Making performance management systems to work

Enabling Positive Change ConsultPro Making p erformance management system s work By N.Balajhi Performance management is as old as business and industry. It is in the recent past that specific frameworks like balanced scorecard have come to facilitate performance management. These frameworks do n’ work magic. They are no panacea. Balanced t scorecard and other frameworks are mere tools in ones hand. Using them successfully in Indian working environments require a fundamental change in the way work and performance is perceived, both by the employer and employee. For long increments and promotions were tied to the time frame. A mere passage of time raises one’ expectation for increment and promotion. It is so deep rooted in Indian minds s that even now in these changed conditions we can find many empl oyees, especially the ‘ t a y e r s ’ thinking along these lines. A mere ex ecution of their daily routines, as defined a S , decade ago, is performance for them. Expecting PMS to succeed in such an environment is like ex pecting Bangladesh to defeat Australia, thoug h it happens once in a blue moon. Making a performance management system to work 1. The term ‘ Performance’ should evoke positive feelings and not fear. Launch campaigns and create awareness . Involve people in the exercise of implementing PMS . a. Communicate ideas across. b. Communicate organisation ’ current performance levels using the framework s adopted . Briefly describe the framework and how to read the performance picture presented using the framework . c. Present the competitive scenario and stress on the need to improve performance 2. Present the desired performance levels, using the adopted performance management framework a. Ask what it means to each department / d i v i s i o n and how they should respond to this need for higher performance lev e l s. i. Each department to analyse and come up with their proposal on how they can contribute to corporate performance plans in specific manner i i . Resources and fac ilities required for enhanc i n g performance gen eral ideas on performance through ev ery mode of communication. Use people who are most acceptable to employees to take these Phone – 91 422 2447198 E m a i l – consultpro @gmail.com Page 1 o f 3 Enabling Positive Change iii. iv. ConsultPro Ensure participation of every decision maker in the department/division Obtain department wide ov e r a l l o p i ni on with empathetic ears and communicate promises and concerns to the management . 3. Study each plan from de partments and i d e n t i f y a. Alignment with corporate performance plan b. Gaps in performance promises c. Over optimism d. Resources and facilities required e. Degree of commitment and concern , as can be seen f rom departmental overall opinion 4. Communicate feedback, raise qu estions, objections, point out misperceptions and call for revised proposal, if required, with respectiv e departments 5. Draft corporate / department wise performance plan and goals a. Receiv e and s tudy modified proposals from departments b. Identify gaps if any st ill persists c. Compare with corporate performance plans and goals d. Assess resource and facility requirements e. Make necessary modifications, wherever required, in the corporate performance plan / goals f. Make necessary modifications, wherev er required, in the dep artmental performance plans / goals g. Finalise the visualized performance picture both for the corporate and departments / divisions 6. Communicate the final picture to respective departments / divisions . I t w i l l a c t a s performance target for respective depart ment 7. Launch a ca mpaign to win over employee support and help keep their morale high a. Communicate perfor mance goals of the company and their respective departmental goals b. Share the visualized picture, through graphical representation of visualized state of t he company on various performance fronts Phone – 91 422 2447198 E m a i l – consultpro @gmail.com Page 2 o f 3 Enabling Positive Change ConsultPro c. What it would all mean for the employees, financially, socially , psychologically and for the company d. Communicate what is expected of employees e. List the support that management will provide for employees to enhance performance f. Dispel fears and instill confidence among employees. Roll out a period of moratorium for performance , so that performance pressure is off their back during the time of com i n g up the curve to meet heightened performance expectations 8. Ascertain emp loyee inv olvement , morale and get their feedback through informal sources . Launch re - designed campaigns, if necessitated 9. Overhaul job profiles a. Redefine the scope of work for each job work profile b. Redefine job responsibilities and authority vested with eac h p o s i t i o n c. Define performance in specific terms for each job 10. Link increments and promotions to specific performance levels 11. Put in place the PMS infrastructure and p rovide resources and facilities required 12. Organise learning and awareness programs 13. Review and ev a l u a t e performance periodically and communicate to all concerned on actions taken, if any 14. Reward and honour exceptional performances 15. Do not allow any letup in monitoring and realignment of interests. As and when required launch and re -launch educatio nal and awareness campaigns +++End of article+++ Mr.N.Balajhi is a business consul tant , who runs business consultancy firm ConsultPro. He has more than 7.5 years of experience business consult ancy f i e l d. His interests include organisation development, perf ormance management, knowledge management, change Phone – 91 422 2447198 E m a i l – consultpro @gmail.com Page 3 o f 3 management and corporate training programs. He can be reached at consultpro@gmail.com .