ARE YOU A B-GRADE WORKER?

ARE YOU A B-GRADE WORKER?

Thomas J. DeLong, the Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Management Practice in the Organizational Behaviour area at the Harvard Business School in an interview with Viren Naidu discusses the various grades of performers and why this segmentation is vital

Can you describe the characteristics of A,B and C performers? ‘A players’are star-performers. They are employees who put their professional lives ahead of their personal ones because they are striving to accomplish more or move upward in the organisation.They are also the players most likely to leave the organisation for opportunities elsewhere.‘B players’are competent,steady performers who balance their work and personal lives while still doing the bulk of the work of the company.‘C players’are underperformers who are not achieving enough to satisfy their employers and are most likely to be asked to move along. 

What is the major significance of compartmentalising employees under these categories? To realise the highest returns on human capital,an organisation must teach its managers to recognise who their A,B and C players are.It helps in identifying the right people for the right job and retention of good performers. 

How can employees identify their respective grades? The characteristics of A, B and C players are defined. But, HR plays a major role in identifying employee groups as the categorisation will be based on the individual’s performance and KRAs. If they exceed the set goals, then they will be ‘A players’; if expectations are met, then ‘B’ and if unmet, then ‘C players’. 

Do all these groups get different treatments from their employers? Yes,‘A players’often remind CEOs of themselves at that same age.Companies are routinely blind to the important role ‘B players’serve in saving organisations.Most leaders are highly motivated ‘A players’; they tend to undervalue B players who have a different world view.They typically just ignore the B player until s/he walks out or gives up and becomes a ‘C player’. 

How can a hiring manager identify these performers? We rarely have a quota of 10 per cent ‘A players’,80 per cent ‘B players’and 10 per cent ‘C players’.Managers hire with the expectation that the individual will either exceed or meet expectations.No one ever hires someone knowing he/she would become a ‘C player’.Also,no one can truly predict who will become ‘A players’.