Andrew Mayo Opinion
By Andrew Mayo (November 2005 Issue)
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Spoken or unspoken, consciously or unconsciously, we all have expectations of other people, as they do of us. Our feelings about others are heavily influenced by the degree to which we feel these expectations are being met.
I was impressed recently by a Finnish client, who had designed a new appraisal form. The form, which contained a scale intended to capture how well specific competencies were demonstrated, was full of such terms as ‘exceeds’, ‘meets’ or ‘does not meet’ expectations. At the beginning of a year, in addition to setting the task objectives, a manager would discuss his or her expectations of a particular person’s performance in specific competency areas, in a specific job, in the circumstances prevailing at a particular time in their development.
It seemed to me that not only did this produce a most valuable dialogue, but that there was a very good chance performance would be enhanced in the year to come, simply from this clear definition of expectations. It also laid down an excellent base for coaching throughout the year.
Many competency frameworks feel like straightjackets of perfection – with only one size, into which we would like to fit all the population – but in reality, a wide variety of personalities and competency mixes can perform effectively. Individuals are different, and so are their circumstances. If the frameworks can be used to describe the specific and unique expectations between a boss and each subordinate, then they will be useful.
The so-called ‘psychological contract’ is another example of managing expectations at work. When someone comes to a new organisation or new team, they are given, in addition to a financial agreement, a number of indicators of what to expect. These may include training, career growth, travel, responsibility, resources and so on, and may be more important to the individual than the salary. It is when those expectations are not realised in practice that dissatisfaction sets in, and a person begins to consider a move elsewhere. I wonder how many losses of new graduates result from being initially ‘over sold’?
One of the most useful OD tools is what I call ‘reciprocal expectations’. It is particularly helpful for groups, but can be used to effect with individuals too. It is designed for two or more parties who wish to improve their relationship, or just to work more effectively together. Each of the parties asks:
- What are our expectations of them? How well do we feel they are meeting our expectations?
- What do we believe are their expectations of us? How well do we feel we are meeting their expectations?
In our present, self-conscious age we place a lot of emphasis on emotional intelligence; There’s nothing wrong with this, but there is a tendency to place undue emphasis on personal traits and their development, rather than the disciplines of effective mutual relationships. One of those disciplines is how we set and manage the expectations of others, whether individuals or groups.
As Herzberg described in his ‘hygiene factors’, employees have their own expectations about things like supervision, salary rises and working conditions, which provide a threshold for satisfaction.1 However, it is so much healthier to have open discussion about the whole range of what is expected of groups and individuals and by whom, and what they should be able to expect in return.
In life, contentment generally comes from expectations exceeded. In the workplace, however, networks of expectations interact. Investing in effective people management is one of the secrets of a happier workplace.
Reference
1. F Herzberg, One More Time, How do you Motivate Employees? HBR 'Motivating People' series January 2003.
Andrew Mayo is a consultant, speaker, writer and facilitator in international HR management, specialising in people and organisation development. He can be contacted on +44 (0) 1727 843424.
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