CHAPTER 2

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES

A performance review is not a separate activity

taking place at an annual or twice
yearly meeting; it is, or should be, a
continuous process so that the methods used in
a formal review meeting are also used in
informal reviews throughout the year.
Performance management processes are largely
concerned with interactions between the parties
involved, but they also relate what individuals
do about monitoring and improving their own
performance, measuring performance and
documenting the outcomes of performance
management plans and reviews.
The processes are described in
this chapter under the following
headings:
Performance planning
Defining expectations
Objectives
Measuring performance
The continuing process of performance
management
Reviewing performance
Providing feedback
Rating performance
An alternative visual approach to rating
Coaching
Documentation.
Each of these refers to individual performance
management.
PERFORMANCE PLANNING
Performance planning is concerned with
setting the direction, concluding performance
agreements and agreeing personal
development plans. It covers what has to be
done, how it is done, and what is to be
achieved.
Setting the direction
The direction is set by a plan based on the joint
exploration of what individuals are expected to do and
know, and how they are expected to behave to meet the
requirements of their role and develop their skills and
competencies.
 The performance agreement
 joint discussion
 Agreement of expectations
 Performance reviews
 Assessment of past performance
 Future requirements
Personal development planning
The development plan records the actions agreed
to improve performance and to develop
knowledge, skills and competencies. It is likely to
focus on development in the current job - to
improve the ability to perform it well and also,
importantly, to enable individuals to take on
wider responsibilities, extending their capacity to
undertake a broader role.
.
DEFINING EXPECTATIONS
Expectations are defined as short- to
medium- term targets, the extension of
knowledge and skills, upholding the core
values of the organization and meeting
behavioural requirements
 OBJECTIVES
Types of objectives
The various types of objectives are described below.
On-going role objectives
These are objectives which are built into roles. They are
defined in role profiles as key result areas. For example,
one of the key result areas for a sales representative could
be: ‘Respond to customer queries and complaints quickly
in order to build customer satisfaction.’ These objectives
provide the basis for reviewing and assessing performance.
Although described as on-going, they need to be reviewed
regularly and can be modified accordingly.
Targets
Targets are quantifiable results to be attained
which can be measured in such terms as output,
throughput, income, sales, levels of service delivery,
cost reduction, and reduction of reject rates. Thus
a customer service target could be to respond to 90
per cent of queries within two working days.
Tasks/projects
Objectives can be set for the completion of tasks or
projects by a specified date or to achieve an interim
result.
Values
Expectations can be defined for upholding the core
values of the organization in such areas as quality,
customer service, innovation, teamwork, care and
consideration for people, environmental concern, and
equal opportunities. The aim is to get people to ‘live
the values’, ensuring that espoused values become
values in use.
 What is a good objective?
Good work or operational objectives are:
 Consistent with the values of the organization
and departmental and organizational objectives
 Precise- clear and well- defined, using positive
words
 Challenging- to stimulate high standards of
performance and to encourage progress
 Measurable- they can be related to quantified or
qualitative performance measures
 Agreed by the manager and the individual
concerned
 Focused on teamwork- emphasising the need to
work as an effective member of a team as well as
stressing individual achievement.
 The process of defining expectations in the form of
objectives
Measuring performance
The classification of performance measures
Performance measures or metrics can be
classified under a number of headings:
 Finance- income, shareholder value, added
value, rates of return, costs
 Output- units produced or processed,
throughput, sales, new accounts
 Impact- attainment of a standard (quality,
level of service, etc), changes in behaviour,
completion of work/project, level of take-up of
a service, innovation
 Reaction- judgement by others: colleagues,
internal and external customers
 Time- speed of response or turnaround,
achievements compared with timetables,
amount of backlog, time to market, delivery
times.
 THE CONTINUING PROCESS OF
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Performance management should be regarded as an integral
part of the continuing process of management. This is based on
a philosophy which emphasises:
 The achievement of sustained improvements in performance
 The continuous development of skills and capabilities
 That the organization is a ‘learning organization’ in the
sense that it is constantly developing and applying the
learning gained from experience and the analysis of the
factors that have produced high levels of performance .
REVIEWING PERFORMANCE
 The objectives of performance reviews
The objectives of performance reviews are:
 Motivation- to provide positive feedback, recognition, praise
and opportunities for growth; to clarify expectations; to
empower people by encouraging them to take control over their
own performance and development
 Development
 Communication- to serve as a two-way channel for
communication about roles, expectations, relationships, work
problems and aspirations.
Conducting a performance review meeting
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
Feedback is an important performance management process.
It provides an opportunity to recognize achievements or to
indicate areas for improvement or development. Feedback is
always based on evidence. It refers to results, events, critical
incidents and significant behaviours that have effected
performance in specific ways.
RATING PERFORMANCE
Traditional performance appraisal schemes almost always
included some form of overall rating of performance. There
are arguments for the use of rating as a summary of the
assessment and to inform performance-related or
contribution- related pay decisions.
 Performance-level definitions

The following is a typical example of a five- point rating scale which

progresses downwards from highly positive to negative:
A Outstanding performance in all respects
B Superior performance, significantly above normal job requirements
C Good all-round performance that meets the normal requirements of the
job
D Performance not fully up to requirements. Clear weaknesses requiring
improvement have been identified
E Unacceptable-constant guidance is required and performance of many
aspects of the job is well below a reasonable standard.
COACHING
The improvement of performance that is the main aim of
performance management is to a large extent the
responsibility of the manager as coach, supporting
people in their endeavours to develop their knowledge
and skills. The need for coaching may arise from formal
or informal performance reviews but opportunities for
coaching will emerge during the normal day- to- day
activities.
Every time a manager provides an individual with
feedback after a task has been completed, there is an
opportunity to help that individual do better next time.
Coaching skills
Coaching is most effective when:
 The coach understands that his or her role is to help people to
learn
 Individuals are motivated to learn- they should be aware that
their present level of knowledge and skill or their behaviour
has to be improved if they are going to perform their work to
their own and to others’ satisfaction
 Individuals are given guidance on what they should be learning
and feedback on how they are doing
 Learning is an active, not a passive, process- individuals must
be actively involved with their coach
 DOCUMENTATION
The essential information to be recorded on a form
should be:
 The key result areas from the role profile
 The objectives agreed for each key result area
 The values of competency headings
 The assessment of performance against each key
result area and values or competency heading
 Details of any plans for performance
improvement and development
Data
Performance management generates a
great deal of performance data which if
captured and analysed appropriately
could contribute to a greater
understanding of the value of people and
their contribution and aid management
decision-making.