Perception of Line Managers Towards Performance Management Systems


 


Performance management (PM) refers to activities that ensure the consistent and


effective achievement of the goals of an organization. It covers the management of both


behavior and results of an organization, a department, an employee, the processes in


building a product or service and other areas as well. The process may be used to


reconcile the employees’ personal goals with that of the organization’s goals to increase


the latter’s productivity and profitability, and can be applied to a single individual or


section within an organization. A job mission statement which defines a job in terms of


purpose, customers, product and scope is drawn for each job position to determine the


latter’s continuous key objectives and performance standards. The strategic and


operational goals of an organization can be effectively realized by a performance


management system.[1]


 


The benefits of performance management include the concentration on results, rather


than on behaviors and activities, the alignment of all activities and processes to the


organization’s goals, the cultivation of a comprehensive, long-term view of the


organization and the generation of measurements that are useful in setting standards


for comparison with the best practices of other organizations. There are reservations on


the relevance of taking numerous measurements due to the rapidly changing structures


in today’s organizations. However, the main thrust of performance management is in


providing a consistent frame of reference during ongoing feedback on performance,


irrespective of the organization’s current structure. Many supervisors dread the filling


up of employee performance review forms because of the worry that they have not


spent sufficient time on observing an employee’s behavior and might commit a mistake,


and see the form and the various measurements that the process recalls as an end in


themselves. However, the ongoing communication around the measurements is the


crucial element in the performance management process.[2]


 


Traditionally, Human Resources (HR) handles performance management systems, but


in terms of performance in general, it is the line manager who is basically responsible


for a team’s performance. Line managers are focused on daily business processes


meant to produce business results, while HR devises programs to improve and


measure such processes. Performance management is only effective when line


managers recognize the value of the performance management programs chosen by


HR. In general, line managers do not exert much time and effort in managing


performance, if they can find a way to get around the system chosen by HR. Such


attitudes can be overcome if goals are given to people and they are measured as per


these goals rather than on regular competencies. The only way line managers can be


made to focus more on performance management issues is by educating them on its


benefits. A continuous process of feedback and development with line managers can


bridge the distance between them and performance management in organizations.[3]


 


Companies now have various processes such as goal alignment and succession


planning, apart from appraisal tools, that line managers can choose from in order to


maximize the use of technology in performance management. The alignment between


corporate and individual objectives must be made visible to reduce under-performance.


Performance management must consider the alignment of the goals of supervisors, the


line managers under them, and the employees below the line managers during goal


setting and measuring.[4]


Performance management processes are integrated with talented management


programs in well-run organizations. A talent mindset should be visibly built by senior


management for talent is essential to success, and performance management is one


tool that can be used in talent development. HR is tasked with reviewing performance


in order to raise the performance culture of the company, and must provide tools and


applications that are flexible to support different populations and their respective needs.


To be collaborative, a possible approach for HR is to allow line managers to audit


employee performance. HR must also align the achievement of individual goals with


that of key business results for the centralization of the role of line management in


performance.[5]



 

[1] “Performance Management”, Wikipedia, 9 June 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_management>  [accessed 1 July 2011]


[2] Carter McNamara, “Performance Management During Rapid Change”, Free Management Library,


<http://managementhelp.org/performancemanagement/during-change.htm>  [accessed 1 July 2011]


[3] John Chaisson,“Executive Briefing.On the Line: The Manager’s Role in Performance”, Human Capital


Institute, 11 November 2005, pdf, <http://www.workinfo.com/free/Downloads/ManagersRole.pdf>  [accessed 1 July 2011]


[4] ibid


[5] ibid



Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com



0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Top