The final assignment is a culmination of the previous weeks’ assignments, in which you will use all of the skills you have acquired throughout the course. Throughout the course, you have explored the importance of effective performance management, the components of effective performance management systems, the relationship of performance management to the organization’s strategic planning process, and the complexities involved in designing and implementing performance management processes.

For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to conduct a performance management analysis and make recommendations to document and improve individual, team, and organizational performance based on the information presented in the ValUShop Case StudyPreview the document. ValUShop is a for-profit cable, satellite, and broadcast television network. The case study examines the performance management issues at ValUShop.

In your Performance Management Analysis Final Paper,

Analyze the current performance management system.

Evaluate why it is important to understand this information when making recommendations for improvements to the existing performance management system.

Explain the performance management system issues that resulted in performance problems.

Analyze key stakeholders that could serve as key partners in an improved performance management process.

Evaluate solutions to improve the performance of individuals, groups, and the organization. (This should include, but not be limited to goal setting, performance measures, communication plan, feedback loop, and training program for raters.)

Evaluate the relationship between the current performance management system and the organization’s strategic goals.

Develop a strategy for achieving objectives of the performance management system to ensure that human resource supports the organizations goals. (Your strategy might include mentoring, executive coaching, training, performance evaluation, and/or leadership development.)

Evaluate regulatory, legal, and ethical issues that need to be considered when administering a performance management plan.

The Performance Management Analysis

Must be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

Must use at least eight scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible sources, in addition to the course text.

The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

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Determination of Performance

Emmanuel Boydon

Ashford University

HRM 640: Performance Management Metrics and Measurement of Human Resources

Dr

.

Pamela Van Den Bussche

January 25, 2021

Determination of Performance

When we think about a top performer, we can look at factors that help or hurt their likelihood of being a top performer. A combination of three factors allows some people to perform at higher levels than other: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and motivation (Aquinis, 2013). Providing on the job training and/or onboarding for employees is an important way to share the organization’s thoughts on processes and procedures can help sales associates be more successful. The retail store increased employee knowledge by initiating a training program for sales associates in the hopes of raising sales and profitability for the organization. Knowledge management is a concept that depends on collecting, auditing and sharing information with the organization’s stakeholders (Tufaha, 2020). With training and practice come knowledge and experience, that when put together can drive employee motivation. Lizzy and Noelle have different levels of training, which may lead to different levels of knowledge, experience and even motivation to carry out their jobs. Knowledge is only one of the factors that determine employee performance. The declarative knowledge from the training program provided new employees detailed product information. They also got insight on upselling strategies that sales associates can practice. Lastly, the training prepared sales associates to answer questions about the items for sale and potentially sell more items associated with what the customer is looking for. Customer service training and role playing with tailored feedback provided procedural knowledge that could be practiced to improve interpersonal skills needed to interact with customers and sell them on the products the retail store has available. It is up to the individual to take the knowledge and do something with it. It takes motivation to do something with the knowledge and that is the last factor determining performance. An employee can have the knowledge to do and say what is necessary but they must also tie it all together and use this knowledge. It may not go perfect at first, or at all, but they must try to use what they have learned to do the job.

Lizzy and Noelle have different factors that lead to areas where there is room for performance improvement. Lizzy took part in the new training program because it was initiated a year before she was hired, and it was initiated about a year after Noelle was already with the company so she did not receive the same training and practical knowledge. Lizzy reaped the rewards from the training program, although she seems disengaged at times. Those disengaged employees might stay at their company and muddle through (Hedges, 2014) but that takes away from the high caliber performer that she can be with a few adjustments in thought processes and motivation. She knew item descriptions and could interact with customers with ease. Her laid back approach and seemingly lack of desire to complete sales that were close to the end of her shift show a slight lack of motivation. Her manager could provide feedback that may increase her engagement and get her to stick with a sale through the end of the process, even if it means staying a little past the end of her shift. Lizzy has a more laid-back approach with regards to customers and initiates communication when she thinks the customer could use assistance. eaves work right when her shift is done even though this costs her expensive sales that goes to her coworkers, which seem to be a low motivation on making sales at the expense of staying past her shift. Lizzy’s motivation could improve as she does not engage customers right away like Noelle who is more personable. On the other hand, Noelle could learn more about the items for sale so she can answer customer’s questions on the spot instead of breaking away to get more info. It may benefit Noelle and other sales associates in similar situations to attend the training course at least one time. Additionally, Noelle’s personable nature puts customers and other coworkers at ease, but takes away from her time management and customer support because she may socialize a bit much. Noelle, on the other hand knew the company’s vision, which is declarative knowledge, based on her time working for the retail store. She also has good interpersonal skills which puts customers at ease and attended to needs in the form of procedural knowledge. The focus should be to provide the maximum value to the employees on individual level (Khan & Jabbar, 2013).

Who can we focus on to ensure both employees get the factors needed to perform? That would be the manager, but with the help and guidance of the human resources department. Human resources managers work diligently to make sure that the appraisal process is implemented appropriately in their organization. The first responsibility of HR is to make sure that both employees and management understand how to use the system in place (Smyth, 2020). In this scenario, the HRM could work with the manager to assess ways to improve each employee’s performance. The manager can see that although Lizzy and Noelle have the same number of sales, they can increase those with a performance improvement plan. HRM could mediate between the manager and the employee to make sure they address the performance appropriately that is tailored to each individual. The goal is to have engaged employees that work with their manager and HRM to grow and develop. Engaged employees stay longer, actively involve themselves in the workplace and produce better results (Hearn, 2018). Engagement is motivation that when combined with knowledge will increase the likelihood of increased performance based on the three determinant factors of performance management

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References

Aguinis, H. (2013). Performance management (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Hearn, S. (2018). Why is Performance Management Important? Retrieved from https://www.clearreview.com/why-performance-management-important/

Hedges, K. (2014). 8 Common Causes of Workplace Demotivation. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/01/20/8-common-causes-of- workplace-demotivation/?sh=6b459c4e42c6

Kahn, M. & Jabbar, M. (2013). Determinants of Employees Performance in Corporate Sector: Case of an Emerging Market. Retrieved from http://www.sciedupress.com/ journal/ index.php/bmr/article/view/3044

Smyth, D. (2020). What Role Does the HR Department Plan in Performance Evaluation? Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-hr-department-play-performance- evaluation-44928.html

Tuffaha, M. (2020). The Determinants of Employee’s Performance: A Literature Review. Retrieved from https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/jems/article/view/669

Case Study: ValUShop

ValUShop is a for-profit cable, satellite, and broadcast television network, headquartered in Dallas,

Texas.

Mission

The mission of ValUShop is to maximize sales, provide superior value to our customers, and deliver

exceptional customer service while bringing high-end retail brands to customers at an unbeatable price.

Vision

At ValUShop, we intend to provide customers with a superior shopping experience bringing high-end

brands directly to customers through cable, satellite, and broadcast television networks with easy online

or phone order options.

Background

Five years earlier, ValUShop implemented a performance management system for all employees. The

performance management system was designed for operational employees (e.g., call center operators,

shipping clerks, etc.). It was also used to evaluate support staff (e.g., administrative assistants, television

hosts, IT technicians, etc.) because there was no system specifically geared toward support staff.

Review of the Performance Management Process

As the newly hired HR Director for ValUShop, you have been tasked by the VP of HR to address the

performance issues across several departments within the organization. After meeting with each

department and members of the leadership team, you discover several performance problems and

organizational issues. Key management challenges that were identified include poor employee

performance; legal concerns related to hiring, promotion, and firing practices; and employee concerns

related to inequity in pay raises and promotion, unclear expectations and goals, performance measures

that frequently change, and lack of consistent communication from management. Before making any

recommendations, you review HR files and have created the following list of issues that have surfaced:

• A large percentage of managers did not meet deadlines to complete an annual appraisal on each
employee.

• There was confusion among employees and managers about what exactly needed to be completed
and when.

• Employees thought the appraisal process was a ‘waste of time’ and ‘unfair.’
• An HR representative thought the system was not designed appropriately for all employees.
• Little attention was given to identifying training needs. Furthermore, when needs were identified,

there was no follow-up with appropriate actions.

• Appraisals were led by managers who had little knowledge of the employee’s job(s).
• Performance meetings were a once a year, one-way process with no performance objectives

established before the meeting started.

• Performance review meetings are held annually with little or no documentation.
• Feedback meetings are held on short notice or not at all.
• Managers do not know what to talk about in one-on-one performance review meetings.
• Job descriptions are out-of-date, making performance expectations ambiguous.
• No documentation is recorded to support performance reviews.
• Managers conducting performance reviews are not knowledgeable on the company’s expectations

for delivering feedback and documenting performance.

• Managers and employees are under-prepared for performance conversations.
• Reviews are conducted randomly.

• Manager appraisers were not matched to employees they oversee.