Article Critique: Analysis of Performance Management Strategies

This report provides a critical analysis of an article focused on performance management within organizations. The critique examines the key issues surrounding performance appraisal, including the common perception of it being time-consuming and potentially damaging to employee-manager relationships. The analysis delves into various methods for improving performance management, such as updated rating scales, web-based systems, and the importance of leadership behaviors. The report emphasizes the significance of aligning performance goals with both organizational strategy and individual responsibilities, advocating for employee involvement in goal-setting to foster commitment. Recommendations include separating development-focused discussions from reward-oriented appraisals, training appraisers, and customizing appraisal systems to departmental needs. The report concludes that effective performance management requires a strategy-driven approach, strong management ownership, senior leadership support, and the integration of HR and talent management processes.

Running Head: ARTICLE CRITIQUE
human resource management
[Document subtitle]

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ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Introduction
Appraisal of Performance in an organization is considered as the most criticized practice of
managing the performance and the talent as many employees consider it as a waste of energy and
time and others think that it destructs the relationship between subordinates and their managers.
For an organization to manage its talent well and for managing the organization effectively, it is
significant for managers to gather all the information about the individual’s performance, their
knowledge and skills and their performance goals and responsibilities for the future. In the
article, there are various measures suggested and discussed to improve the management of
performance and its appraisal. For example, methods like new and upgraded scales for rating,
methods of forced distribution, improved description of level of performance and competencies
and spontaneous ties to termination and pay may help to appraise the performance of the
employees in the organization in an improved and better way. In this article, the various methods
of effective performance appraisal like systems which are web based and technology based
appraisals are discussed. Furthermore, the behaviors of leadership in an organization and
management systems determine the utilization and execution of appraisals are discussed in
further sections.
Key Issues/Questions
For the organization to have a perfect fit and design of strategy, it is important to have right
features and goals that are set for the organization by involving all the employees and setting
goals jointly (Lawler III, et al., 2012). Also, the most effective system of performance
management which relates the performance of HR Functions and comprehensive performance of
organization include the setting of goals and objectives which are driven by the strategy of the

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ARTICLE CRITIQUE
business as well as the individual performance. The objectives must be clearly linked with the
organizational and individual strategy and must not be imposed over them because if they do not
participate in setting the goals, they lack the commitment to achieve them and hence they lack
the intrinsic rewards within them to achieve those goals.
Article Critique
Management of performance systems involve many features and are complex. The training of the
appraisers and the employee being appraised is necessary for successful accomplishment of
performance management appraisals. The key leadership and managerial aspects determine the
efficiency and effectiveness of system of performance management. It includes the senior
management leadership, ownership of management and balances, checks and system of
operations as they all deal and handle with the leading and owing of the system of performance
management. The web based system of performance management are fast and they speed up the
process but many leaders and users of that system are not used to it which leads to errors in the
outcomes and results of this performance system. Although web appraisal system can help to
speed up the process, permit wider participation in appraisal and setting of goals, structuring of
work process for individuals, they still lack the adaptability from the employees as the system is
new for them and they are not that much skilled to operate them. In most of the large
corporations, the appraisal systems are customized based on the work’s complexity and
hierarchy levels in the organizational structures. It is considered as a tedious process as it
requires various appraisals designs which can be biased and produce less effective results for the
actual performance.

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ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Recommendation
The most effective system of performance management which relates the performance of HR
functions and comprehensive performance of organization include the setting of goals and
objectives which are driven by the strategy of the business as well as the individual performance.
It is recommended to plan for the personal development as it positively contributes in the
effective management of performance system as the discussions of appraisal makes it tough for
the individuals to participate in discussion of development as the appraisals do contain negative
responses and feedbacks that dominates the arguments and discussions. It is highly significant to
polish the skills and knowledge of individuals who are appraising the employees and to train
them about the procedure to be followed for the performance appraisal. As per the readings, it is
recommended to distinguish and keep apart the development related discussions with the
discussions related to reward oriented performance appraisal because when appraisal and pay are
discussed together, individuals tend to hear only about pay and ignore the discussions regarding
developmental feedback. The key leadership and managerial aspects determine the efficiency
and effectiveness of system of performance management. It includes the senior management
leadership, ownership of management and balances, checks and system of operations as they all
deal and handle with the leading and owing of the system of performance management. Still in
future, it can be estimated to provide relatively great speed, lower the costs and the integrity to
combine the results with process of talent management in corporations. Lastly, it is
recommended for the evaluators to design the appraisal system as per their own department and
use it for their employers and employees to whom they directly report to as they only have the
best knowledge about the work that is done in their own respective departments.

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ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Conclusion
For effective management of performance systems, it involves the management process and
leadership to set the goals that are driven by strategy. When system is owned by management,
instead of the department of HR and it gets sufficient support from the senior leaders, the system
of performance management becomes much effective. Initially, the performance evaluation
should be done, and after that a meeting should be conducted separately for the development and
feedback. There should be proper training of the employees being appraised and the appraisers to
easily fix the issue of raising and solving queries and feedbacks of the employees. Integrating the
comprehensive strategy of human resource with processes of performance management and
overall system of talent management is a key to make the performance management system
effective in an organization. Thus, it can be concluded that the system of performance
management and its effective should be driven by the strategy of the organizational business
which is highly and strongly correlated.

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ARTICLE CRITIQUE
REFERENCE
Lawler III, E. E., Benson, G. S., & McDermott, M. (2012). What makes performance appraisals
effective? Compensation & Benefits Review, 44(4), 191-200.