Issues Arising from Implementing a New Performance Appraisal System - Case Study Example

An Integrative Approach to Managing People: Issues Arising From Implementing a New Performance Appraisal System Name Course Tutor’s Name Date Introduction The new work performance appraisal system for XYZ University represents change, which can be scaring to a lot of people. As Lorenzi and Riley (2000) note however, contrary to the perception that people resist change, it is being changed that they actually do not like. In other words, people dislike it when changes are imposed on them without a clear understanding of how they are of any benefit to them. Borrowing from Lorenzi and Riley’s (2000) observation, XYZ University needs to devise a strategy for implementing the new system, which will enhance the acceptability of the new system to all employees, hence reducing the perception that the new appraisal system is being imposed on them. As suggested by Llopis (2012:3), “Without strategy, change is merely a substitution not evolution”. Borrowing from this quotation, this essay proposes that XYZ adopts a strategy plan that will embrace components that will be used as the foundation for change management. Specifically, the components will include: creating awareness about the need for change; timing the communication about change; showcasing the organization’s ability to deliver on the changes; showing a relentless desire for the change; and possessing the mental toughness needed to withstand resistance and obstacles from people affected by the new system. The indicated components will constitute the implementation plan, which the University to manage change. Notably, the university’s success will not be gauged based on the amount of resistance encountered, but by the successful implementation and acceptance of the new system by all affected stakeholders (and especially the academic staff at the university). Creating awareness about the need for change as contained in the new system According to O’Neill (2012), engaging employees who will be affected by the changes is the most essential undertaking that management should take. The goal of engaging with such employees should be to help them adjust (more happily and quickly) to the changes. Notably, the employees would need support before, during, and after the change process. Put into context, XYZ University needs to start preparing employees for the new system even before it is implemented. Specifically, the employees need to understand why the new system is necessary, how it will benefit them, and that the new system does not in any way represent a devaluation of the employees. To make the change message appealing, O’Neill (2012:4) states that organizations needs to address the “what’s in it for me?” question from employees. Following O’Neill’s (2012) advice above, XYZ should thus craft a message that will establish the priorities of the new system. Specifically, the message should address the individual benefits that employees will realize from the new system, the group benefits accessible by people with similar skills, qualifications or responsibilities, and the company-wide benefits that should ideally benefit not only the shareholders, but all employees as well. Notably however, and as indicated by O’Neill (2012) the message should also be honest, and should indicate whether there will be any job losses. Like any other performance appraisal system, XYZ will therefore need to indicate that the new system will be used to collect information that will help the management make decisions on salary administration, merit review, training needs, and validating hiring decisions as suggested by Levin (1986) and Siaguru (2012). Such honesty will allow XYZ to handle any questions, doubts and misconceptions that the employees voice. Timing the communication Like any other activity that represents change, timing the communication about the new appraisal system in XYZ will most likely determine the success of attaining the initial ‘buy-in’ as suggested by Llopis (2012). In a supporting perspective, Byrnes (2010) notes that timing is the most important key to successfully managing any kind of change in the organization, but it could also be the biggest stumbling block. Applied in context, the timing of the new appraisal system in XYZ should be made in a way that coincides with hiring new staff, reconsidering the salaries and remuneration, and /or the enactment of new job groups. The first group of people to target within the proper time is senior managers, since as indicated by PPA Consulting (2005), such managers need to understand, believe in, and actively support the new system. In other words, the senior management needs to be enjoined as agents of change at the right time, since they play a critical role in the management of attention, trust and meaning. Once there is senior management buy-in, the new systems can then be introduced to the academic staff at XYZ, with explanations and justifications as to why a change in the appraisal system is necessary. As noted by Dawson (2008: 3) however, recognition “that communication is a two-way process and that feedback is essential” specifically important prior to rolling out the change process since it will enable the organization to receive and reply to employees questions, opinions and concerns. In terms of timing, this then means that the right communication infrastructure needs to be put in place before XYZ can introduce the new appraisal system. Showcasing XYZ ability to deliver on change According to Byrnes (2012), once the importance and the need for a new system has been communicated to those who will use it, interest shifts to the abilities of the organization to support the new system. Specifically, those affected by the new changes are interested in observing whether “the change managers have the vision and capability to create the conditions favourable for change, and to manage a multi-stage process” (Byrnes, 2012: 6). To this end, XYZ University must be prepared to showcase its ability to deliver the new system by probably training the human resource managers, and other managers who will be using the new appraisal systems on how to effectively use the new system. As suggested by PPA Consulting (2005) the managers need to be trained about: the objectives of the new system; its benefits to performance management; the responsibilities towards using the system; the processes they will use; the how and why of setting objectives using the new system; how to measure results and provide feedback using the new system; the how and why of addressing work performance issues in the new system and the why and how of identifying staff development needs using the new system. The importance of training the managers and equipping them with the knowledge needed to use the new system in appraising the performance of the academic staff working under them. PPA Consulting (2005:6) argues that for (any) new system to be a success, the managers need to “articulate a simple and common reason for using [it]...and be supportive of it”. In other words, XYZ will need to train its managers about the reasons for using the new systems, and also convince them to be supportive of it if at all they will succeed in showcasing their ability to deliver on the new appraisal system. Show a relentless desire to adopt the new system To succeed in managing people in a manner that will enable them accept the new appraisal in XYZ university, the change agents will need to have a passion, endurance and tenacity to not only sell the new system to the doubters, but also staying aboard the new system, especially for building momentum and anchoring the new system into the existing organisational culture. At this stage, the change agents will need to carry on with educating and communicating people about the importance of the new system and by so doing create an urgency for change as suggested by Grimstead (2007). Once people realise the importance for the new system, the change agents will then need to introduce solutions, which are ideally contained in the new system. Mental toughness The importance of mental toughness in this plan is that its presence or absence can determine whether the new appraisal system will thrive or succumb to pressure especially from the resisting academic staff (Marshall, 1999:142). Defined as “the capacity of an individual to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges...” mental toughness needs to be a quality that the change agents in XYZ will possess (ACEVO consulting, 2010: 2). With such a quality, it would be expected that they will be willing and able to take up increased responsibilities towards ensuring that the new system is implemented. Additionally, it would be expected that they will have the confidence to make decisions; will be willing to engage all employees and other stakeholders who will be affected by the new system in XYZ; will be able to execute duties and deliver on challenging targets despite resistance and obstacles; and will be in control even when facing challenges. Marshall (1999: 142) observes that managers, who in this case are expected to champion the need for embracing the new appraisal system in XYZ, “need mental toughness when it comes to handling, adversity and resistance”. Mental toughness is also a necessity in the implementation plan because managers/change agents need to avoid intimidation from events or people. Conclusion As noted in the introductory section, people do not necessarily resist change; they resists (or dislike) changes that are imposed on them. In the suggested implementation plan therefore, activities meant to attain buy-in from academic staff at XYZ University have been indicated. By creating awareness regarding the need for a new appraisal system; timing the communication of the new system; showcasing the university’s ability to deliver the new system; showing a relentless desire to adopt the new system; and possessing the mental toughness to withstand resistance and obstacles and eventually implement the new system, the change agents will most likely succeed in securing the buy-in from a majority of the academic staff. By engaging the academic staff regarding the need for the new system, the change agents will have proven that the new appraisal system is not being imposed on them. Additionally, such engagement will make the academic staff understand the new system’s importance, and will also answer the ‘what’s in it for me?’ question that any person affected by such changes is likely to ask. Before commencing the actual implementation, the change agents will need to get support from senior management. The actual implementation of the new system however will require the University to create capacity of delivering the new appraisal system by training managers, who will be expected to act as the change agents. The plans to have a relentless desire for change and create mental toughness capacity in the change agents are underscored by the need to carry on with the new system implementation process, even amid some resistance. The latter is especially necessary because, it is only natural to assume that not all hostilities would seize even when a majority of academic staff have embraced the new appraisal system. References ACEVO Consulting. 2010. The importance of developing mental toughness to successfully implement change management. 1-3: http://www.acevo.org.uk/document.doc?id=892. Byrnes, J. 2012. Why change management is all about timing. Leading Company. http://leadingcompany.smartcompany.com.au/strategy/why-change-management-is-all-about-timing/20110829121. Dawson, P. 2008. People and process: making sense of change management. ICOMS Asset Management Conference, Fremantle. http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1540&context=commpapers. Grimstead, E. 2007. Leading change in the workplace. Progression Inc., http://www.progressionsinc.net/pdfs/NWBM_Oct07.pdf Levin, H.Z. 1986. Performance appraisal at work. Personnel, 63 (6) 63-71. Llopis, G. 2012. 5 most effective ways to sell change. Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/11/05/5-most-effective-ways-to-sell-change/ Lorenzi, N. M. & Riley, R. T. 200o. Managing change: an overview. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. 7(2): 116-124. Marshall, D. R 1999. The four elements of successful management: select, direct, evaluate, reward. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. New York. O’Neill, M. 2012. Managing workplace change: a people-based perspective. Knoll Inc., 1-8, . PPA Consulting. 2005. Key steps to implementing performance management. Horizon Management. 1-17. Siaguru, F. 2011. Performance appraisal systems: procedural and implementation issues in Papua New Guinea. Journal of Management Policy and Practice. 1(5): 116-127. Read More