The new era of Performance Management

Performance management or Strategic performance both subjects can lead us to think more broadly about the aims of having these subjects as methods and underlying tools to be used in any organization; from my perspective, especially thus concerned with highly potential growth as medium or large companies over the world. Mainly, instead of going for a yearly basis measurement, we start to observe that medium and large companies are moving towards strategic performance where measuring employees is considered with the business strategies for long-term planning as setting short-term objectives in-order to match the corporate strategy as long-term goals, that these objectives set for the performance management reveal the aims of the company goals, priorities and targets. The role of the human resources of the performance management is to set a certain criteria, approaches and tools to achieve and support the organization to reach its level of high performance working within a suitable context that matching the organization structure and the availability of the resources and capabilities that would backing the business structure. Resources and capabilities are two important elements of the performance management to achieve its targets because both are relative, the set of allocations that need certain skills and talents by using their human capital appropriately would reflect the role of the human resource management to build and promote a perfect culture where transparency and knowledge transferability is embedded such a clear vision and mission that will build a durable atmosphere to encourage employees to achieve their assigned goals and ensure achievements by support and provide the employee needs and to enhance the motivation in the workplace that requires hiring the right people especially people with the nature of leadership and to drive these objectives effectively. The old practice of HR is just about appraising their employees once a year with a short meeting for HR records, but these days its turnaround to be assessed, evaluating and mentoring plus coaching the employees to ensure all are on the right track to avoid drifting out of the plan. We would mention as the corporate strategy is assessing by the management and employees are assessed by their managers because the more focus on the employees’ performance the more the company generates and produces. engagement and support are also important for the employees’ practices. In addition, performance management has been moved from Managing By Objective method to Key Performance Indicator, which is highly consistent and attractive to the organizations who are looking for accuracy and live data that could be supported by the new technology by using soft systems in our present that facilitates input and output data and behavior to a combined information and analyzing the employees day-to-day which gives a clear vision about the situation the time needed. Performance management and particularly performance appraisal is one of the most important HRM practices as it identifies individual responsibilities, objectives and required behavior with the ultimate goal to align employees’ behavior and goals with the organization’s strategy (DeNisi and Sonesh, 2011; DeNisi and Murphy, 2017).

Performance management policies and procedures and its reflection

The principles of having policies and procedures are improving the process of the performance management in the organization; the design and the development of the performance management process required a fair and ethical review of all parties who are in the loop of this process and to prevent discrimination and promoting an equal opportunity and fair results for all employees, these principles must be built on the management and job descriptions objectives, whether technical or behavioral competency, also the owners of this practice would have involved their perspectives to close all gaps and assumptions that would not be clear to them. some of these principles can be as follows:

Forecasting a common understanding of the organization's vision, mission, values and strategic priorities.

·        Promoting ongoing and proactive succession management.

·        Initializing efficient, fair, transparent measurable performance management practices.

·        Maximizing employee engagement development and performance.

·        Enhance full development and utilization of the talents during the year.

·        Enrich the expectation between the mangers their employees by using two-ways communication.

·        Support the employee development and career growth that would results in creating high perspectives towards the culture as promoting the organization as an owner of the high performance and development.

·        Identify and sustain the high performers and develop the under-performers to balance the work culture.

These basic principles would have a great impact on all levels of employee by matching it to the rewarding systems that would engage some tools like recognition, awards, different types of compensation that the organization can offer based on the results that would come out of the employee. These principles also would derive the organization to do better for the high performers and increase the challenge of adapting new techniques and ways of offering better training and opportunity in the term of being a high performer. Wisely, the more outcomes and commitment come from an employee would be considered and took seriously to an upper stage, that would motivate the culture and individuals to do more and show dedication to the work, last way of the group, these tasks together is to involve technology and provide such a soft program that allow the employees to track their performance which will create a self-mentor, hence will make staff self-motivated to achieve their goals by themselves.

Being in the right track of measuring people

It seems that a new generation of young, people is thriving with the ideas of their management or manager expectation towards their efforts; some would apply and deploy their knowledge, skills and passion to show sense giving to the work, and some do need two measurement tools to ensure them performing well. Different techniques and tools would apply for different jobs that cannot measure in the same scale, sales people objectives are to increase the volume of selling, people who work in operation required other tasks that vary based on the job was giving to each individual in the organization, so these techniques would distinguish the managers’ techniques upon their employee performance and each field can be monitored effectively and ensure discipline. The performance management as an approach is a key for the organization. leadership and management style would consider one of the top priorities for handling such a performance management it requires someone with solid skills and know how to lead and manage people in a great manner being always in touch with subordinates, understand their needs, passions, and giving the sense of value they would receive to be able to adapt their loyalty and give back in return their performance situations that reflect their team or the organization as a whole, it is important for the managers to have an overview and full picture about their Subordinates performance and how they do and what expected contribution they generate that lead to a great outcome and satisfactory level. So, the manager's role is continuing and critical, where the managers are obligated to encourage and support subordinates, assist their personal development plan to meet their needs as individuals would be agreed on their plans, covering any weaknesses that interfere with the work, whether it is technical or behavioral and ensure that individuals are mentored and counseled appropriately as more coaching if needed.

Promoting challenges

Obviously, promoting challenges through the Organization is one of the Performance Management methods to enhance the work culture and increase the productivity of the employees by using tools and techniques that help the organization to fully benefit from their resources, capabilities and skills, reflecting long and short objectives in the employee regular assessment where achievement is important especially the objectives that align with the core competency of the job. Assuming using the 360-degree feedback in the organization would have a strong impact on the employees' performance where assessment and evaluation of the employees can be broadly taken through different dimensions or parties who are engaged on this process, those parties can be not just related to your superiors, also by going for an advanced analysis of the employee performance, we can include the peers and direct reports, Also, sometimes the customer evaluation, which is a real live practice of driving the employees to their self-behavior mentor. This way how would You receive an analysis of how you understand yourself and how others see you. So, the benefit of linking the 360-degree feedback to the individual or an employee in the organization is to help the employee to understand his or her from an outsider perspective, it may show the areas that need to be developed in the personal matter, also it affects the team by increasing the communication between the team members and involve them in the development process, and finally the organization benefit does come under experiencing the Improvements of the customer services during providing a better career development by using the 360-Feedback.

Recognizing and rewarding talents

Recognizing and rewarding talents both are a major player in the performance management to enhance the employee’s performance by promising and giving something in-return to their achievement or commitment to the organization goals, (Armstrong & Brown, 2001) Worldatwork, the Total Rewards Association of U.S., defines total rewards as all of the tools available to the employer that may be used to attract, motivate and retain employees. It also indicates that total rewards include everything the employee perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship (Worldatwork, 2006). there are different types of rewarding and compensation, it can be financially as incentives, bounces or merit increase or stocks, shares of the company, especially those the trade market, non-financial rewards where can take into different shapes and types that related to recognition, best employee of the month, letter for achievement, special training and opportunity to grow and handle more responsibilities in the workplace and so. For example; so much employees do appreciate being recognized and giving something as a trophy mentioned the employee name and the purpose of having this trophy, we would imagine how much loyalty would come from this employee because this recognition made the employee proud and will give a deep meaning about his or her value to the organization which means more commitment and efforts to grow more. On the other hand, employees most understand that in case of failure of achieving the targets or being under performance for a long time would not treat as expected because enclose failure with no progress means that actions would have taken upon this failure, especially after assessing the employee and give a fair chance to go back to the right way of doing the work, sanctions as penalties are a double-edged sword where employees may be affected by the his or her low performance such as technical or behavior factors that related to work, so it is important that organizations are aware and clear at the beginning of the coincidences that followed by breaching these goals. Otherwise, it is best for the organizations to let those low performers leave the work and give the chance for other talents to take the place.

 Communication required while managing achievement and underachievement goals

Employee involvement or engagement must take their place within the communication loop, the level of capability and the ability of communication can express as a high scale of interaction and this will encourage the employee to show dramatically efforts to the commitment to their goals and increase their performance towards their goals, it is determining recognizing the achievement and the progress by making sure that these activities delivered to the employees, where it may reconsider some improvement if the objectives are not followed and done appropriately. It could fairly that some issues that has neglected that would be solve during the performance follow-up with all level of related participants as individuals, teams on the organization level. Communicating can be go through two ways formal and informal ways of reaching the concern individuals in a professional manner to guide them or improve their work. Managers are usually use the informal communication channels. They believe that informal communications break the barriers and give the employee the confident and committed, it also surges their efforts and being more transparent, the informal communication is a casual way of communicating and both parties would in their comfort zone where they can speak freely with no barriers restrained by the policies and procedures, it takes you out of the formalities, policies that would tight the negotiation between a manager and his or her employee. Formal communication where everything is documented and addressed pertaining to the organizational policies and procedures, usually this process takes its place in certain situation where tracking employees’ performance and setting their objectives and goals must be documented to avoid any discrimination or committing a violation in the workplace. This type of formal communication can be as assessments, appraisals, performance, warning, or other actions required writing and articulated documents. Perhaps the new modern technology implanted in the communication channels has moved towards the automation. it means that technology will helps managers and the organization to be tracking their employees data and information live with going to their files, communication and actions can be embedded through certain systems that constrain with the regulation, policies and procedures that set by the organizations as a flag in the system that is used. Using an automated system will lower the organization by going in the wrong direction and avoid mistakes because using a system will provide direct guides and correction based on set methods and measurements that will reflected once transactions done. In addition, it will give the employee the chance to track his/her performance and results to know where he or she stand. Overall, Mohammed A.H. (2012) while studying the efficacy of the annual confidential report method of performance appraisal in public sector found that for the performance management to be effective, its validity, reliability and perceived fairness before and after rating are very important factors.

The effectiveness of performance Management

The impact of high-performance working on organizational commitment, work–life balance and the management of diversity; performance management as a developmental process and as a basis for performance–pay decisions; the advantages and disadvantages of pay-for-performance systems; measuring and assessing people’s performance: problems and consequences; critically evaluating the performance management process: opportunities and limitations of the appraisal scheme, 360-degree feedback, coaching and mentoring; the impact of work and organization on performance outcomes: job design, organizational design and organizational culture.

We would agree that high performance has a serious impact on the organization as a whole, maintaining the culture, processes and procedures and engaging with the employees brings a better work climate where subjects and objects of the business tools can be used to its maximum to ensure organizational commitment. High performance work systems (HPWS) have been extensively discussed despite their brief history. As there is no agreement on the definition of this concept, it can generally be regarded as an organic combination of a series of coordinating and cooperating human resource management practices in order to enhance individual and organizational performance (Snell and Bohlander 2010), also other factors like work–life balance is critical factor for high-performance in the work we need to specify the term into approaches that promote various concerns about the employer's needs as their needs, educate them, keep stress out of the work by keeping our eyes and attention to their progress and void burnout them, teach them how to work efficiently and not to do more work, enhance the communication which is very important for the work achievement, especially employees who are working for the same purpose from different areas and so many things would be considered as flexible time and promoting health initiatives. Work diversification is considered one of the important tools to turn to positive environment, it is about bringing different people from different background and experiences, for example: a company hires other people from different companies within the same industry because the fact that each company has its own way of doing things as working or learning where can benefit the company environment and process from those new entry observation to develop in the workplace.

Finally, linking the pay and other types of rewards to the performance management is a great concept of motivating and engaging the employees to set more efforts on the work and aid their desire for creativity and develop a self-solid commitment to the organization. Performance management as it is viewed in many organizations has played a major transformation through how it generates more outcomes and reinforces the human capital resources pertaining the methods and tools discussed in the article, by using critical thinking, it would bring s better way of designing a perfect job competency and objectives by concerning to the organizational and business structure, and assist these methods by implementing a framework that makes more clarity of the job responsibility, flow an what is expected from the employees. And what they will gain in return.

References:

Armstrong, M. & Brown, D. (2001). New Dimensions in Pay Management, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

DeNisi, A. S., and Sonesh, S. (2011). (The appraisal and management of performance at work).

DeNisi, A. S., and Murphy, K. R. (2017). (Performance appraisal and performance management) 100 years of progress? J. Appl. Psychol. 

Mohammed A.H., (2012),”Performance Appraisal System of Bangladeshi Civil Service: An Analysis of its Efficacy”, IPMR.

Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. W. (2010). Principles of human resource management. South-Western Cengage Learning.