Discussion – Managing Performance for Results

Textbook: Aguinis, H. (2023). Performance management (5th ed.). Chicago Business
Press. ISBN: 978-1-948426-48-0
Important: Use Textbook + 1 scholarly reference.

In your textbook, in Chapter 2, Figure 2-1, page 42, provides an overview of the
performance management process and its associated components. There are many
critical factors that contribute to the successful implementation of a performance
management system. Failure to understand these factors can result in issues for
organizations, leaders, and employees.
Consider the scenario below and explain how each aspect of the performance
management process, as noted in figure 2-1, can be altered/addressed to ensure
employees success.
Scenario
When Amal was hired on for her role as an Administrative Assistant to the Chief
Executive Officer, she was thrilled about the opportunity to work for Organization
ABC. Unfortunately, the information provided in her job description was limited. After
a month on the job, despite receiving two days of training from the person Amal
replaced, Amal’s supervisor noticed that her performance was inadequate. Amal’s
current supervisor knows that she is a phenomenal worker, based upon past employer
references.
Response Items to Address
Question 1: To ensure Amal’s success, and the success of future employees, what
aspects of the performance management process need revision?
Question 2: Also, how can future performance management aspects be successfully
addressed?
Hint
When thinking of future performance management components, focus on performance
execution, performance assessment, and performance review. When thinking about
Amal’s experience in the scenario, think about prerequisites and performance planning.

Directions:
•

Discuss the concepts, principles, and theories from your textbook. Cite your
textbook.

•

Your initial post should address all components of the question with a 500 word
limit.

•

Important: Use Textbook + 1 scholarly reference.

CHAPTER 2 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
PROCESS
One bad day from one member of my staff doesn’t mean they are not really good at their jobs the rest of the
time. I play a long game in terms of management.
—Helen McCabe

Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
Articulate that performance management is an ongoing and circular process that includes the interrelated
components of prerequisites, performance planning, performance execution, performance assessment, and
performance review.
Argue that the poor implementation of any of the performance management process components has a
negative impact on the system as a whole and that a dysfunctional or disrupted link between any two of the
components also has a negative impact on the entire system.
Assemble important prerequisites needed before a performance management system is implemented,
including knowledge of the organization’s mission and strategic goals through strategic planning and
knowledge of the job in question through work analysis.
Conduct a work analysis to determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), tasks, technology, work
activities, work context and working conditions of a particular job; and produce a job description that
incorporates the KSAs of the job and information on the organization and unit mission and strategic goals.
Distinguish results from behaviors and understand the need to consider both as well as development plans
in the performance planning stage of performance management.
Critique the employee’s role in performance execution, and distinguish areas over which the employee has
primary responsibility from areas over which the manager has primary responsibility.
Recommend the employee’s and the manager’s responsibility in the performance assessment phase.
Be prepared to participate in appraisal meetings that involve the past, the present, and the future.

As described in Chapter 1, performance management is an ongoing process. It certainly does not take place just once a year.
Also, performance management is a continuous process, and it includes several components.1 Moreover, performance
management is not “owned” by the human resources (HR) function. Clearly, the HR function plays a critical role in terms of
offering support and resources, such as in-person and online training opportunities and online tools that can be used to
measure performance and share feedback. To show understanding and support for performance management, both the CEO
and the top management team must understand the benefits of an efficient system. When designing and implementing a
performance management system, the role of the CEO and top management team is key because they should lead by
example and encourage the rest of the managers in the organization to do the same2. In other words, performance
management must be owned and managed by each unit and supervisors play a critical role. After all, the principal
responsibility of managers is to manage, right?

The components of a performance management system are closely related to each other, and the poor implementation of any
of them has a negative impact on the performance management system as a whole. The components in the performance
management process are shown in Figure 2.1. But here’s an important clarification about this chapter: It is a sort of preview,
because it provides an overview and brief description of each of these components. So, when appropriate, the various
sections in this chapter refer to subsequent chapters that include more detailed information on various topics. Let’s start with
the prerequisites.

40

Figure 2.1 Overview of Performance Management Process and its Components

PREREQUISITES
There are two important prerequisites that are required before a performance management system is implemented. First,
knowledge of the organization’s mission and strategic goals. Second, knowledge of the job in question.3

Strategic Planning
Chapter 3 will address the strategic planning process in detail. For now, please consider that knowledge of the organization’s
mission and strategic goals is a result of strategic planning. Also, as will be discussed in detail in Chapter 3, the strategic
planning process may take place after the mission and vision statements are created. In other words, there is a constant back
and forth between mission and vision and strategic planning.
Strategic planning allows an organization to clearly define its purpose and reason for existing, where it wants to be in the
future, the goals it wants to achieve, and the strategies it will use to attain these goals. Once the goals for the entire
organization have been established, similar goals cascade downward, with units setting objectives to support the
organization’s overall mission and objectives. The cascading continues downward until each employee has a set of goals
compatible with those of the entire organization. The same process applies to large, small, and medium-sized organizations.
Unfortunately, it is often the case that many organizational units are not in tune with the organization’s strategic direction.
However, there seems to be a trend in the positive direction. For example, a study including public sector organizations in
Queensland, Australia, showed a fairly high level of strategic integration of the HR function. Specifically, approximately 80%
of the organizations that participated in the study were categorized as having achieved the highest level of strategic
integration. This level is characterized by a dynamic and multifaceted linkage based on an “integrative relationship between
people management and strategic management process.”4 Recall that an important objective of any performance

management system is to enhance each employee’s contribution to the goals of the organization. If there is a lack of clarity
regarding where the organization wants to go, or if the relationship between the organization’s mission and strategies and the
unit’s mission and strategies is not clear, there will be a lack of clarity regarding what each employee needs to do and achieve
to help the organization get there.

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Work (Job) Analysis
The second important prerequisite before a performance management system is implemented is to understand the job in
question. Although traditionally the literature has used the term job, the use of work is more appropriate today because job
seems to convey the notion that there is a static, constant, and even rigid set of tasks and responsibilities.5 In fact, given

changes in the nature of work and organizations (as discussed in Chapter 1), jobs are anything but static. Because people are
asked to work on new projects, participate on different teams, and use new apps and technologies on an ongoing basis, jobs
also change on an ongoing basis. So, because new tasks and responsibilities are created all the time, new “jobs” are also
created all the time and old ones are redesigned on an ongoing basis.6 From this point forward, we will still use the term job
but make sure you keep in mind this dynamic point of view.

Understanding employees’ tasks and responsibilities is done through work analysis. Work analysis is a process of determining
the key components of a particular job, including activities, tasks, products, services, and processes. A work analysis is a
fundamental prerequisite of any performance management system because, without a work analysis, it is difficult to
understand what constitutes the required duties for a particular position. If we don’t know what an employee is supposed to
do on the job, we won’t know what needs to be evaluated and how to do so.
As a result of a work analysis, we obtain information regarding the tasks carried out and the knowledge, skills, and abilities
(KSAs) required of a particular job. Knowledge includes having the information needed to perform the work but not
necessarily having done it. Skills refer to required attributes that are usually acquired by having done the work in the past.
Ability refers to having the physical, emotional, intellectual, and psychological aptitude to perform the work, but neither
having done the job nor having been trained to do the work is required.7
The tasks and KSAs needed for the various jobs are typically presented in the form of a job description, which summarizes
the job duties, needed KSAs, and working conditions for a particular position. As an illustration, see Figure 2-2 titled “Job
Description for Trailer Truck Driver: Civilian Personnel Management Service, U.S. Department of Defense.” This job description
includes information about what tasks are performed (e.g., operation of a specific type of truck). It also includes information
about the needed knowledge (e.g., manifests, bills of lading), skills (e.g., keeping truck and trailer under control, particularly
in difficult weather conditions), and abilities (e.g., physical and spatial abilities needed to turn narrow corners).
Work analysis can be conducted using observation, off-the-shelf questionnaires, or interviews.8 Data are collected from job
incumbents (i.e., those doing the job at present) and their supervisors. Alternatively, if the job is yet to be created, data can
be gathered from the individual(s) responsible for creating the new position and those who will supervise individuals in the
new position. Observation methods include job analysts watching incumbents do the job, or even trying to do the work
themselves, and then producing a description of what they have observed. This method can be subject to biases because job
analysts may not be able to distinguish important from unimportant tasks. Such analysis may not be suitable for many jobs.
For example, a job analyst could not do the work of a police officer for safety reasons, or the work of a software programmer
for lack of knowledge and skills to do the work. Off-the-shelf methods involve distributing questionnaires, including a common
list of tasks or KSAs, and asking individuals to fill them out, indicating the extent to which each task or KSA is required for a
particular job in question. These generic off-the-shelf tools can be practical, but they might not capture the nuances and
idiosyncrasies of jobs out of the mainstream or jobs that involve novel technologies.

Figure 2.2 Job Description for Trailer Truck Driver: Civilian Personnel Management Service, U.S.
Department of Defense
Interviews are a very popular work analysis method. During a work analysis interview, the job analyst asks the interviewee to
describe what he or she does (or what individuals in the position do) during a typical day at the job from start to finish (i.e.,
in chronological order). Alternatively, the job analyst can ask the interviewee to describe the major duties involved in the job
and then ask him or her to break down these duties into specific tasks. Once a list of tasks has been compiled, all incumbents
should have an opportunity to review the information and rate each task in terms of frequency and criticality. The frequency
and criticality scales may be the following:9
Frequency

Criticality

0: not performed

0: not critical

1: every few months to yearly

1: low level of criticality

2: every few weeks to monthly

2: below average level of
criticality

3: every few days to weekly

3: average level of criticality

42

Name

Discussion 25

Description

25 points

Rubric Detail
Levels of Achievement
Criteria

Exceeds
Expectations

Meets
Expectation

Some
Expectations

Unsatisfactory

Quantity

5 to 6 points

3 to 4 points

1 to 2 points

0 to 0 points

Initial post and
two other posts
of substance.

Initial post and
one other post
of substance.

Initial post only.

Did not
participate.

5 to 6 points

3 to 4 points

1 to 2 points

0 to 0 points

Demonstrates
excellent
knowledge of
concepts, skills,
and theories
relevant to the
topic.

Demonstrates
knowledge of
concepts, skills,
and theories.

Demonstrates
satisfactory
knowledge of
concepts, skills,
and theories.

Did not
participate.

5 to 6 points

3 to 4 points

1 to 2 points

0 to 0 points

Discussion
post(s) exceed
expectations in
terms of support
provided and
extend the
discussion.

Discussion
post(s) meet
expectations in
terms of
support
provided.

Statements are
satisfactory in
terms of
support
provided.

Did not
participate.

6 to 7 points

4 to 5 points

1 to 2 points

0 to 0 points

Writing is well
organized, clear,
concise, and
focused; no
errors.

Some significant
but not major
errors or
omissions in
writing
organization,
focus, and
clarity.

Numerous
significant
errors or
omissions in
writing
organization,
focus, and
clarity.

Did not
participate.

Content

Support

Writing

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A rubric lists grading criteria that instructors use to evaluate student work. Your instructor linked a rubric to this
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Name: Discussion 25

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Description: 25 points

Grid View

List View
Exceeds
Expectations

Quantity

6 (24.00%)
5 (20.00%) – 6

Meets Expectation

Some
Expectations

3 (12.00%) – 4 (16.00%)

1 (4.00%) – 2

Initial post and one other post of
substance.

(8.00%)

(24.00%)

Initial post
only.

Initial post
and two
other posts
of
substance.

Content

5 (20.00%) – 6
(24.00%)

Demonstrates
excellent
knowledge of
concepts, skills,
and theories
relevant to the
topic.

Support

6 (24.00%)
5 (20.00%) – 6
(24.00%)

3.5 (14.00%)
3 (12.00%) – 4 (16.00%)
Demonstrates knowledge of
concepts, skills, and theories.
Feedback:
To improve, I recommend that you
identify the person in the organization
who is clearly responsible for the success
or failure of implementation and connect
rewards, recognition or incentives if
possible. This promotes accountability.
Read more about importance of
accountability in implementation here:

1 (4.00%) – 2
(8.00%)

Demonstrates
satisfactory
knowledge of
concepts,
skills, and
theories.

3 (12.00%) – 4 (16.00%)

1 (4.00%) – 2

Discussion post(s) meet expectations in
terms of support provided.

(8.00%)

Statements
are
satisfactory in

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Rubric Detail – Blackboard

Exceeds
Expectations

Meets Expectation

terms of
support
provided.

Discussion
post(s)
exceed
expectations
in terms of
support
provided
and extend
the
discussion.

Writing

7 (28.00%)
6 (24.00%) – 7
(28.00%)

Writing is
well
organized,
clear,
concise, and
focused; no
errors.

Some
Expectations

4 (16.00%) – 5 (20.00%)

1 (4.00%) – 2

Some significant but not major errors or
omissions in writing organization, focus,
and clarity.

(8.00%)

Numerous
significant
errors or
omissions in
writing
organization,
focus, and
clarity.

Raw Total: 22.50 (of 25)

Name:Discussion 25

Exit

Description:25 points

2/2

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