Building Performance Management through Employee Participation - Essay Example

Employee participation is a significant component of motivating them which is also necessary for both their growth and that of the organization. By virtue of their positions, employees have unique and relevant performance information that may not be obvious to those conducting the performance management process (Mayer & Gavin 44). As evidenced by the JMI case, most employees feel unsatisfied with feedback and goal setting processes used by the management. They tend to view it like a procedure manufactured elsewhere and imposed on them.

Contrarily, their active participation in the process provides them with a voice in the system, developing a sense of belonging and ownership over the process (Mayer & Gavin 46). Greater employee participation will create an environment of employee support and cooperation. This will encourage developing of counseling and coaching relationships, reducing defensive tendencies and tension and making the results more acceptable to the employees (Mayer & Gavin 46). Employees provide input on the required standards on which their performance will be based (Cardy & Dobbins 12).

It is, therefore, vital to formulate standards that evaluate essential responsibilities and duties by balancing the process, individual and group participation and the outcome. Employees can have a say by contributing their suggestions on the types of rating systems that give an actual representation of their responsibilities and duties (Cardy & Dobbins 12). Studies have indicated that self evaluation increases the participation of employees while enhancing overall satisfaction when used for the purposes of development (Cardy & Dobbins 19).

Employees can carry out their own evaluation by completing their own performance evaluation forms prior to the official evaluation interview (Cardy & Dobbins 12). Although it is evident that managerial and employee ratings may not always be in agreement, it is essential for both groups to remember that the process does not seek absolute agreement. Rather, it should be viewed as a process aimed at obtaining consensus from the two teams over time (Mayer & Gavin 54). As with the JMI case, the consultant interviewed the management and used the employee participation technique to solicit feedback from the organization.

With this feedback, they were able to identify the problems the employees had with the performance manage system in use. They generated the employees’ support through their participation to formulate a new and acceptable system. Basing on the JMI example, performance management systems can be improved by making them more sensitive to the employees’ issues. This can be achieved through increased privacy and confidentiality; according employees the management’s undivided attention and setting time to discuss issues.

Those charged with carrying out the process need to be prepared prior to the exercise (Muchinsky 21). An emphasis is also placed on performance counseling. Team leaders are encouraged to give individual employees feedback in confidence on their job performance. This may give rise to various potential benefits such as motivating them to be more productive (Muchinsky 34). Those given performance evaluation results that may be below their expectations will also accept them since