Ghana Performance Management Essay

Performance management is a tool that managers use to ensure that their companies remain at the top of their competitive edge. The Chartered Institute for Personnel Development (CIPD, 2008), defines performance management as a method by which individuals and teams are managed in a way that achieves high performance at an organisational level. The individuals within the organisation share an understanding of the achievement goals of the organisation. In order to achieve this, a general strategy is created, with each individual within the organisation understanding his or her role and requirements within such a strategy

Most firms in Kenya now employ some performance appraisal system (GOK, 2009). The Performance Appraisal System (PAS) was introduced by the GOK to refocus the mind of the public from a culture of inward looking to a culture of businesslike environment, focused on the customer and results in addition to improving service delivery (Obong 'o, 2009). According to the new PAS, the evaluation of staff performance is supposed to run concurrently with the duration of ministerial performance contracts and the Government Financial year. Targets should meet acceptable quality standards and benchmarks as determined in each category of service delivery; the system should be supported by training of staff, particularly those with managerial and supervisory responsibility; and the process should be regarded as interactive, for mutual agreement between supervisors and appraisers (GOK, 2009). Longenecker and Goff (1992), observed that managers and human resource professionals belief that a PAS is a good tool for human resource management and performance improvement. If well designed and implemented it can benefit both the employees and the organizations (Coens and Jenkins, 2000). According to GOK (2009), the PAS has caused a cultural transformation within the public service from a baseline of extremely poor performance before 2003. The GOK has in the past made some efforts in launching and implementing Public Service Reform initiatives aimed at improving the performance of public

As stated by Peter F. Drucker, “Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.” Performance management is essential to achieving an organization 's mission statement and business goals, and also in attracting, retaining, and motivating qualified employees. There are many benefits and reasons why an organization should execute a performance management system. Performance appraisals establish the basis for qualifying, recognizing, and rewarding employee contributions. In this paper, I will discuss what performance management is, the problems with the current performance management system at my organization, how other organizations have succeeded in their performance management system and how I would advise management at my current organization to improve our performance management system.

Performance management is considerably high at a 4.5 rating for HR managers and only a slight difference exists for store managers with a rating of 4.0. This data implies that managers consider performance as a priority. The existing annual employee evaluations are effective but continual training and learning would also encourage optimum performance in all areas especially the sales staff.

An effective model of performance management system focuses on identifying, measuring and dealing with employee’s performance. Traditionally, performance management system is viewed to be a the responsibility of immediate supervisor, a process for establishing a shared understanding about what is to be achieved, and how it is to be achieved, and an approach to managing people that increases the probability of achieving success. However, There’s no single universally accepted model of performance management system. This section summarized the research results of three different performance management systems.

“Performance appraisal encroaches upon ‘one of the most emotionally charged activities in business life – the assessment of a man’s contribution and ability” (Narcisse & Harcourt, 2008, p. 1152; Thompson & Dalton, 1970, p. 150). The performance management process is a tool organizations use to align the mission and strategic goals with the employee’s expectations. Furthermore, the process can groom employees to perform at their optimum potential (Schanie & Kemper, 2008). There are six primary components of the performance management process that intertwine with each other; without one the system is not whole.

Performance management mostly is not successful as expected in the public sector. According to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (2005) a thematic inspection of performance management noted that though performance management was “substantially developed”, a long way is still needed to go before everyone was responsible for providing a good service and “many areas of performance management in the early stages of implementation existed as well”. There are many implementation reasons causing these problems, for instance, the reduction of government spending (Gianakis, 2002), or purely a tool for management rather than a tool for

The performance management system (PMS) is still a work in progress: Performance metrics need to be assigned for each job and linked to the position agreement in the job description. Then, employees will be able to self-monitor performance on their own dashboard displaying their contribution (Cokins, 2010), which is linked to their job evaluation. Before the PMS is finalized the following considerations are offered, followed by a plan to implement a holistic performance learning system that incorporates the considerations.

Nowadays, there is a worldwide tendency to search for information about business performance measurement, which has been the subject of studies by executives around the world that are worried about how to measure the performance of their companies. There are several models focused on measuring organizational performance, contemplating financial and non-financial measures, which indicate the need of companies that are constantly seeking to adopt simple and effective methodologies to measure its business performance and implement new strategies. It is common for managers to measure what is easy or most urgent, incurring errors or simplifications. They often measure to simply control, although not for improvement. There are managers who seek

Performances management structure are designed with the target of advance both, individual and organizational performance by recognize performance requirements, ensure regular feedback and help employees in their career development. The main goal of performance management is to ensure that the organization and employees work together to get best results. For example organization should help to employees in identifying the knowledge and ability required for performing the job efficiently as this would drive their focus towards performing the right task in the right way. Organization should help encourage employees personal growth and development in they career and help to get the desired skills and knowledge. The purpose of performance management is make employee feel motivate at work and make them understand about they investment in the organisation. Successfully reach the set target as well as it also focus on helping the employees to understand what is being require from them and how they could deliver it to the organisation.

Successful organizations know that to win in today’s competitive marketplace they must attract, develop, and retain a talented and productive staff. Winning organizations get their competitive edge from a performance management system that communicates the organization’s vision and values, aligns individual and team performance goals with the organization’s strategic objectives, outlines career development paths for each

In order to advance performance there is a need to manage performance rather than simply measure any given aspect of it across the board. Management of performance can mean in some cases measurement of effectiveness and efficiency, in others it may mean management of important stakeholders or the organizational relations with them

Performance management system is a set of instructions to ensure employees about the level of performance which they are expected to follow. Their individual goals which they are expected to follow to achieve the objectives of the organizations. “Employee performance is the competitive advantage for creating a successful business. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product of service, as well as many other areas” (www.sucessfactor.com).

Having an effective performance management system could improve morale, motivation and overall productivity by identifying employee’s strengths and addressing areas that need improvement.

The performance measurement concept indicates that employees can increase the productivity of the organization by;- Increasing the size of a firm’s future cash flows; By accelerating the receipt of those cash flows, or by making them more certain or less risky. An ideal performance management system therefore is one