Diagnosing the Root Cause of Performance Concerns

Welcome to your journey in Enabling Performance and Development Conversations as an HRBP . In this unit, you’ll discover how to empower managers to address performance and development with clarity, empathy, and strategic alignment. You’ll learn to diagnose the root causes of performance concerns, frame feedback for growth, link development plans to business needs, and support manager ownership of these crucial conversations. Mastering these skills will help you guide leaders through even the most challenging people issues, making a real impact on your organization’s success.

Using the Performance Equation to Uncover Root Causes

Helping managers get to the heart of performance issues starts with a structured approach. The Performance Equation breaks performance down into three elements: ability, motivation, and environment. When a manager raises a concern, encourage them to focus on observable behaviors and specific examples rather than assumptions. For example, instead of accepting "Milo isn't motivated", prompt for a concrete instance like "Priya missed a project deadline by two days" . Guide the conversation by exploring each element of the equation. Ask questions such as "Has Priya successfully completed similar projects before?" to assess ability, or "Have you noticed any changes in her engagement or attitude?" to explore motivation. To understand the environment, you might ask, "Were there any resource or team issues that could have impacted her?" This method helps managers move from vague concerns to a clear, fact-based understanding of what’s really happening.

Probing Without Blame and Building Shared Understanding

Performance conversations can easily become personal or defensive. Your role is to keep the focus on understanding, not blame. Encourage managers to reflect on all possible factors, not just the individual. For instance, rather than saying "Priya just isn’t trying hard enough", reframe with "Let’s look at what might be making it difficult for Priya to meet expectations—are there any barriers we can address together?" By probing gently and objectively, you help managers see the bigger picture and create a safe space for honest discussion. Collaboration is key. Work with the manager to define the problem together, using shared language and inviting their perspective. You might say, "Based on what you’ve shared, it sounds like workload and team capacity could be affecting Priya’s performance. Does that match what you’re seeing?" This approach ensures alignment and sets the stage for practical, supportive solutions.

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Diagnosing Performance Concerns Collaboratively

Before diving into solutions, it’s important to model what a collaborative, diagnostic conversation looks like in practice. As an HRBP, your goal is to help the manager slow down, examine the facts, and consider all possible influences on performance. This means asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and guiding the manager to reflect on each element of the Performance Equation. The following dialogue shows the how the Performance Equation can help with collaborative resolution.

Jessica: I’m worried about Priya’s recent performance. She’s missed a couple of deadlines, and I think she might not be motivated.

Ryan: Thanks for sharing, Jessica. Can you give me a specific example of when Priya missed a deadline?

Jessica: Last week, her project report was two days late.

Ryan: Has Patricia handled similar projects successfully in the past?

Jessica: Yes, she’s usually very reliable.

Ryan: Have you noticed any changes in her attitude or engagement lately?

Jessica: She’s been quieter in meetings, but nothing specific.

Ryan: Is there anything in the team environment—like workload or resources—that could be affecting her?

Jessica: Actually, we’ve been short-staffed, and she’s been covering extra work.

Ryan: That’s helpful context. It sounds like the environment might be playing a big role here. Let’s think about how we can support Patricia and the team.

In this exchange, Ryan demonstrates how to guide a manager from assumptions to a more complete, fact-based understanding by asking clarifying questions, focusing on observable behaviors, and exploring all elements of the Performance Equation. Notice how the conversation stays constructive and collaborative, avoiding blame and building shared understanding.

By mastering these foundational skills, you’ll be ready to help managers tackle performance concerns with confidence and compassion. Up next, you’ll have the opportunity to practice these techniques in a realistic role-play scenario.