Human Resource Management College - Case Study Example

Management of performance starts with recruitment and selection of the right person for the right job goes through the training and development of the employee and finally appraising him. Just because employees have the ability to do the job does not ensure that they will perform satisfactorily. A critical dimension of their effectiveness is their willingness to exert high energy levels - their motivation. In the case of Fifers Bakery, the plant is not automated, and therefore the situation demands for skilled workers, whereas, the majority of workers are unskilled.

There are around 400 workers in the organization. The Appraisal process begins with the establishment of performance standards in accordance with the organization's strategic goals. These performance standards should also be clear and objective enough to be understood and measured. Performance is a vital component of the motivation model (Bradt, 1991; Guinn & Corona, 1991). Specifically, we must be concerned with the link between effort and performance, and between performance and rewards.

Once performance standards are established, it is necessary to communicate these expectations; it should not be part of employees' job to guess what is expected of them. Too many jobs have vague performance standards and the problem is compounded when these standards are set in isolation and do not involve the employee (Tyler, 1997). To achieve the performance standards, the employees should be well trained in the skills expected out of them. In the case of Fifers, this aspect is lacking as many workers are unskilled.

The third step in the appraisal process is the measurement of performance. To determine what actual performance is, it is necessary to acquire information about it. We should be concerned with how we measure and what we measure. Four common sources of information are frequently used by managers regarding how to measure actual performance: personal observation, statistical reports, oral reports and written reports. The fourth step in the process is the comparison of actual performance with standards.

The point of this step is to note deviations between standard performance and actual performance. This is followed by the fifth step, the discussion of the appraisal with the employee (Stack, 1997; Grote, 1997). The final step in the appraisal is the identification of corrective action wherever necessary. The challenges faced by Fifers can be linked to some commonly observed deficiencies. The Supervisor who is evaluating has two roles namely, judge and helper. Sometimes, there may be conflict between the two roles.

Expectations of the supervisor and the subordinates regarding the job may be at variance. Very few supervisors have the skill to constructively convey to an employee how to improve his performance. Poor communication keeps employees in the dark about what is expected from them.These challenges could be overcome by taking some improvement measures. The employee job descriptions and performance standards should be periodically reviewed by the supervisors. The employees should be clearly communicated about what is expected out of them.

This could help the supervisor and subordinate to overcome any variance in expectations. The employees sho