{"id":40482,"date":"2022-11-24T21:31:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T21:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/articles\/leading-performance-management-in-government-4-modern-strategies\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T20:19:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T20:19:06","slug":"leading-performance-management-in-government-4-modern-strategies","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/articles\/leading-performance-management-in-government-4-modern-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading performance management in government: 4 modern strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class='inline-text-container MobileAlignment DesktopAlignment'>\n  <div class='richText'><p dir=\"ltr\">Effective performance management in government agencies (or the public sector in general) can be challenging due to the size, complexity and multi-layered nature of government organizations.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In this guide, you\u2019ll learn 4 ways to improve performance management in the public sector to boost workforce engagement, retention and productivity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"note\" role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Table of contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Improve-efficiency-with-gradual-improvements\">Focus on change adoption and management<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Connect-performance-management-to-talent-development\">Connect performance management to talent development<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Engage-public-sector-employees-with-succession-planning\">Engage public sector employees with succession planning<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Align-your-government-agencies-technology,-systems-and-culture\">Align your\u00a0agency&#8217;s\u00a0technology, systems and culture<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">1. Focus on change adoption and management<a id=\"Improve efficiency with gradual improvements\" name=\"Improve-efficiency-with-gradual-improvements\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7863 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Competency-profile-landing-page-graph-view-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"804\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Competency-profile-landing-page-graph-view-1.png 804w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Competency-profile-landing-page-graph-view-1-300x286.png 300w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Competency-profile-landing-page-graph-view-1-768x733.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 804px) 100vw, 804px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When improving an existing performance management process, initiatives are prematurely stifled because the adoption process is either non-existent, too drastic, or over-complicated and time-consuming.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There\u2019s no need for a radical uprooting of your existing government performance management processes.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Practices and procedures should be introduced gradually, as aggressive changes can backfire by overwhelming employees, bloating initiatives and making it harder to gain buy-in from stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Implement the following gradual improvements to make progress:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>1. Secure buy-in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re involved in improving your organization\u2019s performance management process, buy-in from senior management\/leadership will accommodate necessary improvements or changes.<\/p>\n<p>Communication and testing the waters is essential, so avoid announcing or actioning drastic changes without consulting or informing other managers and frontline employees.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>2. Choose technology that grows with your organization\u2019s needs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">As your organization\u2019s size changes and requires more resources to meet public needs, the demand for employee development and management grows and changes in tandem.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35839 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_performance_management_diagrams_pm_continuum_uk-2.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1849\" height=\"1115\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"cke_bm_78S\" style=\"display: none;\"><span id=\"cke_bm_224S\" style=\"display: none;\"><span id=\"cke_bm_144S\" style=\"display: none;\">\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>(Totara Perform does not force you to adopt a specific workflow, style or way of doing things. Your organization is free to innovate and incrementally improve elements of your program at its own pace.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That\u2019s why we suggest choosing adaptive\u00a0<a href=\"\/totara-feature\/employee-performance-management-software-system\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"fd8dfdcf-a90b-4976-9fcd-86618db17725\">employee performance management software<\/a>, like Totara Perform,\u00a0that&#8217;s capable of securely connecting learning, performance management and collaboration for large, diverse organizations.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Thanks to its robustness and adaptive nature, Totara software is\u00a0<a href=\"\/node\/818\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"a560bc83-5889-45bc-99a5-6873b0d2a2fa\">trusted by the USDA <\/a> to accommodate 140,000 end users, 30 unique agencies and over 2,000 administrators.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>3. Experiment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Roll out changes to a single unit or department within your organization and measure the results. Feel free to test different iterations of a new performance management process &#8211; like experimenting with monthly vs weekly performance check-ins.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">2. Connect performance management to talent development<a id=\"Connect performance management to talent development\" name=\"Connect-performance-management-to-talent-development\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Having a central system for tracking employee feedback, goal setting and connecting learning to performance data will:<\/p>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>Strengthen\u00a0strategic management plans<\/li>\n<li>Help identify and fill critical skills gaps<\/li>\n<li>Lay the foundation for a practical, employee-friendly performance management framework<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Using a <a href=\"\/products\/totara-perform\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"af0303bf-a392-4f6b-9fe8-4742697a313d\"> performance management system<\/a>\u00a0like Totara Perform\u2014which supports both traditional and <a href=\"\/node\/1694\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"baadcd4a-a650-4c26-8cac-eeed4376370d\"> continuous performance management <\/a> \u2014the process of building robust compliance and competency structures across all divisions and positions within an organization is streamlined.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Competencies can link to courses, roles and learning plans, which connects the dots between <a href=\"\/blog\/employee-development-plans-with-examples\"> employee development<\/a>, management and performance.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This\u00a0also eases the challenges associated with identifying quantifiable skills or behaviors that employees need to effectively perform (and progress) in their roles.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Managers, for example, can assign a \u201crating\u201d (such as Beginner, Improving or Expert) to each competency in an employee\u2019s development plan. Ratings and competencies can then be supported with real-world evidence.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">(Evidence\u00a0types are configurable and include training completed in an <a href=\"\/products\/totara-learn\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"cc27e042-e65c-4557-8379-2643e3bdcc0f\">LMS<\/a> like Totara Learn, noted behaviors in day-to-day roles, certifications, badges from previous roles and more.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35847 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1competency-details-proficient-2.5-1024x795.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1competency-details-proficient-2.5-1024x795.gif 1024w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1competency-details-proficient-2.5-300x233.gif 300w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1competency-details-proficient-2.5-768x596.gif 768w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1competency-details-proficient-2.5-1536x1192.gif 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"bg-warning\"><em>Recommended read:\u00a0<a href=\"\/blog\/government-employee-training-tips\">How government agencies can engage employees with training<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">3. Engage public sector employees with succession planning<a id=\"Engage public sector employees with succession planning\" name=\"Engage-public-sector-employees-with-succession-planning\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It&#8217;s no secret that the US government struggles with hiring and retaining employees.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The median age for US public servants is now 45.6\u2014which is higher than almost every other American workforce. Lengthy hiring times are also not helping (the Federal Government takes <a href=\"https:\/\/federalnewsradio.com\/hiring-retention\/2018\/03\/it-took-agencies-an-average-of-106-days-to-hire-new-employees-in-2017\/\"> 3x longer to hire employees <\/a>\u00a0when compared to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/resourcesandtools\/hr-topics\/talent-acquisition\/pages\/u.s.-hiring-time-increased.aspx\"> private sector<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">With staff retirement numbers expected to rise in coming years, this leaves government agencies with a dilemma on their hands:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">How can agencies attract and retain millennial and gen Z employees, and plug the looming staffing shortages with new workers?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">One two-pronged solution is to combine better career progression to retain employees and succession planning to prevent skills gaps.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"bg-warning\">In a broad sense, this means supporting a culture of mentorship, collaboration and development between senior employees approaching the end of their tenure or retirement age, and junior employees entering the government or public sector workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/competencies-perform-scs_1.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A <a href=\"\/products\/learning-experience-platform-lxp-totara-engage\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"ffe4c8df-9537-4f19-9315-98644b74237e\"> learning experience platform <\/a> (LXP) is a powerful tool for establishing such a culture because it can support employee knowledge sharing and encourage development at every stage of an employee&#8217;s career.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">From brand-new employees to experienced senior management, an LXP connects people with similar learning needs\u2014whether that&#8217;s by role, location, seniority level or skill set.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Not only will this help your people share knowledge, collaborate on projects and communicate with colleagues, but it also opens up the opportunity for <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/become-a-partner\/totara-trade-show-partners-1\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"0f2398b8-b827-43bd-8d3e-e65af5516dd8\"> developing employees to be mentored<\/a>\u00a0by senior experts.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Experts can curate training resources from multiple channels to create personalized development paths, answer questions from mentees and track how engaged mentees are.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This provides employees a dedicated place to develop their skills, discuss ideas with colleagues and solve problems together in an engaging and interconnected way.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">And with more government employees expecting to keep working remotely in a post-pandemic world, an LXP also acts as a central <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/historias-de-clientes\/easyjet-drives-a-702010-learning-culture-across-seven-countries\/partner-guidelines-2\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"3910fa53-d261-45d0-bf68-b5b350014857\"> collaborative online workspace <\/a> for complex tasks and projects:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Wikis<\/strong> help employees navigate policies, governance or independently troubleshoot and self-serve issues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Forums <\/strong>document deep discussions, facilitate valuable team brainstorming, stimulate new ideas and enable peer reviewing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Surveys<\/strong> help efficiently capture ideas and sentiments from large groups of people<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Content playlists<\/strong> can be assigned to foster continuous learning and upskill employees on specific subjects or competencies<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Badges and labels<\/strong> <a href=\"\/node\/1842\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"95f4c52b-bf2d-4267-8e71-6a2766afa2c4\"> gamify knowledge sharing<\/a>, reward subject matter experts and recognize frequent contributors<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">4. Align your agency&#8217;s\u00a0technology, systems and culture<a id=\"Align your government agencies technology, systems and culture\" name=\"Align-your-government-agencies-technology,-systems-and-culture\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">One key challenge that government agencies face is a lack of alignment and integration between their core systems.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A single agency can have constituent organizations with multiple learning management systems, performance management processes and various collaborative platforms.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This encourages organizational silos, dilutes communication and significantly increases duplication of effort across the board.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fortunately, government agencies have the ideal solution in <a href=\"\/products\/totara-talent-experience-platform\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"ae986999-da9c-4351-b1ac-f00e8232d857\"> Totara\u2019s Talent Experience Platform<\/a>\u00a0(TXP).<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-center embedded-entity\" data-embed-button=\"insert_video\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.full_width\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"e87efe7c-fd6f-4af8-b1de-13ca1f4d5369\" data-langcode=\"en-US\">\n<div class=\"media media--type-video media--view-mode-full-width ds-1col clearfix\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-video-embed-field field--type-video-embed-field field--label-hidden field--item\">\n<div class=\"video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"6226584\" title=\"What is the Totara Talent Experience Platform?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ParCfETbJ80?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.totaralearning.com\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-9779283_25=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The platform comprises three individual systems, which combine to support learning, engagement and performance management:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">1. <strong><a href=\"\/talent-experience-platform\/perform\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"af0303bf-a392-4f6b-9fe8-4742697a313d\"> Totara Perform <\/a><\/strong> &#8211; the adaptive performance management system that allows\u00a0you to efficiently manage competencies, streamline development programs, establish critical <a href=\"\/blog\/a-simple-guide-to-setting-employee-performance-goals\">employee performance goals<\/a>, get 360-degree feedback, connect learning and\u00a0development to performance management, and much more.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">2. <strong><a href=\"\/talent-experience-platform\/learn\"> Totara Learn <\/a><\/strong> &#8211; the learning management system (LMS) trusted by millions of learners and favored by companies worldwide to deliver transformational learning, meet stringent compliance requirements and enable reporting to key stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">3. <strong><a href=\"\/talent-experience-platform\/engage\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"ffe4c8df-9537-4f19-9315-98644b74237e\"> Totara Engage <\/a><\/strong> &#8211; the learning experience platform (LXP) built to engage, unite and upskill your workforce. Totara Engage empowers employees to simplify complex knowledge sharing with permanent workspaces, content playlists, a Microsoft Teams integration and more, to nurture deep collaboration and job-relevant learning.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Together, these intuitive systems (that integrate with your current HR, HCM and L&amp;D tech) empower you with a Talent Experience Platform that improves every aspect of your <a href=\"\/blog\/employee-experience-management-strategy\">employee-employer experience<\/a> to unlock peak performance and boost workforce productivity.<\/p>\n<p><em>Author bio: Hassan Uddeen is a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hassanuddeen.com\/\">freelance content strategist<\/a>\u00a0and SEO consultant specializing in HR and B2B content marketing<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>","protected":false},"template":"","tax\/tags":[716,733,734],"tax\/solutions":[798],"tax\/topics":[736],"tax\/industries":[],"tax\/article-types":[1021],"class_list":["post-40482","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/40482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/tags?post=40482"},{"taxonomy":"solution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/solutions?post=40482"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/topics?post=40482"},{"taxonomy":"industry-tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/industries?post=40482"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/article-types?post=40482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}