I’ve recently read a few different items about executives and upper level management and how they need to be part of the appraisal and employee development process. I was bit surprised when I read them, because I assumed that this was a bit of a no-brainer. If you want to drive employee engagement, executive participation in the process is critical. I’m sure most, if not all HR pros would agree, but apparently there’s a breakdown in some organization’s executive teams when it comes to understanding this link.

As Susan Heathfield over at About.com Human Resources explains in her article Why Executives Need Performance Development Plans (PDPs):

While executives may be reluctant to participate in the performance development planning process, their participation sets the stage and the tone for the acceptance of the process company-wide. If the executive leader has a PDP and he or she meets with reporting managers to develop their PDPs, you can be darn sure that the rest of the employees in the organization will have PDPs too.

So, the question then is, how do you actually have a strong talent management strategy with regular appraisals, clear goals and development plans and ongoing coaching without executive buy-in? It’s next to impossible, because you are missing a critical piece of the puzzle.

Heathfield does point out that the executive appraisal process may not be exactly the same as that of employees, but that appraisals and development plans are necessary:

So, yes, I’m a supporter of executive participation in PDPs. Will that PDP look like that of other employees? Not necessarily. But, the fact of its existence and the participation of executives in this critical process is unquestionably significant.

If your executives don’t participate in your employee appraisal and development process now, hopefully these points can help you get some buy-in and help them see that they are missing the point. How did you get management buy-in in talent management and development plans? Comment below.