Research Korner: Performance Management and Appraisal

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES (PMS)

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES (PMS) Introduction             Performance Management Schemes/Systems (PMS), otherwise known as performance-based evaluations or performance appraisal, set organizational, departmental (team) and individual objectives followed by a subsequent assessment that ensures objectives are achieved and delivered. As such, PMS are performance or work measurements that align organizational objectives to individual performance.             According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a fully-realised performance management is a holistic process, but for this very reason, such process is complex and capable of being misunderstood (2005).             As Armstrong and Baron put it, performance management is also a strategy that relates organizational endeavors embedded in the context of human resource (HR) policies, culture, style communication systems into the individual performance objectives.             Based on these two definitions, performance management purports on establishing a culture, sharing expectations, creating interrelationships and a joint-holistic-continuous process which also involves planning and measurement (2005).             Such processes and strategies may vary form organisations to organisations. Hence, the degree of perceived complexities and misunderstoodabilities may also vary. In lieu, this paper aims at outlining those organisational mistakes of implementing PMS. Organisational Mistakes in PMS Implementation Mistake 1:  Measurability – subjective vs. objective             Objective measures include hard criteria as sales, units produced, error rate, personnel data, absence rate, turnover and tardiness. In contrast, subjective measures focus on performance measures and their goal is to accurately assess performance. However, organisations tend to be lenient in performance methods to ensure objectivity. Opportunity-biases occur and the performance is modified by the current organisational situation ().             In addition, the organisations must take into account the downstream consequences of selected performance measure, the upstream consistency and the compatibility of measures to skills, capabilities and organisational culture ( 2006 187). Mistake 2: Lack of organisational support (2004)             Organisational support includes basic work conditions, resources, facilities and inputs from internal customers among others. As part of PMS, such factors must enable individual employees to do better and deliver expected results. The need for these employees to do such, one must have competencies, motivation and organisational support. If these support mechanisms does not exist in the organisation, the organisation cannot expect to implement an effective PMS and to arrive at desirable results. Mistake 3: Lack of competencies of leaders and HR employees              and  said that “within an organisation of reasonable size, one can expect a personnel function”. And, organisations would not pay leaders “that pay good behaviour in fishes. Leaders must teach their respective teams how to fish and create a corporate culture grounded in reality.” As such, leaders are also accountable for the success of the PMS so, they must be also competent in order to teach competency towards the team.             Further, relates that “the biggest bottleneck in PMS implementation lies on the competencies and incompetencies of the HR department”. The business sense and the involvement within the main business must be understood and lived-by by the HR employees (2004). As overseers, they are the ones who must understood the competitiveness and the organisation’s purpose more before they can make everybody else follows and do the same. This initiative will reflect in PMS.            Mistake 4: Misalignment – organizational goals vs. individual goals             All efforts must align according to the purpose and objectives of the organisation. Mission, vision, goals and organisational strategies must be defined and clearly understood at all levels. In particular, the individual tasks must contribute to overall plans of the organisation and, in return, plans should create performance standards such as quantity, quality, time and cost. These standards should then be translated into performance for each (). Moreover, misalignment puts excessive pressures on the top management, though, it also identify the maturity level of the organisation (2004) once reflected in the PMS.   Mistake 5: Lack of employee involvement             Most Irish organisations are engaged in dualistic strategies based on direct management control (1999). The partnership-based approach (or mutual gains) towards collective initiatives strengthens direct employee involvement (1999). Such involvement is directly correlational to unionization which gives employees the power to voice their concerns which also motivates them in engaging in a more responsive workplace. Declining memberships and declining union power placed ‘strategic dilemmas’ for the employers (1999) which, in effect, demoralized the employees as union members. If PMS does not understand this stance, it is impossible for them to design an effective PMS. Mistake 6: Improper PMS             There are considerations in choice of a schema as: cost, usefulness in employee development, usefulness in administrative decisions and validity (). Evidently, the pre-implementation plan is critical; however, most companies fail to design a customised scheme. Most employers and HR employees seem to overlook and undermine the importance of this stage. They fail to answer the who, the why and the how.             In addition, improper PMS is also evident in standard-setting, appraisal method and the ‘kindergarten report card’. Performance standards must be set according to the level of expertise. A lot of times, though, HR managers summarise performance in a quick, easy way for fast completion which likely creates employee hostility rather than improvement. The managers also rates employees base on numeric scales then get the average performance rating that supposed to mean something (). Mistake 7: Skipping a significant process             The scheme must include planning, monitoring, developing, reviewing and rewarding (.  said that the concept of management-by-objectives (MBO) involves all the managers in a strategic planning process since planning improves the implementability of the plan (1954). In addition, PMS must be set on a daily basis in order to provide feedback, to coach and to adjust the goals whenever necessary. Discussions and documentation must be also in placed. Then, monetary and/or non-monetary rewards and recognition must follow (). If an organisation will fail to do so, in essence, the organisation might jeopardize individual, team and organisational growth and might sacrifice the credibility of the HR functions. PMS processes also confirm that the organisation is speaking the same strategic language (2003). Mistake 8: Conflicting interests             Organisations seek informations to improve systems and on which to base rewards. On the other hand, employees seek valid performance feedback and extrinsic rewards. These conflicts are anathema to the requirements of an effective PMS as relevance to job performance, distinguishing high and low performance and fairness and acceptability. Moreover, the organisation’s measures, standards and methods might increase the conflict within the workplace ().             A more densed conflict arises regarding the internationalisation initiatives of Irish organisations. Contemporary trends and labour changes implicate HR functions including employee attraction and retention, job design, employee motivation, reward systems and employee relations ().    Mistake 9: Disrupts existing systems ()             Often than not, organisations are generally inclined at decision-making without consensus-building. More particularly, the Progressive Disciplinary Systems subject poor performers in an unlikely and shameful situation. Some organisations directly converge into disciplinary lay-offs when it should be motivation and counseling first. Then verbal or written reprimand may follow if counseling won’t work. Another, organisations tend to lose respect for confidentiality. Mistake 10: Lack of communication             As a continuous and holistic cycle, before during and after the implementation communication must be extensive. Communication must also purport the timeframe for the PMS cycle, instructions for the supervisor and the employees and tie to other systems and support available (Gautam). In connection, open-line communications allow clarifications of roles, expectations and responsibilities as well as employee contributions to the organisations (1999). Conclusion             A PMS is an important part of organisational goal-setting and decision-making. PMS also supports the role of creating a positive employee relations environment (2006). However, some companies fail to properly integrate PMS in their HR strategies and processes without realizing that it can have serious financial and administrative implications.                Internally, organisations must first assess current status of the organisation as a whole before it engage in a PMS to avoid costly mistakes. The organisations must know its capabilities to hold and support a performance management schema at all levels. Internally, organisational priorities must be set first to avoid stakeholders’ conflict of interest and to align individual priorities within the performance management process. The schema that will be implemented must be measurable and valid. The PMS must consider consequences and compatibility within the organisation, the culture and the employees. In addition, organisational support, top-management competency, employee engagement and communication are crucial elements of a successful PMS. As a holistic process, the management, most specially, the HR department and the employees must proactively and responsively engage. Support and communication in an organisation-wide effort must be always present and information and messages must be horizontally and vertically integrated.  once said that performance management is “a deadly disease in organisations”. Indeed. If PMS is not carried-out accordingly and if the process does not put the employment relations at the core of the schema, organisations will never prove to be productive, effective and efficient performance-wise.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES (PMS)

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES (PMS) Introduction Performance Management Schemes/Systems (PMS), otherwise known as perfor...

The aggressive growth strategy of Hewlett Packard

Introduction             Globalization has opened doors of opportunities for companies and organizations to explore markets beyond their home countries. Because of globalization and increase in mobility, these companies are able to enter new markets and to offer their products and services to new customers. This paper focuses on a multinational company and its performance management strategy concerning expatriates or international assignees. This paper discusses the different challenges and problems in managing the performance of international assignees, analyzing the different areas in international performance management. Recommendations to make international performance management more effective are also presented.             In order to start the discussion and to provide a foundation for the paper let us briefly discuss international human resource management (IHRM). International Human Resource Management is the process of procuring, allocating and affectively utilizing human resources in a multinational corporation.  HMM managers in multinational corporations need to achieve two somewhat conflicting goals. First, they must integrate HRM policies and practices across a number of subsidiaries in different countries so that overall corporate objectives can be achieved. At the same time, the approach to HRM must be sufficiently flexible to allow for significant differences in the types of HRM policies and practices that are most effective in different business and cultural settings ( 2002).             Compared to domestic HRM, IHRM requires a much extensive perspective on even the most common HRM activities. IHRM personnel must deal with issues such as international taxation; international relocation and orientation; various other administrative services for expatriates; selecting, training and appraising local and international employees; and managing host-government relations. In the subsidiary level, the HRM personnel are more involved in the employees’ personal lives ( 2008). Subsidiary HRM personnel often arrange housing, health care, transportation, education, and recreational activities for both expatriate and local employees. IHRM activities are also affected by more external forces than are domestic HRM activities. Subsidiary HRM personnel may have to deal with government ministers, other political figures, and a greater variety of social and economic interest groups than would normally encountered in purely domestic HRM ( 2002).   The International Assignee             For the purpose of this report, we will call an international assignee an expatriate. An expatriate is defined as citizens of the country of the headquarters of the multinational firm and employed by the firm in the country of its headquarters that is transferred or assigned to another country, to work in a foreign subsidiary or other type of operation of the multinational firm for more than one year (2004).             The expatriate or international assignee needs to develop and use the competencies necessary for any managerial assignment. But in addition to these capabilities, they must also develop the following: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Ability to manage an international business and all the complexities that it entails</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Ability to manage a workforce with cultural and subcultural differences</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Ability to plan for, and conceptualize, the dynamic of a complex, multinational environment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Being more open-minded about alternative methods for solving problems</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Being more flexible in dealing with people and systems</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Understanding and managing the interdependencies among the firm’s domestic and foreign operations (2004)</li> </ul>     International Performance Management             Performance management is defined as the integration of performance appraisal systems with broader HRM systems as a means of aligning employee’s work behaviors with the organizations goals. Thus, a performance management system consists of the processes used to identify, encourage, measure, evaluate, improve, and reward employee performance at work (2002). Performance management helps organizations sustain or improve performance, promote greater consistency in performance evaluation, and provide high-quality feedback. Performance management helps organizations link evaluations to employee development and to a merit-based compensation plan. Moreover, it form a basis for coaching and counseling, permits individual input during the evaluation process, and allows for a blend of qualitative and quantitative expectations of job demands and factors that reveal how well the job is done ( 2000).             In the international level performance management entails more challenges. Basically, international performance is employed to monitor performance and ensure conformance to agreed standards. International performance management is the process that enables multinational companies to evaluate, and continuously improve individual and corporate performance against preset goals and targets (2005).   Effective Performance Management for Expatriates             International performance management is a designed, implemented and evaluated intervention of a multinational company for the purpose of managing performance of its global workforce so that performance (at the individual, team, and organizational level) contributes to the attainment of strategic objectives and results in overall multinational company desired performance.             Organizations develop performance management systems for a number of reasons, but primarily for evaluation and development. These purposes are much the same for domestic and international operations. The major difference is that implementation of these goals is much more difficult in the global arena. An effective international performance management achieves the following goals: Evaluating Goals <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To provide feedback to managers so they will know where they stand</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To develop valid data for pay, promotion, and job assignment decisions, and to provide a means of communicating these decisions</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To help management in making discharge and retention decisions and to provide a means of warning employees about unsatisfactory performance</li> </ul>   Development Goals <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To help managers improve their performance and develop future potential</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To develop commitment to the company through discussion of career opportunities and career planning with the manager</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To diagnose individual and organizational problems</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">To identify individual training and development needs</li> </ul>   Company Background             Hewlett-Packard (HP) is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span from IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. The HP Way             The HP values, written by David Packard in 1989 are the centerpiece of the Hewlett-Packard Way. The HP values are not uniquely different from most large companies. What sets the HP values and the HP way apart is the seriousness with which values are treated as management tool. The central element in all activities in Hewlett Packard is the ‘HP Way’, a set of beliefs, objectives and guiding principles, and described by Bill Hewlett as the policies and actions that flow from the belief that men and women want to do a good job, a creative job, and that if they are provided with the proper environment they will do so. It is the tradition of treating every individual with respect and recognizing personal achievements ( 1982 cited in  2001). The HP Way is probably best illustrated from a number of words and concepts. These are love of the product, love of the customer, innovation, quality, open communication, commitment to people, trust, confidence, informality, teamwork, sharing, openness, autonomy, responsibility (2001). The HP Way at Subsidiary Level             The aggressive growth strategy of Hewlett Packard has led to its entrance to different markets around the world. As a market entry mode, the company used subsidiaries. The values of the HP Way is transferred to these subsidiaries. The HP Way serves as general guideline or ethic for working at HP to ensure that foreign work processes can be adapted into the HP subsidiaries while maintaining the HP Way. Performance Appraisal at Hewlett Packard             The activities of HP employees were guided by a comprehensive system of management by objectives (MBO). It began with the establishment of long- and short-range objectives derived from company and group objectives. At each company level, overall objectives were communicated and subunit objectives were negotiated. Objectives were goals and provided much freedom in how the goals would be accomplished. The goals were made to interconnect horizontally and vertically throughout HP. The entire MBO process was part of annual tactical and strategic planning that defined a job’s objective and major responsibilities and performance measures. Although MBO was initiated from the top, the accustomed nature of the MBO planning cycle provided ample opportunity for individual initiative and influence in setting overall objectives. Employees were expected to suggest ways they could help attain the unit’s goals in order to create individual accountability             In an MBO system an employee meets with his or her manager, and they collectively set goals for the employer for a coming period of time. These goals are usually quantifiable, they are objective, and they are usually written. During the specified timeframe, the manager and the employee periodically meet to review the employee’s performance relative to attaining goals. At the end of the specified period, a more formal meeting is scheduled in which the manager and employee assess the actual degree of goal attainment. The degree of goal attainment then becomes the individual’s performance appraisal ( 2002).             HP combined MBO with the paired-comparison approach. The paired comparison approach, according to  (2002), measures the relative performance of employees in a group. A manager lists the employees in the group and then ranks them  HP managers invested considerable time and energy ensuring that an individual’s pay level within their salary range reflected their performance when compared to others. Performance was judged by the immediate supervisor but adjusted based on a ranking process, conducted by managers in face-to-face meetings, which compared employees in different departments with similar responsibilities. International Performance Management at HP             The adoption of the HP Way by overseas subsidiaries entails that the HP Performance Management be employed in these organizations. These companies use both MBO and Paired-Comparison methods in appraising expatriate performance. Expatriates report and are appraised by the host-country managers who in turn report to the parent company.   Issues and Problems with the Current Performance Management 1. Invalid Performance Criteria             International assignees often receive inappropriate performance appraisals because the performance criteria common in their countries are applied to expatriates even though those criteria might not make sense in the foreign culture. In the case of Hewlett-Packard, the performance appraisal criteria that are being employed in the headquarters are also being used overseas. This causes problems because the performance appraisal criteria were designed without considering the external factors that may affect performance in international settings. There is a need for the company to construct criteria for evaluation according the subsidiary’s unique situation. 2. Inadequate Rater Training             One problem that coincides with invalid performance criteria is inadequate rater training. Performance raters from the headquarters are not properly trained and are not sufficiently educated on the different factors that affect performance in the subsidiary setting. In the home country setting, managers are evaluated by bosses with whom they have significant amount of interaction and with whom they work closely. Problems arise in the subsidiary level because many home-country top executives who complete expatriate’s appraisals lack information about the cultural, social and business contexts in which the work is performed. 3. Rater Bias             In cases, where performance appraisal is done by host-country managers, problems arise because of rater bias. Individuals from different culture consistently misinterpret each others’ behaviors, possibly basing the appraisals. At times, these misinterpretations will be based on a preconceived attitude on the part of the rater, that is, based on some characteristics of the international assignee that is not directly related to the performance under review. 4. Host Environment             The environment in the foreign setting is of primary importance. The international context, with its differing societal, legal, economic, technical and physical demands, in a major determinant of international assignee performance. Consequently, international assignee performance and performance expectations need to be placed within its international as well as its organizational contexts.   Recommendations 1. Criteria for Appraising International Assignees             The performance criteria must be structured with consideration to different factors that affect performance in the subsidiary level. An example of the list of  criteria that can be included in the performance appraisal is presented below: Qualifications <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Training</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Experience</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Technical Skills</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Social and Language Skills</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Education</li> </ul> Targets <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Directly derived from the parent company’s objectives</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Directly derived from the subsidiary’s objectives</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Directly derived from local objectives</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Developmental goals</li> </ul> Attitude for <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Flexibility</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Interpersonal understanding and communication skills</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Ability to cope with the stress of the assignment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Openness to change</li> </ul> Job Performance <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Result areas; development of local team</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Communication and decision making</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Personal growth and development</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Application of expertise</li> </ul> 2. Rater Training and Employee Education             One approach to performance appraisal training is to alert managers to common errors of judgment so they can spot them in how they evaluate others and guard against them. Appraisal methods that have clear performance dimensions are likely to reduce rating errors ( 1997). For any appraisal system to be effective, training must focus on helping managers develop specific skills and confidence in their ability to effectively evaluate others. These skills should include goal setting, communicating performance standards, observing subordinate performance, coaching, giving feedback, completing the rating form, and conducting appraisal review. Appraisals without training is a sure route to ineffectiveness, frustration and dissatisfaction. It is also important to make employees understand the appraisal system. Everyone in the organization needs to understand why appraisals are being conducted and how the system operates. The more clearly stated the organization's purpose for appraisals, the less confusion and ambiguity surrounding the process. The goal should be that everyone knows why you are conducting appraisals ( 1992). 3. Clear Performance Appraisal Goals and Objectives             There is no single best way of designing and implementing performance management systems. What works in one organization might fail in another. However, based on the experience of a wide range of organizations tend to point out that effective performance management systems have the following characteristics (2001): <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The performance management system has clear aims and measurable success criteria.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Employees are involved in the design and implementation of the system.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The system is simple to understand and operate.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Effective use of the performance management system is at the core of manager’s performance goals.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The system allows employees a clear ‘line of sight’ between their performance goals and those of the organization.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The system focuses on role clarity and performance improvement.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The focus on performance improvement is closely linked to an adequately resourced training and development infrastructure.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The purpose of any direct link between the performance management system and employee rewards is made crystal clear, and proper equity and transparency safeguards are built in.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The performance management system is regularly and openly reviewed against its one success criteria. </li> </ul> Performance appraisal must be free from bias and discrimination. The key is not which form or which method is used but whether managers and employees understand its purpose. An effective performance management system according to  (2002) will be: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Consistent with strategic mission of the organization</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Beneficial as a development tool</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Useful as an administrative tool</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Legal and job-related</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Viewed as generally fair by employees</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Useful in documenting employee performance</li> </ul> 4. Cultural and Social Training for Expatriates and Raters             The raters and the expatriates must be properly trained in the areas of culture and society of the host-country subsidiary in order to deal with the different cultural and social issues that may affect the performance management of international assignees. Training and development programs that prepare employees for working internationally typically include: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="square"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Language Training – Includes not only learning the language of the host country but also how the people think and act in relations with others</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Cross-Cultural Training – Includes understanding one’s own cultural conditioning, understanding cultural differences, and understanding work attitudes and motivations in other cultures</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Assessing and Tracking Career Development – Includes maximizing the career benefits of foreign assignments and repatriation</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Managing personal and family life in the form of culture shock ( 2002)</li> </ul>   Conclusion             International Human Resource Management deals with human resources issues on a different level. Compared to domestic HRM, IHRM requires more planning and there are more factors to consider and to analyze. One of the aspects of IHRM which needs attention from HR professionals is International Performance Management (IPM). Effective IPM requires careful analysis of the parent company’s visions and goals and deep understanding of the environment in which subsidiary operates.  The case of Hewlett-Packard presented different issues and problems that a multinational company faces in managing expatriate performance. These problems and issues are invalid performance criteria, inadequate rater training, rater bias, host environment. Most of these are also being experienced in the parent company, however the problems faced by subsidiaries are more complicated. In order to deal with this, the parent company and the subsidiary must work together in creating a clearer criteria for appraising international assignees, training raters and educating employees, creating clearer performance appraisal goals and objectives, and conducting cultural and social training for expatriates and raters.

The aggressive growth strategy of Hewlett Packard

Introduction Globalization has opened doors of opportunities for companies and organizations to explore markets beyond their ...

Case Study of McKesson Corporation

Case Study of McKesson Corporation Description of the company’s performance McKesson Corporation is one of the leading providers of health care products and services. When it comes to analyzing the external environment; the political, economic, social, technological (PEST) analysis shows that the environmental situation is favorable for the company. The environmental factors are giving the company a chance to succeed in its endeavor. In politics there is no direct problem that might affect the company. In terms of economy the company might experience growth and prosperity in this field. In terms of society people have to buy health products thus the company may find this beneficial for them. In terms of technology the industry tends to be improving and because of this the new advancing technology can help the McKesson lessen its production cost and acquire more profits.   When it comes to revenues McKesson is acquiring some success. In 1996 the revenue of the company was at $12,964.8, it increased to $15,710.8 the following year. The company experienced more significant increase in 1998 when the company registered revenues of $ 20,857.3.In analyzing the internal environment SWOT analysis can be used. In the swot analysis of the company its strength is the presence of a clear goal, the weakness of the company is the lack of information on health care they give to clients, the opportunity for the company is the merger with HBOC, the threat for the company is HBOC as a separate identity. Through the analysis of the internal and external environments added with the revenues the company acquired it can be said that the company is doing well and will continue to perform well as long as it tries to make the right decisions on merging with HBOC and improve the weakness it has and counter the threats it may face. To continue the success of the revenue the company has to improve the products and services it offers these results in more consumers for the company and then higher revenues.

Case Study of McKesson Corporation

Case Study of McKesson Corporation Description of the company’s performance McKesson Corporation is one of the leading providers of he...

Improving Organizational Performance through Transition to

Introduction Performance improvement has evolved over the past year training, to human resources development, to human performance improvement and to the most recent which is workplace learning and performance. Training focused on providing employees with new or additional knowledge and skills to improve their performance of job requirements (Rothwell, Sanders, and Soper 1999). Early studies helped to define trainer roles (Kenny 1976; Lippit and Nadler 1967; McLagan 1983; Nadler 1962; Pinto and Walker 1978; U.S. Civil Service Commission Studies 1973, 1976).   While, human resources development (HRD), "integrated the use of training and development, organization development, and career development to improve individual, group, and organizational effectiveness" (McLagan and Suhadolnick, 1989). Human resource development went beyond training to include organization and career development. Nine major competency studies (Chalofsky and Lincoln, 1983; Gilley 1998; Harris and DeSimone, 1994; Kenny, 1982; Nadler and Nadler 1989) were conducted between 1970 and 1989 that helped shape the HRD field (Gilley and Eggland, 1989).   According to Rothwell (1996), human performance improvement (HPI), however, required everyone in an organization to contribute to improving performance and enhancing organizational competitiveness. Human performance improvement recognized that the trainers themselves could no longer solely determine the role of trainers. Human performance improvement required a shared responsibility, among HRD practitioners, management, and non-management employees, for improving organizational performance.   And lastly, the most recent which is workplace learning and performance (WLP), requires the combined talents of many organizational members from various disciplines to improve human performance. Workplace learning and performance is "the integrated use of learning and other interventions for the purpose of improving human performance and addressing individual and organizational needs. It uses a systematic process of analyzing and responding to individual, group, and organizational performance issues. Workplace learning and performance creates positive, progressive change within organizations by balancing human, ethical, technological, and operational considerations" (Rothwell, Sanders, and Soper, 1999).   Organizations are in a constant state of change, requiring a workforce that is not only prepared to adjust quickly to the changing environment but to simultaneously maintain or improve overall organizational performance. Over the years, organizations have implemented a variety of major organizational-improvement techniques, including total quality management/continuous quality improvement (TQM/CQI), zero-based budgeting, management by objectives, reengineering, and, most recently six sigma.   In addition, Hammer (2004) argued that "operations can often be the foundation of strategy and the basis for superior performance." Improving processes with the goal of enhancing the firm's competitive position requires an analysis of both construction and performance processes and also a critical assessment of how individual processes contribute to the firm's business model and strategy. This paper attempts to develop a work plan on the improvement of organization performance through the transition to a process view of management.   Goals 1.      Develop a clear set of organizational improvement objectives, complete with time lines, budget, and responsible parties. 2.       Organize a steering committee to facilitate the transition to organizational improvement. The steering committee should include skilled persons appropriate for their responsibilities. Committee members should have the authority to make changes and start projects, within the established time lines and budget. Part of the control process for the steering committee is to establish key measures of performance so progress can be gauged. 3.      Describe any needed structural changes, such as development of teams, and develop a timetable for achieving the structural changes. 4.      Communicate about transition activities to employees at every level throughout the organization, and celebrate when goals are met. Objectives 1.      To improve organizational performance 2.      To increase productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the organization   Requirements Requirements are needed to be considered when working on a work plan for organizational performance improvement. Considerable effort is required to train employees to use organizational-improvement techniques. Some employers routinely build training into employees' schedules and count training as productive time. Motorola, for example, requires managers to receive 40 hours of training per year. In other organizations, productivity may decline during the time employees are being trained. For any organizational-improvement method to work, managers need to plan carefully for the time and resources needed for training and for maintaining productivity. Training and education constitute most of the resource allocations for massive change efforts such as TQM/CQI, a well-known and long-lived organizational transformation methodology. Changing an organization's culture is a slow process, during which the organization requires additional resources to accomplish the research and the education needed. In addition, organizations also need to recognize that change management requires considerable money and time. If employees receive only a one-time exposure to the new ideas or new methods, the result will be that employees who have not mastered the necessary skills will become stressed and burned out because of the increased expectations, and the work processes may deteriorate instead of improve. Moreover, implementing process improvement requires careful planning. Implementing process management faces several significant challenges. First, process management requires structural changes that enable a business to operate around processes instead of functions. For example, process management often uses both technology and cross-functional teams to integrate activities that span traditional functional boundaries. Second, the rapid changes associated with moving to a process management environment often require workers to adapt. Pressure to improve and change the status quo can result in constant tension among individual workers. Finally, process management requires knowledgeable individuals who are able to manage in the increasingly complex process-oriented environment.     Team Members Involvement Employee participation is among the more popular strategies touted to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of companies. Its advocates claim that empowerment can increase employee satisfaction, boost employee morale and motivation, enhance organizational performance and effectiveness, and facilitate greater acceptance by employees of organizational change. In order for the work plan to be at its success, it is important to encourage extensive employee participation. To do this, employee empowerment is encouraged. Employees should be given an active involvement in their work. They should be given a greater responsibility in their workplace. According to Sashkin (1984, 1986), majority of the employees wish to become actively involved in their work, desire and have the ability, knowledge and expertise to assume greater responsibility in their workplace and can make significant contribution to their organizations; seek to fulfill many of their psychological needs through their work; and management participative management stimulates employee enthusiasm and willingness to carry out decisions in which they have been involved. It is evidently seen in the most of the organizations that encouraging employee participation satisfies employee’s inner needs and serves as motivating vehicle resulting in greater productivity, effectiveness and commitment in the organization. This may also result to a greater acceptance of employees to organizational change. In addition, organizations should provide with greater intrinsic rewards from work than do traditional forms of management. These greater rewards from work increase job satisfaction and, in turn, increase employees' motivation to achieve new production goals (Miller and Monge, 1986; Hammer, 1988). Moreover, it has also been proposed that giving workers access to management information increases mutual trust and commitment to organizational goals (Hammer, 1988). Hence, employee-supervisor relations improve (Cooke, 1990a), employees are willing to be more flexible regarding changes in human resource policies (Delaney et al., 1993), and employees are more inclined to channel their power in positive ways than they otherwise would be (Strauss, 1990).   Transition to Process View of Management A process is any activity or group of activities that takes an input, adds value to it, and provides an output. The product or service that a process delivers may be tangible or intangible. Management processes such as strategic planning and labor relations influence customer and administrative processes on both a long term and day-to-day basis. Anupindi, et al. (2006) defined four key features of any process: predictable and definable inputs, a linear, logical sequence or flow, a set of clearly definable tasks or activities, and a predictable and desired outcome or result. Almost all processes involved in delivering products and services to customers are of this type. It becomes clear that superior operational performance most often hinges on the capabilities of cross-functional processes that involve two or more departments. This aspect of process management is worth noting in light of the success of six sigma projects that have been fairly limited to activities within one functional unit (Hammer, 2002). Rummier and Brache (1990) described the key aspects of managing this process capability as: ·         Establishing sub goals for each critical process which drives functional goals ·         Obtaining feedback on process outputs to track performance, provide feedback, and reset goals to current requirements ·         Providing resources to support each individual process goal and its contribution to the overall process ·         Managing the "white space" between process steps, or hand-offs between functions. In describing this important element of managing process capability, Duck (1993) states that "the critical task is understanding how pieces balance one another, how changing one element changes the rest, how sequencing and pace affect the whole structure." Only a comprehensive organization-wide view of managing processes can achieve this understanding. Rothwell, Sanders, and Soper (1999) identified seven roles which include: (1) manager, (2) analyst, (3) intervention selector, (4) intervention designer and developer, (5) intervention implementor, (6) change leader, and (7) evaluator. These roles are the key to the success of the work plan since a person in the organization would be given a specific function. A role represents "a grouping of competencies targeted to meet specific expectations of a job or function" (Rothwell, Sanders, and Soper, 1999, 43). Role theory developed from the earliest analyses of behavior at work and served as the impetus for the identification and development of motivation theories, which are some of the means to determine why individuals act the way they do at work. Motivation theorists argued that individuals behave in a prescribed manner for a number of reasons. Expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964) suggested that expected behavior was the result of a valued outcome, which is the attractiveness or value of rewards to an individual for practicing behaviors expected by an employer. Goal theory (Locke, 1968) argued that an employee's behavior was based on his or her desire to achieve personal goals, assuming that the goals were clear, specific, and attainable. According to Pfeffer (1982), individual job behavior stemmed from the combination of work desired by an organization and the values, goals, and needs of the individual. Role theory identifies what individuals might do based on motivational conditions. Katz and Kahn (1978) attributed roles and role behaviors to the relationship between an organization's structure and its supporting environment. Role theory suggested that if an organizational structure supported role behaviors, the desired roles or inputs most likely will create the desired outputs. Table 1. Roles and Function Role Function Manager Plans, organizes, schedules or monitor, and leads the work of individuals and groups to attain desired results; facilitates the strategic plan; ensures that workplace learning and performance is aligned with organizational needs and plans; and ensures the accomplishment of the administrative requirements of the function. Analyst Troubleshooters and isolates the causes of human performance gaps or identifies areas for improving performance Intervention Selector Chooses appropriate interventions to address root causes of human performance gaps Intervention designer and developer Creates learning and other interventions that help to address the specific root causes of human performance gap Intervention implementor Ensures the appropriate and effective implementation of  desired interventions that address the specific root causes of human gaps Change leader Inspires the workforce to embrace change, creates direction for the change effort, helps the organization’s workforce to adapt to change, and ensures that intervention s are continuously monitored and guided in ways consistent with stakeholders’ desired results. Evaluator Assesses the impact of interventions and provides participants and stakeholders with information about how well interventions are implemented   In addition, Harrington (1991) proposes a basic five-phase approach to be successful in process improvement. These are organizing for improvement, understanding the process, streamlining, measurement and control, and continuous improvement. Tennor and DeTorro (1992) discuss three skill and knowledge sets that individuals need to succeed at process improvement. These include job knowledge, team skills, and process analysis skills. Job knowledge describes what and how to do a task or activity. Teams skills are describe as being able to function and interact in a group or team environment to enhance overall performance of the system. Process analysis skills is described as being able to measure and analyze processes, determine the effects of changes on those processes, and implement an improvement model. Any approach that fails to ensure these skills are in place will surely fail to improve organizational performance. However, education and training alone do not guarantee success. Gilbert (1978) presents six categories of potential causes for deficiencies in performance: data, resources, incentives and rewards, skills and knowledge, capacities, and motives. The first three are generally provided by management. Individuals must have relevant data that can be transformed into useful information to conduct their work. Resources such as appropriate tools and equipment are needed. Incentives and rewards that reinforce behavior and support the organization's goals are a must. Education and training, however, affect both the fourth and sixth causes of performance deficiency. This is due to a lack of training in the essentials of process analysis, education in viewing work as processes, and education in decision-making directed at improving processes. Appropriate training and education can overcome a lack of motivation for individuals to change the way things are done and reduce the fear of failure. Finally, overcoming the fifth deficiency, the capacity of individuals, involves matching specific individuals' abilities with job requirements.                                   References   Anupindi, R., Chopra, S., Deshmukh S.D., Van Mieghem, J.A., and Zemel, E. (2006). Managing business process plows. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Chalofsky, N. E., and C. I. Lincoln. (1983). Up the HRD Ladder: A Guide for Professional Growth. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Cooke, William N. (1990a). "Factors Influencing the Effect of Joint Union-Management Programs on Employee-Supervisor Relations." Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 43, No. 5 (July), pp. 597-603. Delaney, John, Jack Fiorito, Paul Jarley, and Susan Schwochau. (1993). "Employee Cooperation Program Structures and Organizational Flexibility." Unpublished paper, University of Iow Duck, J. D. (1993). Managing change: The art of balancing. Harvard Business Review, 71(6), 109-118. Gilbert, T. F. (1978). Human Competence. New York: McGraw-Hill. Gilley, J. W. (1998). Improving HRD Practice. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company. Gilley, J. W., and S. A. Eggland. (1989). Principles of Human Resource Development. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Hammer, M. (2002). Process management and the future of six sigma. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(4), 26-32. Hammer, M (2004). Deep change: How operation innovation can transform your company. Harvard Business Review, 82(4), 85-93. Hammer, Tove H. 1988. "New Developments in Profit Sharing, Gainsharing, and Employee Ownership." In John P. Campbell and Richard J. Campbell, eds., Productivity in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 328-66. Harrington, H. J. (1991). Business Process Improvement. New York: McGraw-Hill. Harris, D. M., and R. L. DeSimone. 1994. Human Resource Development. Fort Worth, TX: The Dryden Press. Katz, D., and R. L. Kahn. (1978). The Social Psychology of Organizations, 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Kenny, J. B. (1976). "Core Competencies for Trainers." Canadian Training Methods (special issue): i-xvi. Kenny, J. B. (1982). "Competency Analysis for Trainers: A Model for Professionalization." Training and Development Journal 36 (5): 142-48. Lippitt, G. L., and L. Nadler. (1967). "Emerging Roles of the Training Director: Is Training Sufficiently Creative and Innovative to Serve Its Full Purpose?" Training and Development Journal 21 (8): 2-10. Locke, E. A. (1968). "Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives." Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 3: 157-89. McLagan, P. A. (1983). Models for Excellence. Washington, DC: The American Society for Training and Development. McLagan, P. A., and D. Suhadolnick. (1989). The Models for HRD Practice: The Research Report. Alexandria, VA: The American Society for Training and Development. Miller, Katherine I., and Peter R. Monge. (1986). Participation, Satisfaction, and Productivity: A Meta-Analytic Review." Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4 (December), pp. 727-53. Nadler, L. (1962). "A Study of the Needs of Selected Training Directors in Pennsylvania Which Might Be Met by Professional Education Institutions." Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms. Nadler, L., and Z. Nadler. (1989). Developing Human Resources, 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Pfeffer, J. (1982). Organizations and Organizational Theory. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing Inc. Pinto, P. R., and J. W. Walker. (1978). "What Do Training and Development Professionals Really Do?" Training and Development Journal 32 (7): 58-64. Rothwell, W. J. (1996). The ASTD Models for Human Performance Improvement: Role, Competencies, and Outputs. Alexandria, VA: The American Society for Training and Development. Rothwell, W. J., E. S. Sanders, and J. G. Soper. (1999). The ASTD Models for Workplace Learning and Performance: Roles, Competencies, and Outputs. Alexandria, VA: The American Society for Training and Development. Rummler, G. A., and Brache, A. P. (1990). Improving performance: How to manage the white space on the organization chart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Sashkin, M. (1984). Participative management is an ethical imperative. Organizational Dynamics, 12, 5-22. Sashkin, M. (1986). Participative management remains an ethical imperative. Organizational Dynamics, 14, 62-75. Strauss, George. 1990. "Participatory and Gain Sharing Systems: History and Hope." In Myron J. Roomkin, ed., Profit Sharing and Gain Sharing. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, pp. 1-45. Tenner, A. R., and DeToro, I. J. (1992). Total Quality Management: Three Steps to Continuous Improvement. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley U.S. Civil Service Commission. (1973). Disincentives to Effective Employee Training and Development. Washington, DC: U.S. Civil Service Commission, Bureau of Training, Training Management Division. U.S. Civil Service Commission. (1976). The Employee Development Specialist Curriculum Plan: An Outline of Learning Experiences for the Employee Development Specialist. Washington, DC: U.S. Civil Service Commission, Bureau of Training, Training Management Division. Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and Motivation. New York: John Wiley

Improving Organizational Performance through Transition to

Introduction Performance improvement has evolved over the past year training, to human resources development, to human performance impr...

Critically analyse the role of the principal in staff development and staff appraisal.

THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL IN STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND APPRAISAL           INTRODUCTION                 Every organization needs a leader. The leader basically orchestrates all the activities and efforts of the members of the organization towards the fulfillment of an ultimate purpose. Schools and academic institutions are not exempted from the leadership requirement. Schools are organizations which handle one of the most meaningful functions in society - teaching people so that they would become productive members of the community. This crucial responsibility necessitates competent leadership that would direct equally competent staff and produce knowledgeable individuals.             The academic environment today is not spared from the influences of globalization. Effective schools of the modern world have to be changing and evolving to suit the needs of the staff, students and the society at large. In order to do this, all the authorities of the school have to be aware of their changing roles. Flexibility and continuous improvement should be the mindset. According to  (1995) school improvement requires the principal to be enthusiastic and capable of developing a culture where the staff would adopt a mission to modify practices, values and knowledge toward a fruitful end. Two important roles connected to this requirement is staff development and staff appraisal. THE ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL IN STAFF DEVELOPMENT AT SCHOOL                 The key role of school principals is to advance organizational development through staff empowerment and professional growth. They are to put in place and maintain staff management practices that motivate and support a high level of personnel commitment and teaching performance (1998).                 Staff development in school is a process that poses certain expected actions and behaviors from the principal. First, the principal must be a “director”. He must have foresight of the future. He should know what he wants his school to accomplish, how it should be accomplished and what the staff needs to accomplish it. As a director, the principal must conceptualize a “vision” or a defined “end” for all staff performance. This role is founded on the fact that a school without a clear vision or purpose would not be able to acquire any determined direction. The vision must be formulated based on the needs of the students and the staff. Thus, the workability of the vision would only be secured if the principal is able to share it with the staff, student body and the entire school community through solicitation of ideas on a realistic and sincere vision that the school would adopt. The vision must be accompanied by strategies or the means of accomplishing it. The principal has to sit down with his staff to tackle and detail the steps to take for fulfilling the school purpose. Furthermore, the principal should determine and advocate a set of shared values in school. The values refer to the specific behaviors and attitudes necessary to fulfill the purpose. The values describe the standards of conduct that the staff would need in order to effectively carry themselves towards the vision. The principals should be knowledgeable on the necessary attitudes that would make the staff more capable of fulfilling the purpose and give more meaning to their work as educators. Second, the principal must be a “manager” of school practices. Relative to this role are the principal’s responsibility to monitor and oversee every teaching function inside the school. The principal as a manager necessitates monitoring activities like classroom observation, assessment of instructional procedures and evaluation of student performance. These activities are the primary means for the principal to check the things that are going on inside the school premises. The principal can gather information regarding the sufficiency of school materials and the level of staff competence. Staff development takes place if the staff can see that the principal is interested in staff efforts, endeavors and outcomes. Also the role of principal as a manager who monitors teaching processes would help the school to identify any training needs of the staff that would assist them in making their teaching function more responsive to student needs. Third, the principal must be a “motivator”. He should foster and maintain a collaborative atmosphere in school so that all teachers would feel a sense of belongingness. Feeling of isolation among the teachers is not healthy. A teacher who feels isolated would not be encouraged to teach well or to contribute to the fulfillment of the school purpose. Thus, principals must make collaboration the rule of thumb in their schools. Collaboration paves the way for sharing of knowledge, issues and concerns so that everyone can contribute to the steps for resolution and ensure better practice. Corollary to this, school principals must commit to open communication and continuous learning. Teachers must be able to enjoy unrestricted dialogues with their colleagues, whether formal or informal. Open and honest communication makes the staff voice out grievances that may have an impact on the whole school setting. Collaboration can be encouraged by the principal through regular staff meetings, peer observation and coaching.  Principals who commit to continuous learning persuade teachers to learn new skills and competence, assist them in the adjustment stage brought about by practicing a new technique, appreciate efforts, and celebrate remarkable improvement. Collaboration, communication and continuous learning make the staff feel free in their work and also give them a chance to share their ideas to others as well as learn from their colleagues in return. Fifth, principals must be “innovators”. They should not be afraid to experiment on new and better ways to deliver education to the students. The principal must adopt the thinking that schools that do not change cannot adapt to the changing environment and are likely to yield incompetent staff and graduates. Innovation means that the principals persuade their personnel in a professional manner to adopt varying perspectives and strategies in the daily performance of their jobs, or identifying teachers who do not deliver expected results. Principals should recognize established and research-based teaching methods but should also value the essence of continuous trainings, action research, and study groups. These activities would expose the school to updated methods of teaching based on new situations in the education setting. The principal must be open minded and must be able to identify the new methods and procedures relevant to the purpose of the school in order to ensure that teachers have contemporary instructional methods. Finally, principals must be “advocating educators”. They should advance individual and collective efficacy as well as confidence. Principals as advocates and educators support teachers’ procedures that are helpful to the school, and display steadfast confidence and faith to the staff’s ability to improve teaching and learning practices. Staff who can see that their principal is not supportive and confident would not be encouraged to pursue continuous professional growth. Moreover, principals must develop and communicate concise and ongoing school practices and development initiatives. School practices and development initiatives should be continuous and focused to the desired outcomes so that the staff would think that they are not mere ad-hoc tasks to be haphazardly accomplished and thus, would motivate them to do more (1995).   THE ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL IN STAFF APPRAISAL AT SCHOOL                 Every academic institution has to establish a teacher appraisal system that would assess teaching performance, identify best practices, and detect any areas of improvement. The principals take the general roles of director, manager, motivator, innovator and advocating educator in staff appraisal. As a director, the principal plans the entire appraisal system. The planning phase requires the effort and intellect of the principal and all personnel. The principal’s key role as director and planner is focused in formulating strategies and procedures for the appraisal system. The principal must be able to seek the cooperation of the staff in conceptualizing the components of the appraisal system including the aspects to be evaluated and the grading system, and how the whole scheme should be executed in the school (1998). The components of the appraisal system and the strategies for doing it must be aligned with the articulated vision and values of the school. The principal has to have a through understanding of the vision and values that govern the vision in order to identify the best strategies that would capture the essential issues of professional evaluation in the school (2003).  Second, the principal’s role as a manager and motivator in the teacher appraisal requires him to oversee, lead, coordinate and support the entire appraisal system and negotiate it with all the entities in the school. After the teachers and principal have discussed and approved the components and strategies of the system, the principal must disseminate a concise written outline of the teacher appraisal system to all personnel to guarantee a unified understanding of how the process would be administered and implemented. The principal would set a specific period of doing the appraisal and must communicate it to all staff. He should ensure strict adherence to the schedule and should impart to the staff the thinking that the appraisal is not a means to criticize their performance. Rather, it is a way of recognizing their achievements and identifying areas of improvement so that the school can come up with strategies to help them address their difficulties. The principal can also manage the appraisal system by participating in certain activities life classroom observations in order to monitor teacher’s behaviors inside the classroom, how well he or she delivers the lesson, how he or she answers student inquiries or clarify vague matters, and how he or she effectively solicits the participation of the students in the lesson. Third, the principal’s roles as innovator and advocating educators can come together as he designs actions on the results of the appraisal. All results of the teacher appraisal process must be kept confidential between the staff being evaluated, the supervisor and the principal. The principal’s role as advocate means that he protects the interests of the staff. Thus, he should commit to the confidentiality on the entire appraisal system. He should not compare the performance of the staff with each other to avoid any prejudices or favoritism. Furthermore, since the appraisal can detect areas of improvement, the principal’s roles as innovator and advocating educators come into being in case of teacher inefficiency. The principal should be able to consistently monitor the performance of the staff identified as being inefficient; engage the staff, upon his or her consent, in a formal assistance or improvement program; professionally meet with the teacher in order to explain the whole procedure, schedules and any decisions obtained from the procedures as well as listen to the staff’s responses and opinion regarding the whole thing; and prepare all pertinent documentations, details and reports to the highest school authority regarding the teacher’s situation. The principal must also ensure that all actions derived from the staff’s assessment should be carried out by the staff or the supervisor. The essence of the appraisal system comes to completion when the results are used to support staff development (1998).

Critically analyse the role of the principal in staff development and staff appraisal.

THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL IN STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND APPRAISAL INTRODUCTION Every organization ...