Question

The Case of Bridgeport Academy of a new performance management system designed specifically for support staff at a school in the United Kingdom.

Background • This fictionalized case study is based on a real organization. The school is a public, mixed comprehensive secondary school located in the United Kingdom with an average annual turnover in excess of £1 million. Because it is government funded, it is a non-profit organization. • Although the case study is in a school setting, many of the issues identified are the same across different countries and different industries—for example, the tension between the exempt employees and support staff. • There are 120 employees: 80 teaching and 40 non-teaching employees. The school has more than 800 students aged 13-18. • The case study’s author was the school’s HR manager. • The actual events took place in 2004-05.

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this case study, students will: • Understand the components of an effective performance management system. • Appreciate the complexities involved in designing a performance management system. • Demonstrate an awareness of the practical issues surrounding implementation of a new performance management system. • Understand the benefits of performance management to different stakeholders. • Recognize the importance of training and continuous feedback

The Case Study: Five years earlier, Bridgeport Academy, located in the United Kingdom, implemented a performance management system for all school employees. The performance management system was designed for teachers by the British Department for Education and Skills (DfES), but was used to evaluate school support staff as well because there was no system specifically geared toward support staff. The school had no HR personnel to custom-design a system for support staff; and at the time, most of the emphasis in terms of performance management was paid to teachers. Because few support staff members were classified as exempt employees, a specialized performance management system was not perceived to be a priority.

School Staff Support Roles Iclude: • Administrators • Teaching assistants • Learning mentors • Science technicians (who support the work of Science teachers) • Computer technicians • Finance managers

The DfES system required employees to: • Agree to 3-6 performance objectives for the upcoming performance period. One of the objectives that must be included requires that teacher performance encompass “pupil progress as well as ways of developing and improving teachers’ professional practice.” Another objective must be related to meeting School Development Plan goals. • Undergo at least one classroom observation annually. • Conduct a formal performance review focused on the identified performance objectives. The meeting should also include the following: • Review, discussion and confirmation of the teacher’s essential tasks. • Identification of employee strengths and achievements. • Identification of developmental areas and an action plan on how they will be met. • Agreement to future performance objectives and an action plan for the upcoming year.

Support staff members were assigned teacher appraisers. Teacher appraisers had been trained to use the system; support staff members had not. As a result, support staff employees were appraised by someone who had little knowledge of their roles and responsibilities.

Review of the DfES Performance Management Process An HR manager was hired at the school. Because of concerns raised by support staff about the DfES performance management system, the HR manager reviewed the system.

During the review, the following issues were raised: • A large percentage of staff members did not meet the annual deadline to complete the appraisal process. • There was confusion among staff about what exactly needed to be completed and when. • Staff members thought the system was a ‘waste of time’. • A trade union representative thought the system was not appropriate for all staff members. • The DfES system was irrelevant to support staff. For example, support staff members could not set objectives in pupil progress or have lessons observed. • Little attention was paid to identifying training needs and further, when needs were identified, there was no follow-up with appropriate actions. • Appraisals were led by teachers who had little knowledge of the support staff member’s job. • Performance meetings were a one-way process with some performance objectives established before the meeting started.

New System Design It was crucial in designing the new system that the HR manager address the concerns raised about the DfES system. Involving support staff and relevant trade union representatives in the process was critical to gain support of the new system and to ensure transparency, a key organizational goal.

Table 1 shows how some of the practical issues were addressed:

Table 1. Practical performance management issues. Issues with the old system: How it was addressed in the new system Meetings were held on short notice. Employees didn’t know what to talk about. Job descriptions were out-of-date, making performance expectations ambiguous. There was too much documentation required in the old system, some of which was confusing. Appraisers were not knowledgeable in training issues. Both parties were under-prepared. Reviews were conducted in public areas. Appraisers not matched to appraisees.

How it was addressed in the new system: Both parties must agree to the date of the meeting at least one week in advance. Employees must complete a pre-meeting document highlighting proposed areas of discussion. The completed document must be sent to the appraiser in advance of the meeting. Job descriptions are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they are accurate. Required documents are kept to a minimum, are written in plain terms and avoid unnecessary jargon. All appraisers are given information on available local training programs and are expected to help the appraisee identify the most appropriate training intervention. Training is provided to all staff members so everyone is clear about expectations. Performance appraisal checklists are also distributed to both parties. A private meeting room is available for all review meetings. The appraisers and appraisees are scheduled so that the most appropriate person conducts the review.

New System Content The new system allows the appraiser and employee to review past performance; set goals and objectives for the upcoming year; and identify training and development needs. Performance review meetings occur annually, but both parties are encouraged to meet at regular intervals throughout the year to discuss progress. In the new system, most support staff employees’ performance reviews are conducted with their direct line manager (usually another support staff member). This way, the appraiser understands the employee’s job and can fairly assess the employee’s performance. In some cases, though, the most appropriate appraiser may be a teacher. For example, the best person to appraise a Chemistry class science technician is the teacher in charge of the classroom, since the teacher works with the technician on a daily basis.

Reviewing Performance: Appraisers and employees must independently complete the Performance Review Meeting form (Work tool #2) before the performance review meeting. The new system does not to use a formal rating scale; this approach was too closely associated with the DfES system. Instead, the system is designed to assess general performance and then employee-specific projects and/or tasks. The new system is also designed so that the appraiser can evaluate if the employee has met the objectives identified during the last performance review.

The new system also requires annual review of job descriptions to make sure they are up-to-date. Support staff jobs have changed significantly during the last few years; support staff members are increasingly asked to complete tasks traditionally performed by teachers. Today, many support staff employees prepare learning materials and work directly with students to meet their learning needs. It is important, then, that job descriptions are reviewed regularly so that both parties understand employee roles and responsibilities and can avoid misunderstandings. Job description changes must be approved by line managers to ensure there are no negative implications for the organization or other employees.

Another issue employees raised in regard to the DfES system was that it was a one-way communication process where the appraiser often identified goals and objectives before meeting with the employee. To ensure that the new system is a two-way communication process, employees must complete the Preparing for the Performance Review form (Work tool #1) before the meeting. This form helps employees identify issues and areas they would like to discuss with their appraiser.

Finally, the new performance review system requires appraisers and employees to document any agreed actions so that everyone understands the action plan for the upcoming year. This documentation can also be used to monitor progress throughout the year.

Setting Goals and Objectives: The new system is designed to help employees understand how their jobs contribute to the wider objectives of their team, unit and the overall organization. To achieve this, employee goals and objectives must be specific and achievable, and not phrased in broad strategic terms. To help, employees are asked to complete the Performance Review Meeting document (Work tool #2).

The new process uses the SMART system to help employees define their goals and objectives. In the SMART system, goals can be monitored and reviewed objectively as part of next year’s review process. Using the SMART method means that objectives are:

Specific. The objective must be clear and unambiguous. Measurable. The objective must be quantifiable in some way in terms of quantity or quality. Achievable. The objective should be challenging but also realistic. Relevant. The objective should be related to the employee’s job or organizational goals. Time framed. The objective should clearly state the date for completion.

Identifying Training and Development Needs: In the final step, appraisers and employees identify training needs. Training should be linked to the goals and objectives set for the coming year. Employees can request additional personal or professional development that they feel would benefit them. The appraiser then works with the HR manager to create a training and development action plan. The appraiser is responsible for monitoring the employee’s progress toward the training and development goals throughout the year.

Supporting the System: To successfully implement the new system, all employees had to be trained. With agreement from support staff employees, two training courses were created—one for appraisers and one for appraisees. The HR manager who designed the new system led the training. Table 2 shows key areas that are explored and discussed in both sessions.

Table 2. Key areas covered in performance management training. • Benefits of performance management to staff, managers and the organization. • Characteristics of a successful performance review. • How to prepare for a performance review meeting. • General communication skills, with an emphasis on effective listening. • Understanding and setting SMART goals and objectives. • Identifying training and development activities.

The training for appraisers included how to provide effective feedback. The following points were emphasized: • Feedback should be constructive and provide potential solutions. • Emphasis should be on the positive and acknowledge strengths. • Feedback should be based on facts rather than opinions and backed with evidence. • The goal should be on moving forward in a positive way.

Embedding Performance Management To ensure the new system is an ongoing process rather than an annual event, regular reviews were built into the design. Six months after the annual performance appraisal, the appraiser and employee meet again to review the status of performance objectives and take any necessary action. There is also flexibility in the system so that reviews can occur more often if desired. Because effective feedback is critical at each step in the performance review process, delivering effective feedback is highlighted in the managers’ training program. Refresher training on the performance management system will be held annually for all staff and will be required for all new staff with line management responsibilities.

Conclusions

Southwood School recognized that their existing performance management system was not meeting all employees’ needs, undertook a comprehensive review to assess where it was coming up short, and introduced an improved process. The new system reflected support staff input, allowing them to feel more engaged in the new system and gain ownership. Since the new system was launched, there has been more employee participation; training and development activities have increased by more than 200 percent, bringing new skills into the organization.

Although this case study is a success story, it is important to recognize that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to designing a new performance management system. It is important to take the context and culture of the organization into consideration.

Based on the information provided in this case study, please provide discussion type responses (in consecutive order) realtive in the subject area of PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS:

1. Do you think support staff employees were right to complain about the previous performance management system? EXPLAIN

2. What are some potential barriers to the successfu implementation of the new system and how would you overcome these barriers?

3. Is it appropriate to use measurable outputs as goals? If so, please give some examples.

4. What types of training and development opportunities could be offered to employees?

Your timely responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Answer 1

1. Yes, I think that the support staff was right to complain about the previous performance management system. This was mainly due to the fact that the previous performance management system was not capable of assessing support staff job performance. It was developed for teachers. Thus the system was not capable of assessing support staff employees on the basis of their roles and responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of support staff differs from the roles and responsibilities of teachers and the same system cannot be used for both of them.

2. There are several potential barriers for the successful implementation of the new system. First of all time can become a constraint in those situations in which the appraiser as well as the appraise are very busy with their jobs. Secondly performance review meetings will become meaningless if there is no intent on the part of the appraiser to carry it out properly. This will make the entire process also meaningless as well.

To overcome these barriers I will ensure that the new system is designed after incorporating the feedback that was received with regards to the previous system. Secondly the senior management should be committed towards the new system and the new system should be resourced appropriately with regards to time and money.

3. Yes, it is appropriate to use measurable output as goals. This is because using measurable output as goals will reduce any bias that the appraiser has. Secondly employees will be clear with regards to their action tasks that have to be done and undertaken so as to ensure that goals are met.

Some of the examples of measurable outputs are punctuality, attendance, pass percentage of students etc.

4. The training and development that should be offered to employees should be a mix of on the job and off the job training. The skills that should be looked at are customer service and IT skills, communication skills and skills regarding administrative matters.