What Would You Do? Case Study Example

.The performance appraisal system in the example does not provide a realistic representation of the employee talent that currently exists. The system appears to be deficient because it does not recognize the full contributions that employees make, as well as their future potential. With this system, it is also difficult to provide employees with strategies to improve their performance as they continue with the organization. Furthermore, supervisors may exhibit bias against employees in one form or another, which is unfair to employees and does not reflect their true commitment to the organization.

In an effort to improve employee performance and provide a more accurate portrayal of their work, a larger, comprehensive performance management must be established that will identify strengths and weaknesses and determine how to improve upon those weaknesses through a collaborative strategic effort (Lawler, 2012). Rather than promoting individual appraisals that may not have any real benefit, the organization must consider its role in offering methods to improve performance for employees over time, as this will encourage them to address their professional challenges in order to provide maximum service to the organization (Lawler, 2012).

In an effort to improve effectiveness, the performance appraisal system must provide employees with feedback that is practical and essential to their professional growth and wellbeing. Most performance evaluations are irrelevant because they put many employees on the defensive if their contributions to the organization are criticized in any way, thereby creating a situation where they are unable or unwilling to proactively improve their performance (Williams, 2012). This is particularly significant when employees view their supervisors or managers in a negative light (Williams, 2012). Therefore, enhancing performance review effectiveness must focus on weaknesses, but balance these revelations with improvement strategies for the future so that employees do not feel threatened or unnecessarily exposed or vulnerable at an undesirable level (Williams, 2012).

References

Lawler III, E. (2012). Performance appraisals are dead, long live performance management.Forbes, retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardlawler/2012/07/12/performance-appraisals-are-dead-long-live-performance-management/

Williams, R.B. (2012). Why performance reviews don’t improve performance. Psychology  Today, retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201211/why-performance-reviews-dont-improve-performance