Performance Management: Cultural, Political, National Differences

This essay examines the impact of cultural, political, and national differences on performance management within a globalized context, using Acer Africa as a case study. It discusses how factors like employee engagement, 360 feedback, and goal setting are affected by diverse cultural backgrounds. The author reflects on their learning experience, emphasizing the practical application of performance management theories and the importance of cultural sensitivity in HR practices. The essay also touches on ethical considerations, advocating for utilitarian approaches in managing diverse workforces. Desklib provides students with access to similar solved assignments and resources.

Running head: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Performance Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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PART A
In the wake of globalization the concept of performance management has gained a
significant amount of prominence. This can be seen a result of the increasing focus of the
various organizations on the process of the enhancement of the annual profit gained by them
(Armstrong and Baron 2000). There are various components of the concept of performance
management which the corporate houses need to take into effective consideration like
manager reviews, 360 feedback, engagement surveys, social recognition, goal setting, goal
alignment, succession planning and others (Aguinis 2009). Many experts are of the viewpoint
that these components if effectively used can not only help the concerned corporate house to
improve the performance of the employees but at the same time help them to enhance their
overall performance (Chowdhary et al. 2014).
I used to work for the company Acer Africa. The company is a branch of the global
company Acer and specializes in the manufacture of various electronic products. The aspects
of performance management which are most likely to get affected by the cultural, political
and national differences of the employees in the said company are employee engagement,
360 feedback, goal setting, goal alignment and others (Budworth, Latham and Manroop
2015). The workplaces of the said company have individuals from diverse cultural as well as
national backgrounds. This particular factor affects the process of employee engagement in a
significant manner since the people from the different backgrounds follow different
behavioral patterns and at the same time hold different beliefs as well as values and this
particular factor affects the process of engagement among the individuals within a particular
workplace in a significant manner (Buckingham and Goodall 2015). Furthermore, it is
generally seen that the people from the different backgrounds have different ways of reacting
to the various feedbacks which are being given to them and this affects the process of

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performance management in an adverse manner (Arnaboldi, Lapsley and Steccolini 2015).
The various feedbacks which are given to the individuals are not meant to criticize them but
to help them to work on their weaknesses. However, it is generally seen that the individuals
take the feedbacks which are provided to them in a negative manner and this adversely
affects their performance level.
The HR team of the concerned company can take the help of various kinds of
methods to predict these kinds of issues. Firstly, the HR team of the concerned company can
take the help of various kinds of surveys to get an idea about the way the employees and the
individuals feel about the company and also the manner in which it is being managed
(Arnaboldi, Lapsley and Steccolini 2015). In addition to these, regular feedback forms and
interview would also help the HR team of the concerned company in a significant manner.
The line managers as well as the staffs form an important part of the company Acer
Africa and therefore it becomes very important for these individuals to work in a
synchronized manner in the new country of their operation. The employees in the new
country of operation of this particular company would be new to the ways of working of the
company and also to the company and thus it becomes important for these individuals to
adopt new measures like effective performance management systems, new assessment
criteria, coaching, motivation and others to effectively enhance the performance of the
company in the new country.
I personally believe that there is much similarity between the working style which the
company follows in the nation of South Africa and other countries. This can be ascribed to
the effectiveness of the already tried as well as tested methods which are being used by the
company for its operation in the South Africa and in the other nations of the world. The

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success of these for the growth of the company in a way encourages the company to take the
help of these methods in the other nations of its operation as well.
A leader or HR manager can take the help of various kinds of methods for the
enhancement of the performance level of the employees who are associated with the
company. For example, they can take the help of policy of reward and recognition, effective
motivational strategies, providing adequate coaching to the employees and others to enhance
the performance level of the employees who are associated with the company (Gerrish 2016).
PART B
I would like comment here that the course which I have undertaken has helped me in
a significant manner to gain the kind of information which would be helpful for me in my
future professional career. At the same time I would also like to add here that the feedback
provided by my professor on the last assignment which I submitted and also on the various
other occasions have helped in a significant manner to gain fruitful knowledge about various
important concepts. For example, I would certainly like to apply the theories as well as the
frameworks of performance management which I have learnt in this module in my
professional career to improve the performance level of my colleagues.
I personally believe that the theories as well as the strategies which are used in the
business world are slightly different from the ones that have been taught to us in our
educational lives. This particular fact can be ascribed to the more complex level of the real
life business world. Therefore, I think that I would have to make certain adjustments as well
as adaptation in order to not only sustain myself in the business world but also to contribute
in a positive manner towards the cause of the business. I would first of all like to work as an
intern in order to get a practical idea about the ways of the business world. In addition to
these, taking to some of the people who are already a part of professional business world and

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watching the interviews as well as the speeches of some of the successful businessmen would
also help me in a significant manner.
The knowledge which I have gained in this particular is related to the earlier
knowledge that I gained. I would like to add here I personally believe that the previous
modules were the ground work or the preparation for the more important as well as complex
concepts that would be taught to us in this current module. Thus, in the previous modules the
basic information about the various important concepts were provided and the current module
builds on the information which was being provided to us in those modules.
I am of the opinion that the various HRs should have diverse competencies as well as
skills for the effective management of the employees within the framework of the various
MNCs. For example, a HR should be able to effectively manage the cultural diversity within
the framework of the organization and at the same time be able to effectively motivate these
diverse entities so that they can perform to their maximum potential. Furthermore, the HR
team should also be able to perform relevant as well as adequate amount of training to the
employees so that they are being able to perform to their maximum potential. In addition to
these, the HR teams should at the same time be able to use the technique of employee
engagement in an effective manner so that a congenial workplace environment is created at
the workplace and also helps in boosting the performance level of the employees in a
significant manner.
There are various factors that an HR needs to take into consideration while preparing
for an assignment in a South African MNC. First of all the HR needs to take into effective
consideration the culture of the nation and the values as well as the beliefs that the different
cultural groups. Furthermore, they are required to keep in mind that South Africa is a
multicultural nation and they would have to create an environment where these different

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cultural entities would be able to work in a synchronized manner. Secondly, the HR must also
be able to design as well as arrange for adequate training and coaching for the employees so
that they learn the best manner to complete their job roles. In addition to these, taking the
help of the concepts of employee engagement, performance management and others would
also be helpful.
I personally believe that the various HR teams as well as the business organizations
should try to follow the ethical theory of Utilitarianism which believes in doing the kind of
activities which are likely to benefit the majority of the employees who are associated with
the company rather than following the concept of Kantianism. Thus, I am personally of the
opinion that the companies should try to follow the kind of strategies which are likely to
benefit not only them but at the same time the individuals who are associated with them.
Furthermore, in the present world of multiculturalism it also becomes important for the
organizations to follow the various aspects of cross-cultural communication and work in a
coordinated manner with the individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
I personally believe that after the completion of this module I have gained a
significant amount of knowledge about the various theories as well as the concepts of
management which were earlier not known to me. Thus,, they have in a positive manner
changed the ideas which I used to have about the business world in the earlier times and at
the same time have helped me to understand its working in a positive manner.

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References
Aguinis, H., 2009. Performance management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall.
Armstrong, M. and Baron, A., 2000. Performance management. Human resource
management, 69.
Arnaboldi, M., Lapsley, I. and Steccolini, I., 2015. Performance management in the public
sector: The ultimate challenge. Financial Accountability & Management, 31(1), pp.1-22.
Buckingham, M. and Goodall, A., 2015. Reinventing performance management. Harvard
Business Review, 93(4), pp.40-50.
Budworth, M.H., Latham, G.P. and Manroop, L., 2015. Looking forward to performance
improvement: A field test of the feedforward interview for performance management. Human
Resource Management, 54(1), pp.45-54.
Chowdhary, P.R., Pinel, F.A., Palpanas, T. and Chen, S.K., International Business Machines
Corp, 2014. System and method for model-driven dashboard for business performance
management. U.S. Patent 8,843,883.
Gerrish, E., 2016. The Impact of Performance Management on Performance in Public
Organizations: A Meta‐Analysis. Public Administration Review, 76(1), pp.48-66.