Challenge & Selection

We had a challenge to find solution on effective “Performance Management System” (PMS) to be  implemented in the organization. We need to find the building blocks and suggest key points to form  PMS to our HR department. We have diversified group of different products and functions as well. We  deal with different environment for different customers and different goals. The challenge was to find the  effective PMS which can cover this diversified group with common basic blocks. We used the  “Visualization - Tool” from Design Thinking theory to address this challenge. We used Straw man figures  for visualization of the problem. To have shared understanding we call upon set of people related to this  diversified groups who had gone through more than three to four years of appraisals in the company.  They had fair idea about what is challenge we have to form the efficient PMS within the organization.

Application

To start with I started with basic straw man starting figure of appraisal system which leads to PMS. Then  every individual had been asked draw basic blocks which are problem area for PMS with visualization  tool as their contribution in developing the further pictorial view of the problem situation and the  possible solution. The initial frame created could give us basic thoughts where we stand, but possibly it  was still missing connections. We fine tune our brain storming to come up with all possible angles and  missing links in the Straw Man diagram with “Visualization Tool” technique further. We reached to the  point where we all felt yes this covers now maximum points and the flow what we want in PMS, Which  represents the challenge we have and the problem we are facing.

As group was diversified they had their own ideas about the problem and hence it scattered major  spectrum of challenge which can be expected. Every Individual was asked to note down key points  which summarizes their issues mentioned in the drawing. This helped us to plot different themes for the  building blocks further. The key points mentioned on the sticky notes was segregated basis the  similarities under single theme. This further gave us the scope to describe the basic building blocks of  the system flow chart more conveniently.

Once we agreed upon the basic building blocks through this it was then next to fix on their priorities and  the sequence in the process. Which was again we could do through “Visualization Tool” which  resembles more natural way to flow and completes the cycle seamlessly.

Below is the photograph taken from the initial drawing which we did on blackboard to form the building  blocks of the PMS.

This covers exhaustive list of all the points expressed by the team with their own imagination of how it  can work and forms the PMS systems

Insight & Approach

This tool helped to create confidence in many colleagues that even though one’s drawing is not good he  or she can interpret the thoughts through straw man drawings using “Visualization Tool” in design  thinking. Even though initially it look absurd or distorted image of the work challenge, at the end when it  was fine tune and consolidated incorporating all the feedbacks and pointers, the image came out very  well.  Even though our job was only to reach the first level of feedback to the HR department about  what we think about PMS and what we should do to have the better PMS in organization. We could  really reach to the level where we could be very certain that these are the master blocks to design the  full grown PMS within organization.

Right from Pre Goal Setting, Measurable /Non Measurable goals Setting, Evaluation, Self & Peer  appraisals, Feedback mechanism, Rewards along with Learning and Development function roles we  could define in the process.

Visualization approach helped everyone to buy the mutual ideas easily and understand the thought  process behind putting all figures together to create cohesive structure.

Sharing ideas with each other could bring in insights to each one of us involved in the process and  possibly adaptability of the doubts in the process were less. Also we realized that the next tool of mind  mapping is also can be combined with Visualization Tool here by creating more details about the work  done. In mind mapping the basic concept of impromptu themes to segregate the work is very useful to  drill down the work for fine tuning the blocks.

We used “Visualization Tool” for brain storming, nurturing our idea to bring out the challenge on the  board and straw man graphics used to interpret the same. The more and more use of this technique will  make us more fine and accurate to utilize its strength. Really grateful to course era for providing such  insights which was lying with us and it was that learning made us utilize for our betterment.

