Performance Management System Assignment Help 

Introduction

Performance Management is a systematic approach to improve individual and team performance in order to develop competencies and commitment in efficient way to achieve organizational goals (Armstrong, 2005). As per college assignment help experts, Performance management is very important for the organizations to evaluate employees’ work. The main aim of performance management is to develop understanding of the problem to the individual and to provide support and guidance to deliver high performance (Holloway, 2009).  

Wal-Mart is the world largest recognizable brand in the retail industry. With its operation in more than 15 countries and having more than 8 thousand stores all over the world, it is the leader in retail industry (Wal-Mart, 2011).  It has a strong market share and customer base at global level. The paper will discuss about the current performance management system followed in Wal-Mart. The paper will also discuss about the measures that should be followed to protect organization from litigation related to performance management. Apart from this, it will also include the techniques to improve performance of the employees’ in the organization.

Current Performance Management System

Wal-Mart has been successfully managed its employees as well as its stakeholders to improve their performance in achieving organizational goals. Wal-Mart introduced Assistant Management Training (AMT) program for its employees to improve their performance. The program is based on learning for continuous improvement of the employees as well as the management (Wal-Mart, 2011). Wal-Mart provides development opportunities through different stages of this AMT program. There are different phases of this program –

The first phase is considered as learning phase and employees are made familiar with the skill, knowledge and ability to perform a particular task. The second phase is the performance management phase that helps to develop foundation and clear understanding of the situation in Wal-Mart. The last phase is the carrier planning phase that provides different trainings facilities required for a particular task by the employees to enhance their performance (Wal-Mart, 2011). Apart from this, the company also conducts supplier development programs on regional basis to improve the performance of its suppliers (Wal-Mart, 2011). The program helps suppliers to improve their ability against different challenges.

Formal Performance Feedback Process

Many organizations today follow a process of formal performance feedback. Wal-Mart is also one of them to use formal performance feedback process (Wal-Mart, 2011). In formal performance feedback process of Wal-Mart, feedback is being provided for a particular period of time on regular basis that may be monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. In formal feedback process, feedback is provided through a planned mechanism (Garber, 2004).

The manager in Wal-Mart, who monitors the work of an employee, gives feedback for employees’ performance for a specified period. A scheduled feedback is provided to the employees in formal feedback process at Wal-Mart. Formal feedback is based on the overall performance of the employee during a particular period of time. A system is being developed in formal feedback that calculates the employee’s performance on regular basis upon some predefined measures (Garber, 2004). In formal performance feedback process of Wal-Mart, an employee is not able to evaluate his performance on daily basis to improve. This feedback process is used to determine the increment or promotion or to appraise the performance of the employees.

Informal Performance Feedback Process

On the other hand, informal performance feedbacks are such feedbacks that are being given on the spot or without any planning. In Wal-Mart, informal performance feedback process is being followed on the regular basis. Immediate comment is being given to the receiver after the action is completed. Informal feedback is an unplanned and unscheduled feedback that is being given to the employees (Garber, 2004). There is no fixed process for informal feedback.

In Wal-Mart regular feedbacks are provided to the employees by the supervisors and the managers to improve their performance in order to provide good services to the customers (Wal-Mart, 2011). The disarrangement of products in shelves, misbehave with customers are some situation in which informal performance feedback is occurred. There is meeting on regular basis to provide necessary feedbacks to the employees. Daily encouragements are provided for better performance of employees in Wal-Mart. The management and employees in Wal-Mart are very much concerned about this informal feedback as they can sort out their mistakes immediately.

Organizational Steps against Litigation related to Performance Management

Wal-Mart uses the following steps to protect the organization from litigation related to performance management –

Improving performance management practices: Wal-Mart organizes training sessions for the employees to increase their performance that reduce the possibility of biasness in performance management due to fewer skills (Sherwyn, 2009).

Recruitment: Wal-Mart made favorable changes in its recruitment process to avoid litigation. It hires the candidates as per their skills and qualification with required job specification. It reduce the potential litigation related to the performance management as employees with less skills may argue for the biasness in performance appraisal on the basis of different demographic characteristics.

Written agreement: Wal-Mart also has written agreement with employee in order to prevent any discrimination and litigation in performance management (Crosby, Stockdale & Ropp, 2007). It also has pre-determined criteria and measures to assess the performance of employees.

Equal employment opportunity: Wal-Mart implemented equal employment opportunities for employees to get promoted higher positions. It has given equal opportunity for both men and women to get into the higher position on the basis of one’s capabilities and pre-described criteria (Wal-Mart, 2011).

Apart from this business assignment help, Wal-Mart has also made some changes in its promotion system using technology to ensure its reach on wider section of employees (Wal-Mart, 2011). It also created diversity and established new job classification to protect itself from any litigation to performance management.

Techniques used by Managers

Following steps are taken by managers in order to improve employee’s performance in Wal-Mart.

Frequent communication: The manager facilitates proper communication with the employees to sort out their problem that helps to improve their performance (Kreitner, 2006). Proper communication will help manager to find out the lacking in individual employees and help accordingly to increase their performance.

Training sessions: The managers also use training sessions in order to improve performance of the employees. The managers find out the employees, who are unable to increase their productivity and provide them required trainings facilities.

Performance appraisals: The managers in Wal-Mart use performance appraisal to improve performance of the employees. Performance appraisal will encourage employees to increase their productivity (Kreitner, 2006).

Familiar with organizational goal: The managers make employees familiar with the organizational goal that helps to reduce the conflict with each other and increases employees’ efforts to achieve organizational goals (Wal-Mart, 2011).

Manager support & employee involvement: The managers also provide their full support and include them in decision making that also enhances their performance.

Conclusion

From the above discussion by do my assignment help experts,   it can be concluded that performance management plays an important role to improve performance of the employees in an organization. Wal-Mart has efficiently evaluated its employees’ performance through formal and informal feedback process that helps to improve performance of the employees. Accordingly, organization has taken several measures like improvement in performance management practices and written documents to avoid litigation related to performance management. The use of communication, performance appraisal, and training sessions are some effective techniques that are used by Wal-Mart to improve performance of the employees.

References

Armstrong, M. (2005). Managing performance: performance management in action. London:  CIPD Publishing.

Crosby, F., Stockdale, M., & Ropp, S. (2007). Sex discrimination in the workplace: multidisciplinary perspectives. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Garber, P. (2004). Giving and Receiving Performance Feedback. Canada: Human Resource Development.

Holloway, J. (2009). Performance management from multiple perspectives: taking stock. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 58(4), 391-399.

Kreitner, R. (2006). Management. USA: Cengage Learning.

Sherwyn, D. (2009). Employment Class and Collective Actions: Proceedings of the New York University 56th Annual Conference on Labor. Netherland: Kluwer Law International.

Wal-Mart. (2011). Retrieved 27 January, 2011 from http://walmartstores.com/