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The Conversation Framework

You and your manager will discuss the information you have prepared and use the career conversation framework to bring the information together.  There are no right or wrong places to be, the most important thing is the quality of the conversation and the insights that you gain.

Your manager will be coming to the conversation with information they have gained from discussing expectations and performance of all staff at your level with their peers.

This framework is designed to enable a conversation about your role in the NHS and plot your position and direction.  You will begin by answering the first question…

  • Where are you right now?
  • Where do you need to be?
  • What will it take to get there?

During your Values Based Appraisal, you and your manager will discuss your self-assessment, feedback, objectives and progress and use the Career Conversation Framework to bring the information together.  Your manager will be coming to the conversation with information they have gained from discussing expectations and performance of all staff at your level with their peers.  There are no right or wrong places to be, the most important thing is the quality of the conversation and the insights that you gain.  You and your manager will decide together where you’re placed on the framework by agreeing a score on the horizontal scale for performance and the vertical scale for behaviour.

The Career Conversation Framework

We all naturally move around on this framework during our careers. Many of the staff in our organisation will find themselves at the centre meeting performance outcomes using the right values and behaviours.  When you start to move away from the centre, it may mean you need a new challenge or you’re ready for a new stage in your career.  Wherever you are now, your discussion will also include the second two questions;

  • Where are you right now?
  • Where do you need to be? 
  • What will it take to get there?

Following your Appraisal, your manager will record the outcome on ESR based on your ratings for behaviours and performance and the outcome of your discussions. This information focuses on developing you, whether maintaining your development to continue doing the good job you are currently doing, addressing specific development needs identified within your current role, or tapping into potential strengths and talents to prepare you for your next role.

Purple:
Staff who fall into the purple areas should be exposed to leadership development opportunities to reach their next goal / potential.  You may be offered additional projects or stretch goals to allow a greater challenge and will need to consider your specific development gaps to allow further progression.
Blue:
Staff who fall into the blue areas are doing a good job and have potential to do more. They may be clearly meeting both behaviour and performance and behaviour objectives or be focusing too much on one or the other.  Either way, it’s important to remember without you the NHS would not continue to deliver and remind you how to turn your energy into great results.
Green:
For staff in green areas, it’s about acknowledging that you need targeted support to reach your potential in your current role, whether you are new to post and need development or you just need support to utilise your skills and reach your potential.

 

Disagree

If you and your manager aren’t able to agree about how well you have met your objectives and your place on the framework, you will want to discuss why your expectations aren’t the same.  What did your feedback tell you?  Is your manager expecting something that you didn’t know about?  If you really can’t reach an agreement you can ask their manager for a further review and final decision.

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