How to evaluate the management of a company?

Evaluating the management of a company is a practice that, although uncommon, can bring many benefits. But how do you measure managerial performance? Here are some tips.

 

The 360° approach: a tool for managerial peer review

One of the first methods of managerial assessment is the 360° evaluation method. Born in the United States in the 90s, this approach consists of obtaining Collective feedback on the quality of management. Assessors are subordinates, superiors, peers, but also customers, suppliers, service providers, business partners, etc.

The objective of this approach is to obtain an overview, as exhaustive and objective as possible, thanks to assessors of various profiles and backgrounds.

The assessment criteria are freely set by the company (they depend, among other things, on the sector of activity, the corporate culture, the type of position, etc.). Here are a few examples:

• Managerial skills : Conflict management, Crisis management or of Change, sense of leadership, Management style, ability to federate, animate, motivate, value and empower teams; à develop the skills of employees, to aensuring the well-being of employees; to appropriate and transmit the company’s values; to encourage collective intelligence, innovation, creativity and initiative…
• Ability to manage projects : ability to delegate tasks; to organize; to achieve objectives within the allotted time and with the resources provided; to transmit strategic orientations; to set SMART objectives; to anticipate changes, risks and crises; make quick and effective decisions; boost the operational performance of employees, etc.
• Soft skills : interpersonal skills, sense of pedagogy, communication skills, assertiveness, listening, benevolence, dynamism, audacity, initiative…

 

It should be noted, however, that such an approach remains delicate and must be rigorously prepared to be relevant and effective.

The managerial evaluation must be carried out via anonymous questionnaires, with about fifty very targeted questions. It is also essential to communicate the challenges of the process in a transparent manner to stakeholders and the people being evaluated. Respect for confidentiality is also crucial in this approach.

In addition, it will also be wise to send managers a self-evaluation grid, in order to compare their points of view with those of the stakeholders.

This exercise can be repeated on a regular basis and carried out with different managers. It will also be necessary to take the time to Carefully analyse these results and draw lessons from them that can lead to an appropriate action plan.

 

The appraisal interview between the manager and the line manager

Evaluating the management of a company also requires a more individual approach, during an exchange between the manager and the line manager.

This appraisal interview, carried out annually or half-yearly, is a privileged opportunity to measure managerial quality.

To do this, the line manager will have to establish an evaluation grid beforehand detailed. He will also be able to give the floor to employees in order to collect their feedback on the quality of management, the social climate, well-being at work, etc.

For the interview to be effective, clear objectives and managerial performance indicators must have been defined beforehand.

 

Call on a management expert

To accurately audit the management of your company, it may also be wise to call on an interim manager.

Indeed, it is often difficult, internally, to show enough hindsight to evaluate one’s management objectively.

The interim manager, a seasoned expert, has many years of experience and has worked in a wide variety of environments throughout his career.

His know-how, his hindsight and his neutral and informed view will allow him to detect the flaws, the strengths and the areas for improvement and to highlight the levers to be activated to improve managerial quality.

At WAYDEN, we provide companies with highly qualified interim managers with industry expertise and 15 to 25 years of experience in leading positions.

 

Why evaluate the company’s management?

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, few companies take the time to evaluate their management. However, this initiative can reveal the causes of a potential drop in operational performance or a lack of commitment and motivation among employees. It is also An excellent way to anticipate risks and activate the right levers for collective performance.

In the long term, this approach can boost performance, improve fulfillment at work, speed up processes and strengthen the company’s competitiveness.