The concept of the essays are signs of measuring results (identifying accountabilities, set objectives, determining performance standards) and measuring behaviors (identifying competencies, identifyin
Essay 1
Measuring results is an administrative duty of the management in determining the abilities of the employees in exploiting organization resources in fulfilling set standards that align with consumers’ expectations. At Supermart this task requires the participation of the employees in the process for its success in a service setting. During the process, the executive checks the behaviors of the employee in line with the set standards. The process is akin to measuring behaviors. The goal is to answer the questions: What employees are doing and what they have produced for success of the company? The expectation when measuring results and measurement of behavior intertwine because the success of the store and the accountability in meeting the set standards depends on the outcome of the process. According to Aguinis (2009), the outcome of the measurements (results and behavior) is interdependent although the focus in measuring behavior is the ability of individuals fulfilling obligations to standards. Results consider the cumulative actions and their harmonization with organizations resources.
At Supermart, the executive guides the task of measuring results and behavior assessments. The processes are coordinated simultaneously since the success of the company is dependent on the evaluation of each specific component. As noted, the nature of service business highlights correlations in expected objective in terms of quality, time and quantity (Kumar & Karande, 2000). The observation of the operations at Supermart highlights discrepancies in the methodologies exploited. The parameters defining success are restrictive. It is difficult holding employees accountable for the challenges in service. The items evaluated empower the supervisor to assume the role of the employee and such inhibits objectivity in the realization of the set goal of attaining the highest standards of service.
The process of resolving the challenge at Supermart requires research preceded by a meeting of the stakeholders serving the store. The task should aim at answering the questions like Do the standards describe behaviors that are necessary for a particular job? The goals of the business have to be clarified then accountability parameter defined. The articulation of expectations in a simplistic manner is necessary. Additionally, the organization should consider the capabilities of the employees while communicating the goals (Aguinis, 2009). The step that follows entails the identification of restrictions to the parameters. Afterward, the store should proceed with harmonizing the use of technology and human capability in fulfilling duties in line with customer’s expectations.
References
Aguinis, H. (2009). Performance management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Kumar, V., & Karande, K. (2000). The effect of retail store environment on retailer performance. Journal of business research, 49(2), 167-181.
Essay 2
In previous years, my organization utilized a 360-Degree Feedback System. They are called 360-degree systems because information is gathered from individuals all around the employee. The information collected was result orientated, and only focused on performance standards. The system did not take into consideration other key aspects of the result approach such as key accountabilities and objectives. Additionally, the system was only utilized twice a year: for mid-year and end-year reviews.
Last year, my organization again adopted a result approach but only used the information provided the employees direct supervisor. Most employees were happy with the change as they felt key aspects were being taken into consideration: accountabilities, objectives, as well as performance standards.
This year a new performance management system has been implemented. The system is called Reflektive and HR has provided the following “pitch” for it:
We’re excited to announce the next initiative – the implementation of a new goal and performance management tool called Reflektive. This platform provides a holistic approach with 360-degree performance reviews, goal management and support for check-ins between managers and members of their teams. Goal setting will be the first feature we use. This tool will help us promote a culture of feedback, strong performance and transparency.
I had a meeting with the HR director yesterday to speak with her regarding the new system as framed by the measuring results and measuring behaviors concept.
1. Why did HR decided to launch the system now? Reflektive has been making waves since 2014.
We knew we wanted to implement a new performance system as we had received a lot of complaints about the current performance system, mostly the fact that there was a lack of transparency and timely feedback. After researching the different options, the team determined that Reflective was the best route for our organization
2. To be candid, when the system was announced last week, the staff was openly complaining about it in the halls and brake room. I work in the Compliance Team, and we have a hard-enough time getting staff to do things that are legally mandated. What is HR’s strategy to ensure the system gets used?
We plan on making it clear how useful this tool can be to every person in the company. Getting honest and timely feedback is one the best things for advancement in your career, we are certain that Reflective can do that for us. That being said; entering goals and providing feedbacks to subordinates is not currently mandatory. We are counting on our managers to enforce this tool and to encourage their direct reports to utilize the tool. We are operating on the premise that we have good managers here at our organization and will do the right thing.
3. Reflektive appears to be in line with our results-based approach when it comes to measuring performance. Who is responsible for determining accountabilities, objectives and performance standards with in our company?
Before the program was launched, we sat down the firm partners and with each team lead to talk about organizational objectives and team goal setting. Ultimately it is up to each manager to do the following:
Talk to your own manager to understand their top 3 priorities for this year
Walk your team through the team goals if set already, if not think about what the team needs to accomplish
Ask your employees for their input on their expectations of the team
Create a draft of your goals and/or team goals and share with your employees
Ask your employees to create a draft of their goals
Review your employee’s goals and provide your input
I understand that the SMART goal writing system usually gets an eye roll out of people, but it is in my opinion one of the best tools out there for effective goal writing.
I have personally already sat down with my direct supervisor and gone over my goals in the performance management system and she has provided team goals as well. My boss is all about measuring results and setting objectives that are clear, challenging, bound by time and limited in number.
As far as improvements go, the company has recently had a big push to go towards the whole “we are a team” initiative. That being said, if the organization wants to continue with the results based approach, I suggest that contextual performance be a trait that all managers should demonstrate, encourage explicitly and to job descriptions. As our text stated, contextual behavior is not role prescribed and is expected without making it explicit. I think believe that if this new PM system is going to be successful it should make the following adjustments:
Be mandatory (there is no way that this will ever be a “fair” system if we are not all using it)
Incorporate contextual performance (with examples)
Develop clearer objectives, for example HR said they wanted to improve feedback, a clearer objective would have been: Deliver assessment feedback with an acceptable approval rating from line managers in the coming fiscal year.
Train managers on how to write/determine performance standards. What most of the teams are writing are very vague, the standards should be measurable, practical and meaningful. "We want 90% participation in our Compliance Program which would be a 15% increase from last year"
HR’s plan is to have the system fully implemented by the end of this year, I think this time line is a bit too accelerated for this organization, I believe two years is more realistic.
Essay 3
Performance management helps many organizations to improve their productivity. I recently worked in an organization that lacked a clearly defined performance management system. That is not to say that they failed in all aspects of performance management. Their performance management approach failed to appropriately link the resulting measurement to the behaviors of the employees. I believe that my former organization will improve productivity by designing an effective performance management system that measures behavior as well as results.
The organization should start with identifying accountabilities. Accountability should start by looking at the job descriptions and their contribution to the company’s productivity. Issues such as the time taken to perform tasks and the consequences of job errors should also be considered. The accountability process will identify the capability of each job in the organization to help set reasonable objectives (McDavid, Huse & Hawthorn, 2018). Currently, the company sets objectives without a detailed analysis of the accountability element of performance measurement.
Objectives set in the organization should be limited to enable easy tracking. Multiple objectives are likely to confuse the employees. In that sense, only the most critical objectives should be set that will help the organization attain high productivity levels. The objectives should also be realistic and attainable with current employee skills. Objectives should also be challenging but attainable. They should provide a degree of flexibility to accommodate the volatile work environment. Communication should be effective to ensure that each employee understands the set objectives. Adequate performance standards should also be set to assess the attainment of the objectives. The performance standard should focus on quality, quantity and time. Standards should be attainable, measurable, specific and linked to the job description. A regular review of the standards helps in making improvements.
Performance measurement is incomplete without the measurement of behavior. The organization should start with identifying competencies in terms of skills, ability, and knowledge. Competencies in the organization can be ranked from average to exceptional. After the competency stage, it is wise to identify indicators in measuring behavior. The company then uses the absolute or comparative measure in assessing behavior (Salas, Prince, Baker & Shrestha, 2017). Comparative measures measure employee performance against each other while the absolute measure uses a specified standard. I recommend the organization to use the absolute standard since it is clear on the objectives.
The organization should set objectives that are connected to the company’s accountability levels. It should then set standards that are realistic and linked to the set objectives. After that, the company should rank behavioral measures to the result measures. An absolute measure of behavior is ideal since it eliminates the element of human bias in its assessment.
References
McDavid, J. C., Huse, I., & Hawthorn, L. R. (2018). Program evaluation and performance measurement: An introduction to practice. Sage Publications.
Salas, E., Prince, C., Baker, D. P., & Shrestha, L. (2017). Situation awareness in team performance: Implications for measurement and training. In Situational Awareness (pp. 63-76). Routledge.
