Determination of Performance and Results
in Human Resource Management (HRM)
Dr. Shehu Salihu Muhammad
African Training and Research Centre in Administration
for Development (CAFRAD), Tangier, Morocco
ssmuhammad2000@yahoo.com
Introduction
• The object of this presentation is to share views and
experiences on the following interrelated issues:
• Why is the concern today with performance and results, and
how are we to conceptualize performance?;
• How are we determine performance; that is on the basis of
which criterion can one say an individual employee or an
organization is moving towards its set goals and objectives?;
• How can indices of customer satisfaction serve to measure or
indicate level of performance?;
Introduction cont.
• What are implications of appraisals to
improving performance;
• What considerations are key to enhancing
performance and results; and
• The conclusion focuses on the framework that
should be adopted to ensure optimal
performance.
Concern with performance in
public organizations
• Concern has basically arisen due to many reasons, amongst
which:
• To make the most effective use of human resource as the
most critical element in the attainment of organizational
goals.
• The concern by governments, as a matter of responsibility, for
effective and efficient delivery of public goods and services.
• To ensure that public institutions, and indeed governments
works better, costs less and connect better with the citizens
that they are designed to serve.
Concern with performance cont.
• Pave way for adaptation and use of new approaches and
global best practices.
• The rising expectations of citizens, who are demanding better
services in return for their taxes, loyalty, or votes.
• Create room for continued employee and organizational
renewal, creativity, and change.
• To refocus HRM on results, productivity and end-service,
rather than on mere observance of proceedures and
regulations.
Performance in HRM: Goals,
Outcomes, and Processes
• Performance, or the accomplishments of an employee
within the context of overall organizational goals
involves:
• 1. the setting up of performance goals and indicators at
the on set. This is expressed as tangible, measurable
objectives attainable within a time frame. Determination
of what is to be done and how by an employee need be
part of the employment contract.
• 2. the comparison of what is set to be done with the
actual goods and or services produced by an employee at
a given period. Quality and quantity are of essence also.
This is performance output.
Performance in HRM cont.
• 3. Process considerations, or the extent of the use of the
most effective and efficient methods to producing goods
and services, the accuracy and timeliness of delivery, and
extent of customer satisfaction.
• 4. Assessment of results or outcomes, that is how far has
the intended purpose of a policy goal being attained?
• An example: A performance goal stating that a certain
national police force will deploy on a 24 hour basis x
number of personnel in year 2010 to reduce crime rate in
a particular area by a certain percentage.
Performance in HRM cont.
• The police will be assessed not only by the act
of deployment, which represent only aspects
of output, but by the objective fact of whether
crime rate will have been reduced by at least
the predetermined rate at end of 2010, from
that previously recorded at the onset.
• 5.Sight must not be lost of correlating
output/outcome with inputs, for example, the
total cost of employees, equipment, supplies,
etc. The former must outweigh the latter.
Determining Performance and
productivity
• Performance and results, in the framework of HRM, has to be established
through the interchangeably used terms of performance appraisal,
performance evaluation, and performance measurement.
• PE is the comparing of employee productivity against pre-established and
pre-agreed activities and standards. The appraisal criteria and tools must
be set beforehand
• The objective of evaluation is to measure, or appraise the work
accomplished in relation to organizational goals; i.e. to establish whether
activities accomplished by an employee have contributed to the progress
of the organization. In doing this, focus of appraisal must be on:
Determining Performance cont.
• 1. Precise work accomplished relative to job
description, with focus on results, rather than on
abstract or vague measures.
• 2. competence, or capacity to effectively carry out
assigned tasks. Has the employee requisite capability
and skills to perform duties, and in light of this,
should he/she be reassigned?
• What is the character of the employee and his/her
relation to work colleagues? What is his sense of
responsibility and organizational commitment?
Determining Performance cont.
4. What is the nature of the work environment within
which the employee works? Of concern here are:
examining communication channels, hierarchy,
financial and material conditions, incentive and
career development, etc.
Organizational head has responsibility for setting of
goals, though the task of appraisal is to be left to a
superior involved in the work of the employee. But,
as will be shown, peers, subordinates and customers
also have a critical role for a complete assessment.
Customer satisfaction as a performance measure
• Customer satisfaction (CS) is also an important measure of performance. It
is a function of the ratio of actual to expected performance, and is
indicated by the customer’s level of patronage, trust, and support for
public organizations.
• CS could be gauged through a variety of methods – CS surveys, research,
interview, informal discussions, public opinion, etc and is indicated by such
variables as customer expectations, customer’s perception of actual
organizational performance, response to customer complaints, etc.
• Customer expectation is simply about what a customer wants, when he
wants it and how. It is his anticipation of the quality of goods and services
produced.
• Customer’s perception of the actual performance of an organization is a
function of the sum total of the experience of the customer in terms of:
Customer satisfaction as a measure of performance cont.
1. Customer’s evaluation of the quality of products and services in
terms of the extent of their meeting his individual needs, their
durability, reliability, usefulness, and even the esthetic beauty of
the products and services of an organization;
2. The value of a good or service, that is whether the price of a
product or service at a given point in time is worth its value relative
to the quality of the product or service;
3. The nature and extent of customers’ complaints against public
organizations. Frequency of complaints means that the quality and
value of goods or services do not match customers’ expectations.
Of importance also is whether an organization has a fair, timely,
effective and accessible system for handling of grievances from
customers; and
4. The friendliness, creativity, courtesy, helpfulness and the efficiency
with which a service is delivered.
Customer satisfaction as a measure of performance cont.
• CS could bring about reform; organizations are challenged by
the very idea of being assessed by the customer, just as the
outcome of a CS survey prompt an organization to try to seek
answers to questions such as ‘what is the best way to get the
work done and how do we redesign services around customer
requirements’?
• It can help organizations identify their strengths and
weaknesses, where they stand relative to comparable high
performing organizations.
• It can facilitate more participatory and consultative decisionmaking processes and open as well a new channel of
communication between organizations and their customers.
Implications of Performance
Appraisal
• Because everybody is assessed, performance appraisal gives a sense of
unity, purpose and direction to both the individuals and the organization.
• It reinforces the performance management approach to “creating a shared
vision of the purpose and aims of the organization, helping each individual
employee to understand and recognise their part in contributions to a
clearly processor set of policies, and in so doing, manage and enhance the
performance of both individuals and the organization” (Jones, 1998, cited
in Bande, 2000:8).
• In helping to develop systems of reward (for those that optimally perform)
and punishment or imposing sanctions (such as on non performers);
• In establishing the viability of evaluation criteria and tools to ensure
performance;
Implications cont.
• In developing capacity training mechanisms; as well
assist to prepare the future of both employees and
the organization as a whole.
• Performance help improve citizens’ trust for
individuals and organizations, just as it “increases
likelihood of individuals to conform to laws of the
state (Jacob and Daigneault, 2007:37-38).
Dissatisfaction can lead to disenchantment, loss of
confidence, and erosion of legitimacy.
Performance conditions
Managing human resources as will ensure performance and results require:
• Presence of motivated and capable staff that are able to perform their
tasks professionally and efficiently, displaying such traits as personal
discipline, dignity, integrity, equity, impartiality, fairness, publicspiritedness and courtesy, and avoiding conflict of interest.
Merit need be the norm in the system of recruitment and promotion;
That reward system can attract and retain the best personnel; Optimal
performance must not be expected:
• Where wages of an employee can hardly guarantee the satisfaction of
his/her basic needs; and in an environment devoid of basic infrastructures
and working tools, or there is dearth of funding or undue interference.
Develop and implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems;
Conditions cont.
Deploy the arsenal of ICT in all work processes; and
The presence of effective and committed political leadership.
Human capacity must be present. It is about the holistic process of equipping
individuals with the understanding, skills and access to information,
knowledge and training that enables them to perform effectively. Put
differently, the "process of developing and strengthening the skills,
abilities, processes and resources that organizations …need to survive,
adapt, and thrive in the fast-changing world" (Ann Philbin, 996) must
remain a key focus;
Staff must be continuously trained and retrained to enhance professionalism,
skills, and acquire new innovative ideas for more efficient and effective
service delivery.
Conditions cont.
For training to be meaningful, it must be timely; cost effective (A
$1million program worth the cost if it results in …saving
millions in previously mismanaged funds (Nelson, 2006:1);
capable of producing results; and appropriate (based on
capacity Gap survey, employer driven).
Key issue is obtaining the desired impact. Training as a
favour to ‘chosen ones’ or for its sake serve no purpose.
Other issues relate to:
• Organizational development – are the management
structures, processes and procedures clear, and exist in such a
way as to meet challenges and expectation of the public?
• Is there effective management of relationships
within and between the different departments
at all levels and with the various sectors they
deal with?
• “The ability of the citizen to obtain
information in the hand of the state” that will
objectively enable him assess performance
(Martin and Feldman, 1998:1 cited in IIAS,
2007:208).
Concluding remarks
HRM is critical to success of organizations.
To achieve results in HRM, actual employee or organizational
performance must be clearly and objectively appraised
against pre-established performance goals.
Thus emphasis must be on results, productivity and end-service,
instead of a simple preoccupation with observance of
procedures and regulations, while obstacles of subjectivity,
impartiality, favouritism and are eliminated.
Make concerted efforts to sensitize staff on new performance
methods, organize training and promote and reward
creativity.
Concluding remarks cont.
Customer satisfaction (CS), which is expressed by the extent to
which an organization meets the expectations of their
customers should also serve to measure performance.
• Performance appraisal, devoid of subjectivity, is a continued
necessity, and tools for such evaluation must be agreed upon,
simple, clear, but sufficient and comprehensive enough to
make for objective assessment.
• Government need to provide not only guidance, direction and
leadership but also the critical needs of employees to perform
– competitive salaries for employees, funding, equipment,
and so on.