Principles of Performance Management

The principles of performance managementhave been well summarized as follows:

• it translates corporate goals into individual, team, department and divisional goals;
• it helps to clarify corporate goals;
• it is a continuous and evolutionary process, in which performance improves over time;
• it relies on consensus and co-operation rather than control or coercion;
• it creates a shared understanding of what is required to improve performance and how this will be achieved;
• it encourages self-management of individual performance;
• it requires a management style that is open and honest and encourages two-way communication between superiors and subordinates;
• it requires continuous feedback;
• feedback loops enable the experiences and knowledge gained on the job by individuals to modify corporate objectives;
• it measures and assesses all performance against jointly agreed goals;
• it should apply to all staff; and it is not primarily concerned with linking performance to financial reward.

Performance Managementis primarily concerned with performance improvement in order to achieve organizational, team and individual effectiveness. Organizations have to get the right things done successfully.

Performance Managementis concerned with employee development. Performance improvement is not achievable unless there are effective processes of continuous development. This addresses the core capabilities of the organization and the specific capabilities of individuals and teams. Performance management should really be called performance and development management.

Performance Managementis concerned with satisfying the needs and expectations of all of an organization s stakeholders owners, management, employees, customers, suppliers and the general public. In particular, employees are treated as partners in the enterprise whose interests are respected, who have a voice on matters that concern them, and whose opinions are sought and listened to.

Performance Managementshould respect the needs of individuals and teams as well as those of the organization, recognizing that they will not always coincide.

Finally, performance management is concerned with communication and involvement. It creates a climate in which a continuing dialogue between managers and the members of their teams takes place in order to define expectations and share information on the organization's mission, values and objectives. This establishes mutual understanding of what is to be achieved and a framework for managing and developing people to ensure that it will be achieved. Performance Managementcan contribute to the development of a high-involvement organization by getting teams and individuals to participate in defining their objectives and the means to achieve them.

Manager Styles

A manager with a persuading style is like a parent in the way they treat people. They make the decisions, and then try to persuade people that this is the best course of action.

Good points

• People generally feel less dominated than with an authoritarian manager.
• Some people may like this level of control and care.

Bad points

• Some people may resent the manager, as they are not treated as adults.
• The manager may feel hurt if people fail, as if they have been ‘let down’.

With a consulting manager, people are welcome to contribute ideas, suggestions etc, and the manager discusses these and then makes the decision.

Good points

• People feel involved.
• People feel part of a team, and feel valued.

Bad points

• People may resent decisions if their own suggestions were unsuccessful.
• People may try to challenge the manager’s decision.

With a democratic manager, the manager and others all take part in work. Decisions are made by the whole group,and the manager agrees to abide by these, as long as they are within any boundaries or constraints imposed by the workplace and/or organisation.

Good points

• Individuals feel enthusiastic, and tend to take responsibility readily.
• Communication and teamwork are good.

Bad points

• The manager needs to have complete confidence in people.
• The manager can lose control.

With a delegative style, the delegating manager sets limits, and gives problems, work etc to others, who refer back on difficulties, but otherwise take on the entire task as their own.

Good points

• Work is efficient.
• Individuals are given experience of a wide variety of work.

Bad points

• Individuals may feel overburdened with responsibility.
• The manager may not be available to help when problems arise.

Being an abdicator, the manager abdicates – opts out – by becoming so involved in their own work that others are left to their own devices. Often, managers do this because they mistakenly think they are delegating.

Good points

• The manager is free to get on with their own work.

Bad points

• People blame the manager, even when it is their own fault.
• Work is poor, morale is low, and people feel frustrated and resentful.

Building Sustainable Relationship

This killing tendency is all too common. When you talk at someone, you’re talking down to her. You’re being condescending. Often this kind of approach is accompanied by pointing a finger or pen, and the frequent use of words like “I want” and “you should.” It can’t even be called “giving orders” — it is attacking people with rank and the threat of retribution. The result? Over time, team members will either leave or, perhaps worse, gradually become what your tyrannical style is teaching them to be: responsive only to direct orders … not self-starters … distrustful of management … uncommitted to your vision … unmotivated to operate beyond performance minimums. This absolutely destroys any connection or rapport with the person you are trying to reach.

Manager should talk with team members. One of the best ways to do this is to start using the words “we,” “our” and “us.” “We’ve got our work cut out for us in order to make the deadline we committed to.” “Well, we blew it on that order. Let’s figure out what we learned and do our best not to repeat the error.”

The Developing Person Through the Life Span

Written Communication Skills

Written communication has several advantages. First, it provides a record for referral and follow-up. Second, written communication is an inexpensive means of providing identical messages to a large number of people. The major limitation of written communication is that the sender does not know how or if the communication is received unless a reply is required.

Unfortunately, writing skills are often difficult to develop, and many individuals have problems writing simple, clear, and direct documents. And believe it or not, poorly written documents cost money. Therefore, managers must be able to write clearly. The ability to prepare letters, memos, sales reports, and other written documents may spell the difference between success and failure.

Interpersonal Communication is real-time, face-to-face or voice-to-voice conversation that allows immediate feedback. Interpersonal communication plays a large role in any manager’s daily activities, but especially in organizations that use teams. Managers must facilitate interpersonal communication within teams and reduce barriers to interpersonal communications. Common barriers to interpersonal communication include the following:

• Expectations of familiarity (or hearing what one is expected to hear). After hearing the beginning comments, employees may not listen to the remainder of the communication because they think they already know what a manager’s going to say.
• Preconceived notions. Many employees ignore information that conflicts with what they “know.” Often referred to as selective perception, it’s the tendency to single out for attention those aspects of a situation or person that reinforce or appear consistent with one’s existing beliefs, value, or needs. Selective perception can bias a manager’s and employee’s view of situations and people.
• Source’s lack of credibility. Some employees may negatively size up or evaluate the sender based on stereotypes. Stereotyping is assigning attributes commonly associated with a category, such as age group, race, or gender to an individual. Classifying is making assumptions about an individual based on a group he or she fits into. Characteristics commonly associated with the group are then assigned to the individual. Someone who believes that young people dislike authority figures may assume that a younger colleague is rebellious.
• Differing perceptions caused by social and cultural backgrounds. The process through which people receive and interpret information from the environment is called perception. Perception acts as a screen or filter through which information must pass before it has an impact on communication. The results of this screening process vary, because such things as values, cultural background, and other circumstances influence individual perceptions. Simply put, people can perceive the same things or situations very differently. And even more important, people behave according to their perceptions.
• Semantics and diction. The choice and use of words differ significantly among individuals. A word such as “effectiveness” may mean “achieving high production” to a factory superintendent and “employee satisfaction” to a human resources specialist. Many common English words have an average of 28 definitions, so communicators must take care to select the words that accurately communicate their ideas.
• Emotions that interfere with reason. Tempers often interfere with reason and cause the roles of sender and receiver to change to that of opponent and adversary.
• Noise or interference. Noise does not allow for understanding between sender and receiver.