M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example

M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Managing Performance When looking at performance management it can be defined as (1) ‘a process which contributes to effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure it is achieved. ’ We can see from this definition that managing performance is crucial to the overall performance of the organisation and meeting its goals and objectives. This process must then be strategic but also link other aspects of the organisation such as individuals and teams. As defined above, performance management is ultimately about achieving high levels of organisational performance. As managers we must use performance management as a continuous process that aims to improve develop the individuals in our team. MITIE uses the below diagram to illustrate that the process is continuous. (2) Within my role as Admin Manager I have 3 people directly reporting in to me. As a team we are largely responsible for the smooth running of the operations side of the business including planned and reactive tasks. The team operates across the contract as a whole so has responsibilities in numerous varied processes and tasks. Below I have highlighted some of the key responsibilities within this role in terms of performance management. * Recruitment – I am responsible for recruiting people who are qualified, have relevant experience and can fit in to the team. * Inductions – Site Company inductions are completed and help to start setting performance standard. Setting Performance standards – Features of the job that are usually continuous and based around how the team works or their behaviour. * Setting Objectives – Team and individual objectives are set to achieve specific performance targets. Also objectives are set for individuals relating to personal development. * Probation Review – Completed 3 months in to a new team mem ber’s employment. This is the first official opportunity to review an individual’s performance. Initial objectives and performance standards are also set at this time. Improvement and Development – I have to look for areas where the team can improve performance. Similarly I have to ensure the team has the skills and ability to complete their objectives. This involves development and training for the team and individuals. This is a 2-way process though and as a manager I must create a culture where the team and individuals can be at the forefront of their own development. * Appraisals – These are completed annually and are used to review performance of the individual. During this process the objectives set previously are reviewed along with performance standards. Feedback is given both positive and negative if required. Future development plan is discussed and agreed with the individual. This is also an opportunity for the individual to discuss any problems or obstacles that they have encountered in trying to carry out their role. Furthermore this is also an opportunity to take action to improve poor performance. * Absence/leave – This involves managing planned leave as well as unplanned so team performance is maintained at the required level. As highlighted above one of the key responsibilities I have as a manager is to set team objectives. These objectives must be set and then agreed with the team. Some examples of objectives I have set for the team are below: * Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month * Manage the planned maintenance tasks so 100% of statutory PPM’s are completed within legislative defined timeframe. * Manage all Priority 1 reactive requests for data centres MTXs to ensure zero SLA failures are incurred each KPI month. Within the team I also have performance standards that I set, which are linked to the MITIE’s values. Some examples are below. (3) * Take pride in delivering and improving services to the client * Understand the clients requirements and try to exceed expectations * Use initiatives to resolve issues calmly and effectively * Promotes MITE by doing the best job possible and demonstrating passion for the quality of work done * Deliver the best service by showing flexibility in approach and being open to fresh thinking * Understand and implement strategies nd processes to generate profits in line with business targets and expectations * Understand what is expected of them in support of the client and how to deliver it * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Informs manager of factors that may impact on the business * Co-operate with colleagues and clients, work together and support each other to achieve team and client goals * Recognise the impacts of personal actions on reputation of the team, yourselves and MITIE * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved * Make a positive contribution to the team and the organisation as a whole * Demonstrate support for others Looking at the above we can see how many of the objectives and performance standards are linked. To achieve the objectives the team must work to the performance standards. Below I have highlighted an example of how the two are linked. Objective| Performance standards required to complete| Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month| To complete this objective the team must – * Understand the client’s requirements and try to exceed expectations. * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved| The performance standards can be applied to all of the objectives in some way and do not change significantly throughout a review year. These standards are continuous and they outline the way in which the team works. Team Objectives differ as they have defined performance areas. Furthermore they can change frequently throughout a review year. When managing performance arguably the most critical element of the process is measuring the performance. This can be completed in a variety of ways and is done so against the team objectives and performance standards set. Measuring performance against objectives differs from that of performance standards. Below I have highlighted how I would measure performance against the objectives and performance standards. In the above flowchart we can see how measuring performance against objectives involves many of the same methods. As managers we can use a combination of measures to get an overall picture of how the team is performing. Measuring objectives is usually a precise measurement with defined criteria for success and failure. For example the KPI score indicates the success and or failure of the above objectives. In the above flowchart I have highlighted the methods I use for measuring performance against the performance standards. To illustrate how a combination of measures is often required I have grouped them together. Looking at the above flowcharts we can see how objectives and performance standards need to work in unison to be successful. All of the performance standards are there to help achieve the objectives and clearly indicate to the team what the expectations are. As the admin manager I need to use a combination of performance measures so I can effectively manage the team’s performance. If I know where we are in terms of performance I can then look at development and improvement opportunities. When measuring performance there are inevitably instances where the team or individuals are underperforming. An example of underperformance that has occurred from an individual is as follows: Within the admin team I manage there are 3 individuals with similar workloads and responsibilities. Around 6 months ago one member of the team continually made errors and in some cases forgot to complete the weekly bookings for the engineers. The bookings are so the engineers in the field can access secure sites and complete routine and reactive maintenance. It is a crucial part of the role and if not completed it impacts negatively on the overall contract performance. After a few weeks of mistakes being made and bookings not being done I decided that a performance improvement plan needed to be implemented. Prior to completing this I had looked at the workload of the individual compared to the other team members and concluded that there was no difference. Next i looked at other factors that could be reasons for the individual performance. In this process I looked at internal factors such as competences, methods of work, personal problems, medical and motivation. Examples of the external factors I considered were distractions, family ; relationships, finance and other team members. Most of these factors were discussed with the individual in an informal meeting to gain an understanding of how the individual thinks they are performing. The individual highlighted that during the time where they complete the weekly bookings they were distracted by phone calls, emails and other team members so couldn’t concentrate on the completing the task. Taking this feedback from the individual I was happy that the reason for underperformance was due to distractions and time management issues. From here I asked the individual to go away and look at the tasks they need to complete in the week and suggest areas for improving their time management. The next step was to have a meeting with the individual to identify areas to improve the way they work to allow the task to be completed. It was agreed that 2 hours was required a week to complete the bookings. Using the individual’s feedback regarding time and the distractions I put together a method that would aim to remove the distractions. I suggested the following methods: * Put a 2 hour window in calendar to complete bookings each week between 10-12 * Put out of office on diverting to other team members for the 2 hours and close down outlook * Divert phone to other team members for 2 hours Move to location away from other team members to complete bookings In the process i looked to remove the distractions and give the task some structure by putting a timeframe to it. This was agreed by the individual and then cascaded to the other team members. When using this performance improvement technique I also had to consider what happens after it is implemented. To do this I used an improvement cycle which continues until the individual is performing at the required level. Below is an example of cycle: (4) For the above example we can see that after the plan stage I must measure the performance. This will involve using the techniques as highlighted earlier, in particular feedback from engineers. I must then compare these results with other members of the team. This will help to see if the improvement process can be improved or needs amending. If any changes need to be made then they are implemented and the cycle starts again. Improving performance is not a start to finish process and needs to be implemented as a continuous cycle. Bibliography 1. ARMSTRONG, M. and BARON, A. (2004) Managing performance: performance management in action. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2. MITIE Intranet – BMS Form MG(G)541 Managers guide to performance management – objective based appraisals – Page 2 3. MITIE – Performance Standards Document 4. measure2improve. econtrack. co. uk/Content. aspx? 236 – accessed 29/11/2011