Fitzgerald and Moon’s Building Block Model

Fitzgerald and Moon’s Building Block Model  suggests  the solution of performance measurement problems in service industries. But it can be applied to other manufacturing and retail businesses to evaluate business performance. Fitzgerald and Moon has provided  a framework for performance management in service organization using three criteria, called as  building blocks, they include, standards of performance (against these dimensions are measured to review performance), rewards for performance (rewards are necessary for achieving standards of performance) and  dimensions of performance (these are measures of performance). 1. Standards:  You can think of standards as rules that employees of a company must follow in order to achieve the long term objective of the organization. For the standards to be motivating enough, it must have three important ingredients. These ingredients are; Equity: Performance measures should be equally challenging for all parts of business. Relaxation given to one part of the business leads to perception Continue reading

Guidelines for Effective Performance Appraisals

The performance appraisal requires willingness and a commitment to  focus on improving performance at the level of the individual or team every day.  Like a compass, an ongoing performance appraisal system provides  instantaneous, real-time information that describes the difference between one’s  current and desired course. To practice sound performance appraisal system,  managers must do the same thing-provide timely feedback about performance,  while constantly focusing everyone’s attention on the ultimate objective of  being the best among the competitors in the market. Well-written performance appraisals are among the most effective tools  for developing people. The following guidelines would be used for effective  performance appraisals to significantly increase your team’s effectiveness and  perceived value within your organization. Increase employees comfort level with performance appraisals. At the  beginning of each review period, explain the appraisal process, rating  system, and appraisal form. Agree on performance objectives and  measurements for the upcoming review period. Start thinking Continue reading

Overcoming Challenges to Effective Organizational Performance

The main obstacles to effective organizational performance is already covered in this blog and the ways to overcome them are discussed below. 1. Employees Training and Development The hope is that employees who receive training in line with their individual or organizational goals will become more efficient in what they do. Organizations should look at the positive effects of training on employee performance, and consider employee development as a targeted investment into making the front line worker stronger. More importantly, development plans that include “train-the-trainer” (training that trains employees to become trainers of a skill) can provide exponential benefits to the organization. This training can be anything from how employees can do their own jobs better to these employees being groomed to replace their supervisor. In addition, employees who are invested as a trainer might be further inclined to stay with the organization, and possibly reduce employee turnover. 2. Motivation Continue reading

Introduction to Performance Appraisal

In almost every organization, every employee is subjected to periodic  appraisal of his/her performance. This is highly important if the organization’s  human resource development objectives are to be realized, if the organization  wants to make best use of its human resource available and if the organization  wants to have a scientific and retinal compensation system. An effective  performance appraisal system brings rationality in management. If an  organization wants to maximize its effectiveness then the organization must  have tool by which it can discriminate between an effective employee and not so  effective employee. Today, appraisal is not something of a choice left to the  wishes of the corporate bosses, nor it is a privilege to be enjoyed by few  businesses conglomerates. Therefore, it is a must for every organization for its survival and growth.  The appraisal practices are in somewhere structured and formally sanctioned and  in other instances they are an Continue reading

Major Criteria to Assess the Performance of Employees

The starting point for the performance appraisal process is identifying specific performance goals. An appraisal system probably cannot effectively serve every desired purpose, so management should select the specific goals it believes to be most important and realistically achievable. For example, some firms may want to stress employee development, whereas other organizations may want to focus on pay adjustments. Too many performance appraisal systems fail because management expects too much from one method and does not determine specifically what it wants the system to accomplish. The next step in this ongoing cycle continues with establishing performance criteria (standards) and communicating these performance expectations to those concerned. Then the work is performed and the supervisor appraises the performance. At the end of the appraisal period, the appraiser and the employee together review work performance and evaluate it against established performance standards. This review helps determine how well employees have met these Continue reading

Balanced Scorecard (BSC) – A Strategic Management Tool

In the late 1980s, organisations started realizing that, in order to assess the overall health  and performance of the organisation, it was important to measure and manage non-financial  measures also in addition to the traditional financial measures such as profits,  share values, sales volumes etc. Traditional financial measures are usually the lag  indicators of the business performance and tell the story of the past. They do not provide  any insight into the intangible assets and capabilities that need to be developed in order to  be able to achieve the desired financial results. For example, front-line workers in a  manufacturing set up are far removed from these financial measures and have no idea  about how their day to day work translates into financial results. Thus, financial measures  fail in assessing the intangible value possessed by the organisation or the value it can  create. They can also fail the knowledge based strategies Continue reading