Showing papers on "Performance management published in 2002"

Outcomes–Based Performance Management in the Public Sector: Implications for Government Accountability and Effectiveness

Abstract: Requirements for outcomes–based performance management are increasing performance–evaluation activities at all government levels. Research on public–sector performance management, however, points to problems in the design and management of these systems and questions their effectiveness as policy tools for increasing governmental accountability. In this article, I analyze experimental data and the performance–management experiences of federal job–training programs to estimate the influence of public management and system–design factors on program outcomes and impacts. I assess whether relying on administrative data to measure program (rather than impacts) produces information that might misdirect program managers in their performance–management activities. While the results of empirical analyses confirm that the use of administrative data in performance management is unlikely to produce accurate estimates of true program impacts, they also suggest these data can still generate useful information for public managers about policy levers that can be manipulated to improve organizational performance.

The success and failure of performance measurement initiatives: Perceptions of participating managers

Abstract: This paper investigates the success and failure of performance measurement system design interventions in ten companies. In each case, the senior management team was facilitated through a management process to redesign their performance measurement systems. Analysis of the initial pilot case studies suggested three important differences between companies that proceeded to implement the measures agreed during the process and those that did not. Post intervention semi‐structured interviews with the directors and managers directly involved revealed two main perceived drivers of implementation and four perceived factors that block implementation. The results are of specific interest for performance measurement system implementation but have wider implications for our view of management commitment in change management.

Moving from performance measurement to performance management

Abstract: In order for a facilities management (FM) organisation to make effective use of the results of performance measurement it must be able to make the transition from measurement to management. It must also be able to anticipate needed changes in the strategic direction of the organisation and have a methodology in place for effecting strategic change. Successful accomplishment of these two tasks represents the foundation of good performance management. This paper explores baselines for moving from performance measurement to performance management and provides a discussion of how the FM performance assessment can be used to manage the FM function effectively.

Developing competency models to promote integrated human resource practices

Abstract: Today, competencies are used in many facets of human resource management, ranging from individual selection, development, and performance management to organizational strategic planning. By incorporating competencies into job analysis methodologies, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has developed robust competency models that can form the foundation for each of these initiatives. OPM has placed these models into automated systems to ensure access for employees, human resources professionals, and managers. Shared access to the data creates a shared frame of reference and a common language of competencies that have provided the basis for competency applications in public sector agencies. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Performance measurement in the public sector: strategies to cope with the risks of performance measurement

Abstract: Many public, professional organizations have introduced performance measurement systems in the belief that they will lead to a transparent organization, offering incentives for performance and able to account for its performance. These systems produce a large number of perverse effects, however. The article presents five successive strategies aimed at preventing these effects where possible: tolerating competing product definitions; banning a monopoly on interpreting production figures; limiting the functions of and forums for performance measurement; strategically limiting the products that can be subjected to performance measurement; and using a process perspective of performance in addition to a product perspective.

Applying the balanced scorecard in healthcare provider organizations.

Abstract: Several innovative healthcare executives have recently introduced a new business strategy implementation tool: the Balanced Scorecard. The scorecard's measurement and management system provides the following potential benefits to healthcare organizations: It aligns the organization around a more market-oriented, customer-focused strategy It facilitates, monitors, and assesses the implementation of the strategy It provides a communication and collaboration mechanism It assigns accountability for performance at all levels of the organization It provides continual feedback on the strategy and promotes adjustments to marketplace and regulatory changes. We surveyed executives in nine provider organizations that were implementing the Balanced Scorecard. We asked about the following issues relating to its implementation and effect: 1. The role of the Balanced Scorecard in relation to a well-defined vision, mission, and strategy 2. The motivation for adopting the Balanced Scorecard 3. The difference between the Balanced Scorecard and other measurement systems 4. The process followed to develop and implement the Balanced Scorecard 5. The challenges and barriers during the development and implementation process 6. The benefits gained by the organization from adoption and use. The executives reported that the Balanced Scorecard strategy implementation and performance management tool could be successfully applied in the healthcare sector, enabling organizations to improve their competitive market positioning, financial results, and customer satisfaction. This article concludes with guidelines for other healthcare provider organizations to capture the benefits of the Balanced Scorecard performance management system.

Using performance indicators to improve health care quality in the public sector: a review of the literature:

Abstract: Given the increasing importance of performance indicators in current UK health policy, this paper provides a systematic review of empirical and theoretical writings concerning their use to improve health care quality. The paper outlines potential problems and explores how best to derive, implement and use performance indicator data, presenting results thematically. The two principal uses of indicator systems are as summative mechanisms for external accountability and verification, and as formative mechanisms for internal quality improvement. In the UK, the use of performance indicators in assurance and performance management systems has heavily influenced debate over their value. Major problems reported include the potential to undermine the conditions required for quality improvement, perverse incentives and the difficulty of using data to promote change. Technical problems include indicator selection; the availability, validity and reliability of data; confounding; and problems with robustness, sensitivity and specificity. Factors that help in the derivation, implementation and use of indicator systems include clear objectives, involvement of stakeholders in development, and use of 'soft' data to aid interpretation.

Employee performance management method and system

Abstract: A performance management system for identifying, differentiating, and rewarding performance of an employee, comprising: means for communicating performance status to the employee; means for communicating to the employee differences between the communicated performance status and a performance standard associated with the employee; and means for developing a prescriptive path for the employee to adjust the communicated performance status in response to said performance standard.

Policy-based hierarchical management of shared resources in a grid environment

Abstract: The invention relates to controlling the participation and performance management of a distributed set of resources in a grid environment. The control is achieved by forecasting the behavior of a group of shared resources, their availability and quality of their performance in the presence of external policies governing their usage, and deciding the suitability of their participation in a grid computation. The system also provides services to grid clients with certain minimum levels of service guarantees using resources with uncertainties in their service potentials.

Managing employee performance : design and implementation in organizations

Abstract: 1. What is Performance Management? 2. The Organizational Context I: Vision, Mission and Strategy. 3. The Organizational Context II: Performance. 4. Individual Performance I: Outputs and Results. 5. Individual Performance II: Behaviour and Competencies. 6. Individual Performance III: Determinants. 7. Reviewing and Supporting Performance. 8. Rewarding Performance. 9. Developing and Designing Perfomance Management. 10. Implementing and Managing Performance Management. A Concluding Comment. References. Index.

Performance Appraisal Systems, Productivity, and Motivation: A Case Study:

Abstract: One would expect a valid, reliable performance evaluation system to give employees and managers data about employees' strengths and needs for development. If these data are used to reinforce employees' strengths and to plan and provide developmental assignments in areas of need, then one might also expect improvements in morale, motivation, and productivity. This paper explores employees' and administrators' perceptions of a system with these goals, a system specifically designed to appraise performance of North Carolina “Subject to the Personnel Act” (SPA) employees at East Carolina University. The data show that a large proportion of employees, but no supervisors, are dissatisfied with the system; that neither the number of subordinates nor the time spent evaluating employees under the system affects supervisors' satisfaction with the system; and that employees' perceptions of the fairness of the system is related to trust and satisfaction with their supervisors but not with compliance with the program'...

Pay for Performance in Georgia State Government Employee Perspectives on GeorgiaGain After 5 Years

Abstract: In the mid-1990s, the State of Georgia launched a major reform of its personnel system. One part of the reform included a new approach to compensation called GeorgiaGain. With pay-for-performance as its centerpiece, GeorgiaGain was a comprehensive effort to modernize many of the state’s human resources management (HRM) practices. Its goals included the establishment of a state-of-the-art performance management system, implementing performance measurement and evaluation procedures that supervisors and subordinates alike trusted, setting up a competitive compensation plan, and streamlining the state’s position description and classification system. This article reports on the findings of major survey of state employees conducted early in 2000 designed to explore employees’ perceptions of the impact in areas such as job satisfaction, trust and confidence in the state’s HRM system, and the effects of pay-for-performance. Overall, employees were highly critical of the reform and believed that it had not produc...

Performance management and Operational Research: a marriage made in heaven?

Abstract: The practice, teaching and research of management is peculiarly vulnerable to fads. A cynic might suggest that this is the result of a lively market in management gurus, in which the latest management concept is promoted as an indispensable tool for the modern manager. However, it might also be the case that some apparent fads do indicate a real change in the preoccupations and needs of managers. The explosion in interest in performance management (PM) since the mid-1990s may indeed be one such case.

The Psychological Barriers to Performance Management: Or Why Isn’t Everyone Jumping on the Performance-Management Bandwagon?

Abstract: Why has performance management failed to sweep the world? Why does it live more in rhetoric than reality? Possible explanations include those that are practical, political, managerial, and psychological. Seven psychological explanations, which reflect how people think about performance and results, create some significant barriers to their ability to focus on outcomes and value. Citizen thinking concentrates on personal results rather than societal results. Legislative thinking stresses where the inputs are immediately deployed rather than what outcomes might be eventually achieved. Public-employee thinking focuses on avoiding mistakes that will produce certain punishment rather than producing successes that might generate a little praise. Policy thinking emphasizes creating better policy rather than managing better within the existing policy framework. Assistant-secretary thinking specializes in crafting new policy innovation rather than on improving the organization’s capacity to perform. Distrustful th...

Performance Management In British Health Care: Will It

Abstract: PROLOGUE: As a part of the Labour government’s latest reform of the British National Health Service (NHS), performance management is front and center, as a wayto retain some elements of the private market while placing more emphasis on the outcome and accountabilityof the sy stem byconsciouslymanaging it. Al though the definition of the term performance management can be vague, the British have adopted a multiprong strategyfor improving the performance of the NHS based on empirical evidence, concrete goals, and quantifiable results. To date, the efforts have been somewhat hampered bythe lack of coordination among various directives, professional organizations, and others with a stake in the process. In this paper Peter Smith focuses on the acute care trust (hospital) sector, since this sector has received the most emphasis thus far. He examines performance management instruments that fall under three broad headings: guidance, monitoring, and response. Regarding progress, Smith writes: “The performance management system has five years in which to deliver appreciable improvements, representing the full term of a national government that has staked much of its political credibilityon modernizing the public sector.” As has been true of previous NHS reforms, a shifting political climate could bring yet another round of reforms before these have been fullytested and proven a failure or success. Smith is a professor of economics at the Universityof York. He holds a degree in mathematics from the Universityof Oxford and a master’s degree from the Lon don School of Economics. His research has focused on the economic aspects of health policyand the public sector. He has consulted with a number of British and international agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He is a member of the WHO scientific peer review group on health system performance.

Performance management in British health care: will it deliver?

Abstract: In its latest attempt to improve performance, the British National Health Service (NHS) has turned to the business models of performance management. A range of managerial instruments has been deployed, signaling national priorities to local managers and seeking to offer the information, incentives, and capacity they need to respond appropriately. The arrangements are intellectually coherent and offer the prospect of major improvements in the quality of British health care. However, implementation is at an early stage, and some key issues have to be addressed. The various performance management instruments have not yet been properly aligned, and greater conceptual clarity in implementation is required. Performance management will not be fully effective unless adequate capacity—in information, leadership, and managerial resources—is made available.

The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book: A Survival Guide for Managers

Abstract: "1. The Importance of Performance Appraisal 2. Performance Planning 3. Performance Execution 4. Performance Assessment 5. Performance Review 6. The Performance Appraisal Form 7. The Performance Appraisal Process 8. Building Performance Excellence 9. One Final Question"

An “expert witness” perspective on performance appraisal in universities and colleges

Abstract: Effective performance management of professionals in knowledge based organisations has particular significance, but is an under researched area in the literature. Universities and colleges are knowledge based organisations especially dependent on the expertise, commitment and innovation of their staff. The paper analyses performance appraisal systems in universities and colleges with particular emphasis on staff perspectives and expectations. A brief history of performance appraisal in HE and FE is provided and related to issues of power, accountability and control. Academic staff from two business schools, together with a national sample of those teaching performance appraisal within CIPD professional programmes, were constituted as an “expert witness” group and their views sought on performance appraisal in their institutions. These data are used to develop a philosophy of performance appraisal for academic institutions, to assess the acceptability of particular performance criteria to academic staff, and to highlight the importance of staff involvement in appraisal system design.

Performance-related pay and the teaching profession: a review of the literature

Abstract: This paper examines and summarizes research into performance-related pay. It was undertaken as part of the Teachers' Incentive Pay Project, currently in progress at the University of Exeter, which is a study of the introduction of threshold assessment and performance management for teachers in schools in England and Wales. The paper examines research into the effects of pay on employees’ behaviour and considers the claimed benefits and disadvantages of performance-related pay, both generally and with particular reference to the teaching profession. Proponents of performance-related pay claim that it improves the motivation of employees and assists in the recruitment and retention of high quality staff. Disadvantages include: neglect of unrewarded tasks; disagreement about goals; competitiveness; lack of openness about failings; cost and the possibility of demotivating those who are not rewarded. Performance-related pay has long been a feature of teachers' remuneration in the US, where it has usually been ...

Knowledge based performance management system

Abstract: An automated system ( 100 ) and method for knowledge based performance management for an organization. After extracting data from existing narrowly focused systems, mission measures and organization levels are defined for one or more organizations. The elements, factors and risks that contribute to mission measure performance by organization level and organization are systematically defined and stored in a ContextBase using up to six context layers. ContextBase information is extracted for specified combinations of context layers, organization levels and organizations as required to produce complete context frames. The complete context frames are then used by a series of applications for reviewing, analyzing, forecasting, planning and optimizing organization performance.

Measuring health system performance.

Abstract: The improvement of health system performance has become a key policy issue in most developed nations. To that end, many initiatives to measure system performance are being put in place. This paper examines the performance measurement movement from a principal/agent viewpoint. It argues that the effectiveness of performance measurement systems depends on four key factors: the extent to which the chosen performance measures reflect faithfully the objectives of the system, the nature and quality of the data, the incentives for clinicians to scrutinize and act upon the data, and the culture of the organization within which the data are deployed. Although the optimal design of performance measurement systems depends heavily on local factors, they are likely to offer a highly cost-effective instrument for securing major improvements in system performance if properly deployed.

Benchmarking performance management systems

Abstract: The balanced scorecard, with its associated performance management approaches, has become a widely practised and popular management reporting method in recent times Moreover, enabling technology, which assists in the delivery and personalisation of corporate performance information, is having a deeper and more rapid impact than ever before This paper presents a brief comparative benchmarking study of leading enterprise performance management systems Also, discusses the merits of bespoke Internet technology development and out‐of‐the‐box portal functionalities An analysis of key business drivers and implementation risks of such approaches is highlighted via a case study example, and concludes the paper

Web enabled performance measurement systems: Management implications

Abstract: In order to respond proactively to the new emerging challenges, management requires up‐to‐date and accurate information on performance. Such performance measurement systems are still not common because there is not sufficient research focused on management implications of IT enabled performance measurement systems. This paper presents an empirical case study where a fully integrated IT enabled performance measurement system was implemented and its management implications studied. The paper concludes, based on a single case study, that if properly implemented, such systems would promote a proactive management style and greater confidence in management decisions.

Application of the balanced score‐card concept to develop a conceptual framework to measure facilities management performance within NHS facilities

Abstract: This paper discusses the application of the balanced score‐card (BSC) concept as a widely used management framework for optimal measurement of organisational performance within NHS facilities directorates and discusses the fundamental points to cover in its implementation. Thereby, the paper identifies this framework as a strategic measurement and management system for facilities management. BSC formulation within NHS estates and facilities is described as a case study based on a facilities directorate situated in the north west of England, and discussion covers its implementation procedures, evaluation standards and reporting process. The paper further establishes the conceptual framework for performance management for the facilities directorate, as well as consistent techniques useful in undertaking the performance management administration and system oversight functions.

System and method for determining recommended action based on measuring and analyzing store and employee data

Abstract: In a retail business environment, sales employees interact with customers and generate retail sales. Employee skills, product knowledge, and performance are particularly relevant to sales generated, and hence to cash flow. Periodic assessments are typically performed to monitor the progress and growth of the business and to identify areas of strength and flag potential weaknesses. Such assessments typically take the form of sales data outlining generated revenue, for example, gross receipts or the net profit of a particular employee or store. A system for measuring and analyzing performance data including collecting data indicative of performance and analyzing the data to compute an aggregate synopsis of performance of an employee provides quantitative data for providing employee specific feedback and direction to the employee for improving performance. A hypothesis is formed from the aggregate synopsis to determine one or more actions, such as training and skill practice, directed to improving performance. The determined actions are pursued with the employee under evaluation, and a change in the performance as a result of applying the actions is measured. Measurement and analysis is repeated in an iterative manner to continually assess and develop employee skills toward increased performance and hence, increased sales.

Task versus relationship conflict: a meta-analysis.

Abstract: This study provides a meta-analysis of research on the associations between relationship conflict, task conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction. Consistent with past theorizing, re...

Performance Management in Schools: Could the Balanced Scorecard help?

Abstract: 'Performance management', in various guises, and usually in very incomplete forms, has been used in schools in many countries for some considerable time. Recently, partly as a consequence of government policy, more formalised versions of these have been attempted in the UK. Many of these policy initiatives have been met with criticism and resistance--often on the grounds that they poorly reflect the rich complexity of teachers' work. Where performance-related pay has been used as a key element of performance management, one of the major causes of complaint has been that this device distorts the assessment of 'contribution' by focusing attention on too narrow an agenda. It was, in part, to overcome these kinds of reservations about early forms of performance management (and, crucially, performance measurement) in other sectors that the concept of the 'Balanced Scorecard' was developed in the early 1990s. Since that time this tool has been sustained and refined. It is in the course of being extensively appl...