Performance Management (PM)

Introduction

Every organization does their best to reach organizational objectives by getting the support from their workforce. Performance management (PM) is a systematic approach that includes performance appraisal and employee developments to achieve organizational objectives (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).

Dessler (2013) writes that the performance appraisal is a kind of a process that will evaluate an employee’s current or previous performance related to employee’s performance standards. 360-degree feedback is a process in which an employee’s performance is monitored and evaluated (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).  The feedback can be given by various people such as their manager, colleagues, subordinates, and customers (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).

Most of the time, the PM is a basis for an organization to pay and for its human resource (HR) decisions (D.Pulakos, 2004). 

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Aims of Performance Management

Hanson & Pulakos (2015) have identified that PM has to aim to work on three significant areas by enabling employees to perform to their potential.

1.   Goal setting: Organization has to plan that enables employees to contribute their efforts which are aligned to reach the organization’s goal.  

2.   Performance review: Organization has to organize their employees with guideposts that will help them to monitor behavior and result. And further it helps making adjustments which may be needed in real time to maximize the performance.

3.   Performance improvement plans: Organization has to support employees to remove barriers to performance.

Challenges in Performance Management  

Forbes Human Resources Council (2017)  has identified some of the challenges.

Lack of standards in the evaluation process among managers, can bring issues to PM. Sometimes evaluation criterion is not in measurable formats, for example, managers get confused on which basis they are going to rate on employee’s “customer’s-service” or “communication” abilities.

Some employers are using performance appraisal process to weed out the low performers rather than practicing a solid recruiting and screening process to prevent that recruitment. Performance reviews are done only once in year, rather than practicing regularly one-on-one meetings between the manager and employees throughout the year to review goals and the achievements.

It is said that the traditional manager/employee corporate structure makes the performance appraisals more challenging.

Examples

Organization like Microsoft, Adobe, Motorola practice more frequently one-on-one meetings with managers in an effort to provide feedback and keep employees on task (Forbes Human Resources Council, 2017).

Conclusions

PM is important process that helps an organization growing.  It has to be adapted by an organization while finding solution to the challenges that it meets.

References

Hanson, R. A., & Pulakos, E. (2015). Retrieved June 30, 2018 : 6 pm, from https://www.shrm.org: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/special-reports-and-expert-views/Documents/SHRM-SIOP%20Performance%20Management.pdf

Armstrong, M., & Stephen, T. (2014). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice (13 ed.). London: Koganpage.

D.Pulakos, E. (2004). Performance Management : A roadmap for developing, implementing and evaluating performance management systems. Alexandria: SHRM.

DESSLER, G. (2013). HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (13 ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Forbes Human Resources Council. (2017, December 1). Adapting The Performance Appraisal Process To Meet The Needs Of The Modern Workplace. Retrieved June 30 , 2018 : 6 pm, from https://www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2017/12/01/adapting-the-performance-appraisal-process-to-meet-the-needs-of-the-modern-workplace/#63b11bfa5342