LeadershipJournal: a Reflection on Performance Appraisal
LeadershipJournal: a Reflection on Performance Appraisal
Organizationsevaluate the performance of their employees with the objective ofdetermining their dedication to help the employer achieve strategicgoals. This is achieved through a well-planned performance appraisalexercise that assesses the competence of employees (Estino, 2012). Aneffective performance evaluation plan takes account of the mostcritical factors (such as the employee productivity, ability to plan,leadership skills, and capacity to work in a team) that can help theorganization pursue its goals in the long-run. Moreover, the employeeshould be treated fairly, which can be accomplished by ensuring thatthe appraisal remains objective(Marquis, & Huston, 2015).In this paper, I will reflect on the performance appraisal that wasperformed by my supervisor and discuss the benefits of a 360-degreeperformance evaluation model.
Linkbetween performance appraisal and strategic goals
Theappraisal was connected to the unit’s strategies, which impliesthat the main objective was to determine whether the employee hadmade a contribution towards the achievement of short-term as well asthe long-term plans made by the department. For example, the firstcategory (job knowledge) of the evaluation criteria assessed theemployee on the basis of the ability to comprehend and promotedepartmental values and missions. According to Measure Evolution(2016) organization or departmental strategic goals and objectivesare directly tied to its missions. Therefore, appraisal processesthat assess employees on the basis of their ability to pursueorganization’s mission also address their competence in help thedepartment accomplish its strategies. All other categories (includingcommunication, teamwork, activity, planning, decision making,quality, customer orientation, attendance, and leadership)facilitated the process of achieving departmental goals directly orindirectly. Therefore, it is evident that the performance appraisalwas connected to the department or the unit goals directly andindirectly.
Connectingthe performance appraisal to organization’s or departmentalstrategic goals benefits the organization and the employee. From theperspective of the employee, a performance appraisal plan that isdirectly connected to strategic goals is likely to be more objective(Measure Evolution, 2016). This is because the supervisor will bemore interested in determining the skills of the employee that canhelp the department to achieve its strategic goals. This reduces thechance for personal issues to arise, thus ensuring that theperformance appraisal is fair and objective. In addition, theemployee benefit from an objective appraisal because it leads to theidentification of specific skills gap that limit their ability tohelp the department achieve its strategies. This gives employees anopportunity to be trained with the objective of enhancing theircompetence.
Fromthe perspective of the organization, a performance appraisal that islinked to strategic objectives leads the identification of skills aswell as knowledge gaps that might limit the capacity of theorganization to achieve its strategies (Park, 2014). Theidentification of these gaps at an early stage helps the organizationadopt appropriate measures (such as employee performance managementand development plans) that can introduce the missing knowledge andskills. This implies that the results of an objective performanceappraisal that is based on departmental strategic goals inform theprocess of establishing the employee development plan. This providesthe organization with an opportunity to enhance employees’performance at an early stage, which ensures that the departmentremains on track in the process of pursuing its strategic goals.
However,putting too much emphasis on the employee skills can create astressful environment for the employee. This is because basing theentire performance appraisal on departmental strategic goals createsa perception that the management is only interested in the needs ofthe organization (Baroda, Sharma & Bhatt, 2012). Employees whoperceive that the organization does not intend to address their needsmay feel stressed up by the performance appraisal.
The360-degree evaluation
The360-degree performance appraisal, also known as multi-rater feedback,involves the use of information from different sources to evaluatethe performance of employees. I participated in the 360-degreeevaluation once by playing the role of an employee. The managersourced information from my peers, supervisor, and theself-evaluation report. The 360-degree evaluation has threeadvantages compared to a performance appraisal that is based on thesupervisor’s assessment. First, the 360-degree evaluationfacilitates the collection of information from different sources,which leads to a balanced appraisal of employee performance. Thisincreases the objectivity of the staff performance appraisal. It alsoensures that all factors that contribute towards the employeeperformance are taken into account. For example, the informationcollected from coworkers give a clear picture of how the employeebeing evaluated interacts with other members of staff (Baroda, Sharma& Bhatt, 2012). It may be difficult for an appraisal that isbased on supervisor’s evaluation to capture such information.
Secondly,the 360-degree evaluation facilitates the growth of employees who arebeing evaluated. This is because the 360-degree evaluation is anall-rounded mechanism that help the management determine whetherconsistency in employee performance exists. It also leads to theidentification of all weaknesses and skills gap, including those thatcannot be identified when the appraisal is based only on theinformation obtained from the supervisor’s evaluation (Stonehouse,2013). These skills gap is taken into account during the process ofestablishing the staff development plan. The organization can thendesign a staff training program that equips the employee with skillsthat they need in order to achieve their career goals as well as thestrategic objectives set by the organization. The employees also getthe opportunity to understand how their coworkers perceive them.
Third,the 360-degree evaluation is a reliable strategy that helps theorganization to maintain a good relationship among employees,including the juniors and members of the management team. This isbecause the data used to rate employees is collected from co-workers,which creates the need for each of the members of staff to remain ingood terms with each other to avoid a negative feedback (Baroda,Sharma & Bhatt, 2012). Therefore, the 360-degree evaluationbenefits both the organization and all members of staff.
Conclusion
Differentorganizations use performance appraisal as a tool to determinewhether employee compensation is commensurate with the level ofperformance. Most importantly, an effective performance evaluationfacilitates the identification of skills gap that limit the employeecapacity to achieve career goals. This information can be used toestablish a staff development plan. Linking performance appraisal tothe strategic goals of the organization ensures that the evaluationprocess remains objective. A 360-degree evaluation has moreadvantages than an appraisal that is based on the assessment done bythe supervisor. The 360-degree evaluation facilitates a fairassessment of employee performance by facilitating the collection ofdata from different sources. Therefore, performance appraisal is asignificant tool that should be adopted by all organizations thatintend to ensure consistency in employee performance, but aneffective evaluation should be objective.
References
Baroda,S., Sharma, C. & Bhatt, J. (2012). 360 degree feedbackappraisals: An innovative approach of performance management system.InternationalJournal of Management and Information Technology,1 (2), 53-66.
Estino,L. (2012). Performance appraisal system: Its implication to employeeperformance. InternationalJournal of Economics and Management Science,2 (3), 55-62.
Marquis,B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). LeadershipRoles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application(8th ed.).Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
MeasureEvolution (2016). Awell aligned strategic plan exists and is disseminated.Oakland: University of California.
Park,S. (2014). Motivation of public managers as raters in performanceappraisal: Developing a model of rater motivation. PublicPersonnel Management,43 (4), 387-414.
Stonehouse,D. (2013). Appraisal: A key tool to deliver quality care. BritishJournal of Health Care Management,19 (7), 338-341.