What is Performance Management? A Comprehensive Guide

April 24, 2025
2:31 pm

6 min read

Performance management is not just a process it is the engine that drives organizational success. At its core, performance management is an ongoing collaboration where managers and employees come together to set clear objectives, assess progress, and align individual aspirations with broader organizational goals. In today’s competitive business environment, companies need a structured performance management system to foster growth, improve efficiency, and ultimately achieve business goals.

A well-executed performance management strategy not only supports employee development but also enables companies to thrive by enhancing productivity, increasing engagement, and reducing turnover rates (Smith & Thomas, 2023). Whether you’re new to the concept or looking to optimize your current strategy, this guide will provide a comprehensive understanding of the process, best practices, and its importance in driving success across your organization.

Why is Performance Management Important?

Effective performance management is a cornerstone of organizational success. It has the power to shape company culture, boost employee satisfaction, and directly impact business results. Here’s why performance management matters:

Increased Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are more motivated, productive, and committed to the company’s mission. According to a study, companies with highly engaged employees see 17% higher productivity and 21% higher profitability (Gallup, 2023). Regular feedback, transparent communication, and recognition play a key role in increasing engagement by helping employees understand how their work impacts the organization’s success.

Clear Alignment with Business Goals

Performance management helps create a clear line of sight between an individual’s goals and the company’s strategic objectives. When employees understand how their roles contribute to the overall success of the company, they are more likely to be committed to achieving those goals. This alignment leads to more focused and motivated teams, which ultimately drives business performance.

Improved Productivity and Performance

A study by Morgan & Lee (2021) found that companies with continuous performance management systems experience a 25% increase in employee productivity. Regular feedback, progress tracking, and the setting of specific targets help employees improve their performance over time. Furthermore, continuous coaching enables employees to adapt quickly, refine their skills, and meet evolving business needs.

Talent Retention

An effective performance management system is directly tied to higher employee retention rates. By offering regular development opportunities, providing feedback, and investing in growth, companies are able to retain top talent. A well-structured performance management process promotes career growth, helping employees feel valued and reducing turnover. According to Deloitte (2022), companies with strong performance management systems reduce turnover by up to 30%.

The Key Stages of Performance Management

Performance management is not a one-time event but a continuous, cyclical process that ensures consistent progress toward personal and organizational goals. By breaking the process into key stages, organizations can systematically guide their employees through ongoing development and alignment with business objectives. These stages work together to create a comprehensive framework that supports long-term growth and success.

1. Goal Setting

Goal setting is the cornerstone of performance management. Without clear goals, it’s difficult for employees to understand what’s expected of them, or how their efforts contribute to the larger organizational vision.

Why Goal Setting Matters:
Setting clear, measurable goals provides employees with direction and focus. It allows managers to establish expectations, track progress, and evaluate outcomes. Effective goal setting creates a roadmap for success and ensures that everyone is working toward the same objectives.

SMART Goals: Goals should be SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework ensures that goals are not only clear but also realistic and aligned with organizational priorities.

Collaboration in Goal Setting: Involving employees in the goal-setting process is critical. It increases engagement and ownership by giving employees a stake in their performance and development. When employees help set their goals, they are more likely to take ownership of them, increasing accountability.

Ensure that goals are aligned with both departmental and organizational objectives. This ensures that employees understand the bigger picture and how their contributions help drive company success.

2. Continuous Feedback and Development

Feedback is an essential part of the performance management process. While annual reviews are a common practice, relying solely on them for feedback is insufficient. Regular feedback throughout the year enables employees to stay on track and make improvements in real time.

Why Continuous Feedback Matters:
Continuous feedback helps identify areas for improvement quickly and fosters a culture of open communication. It encourages real-time learning and adaptation, which is essential for both employee growth and business agility.

Timely Feedback: Feedback should be given promptly, right after an event or performance. It is most effective when it’s actionable and related to specific tasks or behaviors.

Two-Way Feedback: Performance management is not just about managers giving feedback to employees. Employees should also be encouraged to share feedback with their managers about their work environment, support, and opportunities for improvement.

Coaching and Development: Feedback should focus on development, not just evaluation. Constructive feedback helps employees recognize areas for improvement while reinforcing their strengths.

Focus on providing feedback that employees can act upon immediately. Be specific and actionable avoid vague feedback that lacks clear guidance on improvement.

3. Annual Performance Reviews

While continuous feedback is ongoing, the annual performance review serves as a formal occasion to reflect on an employee’s overall performance. These reviews are a chance to evaluate progress against goals, highlight key accomplishments, and identify areas for further development.

Why Annual Performance Reviews Matter:
Annual performance reviews offer a structured, formal setting to assess an employee’s achievements over the year. It allows managers to evaluate both the employee’s strengths and areas for improvement. This is also an ideal time to align future goals and developmental needs.

Comprehensive Discussion: These reviews should be in-depth, involving a discussion of accomplishments, challenges, and development needs. This is the opportunity to address any performance gaps and set new objectives for the coming year.

Employee Development Focus: Annual reviews should not simply be about assessing past performance. They should emphasize growth and development. Look ahead to what the employee can do to further their career and contribute to the organization’s success.

Transparency and Clarity: Transparency in the review process builds trust. Clearly communicate performance expectations, provide constructive feedback, and focus on actionable next steps for growth.

Use annual reviews to guide future development. Rather than focusing solely on past performance, discuss career aspirations and outline development opportunities to help employees grow in their roles.

4. Professional Development and Training

The performance management process should not end with feedback or reviews—it should result in ongoing professional development. Investing in training programs or skill-building opportunities is vital to employee growth and the overall success of the business.

Why Professional Development and Training Matter:
Professional development allows employees to enhance their skills, stay up-to-date with industry trends, and become more effective in their roles. For the organization, it ensures a highly skilled workforce that can meet future challenges and drive innovation.

Identify Development Needs: Based on feedback and performance reviews, managers should identify areas where employees may benefit from additional training or skill development. This could involve soft skills (like leadership or communication) or technical skills (like proficiency in new software or methodologies).

Encourage Lifelong Learning: Provide employees with the resources they need to continue growing. This might include offering access to certifications, training courses, conferences, or mentorship programs.

Career Pathing: Professional development also includes career pathing, where employees work with managers to define their long-term career goals and develop a strategy to achieve them.

Encourage employees to take ownership of their development by providing resources for them to expand their skill set. Help them identify areas of growth and actively support their pursuit of new knowledge or certifications.

How to Improve the Performance Management Process

Improving the performance management process is essential for fostering a productive, engaged, and high-performing workforce. Performance management is not just a set of evaluations and reviews; it’s a holistic approach to developing employees and aligning their goals with the strategic objectives of the organization. To achieve this, organizations must focus on several critical factors such as enhancing communication, leveraging technology, and providing the necessary tools for continuous improvement.

Here’s a more detailed look at each of these strategies:

1. Enhance Communication

Effective communication is the backbone of any successful performance management process. For employees to feel engaged and supported, they need clear, consistent, and transparent communication from their managers and the organization as a whole. Without open communication, it is difficult to build trust, address performance gaps, and provide the necessary feedback to help employees improve.

Why Communication Matters:
Communication plays a key role in creating a feedback-rich environment where employees can share their concerns, seek clarification, and understand how their work fits into the larger organizational goals. When employees have regular access to feedback and feel heard, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to perform.

Regular Check-Ins and Feedback: Moving away from the traditional annual performance review, it’s important to schedule regular check-ins between managers and employees. These ongoing conversations allow managers to offer timely feedback, provide guidance, and make adjustments to goals as necessary.

Two-Way Dialogue: Performance management should be a conversation, not a monologue. Managers need to foster an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, challenges, and thoughts about their role. This open exchange of feedback not only improves performance but also builds trust and collaboration.

Transparency in Goal Setting and Evaluation: Be transparent about expectations, progress, and any changes to goals or priorities. Clear communication ensures that everyone is aligned, reduces misunderstandings, and enables employees to take proactive steps in their development.

Schedule regular feedback sessions ideally monthly or quarterly so employees know what’s expected of them and can address issues early rather than waiting for a year-end review.

2. Utilize Technology

Incorporating technology into the performance management process can significantly streamline operations, increase efficiency, and improve consistency across the organization. Performance management software or tools can help track progress, automate goal setting, and provide valuable insights that improve decision-making.

Why Technology Matters:
Technology allows for more accurate tracking and reporting of employee performance. It simplifies administrative tasks, helps managers stay organized, and ensures that feedback is logged and easily accessible. This consistency and ease of access can make the performance management process more transparent and fair.

Automate Goal Setting and Tracking: Using software to set and track goals ensures that everyone’s objectives are aligned with the company’s broader strategy. It also allows for real-time updates, so both managers and employees can track progress and make adjustments as necessary.

Performance Metrics and Analytics: Performance management software can provide a deeper understanding of employee performance through data analysis. By collecting and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity, engagement, and development progress, managers can identify trends and areas that need improvement.

Centralized Feedback and Documentation: Technology allows feedback and performance reviews to be stored in a centralized platform. This makes it easier for managers to access historical performance data and track progress over time, ensuring that all feedback is consistent, measurable, and aligned with set goals.

Leverage performance management software to automate routine tasks like goal tracking, feedback logging, and report generation. This frees up time for managers to focus on meaningful conversations with their teams.

3. Provide Regular Training for Managers

Managers are at the forefront of the performance management process, and their ability to give constructive feedback, set clear goals, and guide employees through the performance process is critical to its success. Without proper training, managers may struggle with providing feedback effectively or aligning employee goals with organizational objectives.

Why Manager Training Matters:
Investing in training for managers equips them with the skills necessary to support employees and create a culture of continuous improvement. Managers who are trained in performance management are more effective in guiding employees, setting clear expectations, and providing the coaching and mentorship that employees need to succeed.

Feedback Training: Managers should be trained on how to deliver feedback in a constructive, non-judgmental manner. Feedback should be clear, actionable, and balanced, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

Goal-Setting Training: Managers need to understand how to set SMART goals with their employees and how to adjust those goals based on changes in business priorities or individual progress.

Coaching and Development Skills: In addition to managing performance, managers should be trained to support employees’ long-term growth. This includes identifying training needs, providing developmental opportunities, and guiding employees in their career development.

Offer managers training on effective communication, coaching, and goal-setting techniques. This will enhance their ability to engage and motivate their teams.

4. Align Individual and Company Goals

Ensuring that individual goals align with the company’s broader strategic objectives is one of the most important aspects of performance management. When employees understand how their work contributes to the organization’s success, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and satisfied with their roles.

Why Goal Alignment Matters:
When personal and company goals are aligned, employees feel that their efforts are meaningful and contribute to the company’s vision. This sense of purpose drives motivation and encourages employees to go above and beyond to achieve those goals. It also ensures that the organization’s efforts are focused on the most important priorities, improving overall performance.

Align Goals Across the Organization: Begin by ensuring that the company’s strategic goals are clearly communicated and understood at all levels. Each department, team, and employee should have a clear understanding of how their work fits into the company’s larger objectives.

Create Cascading Goals: Once high-level goals are set, break them down into specific objectives for teams and individuals. This ensures that every employee has a role in achieving the organization’s overall success.

Revisit and Adjust Goals Regularly: Goals should not be static. As business needs change, it’s important to regularly revisit and adjust goals to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with the organization’s shifting priorities.

Use goal-setting software or tools that allow for easy tracking and alignment of goals at every level. This helps ensure that the entire organization is working toward common objectives and that every employee’s efforts are aligned with the company’s success.

Performance Management Goals

The goals of performance management are critical to building an environment that nurtures growth, drives performance, and aligns individual efforts with the overall strategy of the organization. Performance management is not just about evaluating employees it is about creating a system that facilitates continuous improvement, promotes accountability, and ensures that every individual contributes meaningfully to the organization’s success. Below is an expanded look at the key goals of performance management:

Demographic Information: This helps to categorize responses and analyse trends across different groups of employees, such as new hires from specific departments.

Rating Scales: Use scales from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 to measure satisfaction, effectiveness, and clarity. Rating scales provide measurable data that can easily be analysed and compared.

Open-Ended Questions: Allow employees to elaborate on their thoughts with questions such as “What did you enjoy most about your onboarding experience?” or “What improvements would you suggest?”

Actionable Feedback: Include prompts that encourage employees to give specific suggestions for improvements in the onboarding process.

Employee Onboarding Survey Questions: What to Ask?

A comprehensive employee onboarding survey includes questions that cover various aspects of the onboarding experience. Below are some example questions you can include in your survey:

1. Enhance Employee Performance

The ultimate goal of performance management is to enhance employee performance by ensuring that employees have the necessary tools, resources, and support to succeed. This requires building an environment where employees can thrive, both individually and as part of a team.

Why Employee Performance Matters:
Employee performance is the engine that drives organizational success. When employees perform at their best, it leads to increased productivity, higher quality of work, and greater business results. Effective performance management helps identify barriers to performance, providing employees with the resources they need to overcome challenges and improve continuously.

Supportive Environment: Providing employees with regular feedback, recognition, and access to resources such as training and development opportunities helps them perform at their highest level. This support also includes ensuring that employees have the tools they need to do their jobs effectively, from technology to professional development programs.

Clear Expectations: Clearly defined goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and responsibilities are essential for employees to understand what is expected of them and how their work will be evaluated. This clarity eliminates confusion, reduces stress, and gives employees a sense of purpose.

Continuous Feedback and Guidance: Performance management shouldn’t just be about annual reviews. Providing continuous, constructive feedback throughout the year helps employees understand how they are performing and how they can improve in real time. Regular check-ins allow employees to stay on course and feel supported in their roles.

Set clear and measurable performance expectations that employees can strive for. Regularly evaluate progress and adjust goals as necessary to ensure continuous growth.

2. Align with Organizational Objectives

One of the most important goals of performance management is ensuring that individual goals are aligned with the organization’s broader mission and strategic direction. This alignment creates a unified approach where every team member is working towards the same end, driving the business forward.

Why Alignment Matters:
When employees’ personal objectives are aligned with organizational goals, their efforts become part of the larger vision, which fosters a deeper sense of purpose and ownership over their work. This alignment also ensures that the company’s resources are being directed toward its most important priorities, enhancing efficiency and minimizing waste.

Cascading Goals: The process of cascading goals involves taking high-level company objectives and breaking them down into specific, actionable goals for departments, teams, and individual employees. This ensures that everyone within the organization understands how their contributions support the company’s broader strategy.

Strategic Direction and Clarity: By aligning individual goals with the company’s strategic vision, performance management ensures that all employees are working towards a common goal. This strategic alignment helps maximize resources and efforts, ensuring that every task, project, and initiative is contributing to the company’s success.

Ongoing Communication: Alignment should be an ongoing process, with regular updates on company priorities and how they impact individual roles. This helps employees see how their work is directly tied to the company’s success and allows them to adjust their goals to stay in sync with changing business priorities.

Regularly check in with employees to ensure that their goals are aligned with the organization’s evolving strategic objectives. This helps maintain focus and ensures that everyone is contributing in a way that drives business success.

3. Develop Employees

Continuous employee development is at the core of effective performance management. The goal is not only to assess performance but also to help employees grow in their roles and advance in their careers. By offering development opportunities, companies ensure that employees’ skills and competencies match the current and future needs of the organization.

Why Development Matters:
Investing in employee development not only enhances their skill sets but also helps build a more competent and adaptable workforce. Continuous development ensures that employees are equipped to handle new challenges, stay up-to-date with industry trends, and take on higher-level responsibilities in the future.

Skill Development: Training and development programs should be designed to meet both the immediate needs of the business and the long-term career aspirations of employees. Development activities could include technical training, leadership development, soft skills workshops, or mentoring programs.

Career Growth Pathways: Performance management should provide a pathway for employees to develop their careers within the company. This includes identifying opportunities for promotion or lateral moves that offer new challenges and growth opportunities.

Feedback for Growth: Development is not just about formal training. It also involves regular, constructive feedback that helps employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement. By focusing on their professional growth, employees feel more valued, which increases their engagement and job satisfaction.

Identify skills gaps through performance reviews and feedback. Provide personalized development plans for employees that align with both their career goals and the organization’s needs.

4. Foster Engagement and Motivation

Creating a motivated, engaged workforce is essential to the long-term success of any organization. Engaged employees are more productive, committed, and aligned with the company’s mission. Performance management plays a key role in fostering this engagement by providing employees with the recognition, feedback, and support they need to thrive.

Why Engagement and Motivation Matter:
When employees are motivated, they are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, contributing innovative ideas, taking ownership of their tasks, and working collaboratively with their teams. Motivation also impacts retention, as employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to stay with the company long-term.

Recognition and Rewards: Regular recognition for achievements whether small or large helps employees feel appreciated and motivated. Acknowledging hard work through rewards, bonuses, or public recognition can boost morale and increase productivity.

Personalized Goals and Development: Motivation is enhanced when employees feel that their work aligns with their personal goals and values. Tailoring performance management to meet individual needs, whether through personalized goals or flexible working arrangements, increases employee engagement.

Creating a Positive Work Environment: Fostering a culture of trust, respect, and open communication plays a crucial role in employee motivation. Employees who feel supported and valued are more likely to invest emotionally in their work and contribute to the organization’s success.

Regularly check in with employees to understand their motivations and what drives them. Align performance expectations with what inspires employees to perform at their best.

Best Practices for Successful Performance Management

Effective performance management is not just about evaluating employees it’s about creating a system that drives continuous improvement, fosters growth, and ensures alignment between individual efforts and organizational goals. To make performance management a meaningful and impactful process, it’s essential to follow best practices that encourage open communication, development, and transparency. Below, we delve into some of the key practices that can enhance your performance management strategy.

1. Regular Check-Ins

Traditional performance management often relies on annual reviews, which can feel like a once-a-year event that fails to provide real-time guidance or solutions. In contrast, regular check-ins offer a more effective way to maintain communication between managers and employees. These ongoing conversations help address challenges early, recognize achievements, and keep employees on track.

Why Regular Check-Ins Matter:
Check-ins provide timely feedback and allow managers to stay engaged with their employees’ progress. They prevent performance issues from festering for too long and ensure employees feel supported. Additionally, frequent check-ins give managers a chance to adjust goals and priorities as necessary, based on the evolving needs of the organization or the employee.

Frequency: Ideally, check-ins should occur at least monthly, but the frequency may vary depending on the nature of the work and employee needs. The goal is to create a habit of consistent communication that fosters trust and provides a sense of accountability.

Discussion Topics: During these check-ins, focus on progress toward goals, any obstacles the employee might be facing, and ways to enhance performance or address challenges. Provide actionable feedback and set new objectives if necessary.

Make check-ins informal and conversational. They should not feel like formal performance reviews, but rather an opportunity to discuss progress, align on priorities, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

2. Focus on Development, Not Just Appraisals

Performance management should not be viewed simply as a process of evaluating past performance; it should be a tool for employee growth and development. By focusing on development, organizations can help employees continuously improve, ensuring they remain productive, engaged, and equipped to meet evolving business needs.

Why Development Matters:
Employees are more likely to be motivated when they feel that performance management is an opportunity for growth, not just an assessment. By focusing on development, managers can help employees enhance their skills, address performance gaps, and increase their capabilities, which contributes to the success of both the individual and the organization.

Personalized Development Plans: Managers should work with employees to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Then, they can create personalized development plans that focus on growth. These plans can include targeted training, mentorship programs, and stretch assignments.

Skill Enhancement: Encourage employees to take part in learning and development opportunities whether through courses, certifications, or on-the-job training. This can help employees stay current with industry trends and improve their ability to contribute effectively to the organization.

Shift the conversation from a purely evaluative one to a developmental one. Discuss employees’ future goals, career aspirations, and the steps they can take to reach the next level in their professional growth.

3. Use Technology

Implementing performance management software or tools can significantly improve the efficiency and transparency of the process. Technology helps track goals, monitor progress, and store feedback, making the process more organized and accessible. It also reduces administrative burden, allowing managers to focus more on coaching and mentoring their employees.

Why Technology Matters:
Technology streamlines the performance management process by centralizing data and automating routine tasks. This ensures that performance data is accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible. Technology also provides valuable insights into employee performance, helping managers make data-driven decisions.

Goal Tracking: Performance management software allows managers and employees to set, track, and update goals in real time. This ensures that progress is visible to both parties and helps keep everyone aligned.

Feedback and Documentation: All feedback, reviews, and development plans can be stored in one place, making it easier to reference previous discussions, track improvements, and maintain consistency over time.

Analytics and Reporting: Performance management tools often come with built-in analytics that can provide managers with insights into team and individual performance trends, helping to identify areas for improvement or high-performing employees who may be ready for more responsibility.

Choose performance management software that integrates well with other HR tools your organization is using. This can help streamline workflows and ensure all performance data is kept in a single, easy-to-manage location.

4. Encourage Two-Way Communication

Performance management should be a conversation, not a monologue. While managers are responsible for providing feedback and setting goals, employees should also have the opportunity to express their thoughts, feedback, and ideas about their work, the organization, and the support they are receiving.

Why Two-Way Communication Matters:
Two-way communication fosters a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration. When employees feel that their voices are heard, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. It also helps identify potential issues or barriers to performance that might not be immediately obvious to managers.

Employee Feedback: Managers should regularly ask employees for feedback on their role, team dynamics, and company processes. This feedback helps managers identify areas where they can improve their support or address challenges that employees may be facing.

Empowerment and Ownership: When employees can express their thoughts on their performance and how they can improve, they feel empowered to take ownership of their development. This builds a sense of accountability and fosters greater engagement.

Create a feedback loop where employees not only receive feedback but are also encouraged to share their own input. Use regular surveys or informal check-ins to gather insights on how employees feel about their performance, the feedback process, and the tools they are given to succeed.

5. Consistency and Objectivity

Consistency and objectivity are crucial in performance management. Feedback and evaluations must be fair, consistent, and based on clear criteria. When feedback is inconsistent or biased, it undermines trust in the performance management system and demotivates employees.

Why Consistency and Objectivity Matter:
Employees need to know that they are being evaluated on the same standards as their peers. Inconsistent evaluations or feedback can lead to frustration, confusion, and decreased morale. Objective evaluations also ensure that performance decisions, such as promotions or raises, are based on merit rather than personal bias.

Clear Performance Criteria: Ensure that all performance expectations and evaluation criteria are well-defined and communicated to employees. This transparency helps employees understand how their performance will be measured and what they need to do to succeed.

Standardized Reviews: Use standardized performance review templates to ensure that all employees are assessed based on the same criteria. This reduces the risk of personal bias creeping into evaluations and ensures a more fair and equitable review process.

Data-Driven Decisions: Use objective data from performance metrics, feedback, and goal tracking to guide evaluations. This minimizes subjective judgment and ensures that decisions are based on concrete evidence.

Train managers to deliver feedback objectively and consistently, ensuring that all employees are evaluated fairly based on the same criteria. Regularly review your performance management system to identify and eliminate any potential biases.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Tech Start-Up
A growing tech company implemented a performance management system where each employee sets quarterly goals that align with the company’s overall objectives. The system includes monthly feedback sessions and mid-quarter progress reviews. As a result, employees had a clearer understanding of their role in the company’s success, and the company saw a 20% improvement in productivity within the first six months.

Example 2: Manufacturing Firm
A manufacturing company faced high employee turnover rates. After introducing a performance management system focused on regular development conversations and providing training for skill improvement, they were able to reduce turnover by 15% over the next year, improving both morale and productivity.

Conclusion

Performance management is essential for fostering a culture of growth, engagement, and alignment within an organization. By focusing on goal setting, continuous feedback, and professional development, businesses can enhance employee performance, satisfaction, and retention. Implementing best practices and leveraging technology can further streamline the process, making it more effective and impactful.

By adopting a comprehensive approach to performance management, you’ll create an environment where employees feel motivated, supported, and aligned with organizational goals, ultimately driving business success.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How do I handle underperforming employees?

To address underperformance, identify the root cause and have an open conversation with the employee. Set clear, achievable goals and provide necessary support like training or mentorship. Regular follow-ups ensure consistent progress and improvement.

2.What if an employee disagrees with their performance review?

If an employee disagrees with their review, listen to their concerns and clarify any misunderstandings. Use the conversation to realign expectations and ensure mutual understanding. Make the discussion a two-way dialogue to resolve issues constructively.