Introduction and background
Performance appraisal has not been a matter of importance for the San Diego Zoological Society management for quite some time. The Society has more than 2,500 workers, and the revenues run at $160 million per annum and higher. Despite the scope and multidimensionality of operation, the Society’s management failed to provide an adequate appraisal for the workers and was never held responsible for that.
A new Web-based performance management system was implemented as a component of meeting the Society’s goal of becoming more accountable. The system was designed to guide managers through the completion of the appraisal procedure. The system was embraced by the employees and HR. The latter supposed payment-for-performance, instantaneous feedback, and timely acknowledgment would encourage valuable human capital to gravitate to the Society.
Case study
Performance appraisal criteria
The performance appraisal system falls under the following criteria:
- Strategic congruence: the system sets employee goals that are related to those of the Society, e.g., guest satisfaction.
- Validity: the system measures all aspects of employee job performance, e.g., professionalism based on teamwork, communication, etc.
- Reliability: the system is reliable by internal consistency and test-retest since all measures are equally important and stand the test of time. However, interrater reliability is nowhere to be seen because management is the only appraiser.
- Acceptability: long-term employees think the system is fair.
- Specificity: the goals are tangible and set within a clear time limit.
Thus, the new Web-based system meets all criteria except for reliability. To conform to the interrater reliability criterion, the system should use more evaluation and appraisal providers.
Strengths and weaknesses
Web-based appraisal systems generally give the employees an opportunity to be evaluated impassively and to insert their achievements faster than using paper. The forms can also be accessed anytime, cross-references, and stored long-term in the company’s cloud (Lepsinger and Lucia 3). Among the weaknesses, the absence of a human factor (i.e., when an appraisal e-mail is sent without any explanation) can confuse the employees. Also, there is an increased risk of data theft (Lepsinger and Lucia 23).
Applied to the Society, the problem of impersonal appraisal is solved by meetings with the management and the employees’ ability to give feedback. Another strong point is that the employees are able to fill in their accomplishments for the management to be aware of. On the other hand, the employees’ self-reported achievements have to be certified individually – which is a weakness because it takes time, and so do the meetings. A 360-degree multi-rater would probably solve the issue. It would receive the guests’, peers’, and supervisors’ feedback on the employees’ accomplishments and simultaneously validate their reports (“Halogen 360 Multi-rater” n.pag.).
Questions
What might be the reason for involving employee teams in the system design?
The cause of employee involvement is twofold. First, the involvement raised awareness about the changes among the employees and opted for better acceptance. Second, the employees had a chance to fit the system to their needs. As a result, the system can be used by everybody regardless of their computer skills. Additionally, the involvement of the personnel meant that the solution to the organizational issue was not implemented “at them” but rather “by them.” The fact that the workers had a chance to select the competencies as factors of appraisal and choose them by vote ensured the solution would be based on employees’ needs. It also demonstrated that each employee was valued (Harvard Business School Press 67; Cardy and Leonard 48).
How can the appraisal system change bring the Society in line with its accountability goals?
The clear-set organizational and employee goals are mutually consistent, which serves as a motivational factor for the individuals to meet the goals and receive an appraisal. The pay-for-performance system is another motivator. Paired together, these factors encourage the employees to account and hold responsibility for their performance, increasing the accountability and appraisal completion rates.
HR application
HR partially solved the problem of impersonal appraisal and reliability by specifying that the management should not only discuss the appraisal with the employees but also certify that the accomplishment was achieved, as well as the meeting proper. Although the meetings are time-consuming, such a solution facilitates communication between the employees and supervisors. In the long view, HR is likely to benefit from the appraisal system change by attracting new, more talented resources. The recruitment of applicants interested in a new performance-based appraisal system will give HR the opportunity to select from active, determined persons and appoint the most suitable ones.
Lessons learned
There are several lessons that can be learned from the Zoological Society’s case. First, the accountability of an establishment suffers if there are no clear-cut goals to aim at. Second, an appraisal system should not only amalgamate the goals of the establishment with those of the employees but also gauge their performance impassively so that everyone’s accomplishments are acknowledged and rewarded. Another important point is that employee involvement in the system design and implementation demonstrates they are valued and facilitates acceptance.
It is stated elsewhere that the Web-based system produced better appraisal completion rates (Mulligan 34). On the other hand, the current software the Society uses shatters the reliability of the appraisal system. One can learn that the issue of rating reliability can be solved fragmentarily by a compilation of electronic appraisals and person-to-person meetings and discussion.
Recommendations
The way the Society used its employees to research the vendors and select the rating factors is highly commendable. Such a decision proved strategically justified and beneficial on all levels since it gave everyone a clear idea of what is expected from them. Still, there are some points that can be improved. As said, the Society can invest in software that provides a multisided rating to increase its interrater reliability.
A multi-rater would add a human factor (e.g., guest and supervisor feedback) and at the same time automatize the process of evaluation. Additionally, the multi-rater would motivate the employees to pursue their career development: all the information concerning the employees’ strengths and points for improvement could be presented to them in the form of personalized feedback. The employees could track their progress that way as well.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Zoological Society of San Diego shows immense improvement in terms of accountability through an employee-oriented approach to appraisal. The employees are given a voice in issues that directly concern them. Additionally, the pay-for-performance culture and a Web-based appraisal system enhance the organizational morale and facilitate 100% review completion (“San Diego Zoo” n.pag.). As a point to work on, the Society could improve the system’s reliability by investing in software that provides a multisided evaluation of the workers’ performance in the form of feedback. Still, the new system can be regarded as successful, especially in contrast to what it used to be.
Works Cited
Cardy, Robert, and Brian Leonard. Performance Management: Concepts, Skills and Exercises. 2nd ed. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2014. Print.
“Halogen 360 Multirater.” Halogen Software. Halogen Software Inc., 2016. Web.
Harvard Business School Press. Performance Management: Measure and Improve The Effectiveness of Your Employees. Ed. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2013. Print.
Lepsinger, Richard, and Anntoinette D. Lucia. The Art and Science of 360 Degree Feedback. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.
Mulligan, Tim. “Redefining Corporate Culture: A San Diego Zoo Case Study.” NCHRA. Northern California HR Association, n.d. Web.
“San Diego Zoo redefined corporate culture to focus on employee performance.” Halogen Software. Halogen Software Inc., 2016. Web.