In any organization, the human resource function plays a key role in determining rate of success or failure of the business. In fact the role played by the employees of any company is the single most important determinant of the outcome of business and the general goodwill of the same. It is due to this reason that human resource management forms one of the key functions of business and the manner in which it is undertaken goes a long way in the determination of the general internal operating environment of a business. In this regard, it is of primeval importance that the manner in which management handles unwanted behavior is fair and not likely to demoralize employees. The case in study has much to do with employee dissatisfaction and poor managerial performance by the six junior managers. There is need to devise new ways to improve the current employees relations in the company, promote more formal and respectful methods of communication and reduce the rate of employees turnover.
Performance management as an organizational practice is the systematic process by which an agency involves its employees, as individuals and members of a group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of agency mission and goals (Office of personnel management). In the current situation, the employees of the company have not been fully involved in improving the performance of the company. As senior manager, the best way to enlighten other manager on more productive methods of performance management would be to convene a management seminar that would mainly focus on the ironing out the major issues facing the business. The major areas of focus of the seminar should include the following; the improvement of communication between both employees and managers and employees and other employees, devising new ways of either rewarding good performance or punishment for unwanted behaviors and lastly the improvement of employee morale.
Internal organizational communication should be improved within the business if at all improvements in performance management is to be realized. Managers should not solely rely on personal observations as the main avenue of information gathering, but should try to interact more with their subordinates in order to gauge their attitudes and perceptions about the working environment (Downs and Adrian 12). This actually means that managers need to practically understand the challenges that the employees face and appropriately device ways in which they can tailor communication directed to the employees for maximum benefit. The managers also need to realize the importance of treating juniors with respect. The team spirit should be encouraged, and management should get other employees to realize the importance of working together. Correction should be made in a formal manner, with the sole intention of getting employees to realize the mistake that they have made and not just the importance of taking corrective action, but also taking measures to ensure that the mistake does not occur again. Shouting, yelling and any other forms of communication that demeans others should be discouraged, and measures put in place to have perpetrators warned or disciplined in case of persistence.
The methods used to reward good performance and to discipline cases of unwanted behaviors should be seen to be fair by all parties. Furnham describes discipline as the systematic administration of punishment, while punishment is the undesirable outcome that follows the performance of unwanted acts (448). This in essence means that disciplinary action is much more desirable as a method of dealing with unwanted behavior. Management should use methods that are more likely to produce positive results. Furnham identifies the following steps as the most ideal in dealing with undesirable behavior(448); The first step that should be taken in dealing with unwanted behavior, is the specification of the desired behavior, in line with this, management should specify the required standards of behavior, most preferably through example. Secondly, management should take measures to ensure that the desirable behavior is adhered to, this is achieved through the use of a baseline audit to determine the rate at which undesirable behavior occurs. Thirdly is the setting of required standard of performance, this refers to how exactly you want your employees to behave. Fourth is the selection of a method of ensuring that the desired behavior is adhered to, this is best achieved through the use of correct supervision. After this, management should select ways of rewarding desirable behavior as a means of reinforcing it. Rewarded employees are more likely to stick to the required standards of behavior in the hopes of career development. Lastly, the program should be revaluated to determine its suitability in the current operating environment and whether the desired goals are being achieved.
The management should also ensure that the employees are rightly motivated. Employee motivation is important if the current operating environment is to improve. This can be best achieved through the use of fair reward programs that promote excellent performance among employees.
The guidance provided by the study text is valuable and provides a clear method of improving the employee performance.
Monitoring of the six mangers can be easily achieved through appraisal by the senior manager. Each manager should be made to account for his or her performance as regards the improvement of employee performance. The senior manager should also conduct his or her own evaluation of the working environment and ascertain whether there has been a change in employee relations with management and other employees. The rate of employee turnover is also an indicator of whether change has been realized in performance management or not, if the turnover is still high, then the changes were not implemented fully.
In conclusion, performance management is a key organizational practice and goes a long way in the determination of the success or failure of an organization. In the particular case in study, the senior manager needs to educate other managers on the importance of performance management. This can be best achieved through a management seminar that should comprehensive enough to cover all the contentious issues.
Work cited
Office of personnel management. Performance Management. OPM Feb, 2013. Web. 12 Feb
2013.
Cal W. Downs and Allyson D. Adrian. Assessing Organizational Communication: Strategic
Communication Audits. New York: Guilford press, 2004. Print.
Furnham Adrian. The psychology of behavior at work . New York: Routledge press inc, 2005.
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