Roles in Performance Management

Performance Management

Leaders roles change and they are required to adopt additional roles in the Performance Management Process. Some of the roles identified include the Champion for change, performance management advocate, and performance coach. Leaders as change champion are entrusted to improve business performance by taking initiative and through identification of key success details for building performance capacity. For the purpose of successfully building capacity of performance management and improvement seven key skills are identified.

Firm leaders must:

1. Shape and make employee belief in a vision for performance management and improvement initiatives
2. Take lead in Performance Management and Improvement Initiatives
3. Mobilize employee and build their engagement and commitment for performance management and improvement
4. Supporting performance management and improvement by modifying initiatives and changing structures.
5. Constantly controlling and monitoring employee progress through performance management initiatives
6. Take the best of Performance management initiative by reinforcing and rewarding employee growth and development
7. Making employee belief that "We are in this together" through Creation of a shared need for performance management and improvement

Change is never an easy initiative, It is important that champions of change and other stakeholders have a basic understanding of the nature of change and the possible human response to it. The nature of change may be categorized as:

Micro Changes

These are small, little changes that are constant in workplace and receive little or no resistance. As they are more manageable and can be easily administered. For instance adopting a new teaching methodology or adding new software to one’s computer.

Macro Changes

Macro Changes are bigger and massive transitions resulting in changing ones assumptions, values, or beliefs. The events of September 11, 2001, for example, represent a macro change for millions of people.

Organizational changes

Organizational Changes are more often transitional and large-scale changes affecting business processes, resource persons, interactions, communication channels, relationships and responsibilities. Such as mergers and acquisitions or Structural Changes of Business Organizations.

We as Humans are resistant to change and very seldom we accept it, unless or until we see a direct benefit of it. There is a fear that change is not for good on whom it is applied and it’s for the betterment of those who apply it. It is human nature that we prefer routine, conventions and practices that are normal and do not pose a challenge for us. It is because we don't not want to be driven out of our comfort zone. It important that Change Agents understands these issues and set up conditions for employee success acceptance of change. What Change Champions do is that they provide abundant communications, tools, and support to help workers integrate change into their organizational lives this helps in bringing ownership to the change process?

Performance Management Advocate

Leaders who are effective act as advocates during the performance management process, they act supporters who provide and interpret information, identify solutions and facilitate solution generation and implementation. They help evaluate outcomes and find what needs to be done to improve the performance. Leaders as Advocates have to be proactive scouts, as they are the ones who allay the individual's fear of the performance management process through initiation and acting as ambassadors of the process. They not only convey the vision, they live it. Thus, increasing trust and belief among the stakeholders.

Performance Coach

Leaders are not traditional anymore. They have to perform more and different roles than they had to perform a decade ago. Every initiative in the business would require them to adopt a different role. Performance Management where on one hand wants them to be an advocate, it also requires them to be a performance coach. They are entrusted with the role of establishing rapport with employees, encouraging face-to-face communications, be active participants than passive observers and engage them in listening and questioning their concerns. The coach responsibilities are varied and constantly changing as it depends on the situation and people they are dealing with.