Unit V – Evaluating Performance

Unit V – Evaluating Performance

The focus of performance management evolved from time and motion studies to become more holistic; employers incorporated management by objectives, total quality management, and even the balanced scorecard. Despite the rhetoric that performance is being managed, for decades the majority of employers’ efforts were aimed at appraising or assessing performance rather than planning or managing performance. It was a look back at an employee’s contributions for the whole year based on the gathering of evidence and his or her past performance. It is true that many organizations did make an effort to provide a midyear review; however, little was done to correct problems with the assigned objectives, and little to no adjustments were made by corporate representatives to positively influence productivity through the use of an employee performance plan. Often, the mid-year review was not completed and no one was held accountable. The only review an employee got was an annual performance evaluation. An example of this type of performance evaluation is found in the video below.

College of Business – CSU. (2016, September 1). MHR 6451 – Bad performance evaluation [Video file].  https://youtu.be/63YNQxI4PIo

To view the transcript of the video above, click here.

The value of the traditional, or annual, approach to performance appraisal was depicted by insightful human resources (HR) professionals as a new form of “Taylorism,” producing damaging and discouraging relationships between supervisors and employees and their peers (Harikumar, 2013).

A plan to transition to the new real-time feedback system is highly recommended. Among the tips to consider when implementing the new software that allows daily feedback is to take a baseline measure of the old system being used, train your first-line supervisors on the system, be consistent in all areas of HR, and establish weekly meetings that are one-on-one so that the employee knows what to expect. Other things to consider are giving managers instructions on how to have the conversations that encourage engagement, which raises performance due to a focus on constant improvement, and making sure you show managers

Reading for this week are in the study guide

Good luck! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns as you go through this week’s work, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

David Moody

Instructions

For this assignment, determine an effective process to evaluate the performance of one of your employees. As you have determined that periodic evaluations can be more beneficial than annual evaluations, you will be evaluating the mid-level manager who you hired and who has now been on board for 6 months. Your process should include an appropriate evaluation tool and a means of providing feedback on the employee’s performance issues.

There are three parts to this project. You will begin by developing a performance review form that contains a minimum of 10 points of criteria. This  template is a starting point and may be used as is or can be modified as you wish. The template has 10 points of criteria; however, you can add more if the specifics of the position warrant you doing so.

• Provide an explanation for each of the criteria. Remember, these should directly represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) as well as the requirements for the position.
• Develop a rating scale, and provide a legend that identifies the distinct performance rating definitions. There must be a minimum of three levels. (The template has three levels; however, you can add more.)
• Next, you will fill out your newly created form to evaluate the mid-level manager. This is, of course, based on the input of the immediate supervisor and your own assessment.
• Evaluate each criteria, and include a minimum of three criteria where the employee does not meet performance expectations.
• Summarize the employee performance appraisal in the comments section.
• Identify the employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Offer feedback and coaching on ways that the employee can improve his or her performance.
• Finally, you will write a one-page synopsis in which you explain the value of your evaluation process and new tool to your leadership team. Include the information below: 
  • how the changes will benefit the organization,
  • how equal employment opportunity laws were considered, and
  • strategies that leaders can use to address unmet employee performance expectations.
• Include two sources to support your explanation.

The template is only a guideline. You are encouraged to modify it as you wish, as long as it still meets all of the above listed requirements. Combine your completed template and the one-page synopsis into one document