Performance Management System: Characteristics, Challenges, and Solutions

Characteristics of an ideal performance management system

1 Respond to Classmate by looking at 150 words

Expand or provide support for an idea someone else has already made

Take an opposing position of a classmate and justify it

Ask questions and probe others to elaborate on ideas

Introduce theoretical information to the discussion

Generate new ideas and perspectives that have yet to be brought up

Bring outside ideas, from other classes or the news, into the discussion

Seek external information pertaining to the discussion

Student 1 – Herman Meintjies

Based on the scenario, it is visible that there is a challenge with performance management in this organization.

1.) Identify characteristic of an ideal performance management system that are not present in this organization.  Substantiate your answer.

An important characteristic of performance management that is not present in this case study is that the performance management system needs to be aligned with the needs and goals of the organisation. It is clear that production is the most important aspect for Adrian, however he is only thinking about the end goal and not how to get there.  Adrian should spend time with his subordinates providing constructive feedback and giving them the proper tools and equipment to do their jobs. If Adrian focusses on production he should evaluate his staff’s performance and find areas within production that they are lacking in. Thus, by giving feedback, listening to their concerns and servicing their equipment they will do better at their job, which in return will also increase production levels.

2.) Provide solutions to fix these challenges.

Below I will list some challenges mentioned in the case study and provide solutions to them. The first issue is that Adrian is neglecting his staff, in the past he spent 30 minutes with employees to conduct performance reviews and now he barely spends five minutes with them. I think Adrian should set a day aside for performance reviews and give staff an opportunity to voice their concerns, because they themselves know which areas they are struggling with the most. In addition, Adrian can also mention areas of improvement that they might not have though about along with some guidance.

Employees at this organisation are making mistakes because of inadequate skills, meaning there is a lack of training. This can cause employees to be counterproductive and actually create more work for themselves because they haven’t been trained properly. Therefore it is paramount that staff are trained, not only will they become more capable but also more confident. Additionally, equipment and tools used to do the job should also be in working condition so that employees have a prepared environment to work in.

Lastly, I think Adrian is missing the point of incentives. According to my understanding incentives are used to motivate staff in order to increase their production levels. So giving incentives to his favourite workers despite poor ratings completely defeats the purpose. Then to make matters worse it completely demotivates other workers, because they have lost faith in the system. The incentive program at Nobukhosi Inc should clearly outline when employees qualifies for incentives and there should be no favouritism under any circumstances.

3.) Explain to Adrian the purpose of PM and how these purposes can implemented in his organization.

The purpose of performance management is to evaluate the performance of employees and provide ongoing support to address certain issues and make suggestions in order to improve their performance so that they can do their best work. The performance of the employee should be aligned with the strategic goals of the organisation.

In short Adrian should spend time with his employees, help them address their shortcomings and should also help them to become even better in areas they are already good at through constructive feedback, training, addressing concerns and by giving employees a prepared environment to work in. Lastly, Adrian needs to ensure that the performance of his staff is linked to reaching production targets, because that is what the strategic goal of his company is.