Implementing performance management systems
In your professional experience, have you been involved in the implementation of a performance
management system? If so, you may have already posed questions about implementation to yourself,
such as: how should such a system address employee engagement? What kind of online or
technology-supported tools or approaches should be used? Are there specific practices or
recommendations from management literature that can guide others?
In this essay, you will further explore the challenges of performance management implementation.
�Sharing alternative perspectives on the implementation challenges faced by managers and staff
�
�Synthesising specific recommendations for HR leaders to address these challenges
�
�Discussing the role of employee engagement in your recommendations and how it might be
promoted. Include discussion about the relationship of the performance management system to other
management processes and the viability of online or technology-supported approaches to
performance management
Important note:
Please follow the exact instruction as provided abov
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION
Perfecting Performance Management Implementation
Introduction
Observably, there are many challenges facing the implementation. One question that
kept disturbing me was if employee engagement could have made the implementation
smooth. In addition, online or technology-supported tools or approaches should have been
used to make the implementation work easier. At the end, the implementation was full of
flaws. Therefore, the following discussion will engage in illustrating how performance
management can be made successful. This will be in the form of strategies from various
literatures that give insights on the best possible approaches to handling performance
management.
Discussion
One of the disturbing challenges during the performance management implementation
in my organization was communication-related challenges (Gao & Gurd 2015, p,234). The
organization embraces diversity. A proactive communication strategy was not used in the
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implementation. Communication challenge was observed in the implementation phase when
there were observed conflicts between the employees. The presence of ineffective
communication was observed by the failure of the managers to communicate adequately to
the employees on the best approach to take after a method failed. In addition, more
employees becoming resistant to the change observed failure of communication. The aspect
that indicated that there was unclear communication was disorganized time frames upon
which implementation was carried upon. Therefore, there was job confusion since every
employee found himself or herself executing an assignment that was wrongly timed. Lawther
& Martin (2014, p.219) argue that communication is important in an organization because it
assist the employee to create a positive momentum. Sykes, Venkatesh & Johnson (2014,
p.51) attest that effective communication is a prerequisite for a successful implementation
since it enables the employee eradicate fears, take risks, and generate commitment into the
system.
The other implementation challenge observed was the lack of leadership support (Van
der Merwe & Nienaber 2015, p45). The top management in charged with the implementation
never inspired the employees through physical and non-physical means. The leaders failed to
encourage the employee in the effort to make the implementation successful. Van der Merwe
& Nienaber 2015 (p47) argues that leadership support in implementing performance
management is pertinent in creating a vision. Woodrow & Guest (2014, p.38) add that
leadership support is crucial in ensuring that the employees are inspired. Some of the means
the leadership can support the workforce in implementing performance management include
rewards, sharing past successful implementations, and act as role models.
Another implementation challenge observed was the inability to keep the fire of the
implementation burning (Gao & Gurd 2015, p,235). I observed that the employees were only
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interested in the implementation once in the organization. When the working hours were
over, the employees forgot what they were doing and wait for the next day. The employees
had no interest in the implementation a heart. Some of the employees argued that they wished
if the implementation could come at a halt because it was just tiring them. Lawther & Martin
(2014, p.221) argue that implementation of a project should be made a part of the employee.
Van der Merwe & Nienaber (2015, p51) attest that there is a need to embed performance
management as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event. This is where the concept of
employee engagement is derived. The importance of employee engagement is that it enables
an organization keeps the employee motivated towards the success of the implementation.
The employee, upon being engaged, finds himself or herself doing activities related to
the implementation at non-working hours. This means that they take the implementation as a
part of their mission, which they cannot like when it fails. Skes, Venkatesh & Johnson (2014,
p.53) recommend that employee engagement can be achieved through online techniques such
as video-conferencing. These online techniques will ensure that the strategy is communicated
well as well as giving feedback to questions the employees might be interested in asking
(Woodrow & Guest 2014, p.45).
The other challenge observed was poor monitoring. The monitoring method was
blurred. The management failed to assess the progress of the implementation (Gao & Gurd
2015, p,236). Therefore, they were not able to find the emerging needs of the employees in
the implementation. Lack of monitoring made the emerging problems to become huge
irresolvable issues. For instance, it was observed that failure to monitor employee
relationship in the implementation phase, the management was forced to halt the process first
to mitigate a conflict that had arisen between the supervisors and the employee.
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Lawther & Martin (2014, p.242) argue that monitoring should be made an integral
part of the implementation. The author argued that monitoring enables the top management
spot minor issues that could eventually lead to the dilemma in the implementation when not
attended. Therefore, through monitoring, the management could have encouraged employee
engagement, since it could have noticed the wrangles developing between employees and
deal with them. Van der Merwe & Nienaber (2015, p48) add that monitoring revolves around
earlier warning of a problem and taking a corrective action towards it.
Conclusion
In summary, the discussion has shown that the challenges that were present in my
organization when implementing performance management system emanated from
communication, problem, poor leadership support, ineffective monitoring, and inability to
keep the spirit of the implementation burning. However, the discussion has drawn from the
literature review that effective monitoring, effective leadership support, and good monitoring
system are important in making implementation useful. This is because, at the end, they
encourage employee engagement, which is very crucial in making performance management
implementation successful.
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References
Gao, T, & Gurd, B 2015, ‘Meeting the challenge in performance management: the diffusion
and implementation of the balanced scorecard in Chinese hospitals’, Health Policy &
Planning, 30, 2, pp. 234-241, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19
November 2015.
Lawther, W, & Martin, L 2014, ‘Availability Payments and Key Performance Indicators:
Challenges for Effective Implementation of Performance Management Systems in
Transportation Public-Private Partnerships’, Public Works Management & Policy, 19,
3, pp. 219-234, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 November 2015.
Sykes, T, Venkatesh, V, & Johnson, J 2014, ‘ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
AND EMPLOYEE JOB PERFORMANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF
ADVICE NETWORKS’, MIS Quarterly, 38, 1, pp. 51-A4, Business Source
Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 November 2015.
Van der Merwe, MM, & Nienaber, H 2015, ‘FACTORS HINDERING STRATEGY
IMPLEMENTATION AS PERCEIVED BY TOP, MIDDLE AND FRONTLINE
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MANAGERS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRONICS ORGANIZATION’,
Journal of Global Business & Technology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 45-57.
Woodrow, C, & Guest, D 2014, ‘When good HR gets bad results: exploring the challenge of
HR implementation in the case of workplace bullying’, Human Resource Management
Journal, 24, 1, pp. 38-56, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19
November 2015.
