Performance Management

Management performance can be a number of activities such as appraisals, setting targets or measuring performance.  There are many benefits to performance management: it reminds the employees the vision and beliefs of the company, it is relevant to both the employer and the employee, able to set targets which can be motivating to staff, increases communication and enables recognition and reward.  A number of indicators of performance of a company, team or individual can be: number of products made/sold, spend per customer, number of complaints and project completed on time.  It is vital employers respect their staff and offer them mentoring or guidance when it is needed and reward them for their hard work when relevant.  Methods such as appraisal give the employee a sense of success and appreciation and can be a huge motivator.

The diagram above shows what is involved in performance management such as target setting and also outlines what should be involved in feedback.

Sometimes performance appraisals are seen as a waste of time and often employers feel it is a waste of time as they cannot get on with their actual job role.  Occasionally in companies the employee receiving the appraisal gets nervous and tense and sees the meeting as a time of judgement rather than development.  Performance appraisals may fail because there is not enough time can be bias due to how closely the managers’ work with some employees, the manager lacks information and there are insufficient rewards for good performance.

The university takes a role as a mentor or performance manager as they guide us through our learning.  The first mentor we met was our personal tutor however since that first day we probably only met him again once, he is available to contact but is not directly linked with our studies and is more there to support us in personal matters.  There are then our four tutors which teach us different modules, they teach and asses our learning through essays, reports and blogs.  They are easily accessible through blackboard, email and personal visits to their office.  Lecturers act as mentors as they give feedback on our work and provide guidance when it is needed.  Although meeting to discuss progress are not provided in the first year when in the third year and doing a dissertation frequent meeting to discuss work and progress are set up.  I think in the first year meeting like that would be tedious and most students would not attend them.  There is the help and support there if a student would like to use it, there are also scheme that the university employ such as buddy systems at the beginning at the year however I do not feel many students use these and also department’s students can visit to talk about personal issues.

To be an effective mentor many skills are needed:

·         An interest in helping others achieve

·         A capable listener that does not interrupt does not make assumptions or judgements and is able to pick up important cues from a conversation.

·         Able to give positive and constructive feedback

·         Able to question a person sensitively but with power so they can explore their own issues

·         You are able to convey your knowledge and experience in a useful manor which is encouraging and helpful.

·         Are you reliable, honest and trustworthy and will keep the individuals matters confidential.

·         Willing to give up your own time.

·         Can maintain a positive attitude even when confronted with bad situations.

·         Keep maximum attention, both verbally and with body language.

·         Keep your mentee happy!

When doing my level 2 gymnastics coach qualification, I was mentored by Clare Parker the head coach of Fareham School of Gymnastics.  Through working with Clare she gave me the knowledge and experience I needed to pass the exam. Through assessing my performance and reporting both good points and improvements, my confidence was built and my coaching improved.  Doing the course made me take more responsibility and start leading classes independently, this was really successful and made me feel as though I’d reached a goal and had achieved something.  Clare’s mentoring was extremely positive in my life.  I gained more hours at work and improved at my job. There is a friendly environment with a community feel between coaches, children and parents, which has been created by Clare who founded Fareham School of Gymnastics, this really encouraged and influenced me when doing the course.

References:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.du.edu/hr/employment/perf_mgmt_cycle

http://www.exemplas.com/Skills-and-Training/Mentoring--Coaching/Being-a-good-mentor/

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/cppd/opportunities/mentor/good.html