Introduction
If to have a look at the past of performance management and try to look into the future, it becomes obvious that it is not a pioneering concept. The future of performance management is the future of the business. Being guided by the principles of performance management, managers will use its instruments for following different situations and it will make it easier to run business. The importance of performance management lies in its core idea. The report is going to consider the notion of performance management, its benefits, features, roles and some challenges associated with it.
Definition of Performance Management
Getting down to defining the term, it is significant to mention that performance management is not an event, it is a process that should be provided constantly, not once. Thus, performance management is a process that is related to a number of techniques and procedures that are aimed at searching for some information “on the contribution of human resources to the strategic objectives of the organization” (Banfield and Kay 270), forming a framework of “techniques to secure the maximum output for any given level of inputs” (Banfield and Kay 270) and considering “a means of inspecting how well individual performance-enhancing processes actually deliver performance in relation to targets and objectives” (Banfield and Kay 270). In other words, performance management is the framework where the job employees perform is motivated, directed, controlled, and refined.
The Benefits
Having considered the definition, it may be easy to think about a number of benefits of performance management. First of all, the performance management is directed to the results without paying much attention to the activities. Second, the process of the job performance at the organization is directed to the final goals. Third, communication is provided that is a crucial part of successful job performance. Forth, all employees are involved in the working process (“Podcast on performance management”).
Features of a Good Performance Management System
The main features of a good performance management system may be followed by the example of Google Company and how it conducts the relations with the human resources. Google offers its employees all they may want as the comp[any is sure that a good worker is important for effective results. The gym is available for the employees 24 hours per day with yoga, spa, massage and personal trainer if desired. Furthermore, transport is available for the employees.
All these facilities are available for the employees to create a positive atmosphere, not to restrict people by dress code and other items. Creative people should have some time for the fun to work effectively. The most specific feature of a good performance management system is the idea of helping people being happy for what they do. Making people happy, the company pursues its own goals, to make people stay at the work longer, not compulsory, but of their own free will (“Perk place” 1).
The Role of Performance Related Pay
Performance-related pay is crucial while implementing a performance management system. Employees should know that additional attempts, the desire to be more useful land helpful for the company will be awarded. Nevertheless, Angela Baron prejudices the importance and profitability of the performance-related pay saying about it as about pitfall as “if you pay people individualized performance-related pay, based on their individual performance then you’re giving out a very mixed message” (in “Podcast on performance management” 29). She means that when working in a team and some individuals get the performance-related pay, the others may consider it not as motivating one, but rather as a demotivator for work performance.
The Difficulties/Challenges Associated with Performance Management
One of the main challenges of performance management is the standard framework. This problem is sharp for the companies with a diverse fields of work and functions as it is rather difficult to implement the standards and evaluate employees’ work in regard to those norms (“Podcast on performance management” 4). The creation of a healthy climate at the workplace is also crucial as most people are unable to do it personally and the manager should do it relating to the performance management principles.
The performance management system may create some difficulties for segments, people who prefer to build a wall between home and work and feel rather irritated when the workplace is fulfilled with some personal elements that remind of personal life. The difficulty is that the whole performance management system is built on the principle of creating a home and friendly atmosphere at the workplace (“Perk place” 3).
In conclusion, the performance management system is aimed at creating a positive atmosphere at the workplace via sharing necessary information, considering the personal needs of the employees with the purpose to satisfy them as the workplace and implementation the necessary informational technologies to make the job performance easier. Still, there are a number of challenges that may create some barriers to the way to the successful functioning of the performance management system at the workplace.
Works Cited
Banfield, Paul and Rebecca Kay. Introduction to human resource management. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
“Perk place: the benefits offered by Google and others may be grand but they’re all business.” Knowledge@wharton. 2007. Web.
“Podcast on performance management.” CIPD. 2008. Web.