Case Study: Appraising the Secretaries at Sweetwater

What do you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of the effort to improve the development of QOF indicators over the next couple of years?

An appraisal is one of the most commonly used methods of formal assessment and is used to evaluate and assess the performance of an employee against agreed targets and objectives, with the aim of improving employee performance. Where an employee has been able to achieve their targets, the appraisal can be used to recognise successes. This often helps to increase an employee’s confidence and motivation and can lead to better organisational performance. Many organisations will use the outcomes of an appraisal to identify potential candidates for promotions or even an increase in pay. At the same time, an appraisal meeting may include discussions on underperformance, identifying why this has occurred and how this can be avoided in the future.

Performance appraisal is a method which is increasingly used to evaluate employees to determine the degree to which they are performing effectively and encourage them to direct their energies towards organizational performance. Although the appraisal is being practiced, there are criticisms made against the system which generally arise from within the Orthodox and radical management frame work.

The processes demonstrates a commitment to people within the business by showing them that they are valued members of the company and their success is important to the entire organization.

Consider the following three scenarios. Respond to the reflection questions related to each scenario with your suggestions for government action in complete sentences.

What revisions to the rating form would you suggest? What particular methods discussed in chapter 7 do you recommend? Do you recommend the same methods for all Darby jobs?

The boss’s evaluation is not good and fair for Sandy. And it is not helpful for Sandy to improve.

A commanding performance evaluation is obtained from several different resources. A proper evaluation is not issued only from management but also with input from peers and subordinates. It is also not uncommon to have customers; both internal and external contribute to the appraisal process. Self-appraisal is also an effective tool for appraisal as it can assist with establishing goals for the future. This type of 360º degree appraisal process can provide a complete assessment of the employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Often times, this type of appraisal process can assist to identify area of concern that traditionally would not have been recorded. All evaluations should be recognized for their source. A self evaluation may be slightly biased and not overly critical where an appraisal from a peer could be affected by the employee’s willingness to properly cooperate with the process. The self evaluation has a tendency not to be objective in relation to the requirements of the position. An affective self evaluation must be based on the requirements of the position and not based on the judgment of the individual performing the activity.

I don’t feel that the experts’ recommendations will be sufficient to get most of the administrators to fill out the rating forms properly. The managers would be pleased with the recommendation to rescind Mr. Winchester’s forced ranking technique but would definitely challenge the idea of not tying salary increases to appraisal forms because it’s what they’ve always done and it is the only way they feel they can provide competitive wages for secretaries. The issues of providing invalid feedback to each secretary

1) Evaluate the design and the implementation of the performance bonus program at DPC. What changes would you suggest, if any?

Basically the Executive Committee Meetings (ECMs) are not effective in achieving their intended purposes. This is not to say that they are a total failure and a waste of time since they have brought some unforeseen advantages in addition to partly achieving their objectives. I would like to point out the strengths and weaknesses of these ECMs.

Performance evaluations should focus on the individual’s job performance and not the individual. The four managers all have the same goal when it comes to their perspectives on performance appraisals and that is, they want to do what is best for their subordinates to motivate them to perform in their department’s best interest. Tom has a top priority to provide true and accurate feedback so employees know exactly where they stand. While I agree that evaluations definitely need to have a base of accuracy, I like Max’s view that most of good management is psychology. To know to act to do what is in the individual’s and department’s best interest, a manager needs to understanding people’s strengths and faults, and know how to motivate and reward employees. If that means a little fine-tuning, then so be it. Lynne, on the other hand, contaminated one of her workers evaluations by considering the individuals personal issues and inflated her rating to encourage and support her. Personally I don’t think it should have been a consideration in the evaluation however, supporting and encouraging the employee in other ways may be a more

Good performance review techniques and methods come in a variety of forms ranging from the use of management coaches to the establishment and distribution of written evaluations. Evaluations should include all direct reports from those employees who work within the department; from beginning to end, the process of using a questionnaire benefits gloriously to a manager and their employees. Discovering what employees genuinely think of a manager’s work and leadership abilities proves crucial as it becomes an essential step in maintaining strengths and improving weaknesses. The use of a hired management coach can help during the performance reviews immensely; as their job is to aide in the facilitation of meetings, coaches can assist in assuring that the review

“Performance appraisals can enhance employee performance as well as advance the mission and goals of an organization. There are many advantages of performance appraisals if they are applied fairly, consistently and objectively. Performance appraisals not applied fairly can be counterproductive and even destructive to

Performance appraisal process if made clear and transparent can help a lot to avert low morale in employees. Fair, trustworthy, and transparent processes for performances management and resource allocation help to meet people’s drive to defend.