In team management, it is essential to appreciate the effort of the employees but most importantly, recognize their potential. The 9Box Grid Model enables managers to divide and assess their team based on these two important criteria; performance and potential. In this article, I will explain how you can use the 9Box Grid Model to improve your understanding and management of employees.

Understanding the 9Box Grid Model

The model is designed by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, aims to evaluate employees in terms of their work done and future expected outcomes. The model facilitates the business’s efforts in finding their star performers, key contributors, and developmental gaps by dividing them into nine groups.

 Performance vs. Potential:

 Performance in this case refers to what an employee is doing now and what he or she has achieved.

 Potential on the other hand measures what an employee is capable of doing in the future and how much value he or she can create in his or her career.

The 9Box Grid Model Explained

The model sorts employees into nine categories depending on their work done and the expected future work. These categories are demarcated within a 3×3 grid that is meant to bear different implications for developmental and organizational strategy.

1A: High Performance, High Potential (Stars)

Such employees are known as the “stars” of the organization. They perform well in their position and have the ability to take on greater responsibilities and leadership positions. To nurture these employees, you need to do the following:

• Allow them to take on greater responsibilities and set challenging targets.
• Apply promotions, pay increases, and important initiatives of substantial value.
• Provide overseas opportunities, along with focused development courses.

2A: High Performance, Medium Potential (Core Players)

These individuals show high achievement and consistent exemplary performance. However, their ability to grow in the hierarchy might be limited. They are dedicated and loyal but will not reach the top slots in the organization’s leadership structure. In order to keep them engaged:

• Provide recognition and rewards such as Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).
• Ensure they are valued through professional development opportunities and appreciation.

1B: High Potential, Medium Performance (High Potentials)

These employees have good potential; however, their current performance does not seem to reflect that. The aim should now be focused on enabling them to realize their potential and work towards better performance. This can be achieved by:

• Offering mentoring and coaching to skillfully advance the employee’s performance.
• Defining articulated goals and objectives as a way of enabling them to realize their potential.
• Providing assignments and additional training as a way of learning new skills and growing.

2B: Medium Performance, Medium Potential (Workhorses)

These employees are sustainable and stable performers who form the backbone of the team. They do not display much flair but continue to do their jobs as expected. They must be acknowledged and compensated for their efforts in:

• Using the motivational schemes that are targeted to ensure that they work more.
• Providing motivational boosts by awarding them for their good work consistently and considering increased award grants to keep up their output.

3A: High Performance, Low Potential (Workhorses)

These employees do their work well but can only assume limited responsibilities or none at all, and are unlikely to move from their current position. They are important for daytoday activities, and they need to be:

• Appreciated for their loyalty and businesslike behaviour.
• Supported with training and mentoring as an investment, even in the absence of identifiable reward in the shape of a promised promotion.

3B and 3C: Low Performance, Medium to Low Potential (Underperformers)

This set of employees requires focus the most. Considering that performance is low to moderately low, there isn’t a lot of scope for growth. You must provide for:

• Assigning short deadlines to improve their performance.
• Making precise goals and helping them achieve those goals.
• Evaluating their progress and checking whether they achieve their goals.

If at least some improvement is not visible, undertake appropriate actions, such as possible dismissal.

Using the 9Box Grid Model With Your Team

Just like Jack Welch’s approach with employees in General Electric, 9 Box Grid Model will help ensure that you do not waste resources on the wrong employees. The aim is to:

 Spend Resources on Your Stars:

Give more challenges to them to unlock that potential.

 Help Develop High Potentials:

train and mentor them to enable growth to maximum potential.

 Back and motivate core players:

Make sure they are always rewarded and acknowledged to remain committed and productive.

 Set Goals for Them Expecting Performance Improvement:

Make decisions that will on the whole ensure the success of a team; if necessary, tough decisions need to be made.

You can never exhaust your boundless potential and one person who embodies this is Arunima Sinha. By summitting Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg, Sinha became the first woman to achieve such a feat. Her case proves how anyone can accomplish phenomenal tasks after realizing their true potential and strength. Everything is achievable if you put your mind to it. Likewise, as a manager, ensure that your employees realize their true potential and help them succeed. Doing so will enable them to achieve unimaginable success.

Conclusion:

The 9Box Grid not only evaluates achievement but also assesses the level of potential an employee possesses. This model enables highly efficient and effective management of teams. Indices of performance aid in the planning of training, rewarding, and even the amount of supervision to exert on the different categories of staff. Performing the same for your core players and stars will prove beneficial for everyone. Make optimal use of this model to drive success in your organization and to support the ever-growing success of your employees.

Categories: Team Management Skills