer Associate who feels stressed or burned out Associate who is insecure with his abilities to do the job Associate who has personal problems that he has shared with you Associate with personal problems that are affecting others work Performance problems that persist

Associate who is failing or experiencing failure


7/14

1. Get and Give Information In this phase, the counselor gathers relevant information from the team member and, in

return, responds to the persons need to receive information.

2. Agree on Performance Standards

Obviously, to perform at a standard level for a specified task, each team member mustunderstand and agree with the organizational definition of standard. The counselors jobis to communicate that standard in a way that the team member can understand andexplain. How can you get valid agreement? Ask questions.

Do you fully understand the demands of this job?

Is there any aspect of your job duties that could use some clarification? Do these activities seem doable to you? Is there anything you feel you might lack in order to do this task properly? How would you explain this task and the reason for it to a new employee?


8/14

3. CorrectThe counselor implements the measures discussed, to correct the performance and raise itto an acceptable standard and above. Focus on the positive nature of counseling: to helpassociates become more productive more fulfilled.

4. Refer

The counselor refers the employee to the resources needed to improve his performance.Referral is crucial to performance change. Counselors dont just tell people their faults andleave it at that. They point employees to the tools (people or processes) that offer realopportunities to change and win. A positive outcome is that the associate takesresponsibility for his own corrections and changes. In some instances, effective referralmay mean enrollment in a class or seminar, inside or outside the organization. It may meanasking another employee to mentor the team member in question with special emphasison the performance issue at hand. It does not mean disposing of the team member bypushing him off on someone else. The counselors responsibility for the members growthis furthered not finished by referral. To better equip themselves as counselors, someleaders listen regularly to training tapes or CDs. Some read one or two books a month onsubjects relevant to the managerial challenges they face. They do these things to stayahead of the potential needs of the people on their teams to be able to offer timely

solutions to team member challenges.


9/14

3. CorrectThe counselor implements the measures discussed, to correct the performance and raise itto an acceptable standard and above. Focus on the positive nature of counseling: to helpassociates become more productive more fulfilled.

4. Refer

The counselor refers the employee to the resources needed to improve his performance.Referral is crucial to performance change. Counselors dont just tell people their faults andleave it at that. They point employees to the tools (people or processes) that offer realopportunities to change and win. A positive outcome is that the associate takesresponsibility for his own corrections and changes. In some instances, effective referralmay mean enrollment in a class or seminar, inside or outside the organization. It may meanasking another employee to mentor the team member in question with special emphasison the performance issue at hand. It does not mean disposing of the team member bypushing him off on someone else. The counselors responsibility for the members growthis furthered not finished by referral. To better equip themselves as counselors, someleaders listen regularly to training tapes or CDs. Some read one or two books a month onsubjects relevant to the managerial challenges they face. They do these things to stayahead of the potential needs of the people on their teams to be able to offer timely

solutions to team member challenges.


10/14

Behavior modification was a big phrase during the

70s and 80s. It remains a valuable management tool.

Modifying behavior perfectly describes what a team

does in order to win. You coach a team to avoiddefeat, and you modify behaviors by the way youadapt each persons behavior and that of the teams.

Behavior mod (as it is nicknamed) techniques add

to an effective counseling session.Here are five approaches to modifying behavior

yours and your employees that will produce

dramatic victories if practiced faithfully.


11/14

1. Gain Agreement That a Problem ExistsThe very first thing that must happen in any counseling session is to sit down with theperson concerned and agree that weve got a problem. That may not be as easy as itsounds but without it, the rest of behavior modification doesnt mean anything. If youcant get agreement that a problem exists, a resolution is impossible. Your first goal,

therefore, is to gain that agreement. You want commitment, not compliance, long term.

2. Mutually Agree on the Action to Be TakenThis requires employee participation in the improvement process. One way to help ensurethis is to ask the employee how he thinks the problem might be solved. Chances are, atleast some aspect of the team members solution can become part of a plan that youve

already thought through. Results? The team member has some ownership in the solution.


12/14

3. Identify the Consequences of Action and InactionThis point is a must in any improvement process. Not only should you not sidestep

it, but you should ideally formalize agreement on consequences by asking, Dowe have an agreement on expectations and consequences? You can documentthe counseling session and ask for signature affirmation from the team memberconcerning expectations and consequences; this is useful for serious infractions.The approach you take will vary with the organization and your own style. Theimportant thing to remember is to end every counseling session by recappingdecisions and focusing on action to be taken. Talking about substandard behavioris good, but behavior that isnt targeted for specific action will never change.

And, of course, consequences must be specific: If we cant see at least a 5 percentincrease by this time next month, Roy, I feel we must (consequences). Does that

seem right to you? Plan ahead to figure out what consequences are right for theneeds of the employee in question. Its not something you can do on the spot.Cover positive as well as negative consequences. Point to the benefits offollowing through on the proper behavior you have targeted.


13/14

4. Make Sure the Consequences Affect Basic NeedsTie any consequences of poor performance to basic needs. Theemployee will continue to perform unsatisfactorily unless there isa meaningful consequence to his actions.

ExamplesConsequence (Negative) Basic Employee NeedCloser supervision Increasing independenceNo promotion Growth and affirmationReduced responsibilities Pride in achievementReduced income Consistent lifestyle

No consequences will motivate any two people exactly thesame way but motivating consequences can be found for anyteam member. Human beings change negative behavior only whenconsequences encourage even force positive behavior.


14/14

5. Reward AchievementChanging any negative behavior for long demands

external motivation. As research and job

interviews increasingly point out, the bestmotivation isnt always money. For instance,showing that new behavior will benefit theemployees leisure time, health, safety or status

(through promotion or increased autonomy,etc.) often provides the needed incentive tochange behavior.

OP 9 Counseling

Documents

Transcript of OP 9 Counseling