Chapter 6: Conclusion

Transcription

1 Chapter 6: Conclusion 6.0 Concluding Remarks The findings in this research have showed that it is essential to have an effective performance appraisal system. The system should be free from bias so that employees are afforded the chance to get a fair appraisal. It shows that if appraisals are not fair, then an employee would not be aware of their true performance level. This could affect their opportunity for advancement in their jobs in the future. It can also affect employees moral as good appraisal results motivate employees to work even harder. Therefore, inaccurate ratings results in frustrated employees, inappropriate rewards and punishment. The findings further suggest that the Public Service has suffered from some of the problems associated with performance appraisal. Attention must be paid to improving the system in terms of training raters and setting clear goals for the betterment of the employees and the service in general. This is essential as the Public Service plays a vital role in providing services to the country of Belize. If employees are not performing at the required levels, good service delivery will not be possible. The only way to determine whether they are performing at required level is if the system produces accurate and valid results. Findings suggest that public officers need to become acquainted with the organization s purpose and objectives. It will help them to feel more apart of the process and amplify their desire to contribute more. Hence they would be performing at their best and would not 54

2 require raters to grade leniently or grade based on perceptions. The reason being, is that they would see employees performing at their best so their will be no need for bias. 6.1 Summary of General Findings The research was designed to determine whether the performance appraisal system in Belize is providing valid evaluations. Five (5) research questions have been developed in order to analyze the objective and has been the focus of this study. Hence this section will be aligned as such. A summary of the findings based on the research questions is highlighted below: 1. Lack of ongoing appraisal results in assessment error. Based on data collected, raters in the public service have a tendency to dwell on recent events because this is what stands out in the mind, hence this result in recency error. However they believe that if people would practice to perform continuous assessment by taking notes and providing feedback, this will reduce the recency. 2. Supervisors who allow the grading of one category to influence the grade of another. The data collected indicated that supervisors are guilty of grading based on general perception instead of rating each element independently. This is because they find it difficult to isolate events because they believe activity elements are linked to each other so generalization is appropriate. 55

3 3. Supervisors who are too concerned about employees perception when poor performance is detected are more lenient in grading. Based on data collected, it was noted that this practice does not exist in the public service, as raters believe that employees should be graded on actual performance. They believe that as long as continuous assessment is done leniency should not exist. This is because they give employees an opportunity to improve performance when feedback is given. They feel that a true grade helps the employee to improve performance. The only instance in which some level of leniency exists is when an employee is experiencing personal problem. 4. Supervisors who lack adequate performance management/appraisal training are more likely making assessment errors. Raters in the Public Service believe that training is essential and that it brings about increased accuracy in the appraisal. They expressed the need for training among raters to eliminate the inaccuracy. This is because they feel that lack of training causes bias as employees are judged based on personality. Lack of training affects raters ability to identify strengths and weaknesses. It causes raters to be subjective as well as lenient or harsh in grading. 56

4 5. An organization that fits performance criteria to purpose is more likely to achieve effective performance appraisal or management. Based on data collected, raters in the Public Service of Belize realize that it is important to set performance goals in sync with organizational goals however; they feel that the Public Service goals are not clear. Goals in the Public Service are not revised and shared with employees; hence raters are not able to align performance goals with organization goals. This causes them to operate based on their own standards and goals which may not necessarily be the direction in which the organization wishes to go. Overall it can be said that the Public Service performance appraisal system is not resulting in valid evaluations as it is to some extent affected by recency error, halo/horns, lack of rater training and also their exists unclear goals hence raters are unable link employees goals. Based on responses from the data collection, raters are aware to some extent of the proper process, but the system is not adamant in ensuring that things are done based on same standards across the board and managers are not pressured to be held accountable for accurate performance appraisals. 57

5 6.2 Managerial Implications An effective performance appraisal system is essential in any organization as this is a means on which managers base important decisions on employees career advancement. In the Public Service of Belize, two of the main reasons performance appraisals are used is to grant promotion and award annual increments. Therefore, it is essential that when managers make these decisions, they are guided by appropriate information that will reflect fairness. Hence it is imperative that the performance appraisal system is taken seriously from top to bottom. This study focused on what are the factors affecting the performance appraisal system in Public Service of Belize. It highlights the fact that the system is not adequately supported from the top (senior management), as commitment at this level is a prerequisite for a system s effectiveness. Due to lack of support and commitment at this level, the required changes to ensure better results is not been made. Such change starts with the ensuring that there are clear goals at the top and that the goals are communicated to the employees. The goals can be used as a guide to ensure that public officers are working toward same objectives. This will help the supervisors to be able to better assess staff based on agreed upon goals. It if further recommended as a means of showing that the service is adamant about change and wanting improvement in the system, supervisors are provided with the proper training on not only how to use the assessment tool, but also how to acquire the necessary skills to conduct fair and accurate appraisals. The results highlighted the fact that supervisors are grading based on recent events, instead of basing the assessment on entire appraisal period; also they 58

6 are allowing one activity element to influence the other. All these issues can be addressed through training, which was also a recommendation by the respondents. One possible method of training that the Public Service can take into consideration is the Frame of Reference (FOR) training, as was explained in chapter 3 of this research. This method has been proven to be the most promising method for improving accuracy of performance ratings. It is done by setting a common conceptualization of performance among raters that serves as a basis for observing and evaluation performance. Accountability would enhance effectiveness; hence managers need to be held accountable for their actions, so as to ensure that they conduct appraisals free from bias due to friendship and favoritism. In the event that their rating is challenged, they should be able to show clearly how they arrived at such a grade. Bias appraisals can affect the morale of other hard working employees, resulting in mediocre performance. It can also give the employees who receive the bias appraisals a false sense of security. 6.3 Limitations The research was conducted using only qualitative research methodology in the form of openended questionnaire due to time constraints. This limits the number of sample size, because if it is too large it would be difficult for the researcher to analyze. Open-ended questions also lends to the possibility of bias response from the respondents. It is recommended that in the future studies include both qualitative and quantitative methods to assist with the analysis. 59

7 The questionnaire was self-administered; hence it may have been influenced due to my experience as an administrative officer (middle management) in the public service. Participants were selected only from the ministries due to time constraint and geographic location and also keeping in mind a reasonable sample size. However, bear in mind that participants from the ministries are those involved in developing and implementing policies hence they would be able to lend valuable input. It is recommended that other researchers include departments as well as a part of their sample. Another limitation the researcher encountered was the fact that there were limited scholarly reviews in some areas of the research, mainly that of the importance of linking employee performance goals with organizational goals. Research question 4, looked at whether lack of performance management/appraisal training would result in raters making assessment errors. However, only experimental study can answer this question accurately, to test whether lack of training would result in raters making assessment errors. As qualitative study shows only the respondents opinion on what they have experienced and believes to be true. 60