Field Project Assignment - Essay Example

EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Organizational Performance Assessment – PAD 714-301) ID Number: of (affiliation)Location of University:May 02, 2014 IntroductionManaging people is one of the hardest tasks in any organization. People need to be well managed in order to motivate them and let them work towards the organizations strategic aims. While there are a number of motivational theories within the larger field of management studies, it often boils down to making a perfect fit between employees personal objectives and the firms organizational objectives, in other words, attain a congruence between two different viewpoints.

Once a task is given, management needs to monitor its progress, how it is being accomplished, see if the employee is doing it right, and whether task objectives are being met at the same time. This is done using various tools available to top management and one of the most useful and also dreaded is the performance evaluation when employees are compared and if they measure up. Performance evaluations are usually done annually, or could be done per semester or by quarter. These evaluations can be highly effective tools depending on how these are administered.

I had chosen to attend training at the Center for Urban Community Services Institute for this purpose last March 20, 2014 focused on the topic of “Creating Effective Performance Evaluations.” DiscussionThe Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) Institute is located at 198 E. 121st St. in New York City and this particular non-profit non-government organization (NGO) was once a community project of Columbia University back in 1979 but has since expanded its community outreach programs beyond its immediate environs after it was officially incorporated in 1993.

I choose CUCS Institute because of its vast experience in providing training and research to other non-profits and government agencies engaged in social services using evidence-based practices; it had been honored by the New York Times for its effective impact (CUCS, 2013, para. 2). The training session was a whole day event and I consider the time well spent since I had learned a lot during that time. Some of the lessons learned about performance evaluations are the following: a performance evaluation (also known as performance appraisal) is for improvement, whether at the personal (employee) level or at the organizational level, it is used for making the important decisions such as promotion, compensation, transfer, or termination, giving feedback, counseling, and imposing disciplinary sanctions.

There are a number of benefits to be derived in conducting performance evaluations but only if these are done right; these include promotion of employee motivation, improve inter-company communications, help in benefits administration via a rewards system, enhance trust levels, performance improvement, and goal alignment. However, if done incorrectly, performance evaluation can lead to legal issues like when these are used to subtly discriminate against someone, favor a specific worker, or used in office politics to promote a hidden agenda by a performance appraisal that is perceived to be unfair and badly skewed towards achieving the said agenda.

People, workers, and employees who claim to be at the receiving end of a biased performance evaluation can even sue the organization. ConclusionLife inside an organization can get quite complicated due to pressures to achieve the aim of the organization and some people can resort to all things to fudge the numbers or game its own systems to get ahead. However, an objective performance appraisal is the best way to get around this human tendency to get ahead of others at their expense.

A performance evaluation must be perceived to be fair so it is acceptable to the person being rated and for everybody too. It is a codified, consistent, and carefully-considered objective judgment and guarantee a fair deal to everyone, a motivational tool to achieve organizational goals (Sandler & Keefe, 2003, p. vi).ReferencesCenter for Urban Community Services (2013). Training and research. Retrieved April 30, 2014 http://www.cucs.org/training-and-research Sandler, C. & Keefe, J. (2003). Performance appraisal phrase book: The best words, phrases, and techniques for performance reviews.

Avon, MA, USA: Adams Media.