Supervisor Feedback System

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Our Task -
• Develop a system or process to
• improve communications between employees and
  supervisors
• establish a forum for the critical assessment of
  a supervisors
• style and practices
• eliminate the employees fear of retribution for
  making
• constructive input
• solicit reasoned, logical responses to the
  employees input from
• their supervisors
• Our Team -
• CP - Mitch DeShong
• JM - Danalee Green
• Q - Michael Greenfield
• JL - Doug Koupash (Team Lead)
• YS - Joe McNeal
• MH - Jim Schrom
• EI - Mike Torres

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Our Ground Rules -
• The system or process should improve two-way
  communication it
• should promote recognition of a joint
  employee/supervisor
• responsibility for better communication.
• Any assessment of a supervisors practices must
  be candid and
• constructive it must take into account
  differing perspectives
• between supervisors and employees.
• The supervisors authority and accountability
  must be maintained
• they must be allowed the flexibility to apply
  different leadership
• styles to different situations.
• The system or process should foster both
  horizontal and vertical
• cooperation and team work.
• Quality Leadership Quality Employee Performance
  High Morale

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Our Proposal - An Overview
• Use a supervisor feedback survey to capture
  employee input on six
• leadership indicators
• Goal Setting
• Planning and Organizing
• Communicating
• Personnel Development
• Resource Utilization
• Success (or Progress)
• Employees will complete the survey at least once
  each year
• - participation will be voluntary
• The survey will be hosted on the NASA
  Headquarters Home Page
• - a subroutine will allow organizations to
  conduct the survey,
• to ensure employee confidentiality, and to
  restrict release of the
• data to the employees and supervisors involved

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Our Proposal -
• The system will apply to first line supervisors
  since they have the
• most immediate impact on employee productivity
  and morale
• - individual Codes will be free to expand the
  feedback
• system to any and all supervisory levels
  within the Code
• Survey results will be reported to the
  employees, their immediate
• supervisor, and to their next higher level
  supervisor
• - first line supervisors will be expected to
  address all issues
• identified through the feedback system with
  their employees
• and to take reasonable action to resolve the
  issues
• - next higher level supervisors will be expected
  to use the
• employees feedback, and the supervisors
  response, in
• their overall evaluation of the supervisors
  performance

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Our Proposal -
• Each HQs Code will document office procedures
  for system
• implementation to
• - cover survey scheduling, data distribution,
  issue
• reconciliation, action assignment and
  tracking, assessments
• of progress on improvements, and improvements
  to
• feedback system processes
• A Headquarters directive will be the governing
  document for system
• development and maintenance
• - a HQs task team will be formed to locate or
  develop the
• survey
• - Code C will be responsible for system
  maintenance,
• continuous improvement, and trend
  data/management
• analyses

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Forward Work - (If Our Proposal is Approved)
• Form an inter-Code survey development team
• - search for existing or adaptable surveys from
  commercial
• sources, HQs, the Centers, or other agencies
• - decide to develop or purchase
• Prepare a 3000 series HQs directive establishing
  the feedback system,
• assigning responsibilities and requiring the
  Codes to produce the
• appropriate office procedures
• Conduct a test of the feedback system in one or
  more Codes
• - could be conducted manually
• Automate the survey and establish the survey
  link to the HQs
• Home Page

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Supervisor Feedback System
A Proposal for NASA Headquarters

• Options Reviewed by the Team -
• Formal Employee-Supervisor Performance
  Evaluation
• - rejected by the team could lead to
  popularity contests
• and might undermine the supervisors authority
• Mandatory Employee Participation
• - rejected by the team will not lend
  credibility to the
• feedback system better to let employee
  confidence grow
• from serious efforts by management to address
  the issues
• Employ the System at All Levels of Management
• - rejected by the team first line supervisors
  have the most
• direct impact on productivity and morale
• Apply the System to HQs Projects (e.g., IFMP)
• - delay application until the system concept was
  proven

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