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Understanding Performance Management

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Understanding Performance Management

The mandate to operate at an optimal performance level and meet financial and organizational expectations are transforming the way organizations do business. This evolution is driving higher standards of competence in day-to-day operations and adding new pressure to increase stakeholder value. In today’s rapid-paced business climate, the agility with which a company manages performance can determine market position and company profitability.
Defining Performance Management
Performance management is the integrated process of defining, assessing, and reinforcing employee work behaviors and outcomes (Cummings and Worley 2005). Performance management focuses on understanding, optimizing, and aligning …show more content…

It is therefore critical to businesses that they recognise and fulfill the purpose of an effective performance management system as this is central to gaining a competitive advantage through the management of human resources. They also need to develop the measures by which performance can be evaluated.

The discussion now turns to the development of the performance management system. It describes the major strategic decisions that must be put in place if the task force is to effectively design a performance management system.

In order for a successful performance management to be established, the process must utilize five strategic decisions.
1. How the system will be used be used?
2. Who does the evaluation?
3. What areas are to be evaluated?
4. How should the evaluation be done?
5. What are the ways in which the evaluation can be done?

How will the system be used
Planned employee development should be one of the basic concepts of any organization’s performance management system. This is an attempt to state a broad policy which removes any option about people development by stipulating that developing people is a pillar of whatever system of management the organization espouses. This people development should be planned, not given mere lip service or expected to happen by itself. Adoption of this policy would guard against the simplistic

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