Examining Performance Management Research Paper

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Performance management refers to the accomplishment of performance targets through the strategic management of people and the workplace environment. Thorough performance management needs to be able to resonate strongly throughout the entire organization as a core aspect of the business rather than a separate part of the business process: it is fundamental and integral and needs to be activated wherever targets are set and where resources are allocated in terms of their achievement. Performance management needs to be seen as both a strategic issue and a tactical issue (thecqi.org). The most strategic aspect of performance management is that it focuses on the setting of achievable goals for a specific organization and in the development of the competence and capabilities in accomplishing such goals: if the goals set are not realistic or if they are beyond the organization's capability, no amount of trying or encouraging of employees will ever assist in their achievement. On a more tactical level, it refers to the ability to create an environment where people are strongly motivated to achieve and to expand beyond their capabilities through the exercising of their talents, via managing relationships, focusing on reviewing their performance and taking actions that would help to better improve things and to find more appropriate means of managing relationships and observing performance, while taking actions to improve and find the best ways to get the most out of people. So much of this is truly dependent on good leadership: managers are supposed to be the one who are able to handle the tactical issues without taking focus away from the strategic issues and vice versa (thecqi.org).

The reality is that most employees work at an organization from a genuine place of wanting to see it succeed and wanting to be lasting contributors to the success of an organization: employees genuinely want to know exactly what is expected of them and how they can achieve those requirements. Performance management is the systematic process by which a manager is able to involve employees in achieving the unit's missions and goals, thus better overall unit effectiveness and fostering understanding so that employees can better comprehend the importance of their contributions as a whole (uw.edu). As stated earlier, this can put a large amount of importance and impetus on the manager and the leadership that the manager is able to provide. The manager needs to be the one who is able to adequately: Identify the job duties that each employee is expected to accomplish; communicate the competencies (job knowledge and job skills) necessary to be successful in a position; ensure that employees have the required competencies, or that there is a process and plan by which they can acquire them; provide timely feedback on how effectively employees are applying job knowledge and skills to achieve the goals established for their position; reward effective performance" (uw.edu). Thus, if performance management is unable to meet certain established requirements, the manager must understand the corrective processes and methods that can bolster the employee performance.

Managerial Methods for Performance

The most fundamental step in the entire journey of performance management first revolves around ensuring that all employees are up-to-date on the job description: employees should absolutely have the opportunity to both understand and to review their job descriptions, receiving any necessary clarification should they not have full comprehension (uw.edu). Another crucial management skill is that managers should develop a list of abilities and requirements for each position and realistically assess whether one's employees possess all the competencies required by their positions, and whether some basic guidance will develop the training goals needed so that the necessary skill levels can be achieved.

However, the manager's job doesn't stop at assessment: it revolves also on being able to adequately offer feedback, ensuring that all employees understand the measures by which their performance is being evaluated and whether or not they are achieving the goals needed (uw.edu). Feedback needs to be given in a timely fashion, with good work being acknowledged readily and work that needs improvement also being addressed head on. There is a danger that good performances can be taken for granted with only the issues for improvement being focused on: employees need balance, honesty and fairness (uw.edu).

The importance of the annual review also cannot be underestimated. Something like an annual review is a simple, powerful tool which can help arrange an overall assessment of how work, progress and development have gone over the past year. This needs to be done on a group level and on an individual level so that various perspectives are assessed and the bigger pictured is best examined.

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More than anything, specific objectives which have been met need to be revisited, and areas where additional effort is needed is also essential. This is a part where the manager has the difficult job of determining whether the skills and abilities that particular employees have really meet the reality of the position and whether changes and updates need to occur. Certain developmental goals and objectives need to be zeroed in on for the year ahead, discussed and agreed upon, so that everyone is on the same page. One of the most crucial parts of the annual review revolves around giving employees the chance to weigh in prior to the review being finalized. All employees should have a chance to read, discuss, ask questions and sign off on the review before it is finalized.

Clarifying the Goals, Vision and Objectives of Performance Management

When it comes to asking, what are the current trends that performance management needs to achieve? The answer is multi-faceted. Like the nature of an organization and the skills that an organization has to offer, performance management is going to be constantly evolving as time goes by: this is a good thing, as it needs to be able to adapt to the needs of an organization. "Performance management is a quickly maturing business discipline. Like its better known siblings -- sales and marketing, human resources, supply chain management, and accounting and finance -- performance management has a key role to play in improving the overall value of an organization. Wayne Eckerson of The Data Warehouse Institute defines Performance Management as 'a series of organizational processes and applications designed to optimize the execution of business strategy'" (Microsoft, 2008). Thus, as intricate and multi-faceted as performance management can be, it still needs to have the fundamental goal of optimization: the business goals of expansion and profitability need to continually be capitalized upon. This means that steps individually and collectively made by the organization have to be made with the intention of fulfilling the overall strategy.

Fundamental Objectives

Regardless of one's business, there are certain objectives that nearly every firm needs to hit in order to evolve and expand with time. It's important to ask the question as to whether the employee's individual goals are aligned with company objectives and to work to make the two harmonious. In order to achieve this, it's important to reach a level of increased visibility is essential, along with a higher level of satisfaction and loyalty with one's customer bases. "A performance management goal might include establishing and expanding positive relationships with local, regional and national media. Another goal might be to scope out previously untapped consumers who could benefit from your unique products and services" (Hamlett, 2013). The more satisfied ones clients are, the more rapidly the business will expand organically. Upgrading the company "equipment" is another factor in performance management. Current software needs to be evaluated and replaced as do certain hardware and telecommunications equipment to ascertain the effectiveness and security of data storage and retrieval systems so that all sensitive information, including operational and financial information are still secure (Hamlett, 2013). In today's increasingly healthy workplace, it might be time to replace outdated furniture, chairs, and desks and to address any real or potential health and safety issues.

Streamlining and cross-training need to be a massive part of the new performance management. No one knows better than current employees whether particular tasks can be removed or performed more efficiently or reassigned all together. Reaching out to employees and asking them about these particular issues is absolutely crucial and fundamental to the success of the organization. It's pivotal to bear in mind that "morale suffers when employees feel as if they are just killing time, doing meaningless work or having no opportunities to explore new methods of solving problems. Arrogance is also likely to evolve if workers believe that no one else could possibly do their jobs (Hamlett, 2013). Another danger to an organization that managers need to be aware of is that arrogance can greatly stunt performance. If employees don't have desk manuals for the tasks which they engage in, it's essential that they be forced to complete step-by step guides which include the numbers, acronyms and various ways to troubleshoot common problems (Hamlett, 2013). The overarching goal of this exercise to permit other workers to take over each other jobs when necessary --….....

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