ANALYSING PERFORMANCE

PROBLEMS
o Performance appraisals are a very important
management ritual conducted by most
organizations in order to optimize the
contributions of their employees.
o This will include the processes of correcting
incompetence as well as rewarding competent
performance.
o Appraisals have very real implications , both
for the individual as well as the organization.
o For the individual , a positive appraisal can
lead to demotions and even retrenchment.
o The key issue in any performance
appraisal system is that it entails a judgement
to be made in regard to an individual’s
performance over a certain period of time.
o How do you make a judgement on an
individual’s performance; do you concentrate
on his strong points or concentrate on the
weaker factors ? Or do you to achieve a
“balance” ?
o The decision to solve the problem will
depend upon the right diagnosis and accurate
assessment.
o There can be many reasons for poor
performance . Some have been discussed
below:----
a) One of the key factors that will ensure the
success or failure of any performance
appraisal , is unbiased appraisal by those
responsible.
b) Unbiased appraisal is critical , as it will give
a “True” And “Fair” picture of an individual’s
performance.
c) The next is in the format of the appraisal
itself . In most appraisal systems , a
manager is expected to make a judgement
of an individual and formalize this in a
document.
d) Therefore in a qualitative system for
example, a manager will have to answer
the query , “How has the individual
performed during the course of the year”
with perhaps the following responses ,
poor , satisfactory , good very and
excellent.
e) Further questions can be raised as to why
an individual deserves grading of good rather
than very good or satisfactory rather than
poor.
f) On the other hand , in a quantitative system
, it is very difficult to differentiate between
numerical grading . Why does someone get an
8 and not a 7 for example?
g)There is also the problem of consistency and
the different value judgments of different
managers.
h) Problems will then arise regarding
consistency , as each departmental head
will have his own value judgments , which
will influence his appraisal.
 HOW TO DIAGNOSE
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS ?
 Work performance is influenced by a
number of factors . When performance is
excellent , it is a result of a number of
circumstances that work together to make this
excellence possible.
 So, stellar performance requires that all
relevant influences on behavior are in place.
 Poor performance can result from a single
factor or influence that drastically reduces
effectiveness.
 Frequently , a performance problem that
is allowed to continue unchecked will expand
as other influences turn from positive to
negative.
 SEVEN FACTOR MODEL
This model given by Robert Bacal.
There are 7 factors that influence or
determine the level of performance .
These factors are multiplicative in nature .
If there is a deficit in any one of the
factors , performance will suffer.
Factor 1 :Aptitude
Aptitude refers to a person’s ability to perform
the task or task’s. Each of us ha strengths
and weaknesses that determine if we can
learn or perform to task.
Poor aptitude for a task could mean that the
person could never learn how to do it, even
with all the supports in the world. Assessing
aptitude is very difficult.
Factors 2 : Skill level
Even the simplest responsibilities require skills.
Skills differ from aptitudes in what they can be
learned, up to the limits imposed by aptitude.
The assess whether a performance deficit is a
result of lack of skill, ask then questions, “If
his/her life depended on it, could the person do
the task?”If the answer is no, then it could be a
skill problem.
Factor 3 : Understanding of Task
A person must understand the nature of the
task, and what is expected. If this clear
communication is lacking, no amt of skill or
motivation will bring about effective
performance. PM is the common means for
conveying understanding of the task. The best
way to assess an employee’s understanding
is to ask questions within a coaching
environment.
Factor 4 : Choice to expand factor
If the person has the aptitude ,skills and
understanding of the task required, it may be that
there are factors causing the person to “not make
the effort”. These may be personal or related to
the work environment. Assessing if it is a
motivational problem then it is difficult, and can
best be done by examining other indicators
behaviour (absenteeism, lack of participation in
meetings, or other factors that suggest a
motivational problem.)
Factor 5: Choice of degree of effort to expand
Sometimes effort is not an on/off thing. An
employee may be putting in a limited amt of effort
and therefore producing inferior results.
Factors 6 : Choice to persist
Performance requires that effort be initiated and
sustained over time. This motivational factor may
result in projects started but never completed. If
an employee is not persisting in tasks, it can
indicate boredom, fear of failure or may relate to
a lack of skills. Careful, diplomatic discussion is
required to uncover if and why this may be
occurring.
Factor 7 : Outside factors
Performance can be reduced due to factors
beyond the control of the individual. The
Organization itself may be setting barriers
to performance, or uncooperative co-
workers and manager may contribute.
Discussion with the employee during
performance mgmt should include
reference to factors outside the control of
the employee that impede progress. If
these outside factors are allowed to
continue, unacknowledged, motivational
levels will drop, complicating the issue and
creating a chronic under-performance.