Based on an evaluation instrument developed by Francis de la Cruz in March 2009 for use in the DLSU Controller’s Office.
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INTRODUCTION
Questionnaires are often used to evaluate the performance of individuals. Here at the university, students answer specially designed questionnaires to evaluate the performance of their teachers. Department heads answer questionnaires that are customized for the specific evaluation of each of their subordinates. Faculty and professional staff also fill up questionnaires to evaluate their peers and even their superiors. Basically, every person here at the university, at least once a year, will evaluate someone else or will be evaluated.
Through the years I have seen many different forms of Performance Evaluation Questionnaires. Some are very task-oriented, where a person’s performance is evaluated with regard to his performance of each of the specific tasks listed in his official job description. Some are very results-oriented, where a person’s performance is evaluated with regard to the results he delivered (and with little regard to what he had to do or go through to deliver it).
The questionnaires I am required to answer in order to evaluate the performance of my Accounting and Finance Staff here at the university lean towards the task-oriented type. That is, they are more objectively focused on the performance of the specific tasks listed in each of my staff’s official job descriptions. I understand that this is necessary from a legal point of view.
In contrast, the questionnaires that I used to deal with in a couple of multinational banks that I used to work for were very results-oriented. That is, meeting dollar targets were all that mattered, it hardly mattered what one had to do or go through in order to meet those dollar targets as long as he did meet them (and as long as he still kept it legal, of course).
Pertinently, in evaluating the performance of my Assistant Controllers (i.e., Assistant Managers) here at the university, aside from the official Performance Evaluation Questionnaires I am required to accomplish, I have designed my own Questionnaire based on my own years of experience as a manager in the Accounting & Finance profession. I am sharing and presenting it here below, and I have even edited it to make it more generic, for the benefit of my former (and future) Educational Management and Business Management students. Note that the value of seniority is pronounced, this is because seniority does matter significantly in an organization like a university.
When one reaches the level of Manager (or Assistant Manager, as in the case of my staff), one has to transcend the mere performance of specific tasks. Accounting is one of the most task-specific and task-intensive professions (e.g., creating and posting Journal Entries, reconciling Bank Balances, counting Inventories, etc., etc., ad nauseam), but despite this (or perhaps BECAUSE of this) I will always insist that anyone who assumes a managerial role in my team must realize that he needs to do more than just the “specific tasks.” Indeed, as I keep saying, Accounting is the easy part. People Management - that is the hard part. I hope the questionnaire here below will clarify my point.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE
(For the Evaluation of Assistant Managers)
I. SENIORITY (40%)
1. Loyalty and Contribution to the Organization (15%)
• Has he through so many years consistently contributed to the stability and progress of the organization, contributing in his own big or small way – but always to the best of his abilities?
2. Dedication to the Organization (15%)
• Does he always prioritize the welfare of the Organization?
• Is it evident in his actions that he aims to help fulfill the missions of the Organization?
3. Knowledgeability about the Organization (10%)
• Does he possess and share critical knowledge on a great deal of historical data (e.g., historical financial and operational data), which time and again has proven vital?
II. RELIABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY (60%)
5. Contributions as an Individual (10%)
• Does he consistently deliver results when it comes to projects that are assigned to him as an individual?
• Are his opinions generally useful and helpful?
• Are his reports normally correct and complete, not requiring a great deal of clarification, correction, and refinement?
• Does he demonstrate technical competence in Accounting, Finance, Educational Management, and Business Management?
6. Contributions as a Team Member (10%)
• Is he easy to get along with?
• Does he consistently help the whole Accounting & Finance Team deliver results that only the Team as a united whole can (and must) deliver?
• Does he help and empower his team-mates so that they can also deliver results?
• Is he willing to share knowledge and information with the team, instead of keeping his knowledge to himself as a way of making himself indispensable?
• Is he willing to share credit with the team (and to help the team shine), instead of being too eager to shine only by himself (particularly at the expense of any of his team-mates)?
• Does he listen to and cooperate with his superior the Controller, instead of trying to compete with and upstage him?
• Can he be trusted to enhance and preserve the credibility of the team?
• Can he be competitive without being underhanded?
• Basically, is he a team-player? And although he may not be perfect (because no person is), is he nonetheless "perfect for the team?"
7. Contributions as a Leader (10%)
• Can he lead his section towards delivering results?
• Can he guide and motivate his subordinates in a way that brings out the best in them?
• Is he of help to the Controller in leading the entire Accounting & Finance Team toward consistently delivering results?
• Is he inclined to cause clarity of objectives, unity in purpose, and coordination of activities, instead of being inclined to cause confusion, strife, and chaos?
• Does he inspire his subordinates, peers, and even his own superior toward the attainment of goals?
8. Service Orientation (10%)
• Does he evidently aim to serve the members of the Academic Community to the very best of his abilities, with sheer intent to serve and with no self-serving motives?
• Does he evidently also aim to serve his very own colleagues in the Controller’s Office?
• Does he serve his clients/colleagues, and put them at ease, with genuine kindness and proven sincerity?
• Can he deal with clients/colleagues in a consistently diplomatic and mature manner?
• Does he serve people to the best of his abilities regardless of their status and influence?
9. Initiative and Aptitude (10%)
• Is he a problem-solver?
• Does he help the Controller solve-problems, and does not merely relay problems to the Controller expecting the latter to solve a great deal of the problems himself?
• Is he part of the solution, and not part of the problem? Is he an asset to the Team, or is he actually an “under-performing asset” that the Controller has to “look after?”
• Is his work difficult to do, not only in terms of volume but more so in terms of complexity and challenge? Is his expertise so valuable that his absence can be immediately felt?
• Can he do multi-tasking effectively, delivering results for each task?
• Does he have “abilidad” or “diskarte?”
10. Strength (10%)
• Can he maintain presence of mind in the face of difficult and overwhelming circumstances? Can he work and still deliver results, under extreme pressure and in the face of obstacles and setbacks? Can he maintain his cool and bearing, and diplomatically assert him when confronted by people who may be difficult and intimidating?
• Can he be counted to be there when the going gets rough? Can he be counted to always be there when you need him most, or does he usually suddenly goes on leave when there is a pressing project that he needs to attend to, or even go on extended leave during peak season for work? Does he focus on work and deal with real problems at hand, or does he often escape by engaging in activities than are deemed positive or even noble but are actually irrelevant to his work?
– End –
=====
[Originally blogged March 9, 2009 on http://francisjr.blog.friendster.com/2009/03/research-digest-no3/ ]
Through the years I have seen many different forms of Performance Evaluation Questionnaires. Some are very task-oriented, where a person’s performance is evaluated with regard to his performance of each of the specific tasks listed in his official job description. Some are very results-oriented, where a person’s performance is evaluated with regard to the results he delivered (and with little regard to what he had to do or go through to deliver it).
The questionnaires I am required to answer in order to evaluate the performance of my Accounting and Finance Staff here at the university lean towards the task-oriented type. That is, they are more objectively focused on the performance of the specific tasks listed in each of my staff’s official job descriptions. I understand that this is necessary from a legal point of view.
In contrast, the questionnaires that I used to deal with in a couple of multinational banks that I used to work for were very results-oriented. That is, meeting dollar targets were all that mattered, it hardly mattered what one had to do or go through in order to meet those dollar targets as long as he did meet them (and as long as he still kept it legal, of course).
Pertinently, in evaluating the performance of my Assistant Controllers (i.e., Assistant Managers) here at the university, aside from the official Performance Evaluation Questionnaires I am required to accomplish, I have designed my own Questionnaire based on my own years of experience as a manager in the Accounting & Finance profession. I am sharing and presenting it here below, and I have even edited it to make it more generic, for the benefit of my former (and future) Educational Management and Business Management students. Note that the value of seniority is pronounced, this is because seniority does matter significantly in an organization like a university.
When one reaches the level of Manager (or Assistant Manager, as in the case of my staff), one has to transcend the mere performance of specific tasks. Accounting is one of the most task-specific and task-intensive professions (e.g., creating and posting Journal Entries, reconciling Bank Balances, counting Inventories, etc., etc., ad nauseam), but despite this (or perhaps BECAUSE of this) I will always insist that anyone who assumes a managerial role in my team must realize that he needs to do more than just the “specific tasks.” Indeed, as I keep saying, Accounting is the easy part. People Management - that is the hard part. I hope the questionnaire here below will clarify my point.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE
(For the Evaluation of Assistant Managers)
I. SENIORITY (40%)
1. Loyalty and Contribution to the Organization (15%)
• Has he through so many years consistently contributed to the stability and progress of the organization, contributing in his own big or small way – but always to the best of his abilities?
2. Dedication to the Organization (15%)
• Does he always prioritize the welfare of the Organization?
• Is it evident in his actions that he aims to help fulfill the missions of the Organization?
3. Knowledgeability about the Organization (10%)
• Does he possess and share critical knowledge on a great deal of historical data (e.g., historical financial and operational data), which time and again has proven vital?
II. RELIABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY (60%)
5. Contributions as an Individual (10%)
• Does he consistently deliver results when it comes to projects that are assigned to him as an individual?
• Are his opinions generally useful and helpful?
• Are his reports normally correct and complete, not requiring a great deal of clarification, correction, and refinement?
• Does he demonstrate technical competence in Accounting, Finance, Educational Management, and Business Management?
6. Contributions as a Team Member (10%)
• Is he easy to get along with?
• Does he consistently help the whole Accounting & Finance Team deliver results that only the Team as a united whole can (and must) deliver?
• Does he help and empower his team-mates so that they can also deliver results?
• Is he willing to share knowledge and information with the team, instead of keeping his knowledge to himself as a way of making himself indispensable?
• Is he willing to share credit with the team (and to help the team shine), instead of being too eager to shine only by himself (particularly at the expense of any of his team-mates)?
• Does he listen to and cooperate with his superior the Controller, instead of trying to compete with and upstage him?
• Can he be trusted to enhance and preserve the credibility of the team?
• Can he be competitive without being underhanded?
• Basically, is he a team-player? And although he may not be perfect (because no person is), is he nonetheless "perfect for the team?"
7. Contributions as a Leader (10%)
• Can he lead his section towards delivering results?
• Can he guide and motivate his subordinates in a way that brings out the best in them?
• Is he of help to the Controller in leading the entire Accounting & Finance Team toward consistently delivering results?
• Is he inclined to cause clarity of objectives, unity in purpose, and coordination of activities, instead of being inclined to cause confusion, strife, and chaos?
• Does he inspire his subordinates, peers, and even his own superior toward the attainment of goals?
8. Service Orientation (10%)
• Does he evidently aim to serve the members of the Academic Community to the very best of his abilities, with sheer intent to serve and with no self-serving motives?
• Does he evidently also aim to serve his very own colleagues in the Controller’s Office?
• Does he serve his clients/colleagues, and put them at ease, with genuine kindness and proven sincerity?
• Can he deal with clients/colleagues in a consistently diplomatic and mature manner?
• Does he serve people to the best of his abilities regardless of their status and influence?
9. Initiative and Aptitude (10%)
• Is he a problem-solver?
• Does he help the Controller solve-problems, and does not merely relay problems to the Controller expecting the latter to solve a great deal of the problems himself?
• Is he part of the solution, and not part of the problem? Is he an asset to the Team, or is he actually an “under-performing asset” that the Controller has to “look after?”
• Is his work difficult to do, not only in terms of volume but more so in terms of complexity and challenge? Is his expertise so valuable that his absence can be immediately felt?
• Can he do multi-tasking effectively, delivering results for each task?
• Does he have “abilidad” or “diskarte?”
10. Strength (10%)
• Can he maintain presence of mind in the face of difficult and overwhelming circumstances? Can he work and still deliver results, under extreme pressure and in the face of obstacles and setbacks? Can he maintain his cool and bearing, and diplomatically assert him when confronted by people who may be difficult and intimidating?
• Can he be counted to be there when the going gets rough? Can he be counted to always be there when you need him most, or does he usually suddenly goes on leave when there is a pressing project that he needs to attend to, or even go on extended leave during peak season for work? Does he focus on work and deal with real problems at hand, or does he often escape by engaging in activities than are deemed positive or even noble but are actually irrelevant to his work?
– End –
=====
[Originally blogged March 9, 2009 on http://francisjr.blog.friendster.com/2009/03/research-digest-no3/ ]
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