Introduction
The management of employee or the human resource is very instrument towards success in terms of performance. Proper management makes the employees be motivated and feel that they are working in a friendly environment.
The performance management is affected by different factors that surround the employee. These range from social, economical and even work related reasons.
The organization is supposed to reduce to the least attainable levels the factors that may affect an employee in order to realize the full potential of the same. A cliché goes “a happy employee makes a happy boss”.
The concept of performance management seeks to improve the general efficacy and the efficiency of human resource. An efficient and proper system of performance management can be used for several purposes.
These include communication of the organization goals, gauging the performance of the organization as well as giving feedback as to how to improve the current existing performance.
Performance management is defined as: “a process used for establishing a shared understanding of what is to be achieved, and the approach to managing and also developing people in such a manner which increases the probability that it shall be achieved in the desired short and long term” (Armstrong & Baron 19).
From the definition, it is self evident that performance management is a key process in any organization. It plays an important in determining how fast an organization will grow. It is also important to the employee as it makes him be aware of his strengths and development during his career.
It is not a single process. Neither is it a technique. It’s a comprehensive set of process combined with philosophies that seek to determine the factors that can improve the performance of an employee and the way which these will be employed (Aslam 3).
This means that performance management involves a deeper understanding of the employee and the factors surrounding his ability to perform a certain duty as well as coming up with a solution to remove these hindrances and develop an efficient employee.
In order to ensure that the full potential of employee is achieved, step must be taken to ensure that performance is attained. The steps begin before the work is actually carried out and it continues even after the completion of the work.
In pre planning, there are role setting and objective determination while in post work there is the employee appraisal (feedback) and the overall review of the employee performance. The steps involved generally include role definition, performance benchmarking, performance development and performance review.
Role definition and Profiling
The first step in performance management is understanding the role and niche that the organization seeks to fill. In understanding this, the company then goes ahead and profiles.
Here the managers sit and define the purpose of the organization as well as the priority of each. It is also during this step that the managers shall set the objectives of the organization and the purposes that the same shall seek to fulfil.
The managers also clearly define the roles of the organization in accordance with the core values of the organization. The role is normally on tandem with what the objectives of the organization are.
It is comprehensive enough to include the mission and vision of the group. These are important as they set an overview of how an employee shall be expected to carry out his duties during the tenure of his employment.
They also provide a general idea of how an employee shall conduct himself during the performance.
Setting the Performance benchmarks
In setting the performance benchmarks, there is need to understand the objectives and the goals that the organization seeks to achieve. In this stage the managers shall sit down and define the organizational objectives as well as how these objectives shall be achieved.
In order to measure performance, there should be benchmarks against which the performance shall be measured against. The managers shall also determine the suitable management model that shall be applicable to the organization.
There are different forms of management. It is therefore upon the managers to carefully interrogate these models and come up with one that fits the nature of performance that is desired by the organization.
Steps involved in performance management
The first important step that the line managers take is to have a meeting and set the objectives as well as the strategies. Performance management shall be aimed at attaining a certain objective.
The sales manager shall have the objective of ensuring that the sales in a particular business increase by at least twenty percent. The strategic planning manager shall give his target objective and the strategy to ensure that that particular objective is attained.
In setting the objectives, the managers are required to be realistic. The managers are supposed to take a REAL (Realistic, Efficient, Acceptable and Long lasting) approach.
An unrealistic plan or objective is likely to stress the employees and consequently reduce the input of the same. Furthermore, having unrealistic goals can end up demoralizing the management as failure is likely to occur.
The objectives themselves are supposed to be SMART (Aslam 6). SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time framed. These are the core considerations that an organization shall bear in mind when deciding on the objectives.
The second step involves brainstorming and coming up with how to achieve the objectives set in step one. In this step, the managers have to consider the different roles each department plays and employ relevant and corresponding tactics that will work out.
One of the methods that shall be employed is the use of self managed teams. The rationale behind this is that the employees in such a group have a sense of independence and also have team work bonding.
The self managed groups, unlike the directed groups, are normally innovative, take initiative and own the organization goals (Elmuti 235).
The third step involves competence assessment. Here the managers shall be involved in matching the employees to the duties that correspond with their skills.
Competency also means assessing whether the organization’s human resource has the required know-how people to carry out the means set in step to achieve the objectives set in the first step. Competence assessment shall ensure that no employee is given a duty which beyond his capability.
Assigning an employee a duty that is beyond his capability imposes stress and pressure and consequently reduces the performance.
After the competence assessment is complete then the managers can now embark on duty allocation. Incompetence assessment the manager should look at the holistic strengths and weaknesses of an employee.
They should also consider factors such as experience and leadership skill of the same. Any mistake made in the allocation of the duties to the employees shall extend and contribute towards the performance of such an employee. Proper allocation of duties is likely to deliver better performance.
Also worthy of note is that poor allocation of duties leads to waste of talent on the part of the employee and poor delivery to the organization. Staffing is therefore very important in increasing employee performance.
Execution is the next step. During execution of a plan, there is need for constant monitoring and evaluation of how the employees are fairing. This is important in order to make sure that any mistakes are immediately corrected before they go deep into affecting the whole plan.
The monitoring should take place at all levels and should be both horizontal as well as vertical. There should be a proper communication channel during the execution. The channel should be both upwards and downwards.
The upward communication channel allows the employees to communicate the challenges they are facing. It is axiomatic that these challenges have an impact on their final performance.
Downward communication is important to let the employees know whether they are performing a good job or not. Communication has a bearing on the performance of an employee and it is also a great instrument for passing the goals and targets of the organization.
Lastly there is the process of performance evaluation. It is during this process that performance rating and grading. While rating and grading performance it is important to bear in mind the benchmarks, objectives as well as the goals that the organization sought to achieve in the first place.
Performance evaluation and rating is the basis for performance review. In order to do a proper review, you need to compare your current grading to your former grading. It is also during the performance review that an organization can trace and find out where or what influenced poor performance in a certain organization department.
From here, the managers shall then communicate the feedback and performance appraisal to the employees. Feedback to the employees is good for two main purposes.
Worthy of note is that in an organization there are three levels of goals. There are the employee’s individual goals, the team or group goals and finally the overall organization goals.
Good management need to delve into what the employees’ individual goals are. In order to motivate the employees in achieving the target company goals there is a need to synchronize employee goals with the overall goals.
Sometimes within a team, ones individual performance appraisal can have the impact of interfering with the intended group goals and targets. This is mainly through emphasizing the individual (Wiese & Buckley 234).
Dealing with underperformance
It is axiomatic that individual performance differs from one employee to another. What is important is that all the employees give their best and at least manage to attain the minimum target.
In order to motivate the underperforming employees the company shall offer rewards and promotions to the performing employees. This will serve as an enticing gesture towards working hard. It will also motivate the workers.
There is a connection between performance at work and the social life of an employee. The organization shall allow the employees to have a social welfare group.
This shall be in charge of advocating and promoting the social welfare of the employees. An employee who is socially relaxed performs better than one who is disturbed.
Another way of dealing with underperforming employees is to try and develop them in terms of expertise and technical ability. This can be done through sponsoring them to formal education.
This can be done through sending them to seminars or even providing them with loans (at a lower interest rate) to further their education.
Setting semi-autonomous work groups are also helpful in terms of improving employee’s capability. When in teams it is easier for an underperforming employee to learn from others. However, important to note is that this shall depend on the level of bonding between the members.
It is thus important for an organization to ensure that there is enough bonding sessions so that the employees can acquaint themselves to each other. Also during boning session, an employee who is seen as underperforming can have the chance to showcase his strengths.
These strengths can be useful in other departments. As a result his underperformance in one department shall lead to his transfer to a department in which he has strengths and thereby improving his performance.
Employee development
It is important that an employee develops and not just stagnate in terms of his expertise. Development is important as the employee increases his know-how in both technical and managerial abilities.
Development can be done through training in seminars, workshops as well as through experience gained in the work. The best way to encourage employee development is to offer rewards through promotion.
Another means of employee development is rotational responsibility. In this scenario, the leadership position in a group does not permanently rest on one employee but rather revolves around after a certain period of time.
Through this, all the employees will develop in terms leadership as well as technical skills. Apart from that they will also appreciate the challenges being faced by the leaders and therefore respond more supportively whenever a challenging situation emerge.
Having an ongoing dialogue platform is also a very important means to ensure the development of an employee. It is through constant dialogue that the management can find out means and ways to increase the efficiency of an employee.
Dialogue also facilitates a route to feed back to the employee on his performance. With that communication, motivation is built and the employee’s overall performance is increased.
Involvement of employees in Strategic planning
Strategic planning is important in the development of an organization. Involvement of the employees encourages direct contribution towards the plan. The employees feel involved and end owning the plan and not feel as if the plan has been imposed on them.
Involvement can be done at different levels. For instance, a department manager may have a strategic plan meeting with the employees working under him.
He gets the views from these employees on how to improve the plan. The employees feel that they are involved and end up giving their best in order to achieve the goals set in the strategic plan.
The achievement of a goal is easy when the goals are set by the employee themselves than when the goals have been imposed on them.
It is suggested that by allowing the employees to chip in when setting the goals they also get the opportunity to raise the potential challenges that might affect what they are to do in order to achieve these goals.
This makes the manager as well as the employees have ample time to deal with matters which would otherwise affect the performance of an employee.
Recommendations
The creation of independent groups in the organization is recommended as it allows the members to increase their contribution and innovation. This is contrary to the traditional directed groups where innovation was limited and the members just waited to act upon directives given from managers.
Direct groups are those traditional teams that work only upon the directive of their seniors. Here there is inhibition of innovation which is not good for the organization. Their contribution is limited and the motivation is also lacking compared to the self directing groups.
A self directing group is independent and self starting. It therefore makes the performance of employees increase due to the presence of innovation.
Another recommendation is encouraging the employees to have a working social welfare within them. The welfare should be autonomous. Those shall form an avenue for social interaction and bonding.
Bonding and social interaction form the main ingredients of successful teamwork. Giving bonus and other remuneration based benefits to recognize good performance is also a means by which an organization may use to motivate the performance of its employees.
Encouraging team and communication is also recommended in improving the performance of the employee.
Through communication the organization goals reach the employees and through the same the employees are able to communicate the problems that might affect their performance.
Dialogue between the managers and the employees is the best way to clear all the hindrances that affect employee performance.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Michael & Baron, Angela. Performance Management: The New Realities, London: CIPD, 1998. Print
Aslam, Hassan. “Improving Performance Management Practices in IT Firms of Pakistan.” Journal of Management Research 2.2 (2010): 3-6. Print
Elmuti, Dean. “Self managed work teams approach: creative management tool or a fad?” Management Decisions 35.3 (1997): 233-239. Print
Wiese, Danielle & Buckley, Ronald. “The Evolution of The Performance Appraisal Process.” Journal of Management History 4.3 (1998): 233-249. Print