Performance
Management &
Development
System - What's
in it for you?
Wouldn't it be great to be
rewarded for a job well
done? Wouldn't it be great
if all Public Officers were empowered
to be involved in setting objectives and
work performance standards, and
then be assessed against these standards, rather than be judged by traits
in a subjective manner? The PMDS is
a major development that is going to
do just that. In the past, officers would
have voiced concerns about the subjective nature of the system. From the
inception, public officers developed
negativism for the system without
critically analyzing - what's in it for
me? Right away officers attempted
"unjustifiable homicide on the system". Why resist the PMDS? PMDS
has been revived - let's make it work.
PMDS will eventually replace the antiquated, deficient system in an attempt
to achieve higher levels of public sector
efficiency, through adequate standards of performance management.
In an effort to modernize the public
service, several initiatives were taken
by the government, all of which were
geared to meet the challenges of globalization. Among these initiatives, is
public sector reform. With the advent
of the public sector reform PMDS was
created.
The PMDS, What is it?
The PMDS is a system that is
designed to improve the performance
of public officers and to provide professional growth and development.
The PMDS is also a process of communication between managers/supervisors and employees in relation to:
- What is to be accomplished?
- How it will be accomplished?
- How work is progressing toward
desired results?
- Whether desired results are being
achieved.
- What is needed to achieve the
desired results?
The system provides employees
with an opportunity to receive feedback about performance, at least twice
a year, and after, on an interim basis
during the year. The work performance of the subordinate is examined
and discussed with an aim of identifying weaknesses and strengths as well
as opportunities for improvement and
skills development. This leads to
reduced error, and waste, increased
productivity, improved quality of
service for customers, employee motivation, commitment and sense of
ownership.
The system also provides an opportunity for performance related discussions that include the following aims:
- Setting work objectives for the
employee.
- Aligning individual an organizational goals.
- Identifying training and development needs and
- Discussing career succession.
Uses of the PMDS
PMDS is used for four (4)
primary purposes
- Performance Management.
- Internal staffing.
- Training needs analysis.
- Research and evaluation.
In a nutshell, the new system will provide officers with a
more objective and transparent means of assessment,
increased recognition and
reward for outstanding service, and provides opportunities for coaching, training and
counseling where necessary.
Benefits of the PMDS
- A more productive, efficient and
effective public service.
- The development of a trained, efficient and results-oriented workforce
capable of discharging its responsibilities with a sense of purpose and
commitment.
- Managers and supervisors are able
to motivate employees to improve performance, thereby fulfilling their
own need for achievement.
- Offers an excellent opportunity
perhaps the best that will ever occur
for a supervisor and supervisee to
recognize, and agree upon individual training and development
needs.
- Offers a valuable opportunity to
focus on work activities and goals to
identify and correct existing problems and to encourage better performance.
- Provides opportunity for a one-onone discussion of important work
issues that might not otherwise be
addressed.
Employees will be:
- Recognized and rewarded for outstanding performance.
- Provided with a more objective and
transparent method of performance
evaluation.
- Provided with clear responsibilities
In today's cost-effective environment, institutions must be certain that
all personnel are working to the best of
their ability for the development of
themselves and also the success of the
institution/organization. Performance appraisals have become an
unquestioned fact of life and are a necessary part of any institution's management system.
Appraisals, as it seems, are
both inevitable and universal.
In the absence of a carefully
structured system of appraisal,
employers will tend to judge
the work performance of others including supervisees,
informally, and arbitrarily.
As with any change there will
be vested interests in preserving the status quo. Some
workers will resist change no matter how beneficial it may be for the
organization.
The human inclination to judge can
create serious motivational and ethical
problems in the workplace - so away
with the old fashioned confidential
report - welcome the PMDS. Together,
let's make the PMDS work. There is
much in store for you!
BY S.N. Margaret London
Member, Technical Committee for PMDS
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