Promotion is an act of an individual’s advancement following his or her performance at work. It is the process that is involved in selecting an individual for a top position during a performance appraisal. The promotion process within any given company allows the assessment and evaluation of the employees’ performance over a given period. It gives the chance for employers to assess their performance and level of success. Promotion can be counted as a rewarding process, hence, it acts as a motivation for employees to improve their performance (Pettijohn et al., 2001). Performance appraisal is an organizational tool that helps managers evaluate and assess one’s potential to work that acts as a record of an individual’s achievement, and through which one can be easily promoted (Reeves, 2000).
In the case study provided, the selection process was not planned well as gender balance was not considered. The senior-level managers criticized the negative traits of two interviewees, Jane and Mart, but favored Joe. The rest of the interviewers focused on the applicants’ strengths and weaknesses.
The selection process was difficult for Jane, especially when the two senior managers asked her about disciplining employees and if she could handle a budget worth one million. They both assumed that she was not suitable for the job instead of granting her the chance to prove to the company that she was a top achiever and to show her abilities.
During the selection process, the interviewers should have treated every interviewee equally in terms of questioning and the criteria for selecting the best candidate from those interviewed. Regardless of the position an interviewee was seeking, the interviewers should have had a positive attitude towards each interviewee. In the case study, the two senior managers, George and Jake, seemed to concentrate more on Jane’s negative sides as compared to her strengths.
Jane’s candidacy was good as she is result-oriented and is always looking forward to achieving positive results. She is democratic as she counts on each and everyone’s contribution, she is a good listener, and she uses facts to support her ideas and is worried when things do not go as planned. Jane lacks good managerial and organizational skills and is not controlling. Reeves (2000) found that women do not place important status on control as they are unaware of any significance of the status. On the other hand, Joe is controlling, which is what most employers look for in a manager. He can also address various issues of underperformance when an employee fails to reach a required target. Additionally, he can use his management and organizational skills to make sure that an employee performs as expected, and is focused on meeting set goals and objectives against all odds. Joe would use his strengths and his positive personality characteristics to move the company forward.
Joe would not hesitate to fire an underperforming employee. Jane, on the other hand, would be friendlier and not quick to fire, but would instead allow the employee a chance to improve as she would also like to create a good impression. Jane is a better budgeter than Joe.
My preference for the best candidate would be Joe as he is open-minded, ready to face new challenges, and accountable for his actions. With managerial and organizational skills being key attributes for any aspiring manager according to Pettijohn et al. (2001), I believe that he stands a better chance as compared to the other interviewees.
My advice to the three candidates before an interview is that they should know the job requirements. They should understand the need for high competency in management and organizational skills, and prove that one’s personality characteristics are efficient when it comes to managing a team of professionals (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 1998). They should also understand the equal chance of each of them getting the job, depending on how they present themselves to the interviewers.
George Montgomery is unjust when it comes to his management style. In the case of Jane, he could have used her strengths to find out what she can handle, rather than concentrate only on the negatives. He does not believe that women can handle high positions like that of a Marketing Director, and still believes in traditions that some positions are just meant for men like Joe. George believes that men are argumentative when it comes to management whilst women are better heard than men and that when men communicate, they bring about power while women don’t. George also focuses more on the performance of an individual than on experience. So, he can be termed as gender-biased.
Joe would advise the rest on the need to create a rapport with employers as this can be used to measure one’s performance in a company. Joe also proves that it is not always easy to get to the top, but if one works on his/her weak points, he/she stands a better chance of getting promoted.
References
Gomez-Mejia, R., Balkin, B. &Cardy, R. (1998). Managing Human Resources. NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Pettijohn, L., Parker, R., Pettijohn, C. & Kent, J. (2001). Performance appraisals: usage, criteria, and observations. The Journal of Management Development, 20: 754- 771.
Reeves, M. (2000). Suppressed, forced out and fired: How successful women lose their jobs. Westport: Quorum Pub.