There is a lot of commotion about the 'new assessment '. In everything I read, it really is a topic that concerns many (HR) people. We live in an era of great pressure, where there are many contradictions and where one hype follows another. But one thing is certain: we need to redesign the process of assessment. But how do you actually do this?
When I get to the heart of that "new assessment," I think it's about the fact that people are increasingly yearning for a meaningful life and meaningful work. And rightly so. We've been holding each other in check for long enough and so that doesn't work anymore. We also want to be seen and heard at work. We want to matter. And do we succeed? Then we are happier and therefore more productive. An additional advantage is that teams and organizations then also achieve better results. Compared to 20 years ago, we are in an enormous transition in this area. We are moving from control to freedom, and good results are enormously important in this respect.
Back in time for a moment...
After the age of 4, we are obliged to go to school. What we were allowed to do before that and what was taken for granted, namely being ourselves and playing, gradually, but very decisively, goes out. We are prepared for the big world and become infected with getting good grades. The kids who can't do that are out of luck, because they are often not allowed to participate. The same goes for high school, it only gets worse, but if you go to college then you are completely in the rat race of grades and results. Getting through that in one piece is a huge achievement. And by in one piece I mean that you don't lose yourself completely.
Our whole society is steeped in a focus on what is not right. That creates a lot of threat; if things don't go well, you pay back your loan. Or you don't get to participate, or you don't get a good job, and so on. I know that at least my generation (born around the 1960s) has been infected with this quite a bit. And many my age are still in that straitjacket. They keep proving themselves and are caught up in the hierarchy. Now let those often be the decision makers and the executives who get to "manage" younger people. I can imagine the squeeze with it....
Letting go of control thinking
The question now is to let go of control thinking. Back to the essence of ourselves. We are going to do that with good feedback, paying attention to others and trying to become happy in that ourselves. I've been thinking about it and I have an idea for our generation. We know control, we know the scarcity that there is no work and that we had to make 2nd or 3rd choices. But we also grew up in a time when everything was possible. Freedom, happiness and above all do what you are good at and what you like. With the thought that at our age it is no longer so necessary to be liked, we are quite capable of teaching young people something.
It works as follows:
We can very well teach young people to start giving feedback. Good example follows good example. In addition, I think it's a good idea to give yourself a new experience as a manager. Continuous learning keeps you fresh. To get started: go collect feedback from all your people, ask what they think of your work, how you did your presentation and how they like you doing with them and with your own supervisor. Get feedback everywhere, sit quietly, let everything come in and discuss that with your people. Teach them where they are flying off the handle, where they can nuance or magnify. Teach them to deal with the weird hierarchical relationships and tell them that we are in a transition. And that they play a big role in it. Put yourself in the spotlight, but with all the wisdom you have. And let your people practice, learn and develop.
Let's start doing this, because that contribution of ours is important and essential. But something else bothers me. This transition that has to be made now is on the plate of organizations. They have to, because there is an enormous urgency to do things differently. From the world and from employees.
It starts with education
But where is the urgency with education, for example? If there is anything whose bankruptcy is obvious and which is so unimaginably urgent for renewal, it is our education system. That old system of classifying, ranking and so on needs to be completely overhauled. After all, that is where it starts. Where we put our children, but also our teachers, at a complete disadvantage. Because is there still time to really look at pupils or students? In my experience, that happens marginally. To the chagrin of the good teachers and teachers. With all its consequences. Because really learning to listen starts at an early age. Not talking and sending but listening. Developing wisdom, being quiet, being yourself and not thinking anyone is crazy and inclusive. That starts at school. There lies the basis for our development, also in work.
The pressure is now on companies to address it and shape it further. But actually, in my view, that responsibility goes back much further. Who is going to make the real change there? I will, will you?
Yolande van der Veer - Expert