Ch # 13 Management Challenges

Question 1

what could be benefits of performance appraisal to the employers

Answer 1

1. provides a formal system for assessing the
   performance and potential of employees, with a view to identifying candidates for promotion
2. provides a system for identifying ways of
   improving the competence of employees, in
   order to raise the general level of efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce.
3. provides a valuable system for human resource planning, and ensuring that employees are ready for promotion, to fill management job vacancies that arise.
4. can improve communications between
   managers and their employees, and so improve working relationships.

Question 2

what are the benefits of performance appraisal to the employee?

Answer 2

1. employee gets feedback about his performance at work, and an assessment of his competence.
2. A formal appraisal system offers the employee an opportunity to discuss his future prospects and ambitions.
3. An appraisal interview may be used as a basis for considering pay and rewards.
4. Appraisal can be used to identify and agree
   measures for further training and development, to improve the employee’s competence.

Question 3

outline of the barriers to effective performance apraisal

Answer 3

(Purple Cat Often Attack The Red Bird)
1. It has not Purpose
Employees see the appraisal interview as nothing more than an informal
chat with the manager. Nothing happens as a result of the interview, which is badly organised. The entire process is seen as a waste of time and a pointless exercise.

2. Confrontation
3. The interview is One sided
   Staff appraisals might be one-sided, with the manager telling the employee about his strengths and weaknesses, and giving him an assessment of his
   competence. Employees will often resist a system of appraisal in which they do not have an opportunity to answer back and give their own opinions.
4. Annual Event
   .The appraisal process might be seen as an annual event, that happens every 12
   months, and nothing more happens afterwards until 12 months later
5. Lack of Training in appraisal interview
   techniques
   A system might be ineffective because
   managers are not given proper guidance or training in what they should be doing in the
   appraisal interview, and how they should organise any follow-up action that is agreed with the employee.
6. Lack of Record System
   If the employee and interviewer agree on targets or objectives for the employee, these should be recorded so that they can be discussed at the next appraisal interview.
7. Appraiser bias
   An appraiser should be objective when appraising employee performance.
   However, bias may exist that distorts a manager’s or company’s view on how that particular employee is performing

Question 4

what could be the aproached by the management for the appraisal interview?

Answer 4

 Tell and sell method

 Tell and listen method

 Problem-solving method

 360 degree approach

Question 5

discuss the tell and sell method

Answer 5

The interviewer tells the employee how the assessment will be made. He then
gives his assessment and makes suggestions for the employee’s improvement or development plan. It may result into confrontation but if the appraisal is done effectively, it will help avoid
confrontation and motivate the employee
The employee does not have much opportunity to reply to the appraisal by the interviewer. This approach to appraisal calls for a high level of management skills and interpersonal skills from the interviewer.

Question 6

discuss tell and listen method

Answer 6

The interviewer tells the employee how the assessment will be made, but
then invites the employee to respond to the assessment. The interviewer must then listen to the comments from the employee, and encourage the employee to become involved in a constructive discussion.

Question 7

discuss problem solving method

Answer 7

The interviewer and the employee must agree in advance as to what the appraisal interview should try to achieve, and how it should be conducted. The approach to the interview is based on the joint agreement that there is a problem: how to develop the employee or how to improve the competence of the employee.

Question 8

discuss the 360 degree aproach for apraisal interview

Answer 8

With the 360 degree approach the performance appraisal interview is based on:

 an assessment of the individual by a number of other people (‘raters’) who are familiar with
the individual’s work, and

 a self-assessment by the individual.

There should be at least 3 to 5 raters, and all of them should be ‘credible’ to the individual they are appraising. Each rater is asked to complete a questionnaire about the performance of the individual. The opinions and assessments of each rater are kept confidential, to avoid the risk of resentment and arguments if the individual finds out how any particular rater assessed him.

Question 9

how the appraisal interview should be prepared? what are the ideal conditions to conduct the interview?

Answer 9

Questions asked by the interveiwer(list in book)

Questions prepared by the employee(list in book)

location of the interview

documents for the interview

Interviewing skills

Question 10

how can the organization remove an important barrier to effective appraisal which can be the view of employees that the annual appraisal is not treated as something important

Answer 10

To prevent this from happening, there must be a system of follow-up and feedback.

1. The agreement between employer and employee (if any) regarding training etc. must be recorded
2. The action plan agreed upon with the employee must be reported to the HR dept.
3. The interviewer is normally the manager of the employee. He or she should follow up the
   appraisal report and should arrange the training or development that has been agreed.
4. The outcome of the feedback becomes the input for the next appraisal process.

Question 11

what are the causes of conflicts at work?

Answer 11

Conflict can arise when individuals are unclear about their respective areas of responsibility

conflict can arise when workgroups are unclear about their respective areas of responsibility.

Conflict may occur when one person or group thinks that another person or group is deliberately trying to spoil what he/it is trying to do, by being deliberately unhelpful or critical.

conflict may occur when two workgroups are pursuing incompatible objectives.

On a personal level, conflict can arise when one individual thinks that he can tell another person what to do, but the other person refuses to follow his instructions or recognise his authority.

Conflict may even occur when operational managers are advised by ‘specialist’ advisers. The operational managers may feel that the specialists are being deliberately unhelpful in the advice they give.

Conflict might arise due to personality differences and natural ways of approaching a task.

Non-compliance with rules, regulations and policies can be a common cause for conflict between those breaching the rules and those advocating compliance

Simple misunderstanding through ineffective communication can be another common cause of conflict in the workplace

Conflict may arise where quotas and incentives generate competition for a scarce resource.

Question 12

what might be the impact of conflict on the organization?

Answer 12

unfriendly rivalries between workgroups, departments or individuals.

unlikely to communicate openly with each other.

inter-departmental disputes and arguments.

Individuals or groups will be unwilling to listen to ideas from others with whom they are in conflict. there is refusal to co operate

Individuals are likely to feel frustrated in their work, and put the blame on the ‘enemy’.

disputes over rights and responsibilities.

Question 13

how a conflict can be managed

Answer 13

A manager whose subordinates are in conflict may choose to ignore it and pretend that it does not exist.

A manager might deal with a conflict between two subordinates or groups of subordinates by trying to impose a solution.

When the main problem in a dispute appears to be one particular person, the manager may decide that a suitable solution would be to move the individual to a different position in the organisation.

encourage them to talk through their
differences, and try to change their attitudes to each other.

manager may try to act as a ‘peacemaker’, by listening to the views of each side, and trying
to encourage each side to take a more rational and constructive approach to the problem that has caused the dispute.

Question 14

what can be the suitable disciplinary actions to manage the conflicts

Answer 14

oral warning
written warning
suspension with pay
reduction of pay within a class
demotion to a lower classification
dismissal

Question 15

explain the disciplinary process

Answer 15

Establish the facts of each case
Inform the employee of the problem
Allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting
Decide on appropriate action
Provide employees with an opportunity to appeal

Question 16

brainstorm the bratton five stage model of reward management

Answer 16

see the PAC book for answer
outline here is
S.M.A.C
PERSPECTIVE
strategic(cost leadership/differentiation)

Providing a reward system(performance enhancement+commitment+recruitement)

selecting the methods of reward(basic pay+performance related pay+other)

Deciding the amount of reward(job analysis+job evaluation+appraisal)

making reward competitive compared to other employer(reflect the condition in the market)

Question 17

what are the aspects of alignment of reward system with the strategy

Answer 17

All reward systems have faults, because they fail to link reward with strategic objective or because they fail to provide a sufficient incentive to employees.

Reward systems can de-motivate employees when they are seen to be unfair.

Question 18

what are the Advantages of linking reward schemes to performance measurement

Answer 18

A well-designed reward scheme should link rewards to performance that supports strategic objectives.

Rewards can motivate individuals to achieve their performance targets. They can also help to attract and retain talented individuals.

The payment of rewards for achieving key targets helps to inform managers and employees about what the critical aspects of performance are.

By giving the share option you can encourage the employees to think about the long term prospects with the company

Reward schemes may help to attract talented employees, and make them want to work for the entity.

Question 19

disadvantages of of linking reward schemes to performance measurement

Answer 19

Meeting only the lowest targets

Meeting the budget target, but not beating it

Earning the bonus –whatever it takes to
do this

Using more resources than necessary

Avoiding risks

Taking risks

*there is a description and solution written in the book consult