Black Box or Diagnosis: how do you improve performance?

Where an employee is not meeting some kind of performance target, there are at least two approaches that can be taken.

One approach could be called the 'Black Box" approach. In this approach, the manager isn't really concerned with why the person isn't performing they are only interested in that the person isn't performing. So if, say, the worker is expected to process one item of work on average every 9 minutes and they are currently taking 12 minutes, the person is monitored and they are pressured to work faster, without any attempt being made to determine why they are not meeting the target. It assumes that the task is a single indivisible unit.There are inputs, there are outputs and what happens in between is solely the responsibility of the worker. If the worker just applies themselves then they can do better.

A second approach is the Diagnostic Approach.

It doesn't make the same assumptions as the 'Black Box' approach. It assumes that the task contains elements, that a person may be more or less skilled in each of those elements and that different workers may differ in their skill level for each component and the time it takes them to complete each component. It assumes that two people may apply the same effort and yet because of their individual differences they may achieve different levels of performance. And it assumes that by identifying what it is that the worker finds difficult and by providing support to the worker in developing their skills in that element then they can improve their performance.

For instance, suppose a worker is assigned a task which requires them to:

• use a computer system to access and process the work they are assigned
• read copies of letters sent by clients and identify the issues they are raising
• make a decision regarding the client's case based on the information provided
• compose a letter to the client advising them of the decision and addressing the issues raised

The worker might have any of the following problems in completing the task:

• they may not be very confident in using the system or may have poor keyboard skills
• their reading-comprehension skills may be poor
• they may find it hard to make the decision due to lack of confidence or a weak knowledge of the guidelines or other information necessary for making the decision.
• they may have trouble in their written communication skills

In the Diagnostic Approach, a manager would talk to the worker, watch them process and find out what problem the worker is actually experiencing in processing the work. And then they would target support to helping the worker to improve in that specific skill.

The 'Black Box' approach is equivalent to talking to someone who doesn't speak English and expecting that they will somehow understand if you speak louder or more slowly. The Diagnostic Approach on the other hand is equivalent to identifying that the problem is lack of English skills and either finding an interpreter or teaching the person basic English.

It doesn't take much effort to speak louder or more slowly, but it doesn't achieve any worthwhile results either. Addressing the actual skills deficit on the other hand may take longer but it results in genuine improvement.

More importantly it empowers the worker since they now see that it lies within their power to improve if only they can identify their barriers to improvement.