Implementation of Performance Management System at Balme Library

Performance management is a process by which managers and staff collectively engage in planning, monitoring, and appraising personnel work goals and general input to the organization. The procedure usually consists of the following interconnected vital components: prerequisites, performance planning, execution, assessment, and review. However, as for the University of Ghana's main library, prerequisites is one component that was inadequately implemented.

Problem

A significant problem of the Balme Library performance management system lies in the fact that prerequisites were not taken into consideration. For instance, there was no systematic job analysis at Balme Library (Martey, 2002). There was no mention of each employee department and how every individual would contribute to the library’s objectives (Martey, 2002). Job analysis, in this case, entails the duties for a specific job as well as how they should be completed. Balme Library failed to examine such prerequisites.

Impact

Failure to scrutinize the prerequisites can have adverse implications on the performance management process as a whole. For instance, an unclear division of roles or lack of proper understanding of responsibilities can make it impossible for a team to maximize its full capacity when it comes to productivity (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). As a result, ongoing challenges might develop, such as communication difficulties and disputes over matters of competency. Consequently, it would mean that the team will spend significant time dealing with internal group challenges, thereby affecting optimal decision-making (Krishnan, 2013). Besides, without an adequate job and role description, it will be difficult for Balme Library to connect work functions back to the organizational objective, thus creating ambiguity (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). Also, lack of job analysis can make it difficult for workers to see the direct association between role competencies, work descriptions, and goals and objectives, thereby affecting staffs commitment to the performance management process (Krishnan, 2013). Failure to examine the prerequisites might also make it difficult for managers and personnel to understand what they need to achieve to meet the library’s objectives (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). Furthermore, not taking care of the prerequisites will reduce internal organization and coordination, thereby affecting the flow of performance management process. Finally, a successful performance management system is one that ensures that all members have the knowledge and necessary capabilities to do the work, understand what to do, and how to do it (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). Without having such knowledge, it becomes challenging to know what should be evaluated.

Solution

            To improve the implementation of performance management system at Balme Library, the institution must first set organizational goals. The library must establish its mission and vision and make it known to all employees and other stakeholders (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). Balme Library should also make sure that objectives and goals are defined and understood by members from all levels of the institution. The aim is to ensure that efforts are directed towards the realization of Balme Library’s ambitions (Yaseen & Afghan, 2016). The knowledge of job description is equally essential in correcting the problem mentioned above. Balme Library needs to ensure that every job has a written account and expectations. Also, the library needs to communicate to every member how his or her work responsibilities are connected to the organizational goals and objectives (Krishnan, 2013). Finally, while describing the goals and employees' roles, the library’s management should ensure that every word or phrase used is clear to all.    

References

Krishnan, S. (2013). 7 elements of effective performance management. ResearchGate, 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237778624_7_elements_of_effective_performance_management

Martey, A. (2002). Appraising the performance of library staff in a Ghanaian academic library. Library Management, 23(8/9), 403-416. doi:10.1108/01435120210439889

Yaseen, A., & Afghan, S. (2016). Performance Management Practices: A Case Study of Bank Al-Habib Pakistan. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 6(2), 196. doi:10.5296/ijhrs.v6i2.9430