The field of performance management has evolved from performance appraisal.

Conduct a
review of current literature and explain the best practices in performance management which HR
practitioners can use to improve performance (40 marks)
Introduction to Performance Management
Performance management is a holistic–largely participatory and goal-congruent process of
managing and supervising managees at work, in their task team or groups. It arises from the
awareness that a systematic, organized approach to managing and rewarding performance better
generates and sustains positive managee motivation. It is neither the familiar kind of
performance appraisal, nor the almost-forgotten system of ‘Management by Objectives’.
Although some relevant features of those are palpable in the design of performance management
system. Its high points of performance standards representing the organizational goals and
objectives, managee recognition and awards corresponding to managee needs and aspirations.

According to Armstrong, performance management is a means of getting better results from the
organization, teams and individuals by under-standing and managing performance within an
agreed framework of planned goals, standards and competence requirements. It is a process for
establishing shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to managing and
developing people in a way that increases the probability that it will be achieved in the short and
longer term.

Armstrong and baron define performance management as a ‘strategic and integrated approach
to delivering sustained success to organizations by improving performance of the people who
work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors’. They
consider performance management as strategic since it concerns the achievement of long-term
organizational goals and effective organizational functioning in its relevant external
environment. It is integrated, because it affects four types of integration:
Vertical; aligning objectives at the organization, team and individual levels. Vertical integration
is achieved when well aligned, interlocking objectives, cascading from organizational goals, are
agreed upon at the work team and individual levels. Yet, individuals and teams formulated their
own goals within the board framework of organizational purposes and values, when objectives
are agreed upon though ongoing dialogues between managers and managees, and are not
unilaterally set
Functional; focusing functional energies and strategies on to tasks in different parts of the
organizations.
Human Resource; linking different human resource management sub-systems, like people
management and task monitoring, job design, human resource development and motivation, and
the appraisal and reward sub-system to achieve goal and task related synergies towards optimum
performance.
Goals; attempting congruence between individual’s need and aspirations of managees with goals
and objectives of the organization.
Definitions of key terms
Performance management (PM) is a goal-oriented process directed toward ensuring that
organizational processes are in place to maximize the productivity of employees, teams, and
ultimately, the organization. It is a major player in accomplishing organizational strategy in that
it involves measuring and improving the value of the workforce. PM includes incentive goals
and the corresponding incentive values so that the relationship can be clearly understood and
communicated. There is a close relationship between incentives and performance

Performance appraisal (PA) is a formal system of review and evaluation of individual or team
task performance. A critical point in the definition is the word formal, because in actuality,
managers should be reviewing an individual’s performance on a continuing basis. PA is
especially critical to the success of performance management. Although performance appraisal is
but one component of performance management, it is vital, in that it directly reflect the
organization’s strategic plan. Although evaluation of team performance is critical when teams
exist in an organization, the focus of PA in most firms remains on the individual employee.
Regardless of the emphasis, an effective appraisal system evaluates accomplishments and
initiates plans for development, goals, and objectives.
The evolution of performance management
The term performance management gained its importance from the times when the competitive
pressures in the market place started rising and the organizations felt the need of introducing a
comprehensive performance management process into their system for improving the overall
productivity and performance effectiveness. The performance management process evolved in
several phases. First Phase: The origin of performance management can be traced in the early
1960’s when the performance appraisal systems were in practice.
During this period, Annual Confidential Reports (ACR’s) which was also known as Employee
service Records were maintained for controlling the behaviors of the employees and these
reports provided substantial information on the performance of the employees. Any negative
comment or a remark in the ESR or ACR used to adversely affect the prospects of career growth
of an employee. The assessments were usually done for ten traits on a five or a ten point rating
scale basis. These traits were job knowledge, sincerity, dynamism, punctuality, leadership,
loyalty, etc. The remarks of these reports were never communicated to the employees and strict
confidentiality was maintained in the entire process. The employees used to remain in absolute
darkness due to the absence of a transparent mechanism of feedback and communication.

Second Phase: This phase continued from late 1960’s till early 1970’s, and the key hallmark of
this phase was that whatever adverse remarks were incorporated in the performance reports were
communicated to the employees so that they could take corrective actions for overcoming such
deficiencies. In this process of appraising the performance, the reviewing officer used to enjoy a
discretionary power of overruling the ratings given by the reporting officer. The employees
usually used to get a formal written communication on their identified areas of improvements if
the rating for any specific trait used to be below 33%. Third Phase: In this phase the term ACR
was replaced by performance appraisal. One of the key changes that were introduced in this stage
was that the employees were permitted to describe their accomplishments in the confidential
performance reports. The employees were allowed to describe their accomplishments in the self
appraisal forms in the end of a year. Besides inclusion of the traits in the rating scale, several
new components were considered by many organizations which could measure the productivity
and performance of an employee in quantifiable terms such as targets achieved, etc. Certain
organizations also introduced a new section on training needs in the appraisal form.
However, the confidentiality element was still being maintained and the entire process continued
to be control oriented instead of being development oriented. Fourth Phase: This phase started
in mid 1970’s and its origin was in India as great business tycoons like Larsen & Toubro,
followed by State Bank of India and many others introduced appreciable reforms in this field. In
this phase, the appraisal process was more development driven, target based (performance
based), participative and open instead of being treated as a confidential process.
The system focused on performance planning, review and development of an employee by
following a methodical approach. In the entire process, the appraisee (employee) and the
reporting officer mutually decided upon the key result areas in the beginning of a year and
reviewed it after every six months. In the review period various issues such as factors affecting
the performance, training needs of an employee, newer targets and also the ratings were
discussed with the appraisee in a collaborative environment. This phase was a welcoming change
in the area of performance management and many organizations introduced a new HR
department for taking care of the developmental issues of the organization. Fifth Phase: This
phase was characterized by maturity in approach of handling people’s issues. It was more
performance driven and emphasis was on development, planning and improvement. Utmost
importance was given to culture building, team appraisals and quality circles were established for
assessing the improvement in the overall employee productivity.
The field of performance management has evolved from performance appraisal. Conduct a
review of current literature and explain the best practices in performance management
which HR practitioners can use to improve performance (40 marks)
Build Flexible and Adaptable Team Players
Building flexible and adaptable team players is a vital practice in today's dynamic work
environment. It involves fostering a growth mindset among employees, encouraging continuous
learning through training and development initiatives, and promoting cross-training and
collaboration to enhance versatility. Providing flexible work arrangements and recognizing
adaptability as a key skill are crucial components. Effective communication, problem-solving
skills, and leadership exemplification of adaptability set the tone for the entire team.
Encouraging innovation, resilience building, and incorporating team-building activities
contribute to creating a supportive culture that values and thrives on change. Regular check-ins
and feedback mechanisms further ensure that the team remains agile and responsive, ready to
navigate challenges and seize opportunities in an ever-evolving professional landscape (Salas,
Sims, & Burke, 2008).
Build a Big Play Book: Encourage a Large Team Task Strategy Repertoire
Effective teams recognize when a plan is not working and are able to switch to a new plan or
task performance strategy when necessary. Establishing a comprehensive playbook and
encouraging a diverse strategy repertoire is a pivotal best practice for organizational success.
This involves cultivating a wealth of strategies that the team can leverage across various tasks
and challenges. By fostering a culture that encourages team members to draw from a large
playbook of approaches, organizations empower their teams to adapt to different situations
effectively. This entails identifying and documenting successful strategies, sharing best practices,
and promoting a mindset that values creativity and innovation in problem-solving. For example,
it has been found that effective airline crews are those that use down time during long flights to
engage in practice for unanticipated emergencies. Essentially, these teams are engaging in “what
if” scenarios and expanding the potential performance strategies available to a team. To achieve
this, a performance management process should provide safe opportunities for a team to
experiment with new types of performance (Salas, Priest, Wilson, &Burke, 2006).
Create teams that know themselves and their work environment
Adaptation requires an understanding or awareness of (1) changes in the environment that impact
current team performance, (2)an understanding of how the team currently meets its task
demands, and (3) how it is capable of adjusting to new demands (that is, what is happening in the
environment, how the team is responding currently, and what alternative courses of action are
available to the team). This requires team members to balance an external and internal focus, to
have an awareness of the broader task environment/organization and the internal workings of the
team. This can be facilitated in two ways. First, team members with a more robust understanding
of the task environment and what changes mean to the team will be more responsive to critical
external events. Techniques for facilitating this include team cue recognition training, a method
designed to enhance employees ‘situational awareness by teaching them to focus on relevant
cues(Salas, Cannon-Bowers, Fiore, & Stout, 2011), and perceptual contrast training, a technique
that involves presenting trainees with contrasting examples of a scenario, teaching them to
recognize thedifferencesbetweenthescenarios,andfacilitatingtheirinterpreta-tions of the positives
and negatives associated with each (Wilson, Burke, Priest, & Salas, 2015), Second, team
communication skillsarecriticalfordistributingthedetectionofimportantchangesmade by one team
member to the rest of the team. Training in team communication skills ensures that critical
changes detected by one team member are quickly and effectively spread to the rest of the team.
Build teams that can tell when the usual answer isn’t the right answer
Like individuals, teams develop routines or standard responses, a “business as usual” pattern of
performance. These routines can result in efficiency in relatively static environments, but when
the environment changes the routine response may no longer be an effective response. Therefore,
to build adaptive capacity, a performance management process should develop teams capable of
recognizing the complexity of their environment (and the significance of changes in that
environment) as well as a capacity to plan in an adaptive and flexible manner. To this end,
guided error training can be used to build an understanding in teams of when the routine
response is not the correct response. Developing teams that possess the discernment to recognize
when the conventional solution is inadequate is a crucial best practice for organizational
effectiveness. This involves instilling a culture that values critical thinking and encourages team
members to question assumptions.
Team members should be empowered to challenge the status quo, assess situations
independently, and consider alternative perspectives. This practice fosters a climate where
individuals feel comfortable expressing divergent opinions and proposing unconventional
solutions.
Develop self-learning teams: train teams to help themselves
To adapt effectively, a team must learn from its past performance. This means a performance
management strategy should develop the culture and tools for team learning within each team
such as performance diagnosis and debriefing/feedback skills. Developing debriefing, feedback,
and coaching skills, particularly in the leader, is approaches to doing this. Implementing the best
practice of developing self-learning teams involves equipping groups with the skills and
resources to autonomously enhance their knowledge and capabilities. This entails providing
training programs that not only address immediate skill gaps but also instill a culture of
continuous learning. Teams should be empowered with tools and access to relevant resources,
fostering a sense of responsibility for their own development. This approach encourages
proactive problem-solving, knowledge sharing within the team, and the ability to adapt to
evolving challenges independently. For example, as part of a team training program evaluated by
the authors, surgical teams learned how to conduct briefings and to debrief before and after each
case, during which they utilized peer coaching techniques to discuss ways to improve in future
cases (Bunderson & Sutcliffe, 2013)
Don’t let the weakest link have the strongest voice: build teams that take advantage of their
resources
Adaptive teams need to take advantage of the full range of knowledge and experience available
to them, both internally and through available external resources. To do this, the team
performance management process should focus on three critical areas. First, teams must have a
sense of collective orientation where in all members are free to contribute and the weight of each
member’s input is determined by his or her relevant functional expertise, not status or rank
(Bunderson & Sutcliffe, 2013). Creating effective teams involves recognizing the diverse
strengths and skills within the group. The phrase "Don't let the weakest link have the strongest
voice" underscores the importance of ensuring that the team's decision-making and
communication are not disproportionately influenced by the least capable member.
Instead, team leaders should strive to build a collaborative environment where each member's
strengths are leveraged. This approach enables the team to capitalize on a variety of resources,
skills, and perspectives, ultimately leading to more well-rounded and successful outcomes.
Fostering a culture that values and integrates the capabilities of every team member helps
maximize overall performance and ensures that no individual's limitations become a hindrance to
the team's success. Building a team composed of individuals focused on the team goals and not
their own personal goals is critical. This can be accomplished through selection, training, or
structuring of their ward system reinforces the primacy of team goals. Second, assertiveness of
individual team members should be developed. Collective orientation sets the stage for
contributions from all, but team members must be willing and able to be assertive and offer
input. Third, teams should have an accurate and robust trans active memory, that is, an
understanding of who knows what on a team and in the broader organization (Austin, 2013). By
knowing the extent and type of expertise possessed by team members, the team can better
evaluate the input of different members.

Leadership Capacity
Leadership entails the capability to set the team’s direction and to guide the activities of the team
toward its goals. Specifically, leadership involves visioning, goal setting, motivation, decision
making, and problem solving. The importance of effective leadership to team performance
cannot be understated and involves “social problem solving that promotes coordinated, adaptive
team performance by facilitating goal definition and attainment.
Articulate and cultivate a shared vision that incorporates both internal and external clients
To create a cohesive and successful working environment, it is essential to articulate and
cultivate a shared vision that encompasses the needs of both internal and external clients.
Internally, aligning team members with a common purpose fosters collaboration and ensures
everyone is working towards the same goals. This shared vision serves as a guiding principle for
decision-making and daily activities, promoting unity and a sense of collective purpose.
Externally, integrating the perspectives and requirements of clients into the vision ensures that
the team is customer-centric, delivering products or services that not only meet internal standards
but also exceed the expectations of external stakeholders. Aligning the interests of both internal
and external clients, organizations can create a holistic and sustainable vision that drives success
and fosters positive relationships on all fronts.
Create goals the team can grow with
Establishing goals that allow a team to grow involves a strategic and forward-thinking approach.
These goals should be dynamic and adaptable, providing a framework for continuous
improvement and development. They should be challenging enough to inspire motivation and
innovation within the team while also being realistic and achievable. Growth-oriented goals
should encourage skill enhancement, collaboration, and a commitment to learning, fostering an
environment where team members are empowered to stretch their capabilities. Furthermore, the
goals should be aligned with the overall vision and mission of the organization, ensuring that the
team's growth contributes to the larger objectives. Regular assessments and feedback
mechanisms should be in place to measure progress and make necessary adjustments, ensuring
that the team evolves cohesively and remains resilient in the face of changing circumstances. For
example, employees may give up trying to accomplish a rigid goal if they feel they have fallen
irrevocably behind should they fail to meet a sub goal (Getz & Rainey, 2011). Malleable goals
are related to team adaptability; the team must be prepared to act in the presence of unforeseen
barriers, yet still feel that they are accomplishing their goals and objectives. Overly rigid goals
can stifle motivation and perpetuate team member frustration.
Build motivation into the performance management process: make clear connections
among actions, evaluations, and outcomes
Integrating motivation into the performance management process involves establishing clear
connections among actions, evaluations, and outcomes. By providing transparent and direct links
between the tasks team members undertake, the evaluations of their performance, and the
subsequent outcomes or rewards, a motivational framework is established. Team members are
more likely to be engaged and driven when they understand how their efforts contribute to the
overall success of the team or organization. This connection reinforces a sense of purpose and
achievement, fostering a positive and motivating work environment. Clear communication about
performance expectations and the potential rewards or consequences creates a feedback loop that
helps individuals understand the impact of their actions, promoting accountability and
continuous improvement.
Team leaders must champion coordination, communication, and cooperation
In effective team leadership, championing coordination, communication, and cooperation is a
best practice that fosters synergy and productivity. Coordinated efforts ensure that team members
are working towards common goals, minimizing redundancy and maximizing efficiency. Open
and transparent communication is essential for sharing information, aligning strategies, and
resolving issues promptly. Lastly, a culture of cooperation cultivates a collaborative environment
where team members leverage each other's strengths and work collectively to overcome
challenges. The leader must recognize and make use of the full range of expertise of the team
members in order to solve problems. Differentiation of expertise across team members is a key
characteristic of teams, especially teams dealing with complex problems; however, leaders must
coordinate and help direct this mix of expertise, especially in times of uncertainty and conflict.
Facilitating coordinated responses between multiple individuals with different types and levels of
expertise is a key element of team effectiveness. For instance, Shin & Zhou(2007)found that
heterogeneity among team mates in terms of their educational backgrounds led to increased
creativity for teams led by transformational leaders (for example, charismatic, high levels of
consideration, and so on), but not for teams with leaders who did not adopt this style.
Understand the “why”: examine both failures and successes during debriefings
Leaders can utilize feedback sessions to delve into the reasons behind performance levels, asking
critical questions such as what went well, what did not go well, and how improvements can be
made in the future. The notion is that learning from failures is often more motivational than
solely reviewing successful outcomes. Unexpected results, especially failures, tend to be more
salient and impactful, prompting a deeper analysis of what went wrong and how to prevent it in
the future. While there is a common assumption that managers focus more on learning from
negative events, recent empirical evidence suggests that incorporating reviews of successful
performance into feedback sessions can contribute to richer mental models of performance and
facilitate overall improvement. The practice emphasizes the value of a comprehensive approach
to feedback that considers both positive and negative aspects of performance, promoting a more
nuanced understanding and fostering continuous improvement. Effective team management
involves monitoring performance to optimize the use of human and material capital, creating an
environment where individuals can perform independently while collaborating towards group
goals.
Performance measurement and assessment are integral to team management, providing a
foundation for interventions aimed at achieving and improving optimal performance. To
maximize performance, practitioners should develop a comprehensive management plan that
encompasses these key elements.
Clearly define what to measure: Develop and maintain a systematic and organized
representation of performance
Job performance is recognized as multidimensional, requiring a comprehensive understanding of
the various aspects that contribute to overall team performance. The Great Eight Competency
Framework, widely used by practitioners and researchers, offers a clear delineation of major
competency areas, encompassing job performance and individual-level competencies. These
competencies include leading and deciding, supporting and cooperating, interacting and
presenting, analyzing and interpreting, creating and conceptualizing, organizing and executing,
adapting and coping, and enterprising and performing. It's crucial to represent team performance
in an organized and systematic manner, mirroring the structured approach used for individual
performance. This involves evaluating the team as a whole while also delineating individual
accountability for team performance. A thorough organization-specific job analysis is essential to
identify the behavioral and performance indicators of relevant teamwork knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSAs). To ensure a valid assessment of performance, job analysis data should
encompass input from front-line employees, managers, supervisors, and other stakeholders. A
clear representation of team performance must be developed that is organized and systematic,
with a simi-larrepresentationofindividualperformancedelineatingindi-vidual accountability for
team performance. That is, PM for team involves evaluating the team as a whole in addition to
individual team members. An organization-specific job analysis helps identify the behavioral and
performance indicators of relevant team-work knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). In order
to obtain a valid picture of performance, though, job analysis data must include both front-line
employees, managers, supervisors, and other relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, different
measurement approaches may be better suited for capturing different aspects of performance
(Shadish, Cook, &Campbell, 2012).
Uncovering the "why" of performance by developing measures that are diagnostic
The goal of the performance management (PM) process is to optimize performance, a task
achievable only through a deep understanding of the factors influencing performance levels. It's
crucial to systematically examine the underpinnings of performance, utilizing multiple
perspectives and sources of performance data, such as supervisor evaluations, teammate input,
and self-assessments. Measurement, serving various purposes like performance appraisal and
training, often requires a combination of approaches to capture comprehensive performance
information. The emphasis is on avoiding "easy" measures that might overlook significant
performance-related details. For instance, in military fighter flight crews, a hit rate measure may
not reveal the nuances of communication and coordination contributing to decision-making. To
enhance diagnosticity, measures should consider controllability, linking changes in performance
to variations in employee effort. Diagnostic measures provide insights into why performance
occurs, offering a more nuanced and valuable understanding.
Measure typical team performance continuously
Continuous measurement, facilitated by technological advancements such as online dashboards,
allows for real-time monitoring and the generation of timely feedback. The closer the feedback
aligns with the actual behavior, the greater its impact. Continuous monitoring captures
performance under typical conditions, where the salience of being monitored is lower and
employees are not explicitly instructed to do their best. This approach provides a more
comprehensive view compared to maximal performance conditions, which are explicitly
measured for a short period and may not represent day-to-day operations accurately. Measuring
typical performance is essential for understanding what teams consistently "will" do, considering
both their ability and motivation. This approach offers a more realistic and comprehensive
representation of performance over time.
Include teamwork competencies in formal performance evaluations
The principle "you get what you measure" underscores the importance of incorporating
dimensions that reflect effective teamwork behaviors, such as communication and collaboration,
into the performance evaluation system. Assessing and specifying teamwork competencies in
performance appraisal instruments, their significance to team success becomes evident, making
them more salient to team members. Unlike more task-oriented competencies, teamwork is often
treated as a generic category in assessments.
However, recognizing teamwork as multi-faceted and defining it in terms of specific observable
behaviors encourages team members to prioritize it as a crucial aspect of their roles. Supervisors
assessing team performance benefit from clear definitions and frame-of-reference training,
enabling them to provide meaningful data on teamwork performance with positive and negative
examples. In the context of technical capacity, teams require competence in both individual tasks
(task work) and managing interdependencies between team members' work (teamwork).
Effective teamwork competency frameworks, developed and revised over time, represent the
knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) underlying successful team performance. These
frameworks provide a basis for understanding how competencies manifest in expert teams,
contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of team technical capacity. Recognizing and
assessing both individual and teamwork competencies are essential components for teams to
excel in their collaborative efforts.
Have a plan for integrating new team members, and execute it to maintain the seamless
coordination characteristic of expert teams. In expert teams, a shared understanding of the team's
task, individual roles, responsibilities, and goals is crucial for effective collaboration. When
there's turnover in team membership, the risk of losing this shared understanding increases.
Therefore, teams should proactively develop and implement a plan for integrating new members
and ensuring mutual familiarization. This plan should identify both teamwork and task work
requirements essential for team performance and guarantee that new members possess the
necessary mix of competencies, including individual expertise and teamwork competencies. To
capitalize on the team's collective expertise, it's critical that team members share an accurate
understanding of each other's knowledge and skills, often referred to as transactive memory. This
shared knowledge allows teams to determine which member is most suitable for specific tasks,
promoting specialization. Research on transactive memory indicates that this shared
understanding of each other's expertise enables teams to function more effectively. For example,
in the context of air traffic controllers, a belief in the team's overall competence was insufficient
if there wasn't shared knowledge about the specific distribution of expertise. Teams that lack this
shared understanding may resist asking for or accepting backup from one another. Therefore,
executing a well-thought-out plan for integrating new members not only maintains the cohesion
of the team but also ensures that the team can effectively leverage its collective expertise.
Assess and foster shared mental models
Shared mental models play a pivotal role in enhancing various aspects of effective team
performance. Therefore, an integral component of a robust team performance management
process involves assessing and fostering shared mental models within a team, with the provision
of constructive feedback to team members. Numerous techniques are available for capturing and
analyzing shared mental models, one of which is cue-strategy associations. This technique
involves directly linking environmental cues with appropriate coordination strategies, offering
both diagnostic insights and opportunities for learning (Cannon-Bowers, Tannenbaum, Salas, &
Volpe, 2015). For instance, imagine a project team working on a complex software development
task. By employing cue-strategy associations, team members can identify specific cues in the
project environment, such as impending deadlines or changes in client requirements. They can
then link these cues with corresponding coordination strategies, such as reallocating resources or
adjusting the project timeline. This not only enhances the team's ability to anticipate challenges
but also facilitates a more cohesive and synchronized response. Additionally, cross-training
stands out as an effective method for cultivating shared mental models within teams. In a
healthcare setting, for instance, cross-training nurses and physicians on critical procedures
ensures that each team member understands the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of
others. This shared understanding enables seamless collaboration during emergency situations,
ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Develop or select for individual personal discipline and organizational skills
In addition to the necessary expertise to complete the tasks at hand, team members working in
multiple teams must also have highly developed organizational and time management skills.
Autonomy is usually maximized in these situations (Ancona & Caldwell, 2017); therefore it is
imperative to select individuals with high levels of personal discipline and organizational skills
or to help selected individuals develop these skills through training. Developing and selecting for
individual personal discipline and organizational skills is crucial for fostering a high-performing
team and ensuring overall organizational success. Individual personal discipline involves
cultivating habits such as time management, task prioritization, and goal setting, contributing to
enhanced efficiency and productivity. Concurrently, organizational skills encompass the ability
to coordinate and align individual efforts with broader team and organizational objectives.
This practice ensures that team members can navigate complex workflows, collaborate
effectively, and adapt to dynamic challenges. Investing in the development or selection of
individuals with strong personal discipline and organizational skills, organizations can create a
foundation for sustained excellence, driving both individual and collective achievements. This
approach not only bolsters the performance of team members but also fortifies the organization's
capacity to thrive in a competitive and ever-evolving landscape.
Communicate the “Big Picture”: Facilitate a global awareness of competing goals and
deadlines of all teams
Effectively communicating the big picture by fostering global awareness of competing goals and
deadlines among all teams is paramount for organizational success. This practice ensures that
every team member comprehends the broader strategic objectives and how their specific tasks
contribute to the overall mission. Creating transparency regarding competing goals and
deadlines, teams gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness of their efforts.
This facilitates collaboration, minimizes conflicts, and allows for the alignment of individual and
team priorities with the organization's overarching objectives. For example, in a multinational
corporation, conveying the interdependencies of different departments' goals and timelines
promotes synergy, prevents duplication of efforts, and enhances the organization's capacity to
navigate complex challenges with a unified front. In essence, communicating the big picture
fosters a sense of shared purpose, encouraging teams to work cohesively toward common goals.
Maturity counts: Recognize that a multi-team frame work works best for mature projects
Acknowledging that maturity counts and adopting a multi-team framework is most effective for
mature projects is crucial for optimizing project outcomes. Mature projects often involve
complex structures, intricate processes, and a higher level of interdependence between various
components. In such scenarios, a multi-team framework allows for the specialization of teams,
each focused on specific aspects of the project, promoting efficiency and expertise utilization.
For instance, consider a large-scale construction project where multiple specialized teams, such
as architecture, engineering, and construction, collaborate seamlessly within a mature project
framework. Each team can function independently, yet their efforts are integrated cohesively to
meet project milestones.
Recognizing the maturity of a project guides the allocation of resources, defines roles clearly,
and enables streamlined communication, all of which are essential for successful execution in
intricate and advanced project environments.
Foster trust: Cultivate a culture of information sharing
In the realm of Managing Multiple Team (MTM) work, establishing and nurturing trust is
indispensable, especially in asynchronous work settings where team members must rely on each
other without the luxury of real-time coordination. The dynamic nature of juggling multiple
projects leaves little room for team members to compensate for others not pulling their weight.
Mutual trust emerges as a crucial supporting mechanism for effective teamwork, as highlighted
by Salas, Sims, and Burke (2015). This trust is rooted in a shared belief that team members will
fulfill their roles while safeguarding the team's interests. Cultivating this trust is achieved
through a culture of open information sharing, where team members willingly admit errors and
actively seek and provide constructive feedback. An illustrative example is a software
development team operating across different time zones. To foster trust, team members regularly
share progress updates, code snippets and insights, creating a transparent environment that
mitigates the challenges of asynchronous collaboration and ensures the team's collective success.
Summary
Following the best practices in performance management is not a ‘check items off a list’ activity
but a nuanced process that considers individual employees and their aspirations to create an
achievable roadmap. Managers and leaders can ensure mutually beneficial growth by
streamlining these goals and objectives within the organization. Performance management has
evolved to more of a development plan. The future to success is not in singling out employee
inadequacies but striving for personal growth, group cohesiveness, and a positive company
culture. Many companies are even tying in health and wellness by providing incentives and
initiatives to live healthier lifestyles in and out of work. Simple stress tests for the employees are
a tool the performance management will soon encumber to monitor days and productivity. A
stressed, unwell and unhappy employee will not yield the results a positive, healthy, happy one
will. Performance management is a complex system with many interrelated components, which
must support each other and be taken into consideration by managers as well as by the staff in
their application.
To manage performance requires participation, motivation, commitment, communication,
building trust and good relationships, designed and organized learning and an output/outcome
orientation. The learning cycle must be built into the performance management system both on
an individual and organizational level for continuous learning and a move towards becoming a
learning organization.

Conclusions
From front-line action and performance teams focused on behavioral coordination to top-level
project development and planning teams responsible for building the knowledge of the
organization, teams are an integral component of how organizations do work. An individual’s
performance can be considered in isolation from others with decreasing frequency, and this trend
shows no signs of relenting or reversing. This necessitates the consideration of teamwork in
performance management systems. Team-based work adds a layer of complexity to the
performance management process; however, it can be effectively executed with strategic, salient
cultivation of the adaptive, leadership, management, and technical capacities of the team. In this
chapter we have presented a synthesis of the literature in the form of a practical set of best
practices for implementing the PM process in team-based work. Furthermore, we have attempted
to provide practical guidance for managing performance in environments of multi-team
membership. As multi-team membership grows in prevalence, under-standing effective
processes for managing both individual and team-level performance become vital. Overall,
understanding the levers that drive performance and the role of performance measurement will
help ensure that your performance management processes are helping to cultivate expert teams.
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