Best Performance Management Tools and Techniques to Boost Efficiency

The HR department of any business faced multiple challenges, one of the biggest challenge is to keep the workforce productive and ensure the maximum efficiency of the employees. The performance management tools and techniques are used to overcome a variety of challenges and help HR department to be able to produce a highly productive and most efficient workforce for the business. The overall business’s productivity and profitability is very much dependent on the employee’s well-being, their work-life balance, happiness & satisfaction, and their performance. That is why the performance management is considered to be one of the most important function of the HR. Businesses in Dubai and all around the UAE are rigorously investing resources in performance management and appraisal activities. However, many don’t realize that the true performance management is not just annual reviews and appraisals. In fact the performance management is a kind of continuous process throughout the entire year not just at the end of every year. Some businesses do interim reviews after each six months, but that is also not enough.

There are two main classifications of performance management process or framework, one is manual performance management which is totally based on old-school techniques, which are also manual and done by hands on papers. The second performance management framework is digitalized, automated and based on software tools and techniques involving digital data processing and analysis. The manual performance management is getting obsolete now and businesses whether small or large are adopting digital and modernized tools and techniques for their performance management needs. That is why in this blog we will only discuss about the modern and most effective performance management tools, techniques and frameworks.

What is Performance Management? (The Definition)

By definition the performance management is a process of communication on particular topics and subjects, by which an organization’s employees and managers work together to make plans and set strategies to achieve individual and large-scale goals (team, departments, and project based goals) and monitor their progress and contribution in the overall high-level organizational goals and objectives. The performance management is a very collaborative communication process which is designed to encourage employees to produce the maximum outcome while keeping them happy, healthy, and passionate about what they do. Several studies have shown that almost 80% of the employees can boost their performance if they are motivated, encouraged and passionate about their work. The performance management is not only about motivating and encouraging the employees, in fact the performance management is more focused on highlighting the challenges and obstacles that are hurting employee’s performance and productivity. The business and organizations also use performance management data for better resource planning and HR purposes.

Features of a Best Performance Management Tool

A business needs a tool to manage the performance and to accurately collect the performance data. There are several performance management tools and software that can be very helpful however, we always suggest going for a customized solution which is tailor-made for your requirements. RSI Enterprise Performance Management System is a ready-made performance management system which also allows deeper levels of customization and integration with other business tools or central information center. If you are confused in choosing between and customized or ready-made performance management system then just check if the tool that you are planning to implement have the following features:

1. User Interface: The UI or user interface is one of the most important part of any software or tool. It is crucial to have an intuitive and easy-to-understand user interface.
2. Costing and Support: Cost comparison is also critical, the performance management system’s cost and its maintenance and support should be easily affordable. The cost alone doesn’t determine the usability, in fact it is the features that matters the most.
3. Automation: The purpose of performance management system is to boost employee performance, this means the system itself should have to offer ultimate level of usability. The performance management tool should be able to automate various aspects of performance management process to save the workload of the employees and the management.
4. Integration:Integration is one of the key feature of any performance management tool, it allow the software to communicate with existing software and systems and also with the central information center and it also aid automation. The integration simplify the use of tool and add value to user experience.
5. Feedback and Reviews:The feedback and review features should be flexible and totally customizable with pre-built templates to aid the managers to easily and quickly implement their strategic plans for the reviews.
6. User Engagement: The performance management tool or software must have features to increase user’s engagement and involvement in the process. The software should be able to let users set alerts and notification and also allow them to trigger a particular action on the bases of the data inputs it is receiving. The actions should be able propagate all across the network and connected systems and tools.
7. Data Sharing: A performance management software or tool is incomplete with automated data sharing features. The system administrator should have facility to implement data sharing protocols to automate the process. This will make sure everyone gets all the relevant updates on time without any delay or interruption.
8. Improvements and Updates: Everything doesn’t always goes as planned, the performance management tools should be able to allow the managers, employees and system administrators to update the strategy, make changes, make course corrections and amend any existing performance matrices or on-going strategy.
9. Personal Development: Personal development for employees is crucial to improve their performance, the performance management system should be able to allow the managers and administrators to plan and implement employee personal development strategies.
10. In-Built Analytical Tools: For any performance management system, the in-built analytical tools and data processing features are absolutely necessary. It allows the managers and the system administrator to extract actionable reports which can help businesses to improve future strategies.

These are some of the most important features a performance management tool should have. The purpose of enlisting them here was to give you an overview of how some basic features can be helpful in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the performance management tool. It is not necessary that you only go with the most expensive option which other multinational businesses are using. Instead acquiring the service of a customized software developer in Dubai, UAE to make a customized performance management tool could help you achieve your strategic and performance goals.

Best Performance Management Techniques

Now that we have already discussed the important features of a performance management tool it is important to understand that only acquiring a high-end software is not enough, a businesses must have a great strategy and should implement market proven techniques to be able to leverage the performance management tool and the entire process. Here is a step by step guide for implementing various performance management techniques which will help you achieving the highest performance goals and satisfied employees:

Set Goals and Objectives

Setting up goals and objectives for is extremely important. Unrealistic goals and objectives will not only lead to a poor performance but it will also impact on the employees and they will think that they could never achieve those high-level goals hence most of them will never even try to achieve them. That is why it is important to consider taking employee’s feedback and suggestions on this stage and consider that as well. The management should not only clearly communicate the goals and objective to the employees, but they should also have a clear and definable plan-of-action on how to achieve those goals and objectives. That is the only way to boost employee interest and encourage them to put efforts in the right direction.

The main difference between goals and objectives is the measurability. For example the goal could be “to become the leading customer service provider in the industry” and the objectives to achieve that goal could be “reduction in customer churn rate by 10%, increase in sales by 5%, increase customer happiness by 15%, etc.” that is the major difference between the goals and objectives. There are two major frameworks for the goals and objectives which are considered to be the industry standard:

1. SMART Goals and Objectives

Setting up organization’s performance goals with SMART framework is one of the most popular method not only in Dubai, UAE but all around the world. It is considered to be the most effective method and almost all major government departments and large organizations are using SMART framework to set their goals and objectives:

• S – Specific:The objective should be stated in a very clear and to-the-point manner, means the objectives should be very specific so the employees can understand them without any ambiguity.
• M – Measureable:The objectives should be quantifiable and measureable as per the set pattern, so the employee and the managers both know clearly how the success would be measured and what is expected from them.
• A – Achievable:Communication between the employee and the managers is a key to set goals and objectives. Forced objectives are far less likely to be achieved. The managers and the employees both should be agree on a certain level of progress or performance that they can deliver hence the objective and goals should be achievable.
• R – Realistic:For any performance management technique it is crucial to clearly communicate the high-level organization goals and objectives to the individual employee. Everyone should know what the ultimate goal is and how they can contribute to achieve it. Hence the objective and goals should be realistic and can be achieved with using the available skills and resources.
• T – Time-Bound:Each goal and objective should have a time limit, so everyone knows when the results should be delivered and when the final performance evaluation will be done. The time could be based on a project completion or either it could be the fiscal year end whatever the case is the objective and goals must have to be time-bound.

2. The 5As Goal Setting Framework

The modern day businesses and organizations are getting very sophisticated and the internal environment have becoming more complex than ever before. On top of that the markets are evolving on an unprecedented pace. New trends are replacing older ones and innovation is making its way to the very core of the organization structure and culture. This is why the SMART Framework is getting older, although it is a great framework but it is not absolutely perfect anymore. The 5As goal setting framework is a relatively new and modern technique and businesses all around the world are embracing it. Here is how the 5As goal setting framework works:

1. Assessable:The goals and objectives must have a defined structure, hence they can be measured easily and accurately.
2. Aspirational: The goal and objective should be able to make your employees passionate and encourage them to test their limits to perform better as much so as they can. This is done so the employees know when an objective is achieved.
3. Agile:The agile goals and objectives are usually set for short terms, such as 1 month to 3 months and in some cases for the 4 months also. The progress against the set goals and objectives is monitored on continuous bases.
4. Accountable:Each and every employee has been assigned with their individual goals, hence the success or failure should be measured as the success or failure in achieving that goal or objective. Some businesses also apply this to small teams or project teams as well.
5. Aligned:All the goals should be able to contribute to the high-level organizational goals and objectives. All small organizational goals should be aligned to the broader vision of the business.

3. SMART and 5As Hybrid Goal and Objective Framework for Performance Management

There is another framework for setting goals and objectives which is a blend of the above two. By hybrid it means the mixture of both SMART and 5As goals and objectives framework. Although this phenomenon is relatively new and is not particularly popular among large and multinational businesses and organizations, however, some small businesses tried to adopt a blend of both SMART and 5As goal setting framework. This phenomenon is still in its infancy, so we don’t advice implementing it. The main objective is to make a blend of all the positive or benefits of both the frameworks, splice them together to minimize the challenges and deficiencies of both goal setting frameworks. However, most of the businesses who have implemented it on experimental bases found it more challenging and difficult to achieve the desired performance results and execute the strategies. The biggest challenge is that sometime some activities had to be done in parallel, which is quite confusing for the employees as well as for the managers. The purpose of mentioning it was just to give our audience an introduction of the hybrid framework.

Make a Plan of Action

Once the goals are set now the next step is to make a plan and strategy to achieve the goals. No matter what framework you chose, the SMART or the 5As, the performance relies on the plan and strategy. Each business regardless of size have limited resources, every top level management wants to manage their resources efficiency and smartly to ensure maximum profitability and high quality of work. That is why the goals are set to be realistic and achievable. For example if the goal is to generate more leads from online channels, the plan of action would be to allocate resources for the marketing team to work on the online channels such as social media, display & search advertisements, SEO, website, etc. Same is applicable to the goals for the production department, or customer service or any other business function. The businesses should have a realistic and workable strategy and plan of action in order to achieve their goals.

Each individual employee should be communicated clearly on what they have to do to achieve their individual goals and how their contribution will be added to the high-level organization goals and objectives. Each employee knows their job role very well. Apart from that their individual goals and the high-level organizational goals and objectives also demand them to prioritize their work and focus. Some employees might be reassigned to different teams some might remain on their current positions, whatever the case is every individual employee should know what they will have to do and how they can do that. That is the reason the personal development and training programs are also part of the performance management tool. The managers should have to be very clear on what is expected from the employees and how they should be able to do that. That plan of action will determine the success or failure of the performance goals.

Setup Performance Matrices

For any performance management tool or system it is crucial to track the performance in real-time. That is the benefit of using a digital tool. The high-level organizational goals are set by the high-level management and stakeholders. Then the goals propagate throughout the organization through the heads of departments, senior managers, line managers, supervisors, team leads and even the individual employees. The top-down approach is considered to be the most effective and efficient approach. However, in order to achieve the desired performance it is important to track the progress and make sure all the resources and employees are aligned with the high-level organizational goals. Here are some most commonly used performance measuring matrices:

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The goals and objectives flows in a top-down manner, the high-level organizational goals and objectives dictates the goals and objectives at each and every hierarchal level. Each upper level determine the goals for the next level lower to that until the individual level. The KPIs or key performance indicators are set to measure the progress in terms of each objective at each level. The performance and progressed is measured for a particular time frame. Usually the evaluation and assessment is done several times during the performance period and the overall or final performance evaluation is done at the end of the performance period (such as by the end of the year). The KPIs are also associated with rewards and recognition to encourage employees, teams and managers to perform better.

Key Result/Responsibility Area (KRA)

The Key Result/Responsibility Area or also known as Key Performance Area (KPA) is a general area of performance, outcome or output, for which an employee or set of employee are expected to perform and are also responsible for. These are the areas and outcomes for which a job role or set of job role is responsible for and is also accountable for. Basically the KRA or key result/responsibility area matric is a measurement of performance and progress of employees and set of employees and their contribution in the overall high-level organization goals and objectives and their impact on profitability with evaluations of the financial aspects of the performance of the job role or set of job roles. The KRA are designed to clearly communicate the expectations of a job role to the employees and it also define the expectations from their job role which encourage them to perform well and induce passion and engagement.

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

Objectives and Key Results or OKRs are not a performance evaluation tool, in fact it is a measurement of the progress and performance towards the high-level organizational goals and objectives and how each individual employee or a team contributes to those goals and objectives. OKR is a management tool which help organizations to achieve the goals and outcomes they need or aimed for and it is not an employee evaluation tool. The OKRs are more focused on the adoptive performance rather tactical performance. The other performance indicators deals with targets, numbers, budgets, etc. while the OKR deals with the wider aspects of the goals and the ability to deal with the failures. The OKRs are used to support innovation and encourage ambitious ideas and let the teams and employees perform well in problem solving and challenging environment without discouraging or demoralizing them.

Balanced Score Cards (BSCs)

A Balanced Score Card or BSC is a strategic performance management tool. It is used to identify the challenges and it help businesses to improve their internal processes to achieve the desired outcome and efficiency as per their high-level organizational goals and objectives. The balanced score card cover four major areas, learning and growth, business process, customer point of view or prospective, and evaluating the financial data. It incorporate data from past performances and let the business easily identify the areas of improvement. This also save a lot of effort and time as it provide all the data in a single report and provide broader, wider and deeper understanding and comparison of the performance which helps management o easily evaluate various internal and external performance aspects.

Real-time Feedback

Performance feedback is a very collaborative communication process. Frequent, constructive communications and regular information sharing between the manager and the employees let them take actions very quickly, set and adjust course and encourage them to improve their performance. The real-time feedback and communication can motivate employees which drive the right behavior and deliver better results. Coaching and constructive discussions are very important and help employees evaluate themselves and understand the performance of the others as well which let them make changes, boost efforts and prioritize things differently and more effectively. The performance management system and other tools allow businesses to provide their employees with means and channels to communicate instantly with each other and give their feedback which help improving the performance and business processes during the evaluation period.

Furthermore the studies have shown that real-time feedback in performance management help increase employee retention, satisfaction and also raise their ability to handle challenges and difficult situations which impact on the overall performance of the business.The employee feedback includes, manager to employee feedback, employee to manager feedback and also allow peer to peer feedbacks. Which provide a deeper understanding of the organizational culture and help businesses improve it. The employee can also provide feedback and share their opinion about their seniors, supervisors, managers and the overall business and its mission, vision, activities, and various other things. Which can provide a lot of constructive suggestions and businesses can improve their strategies and policies in order to maximize their performance and employee satisfaction.

Reward and Recognition

For any performance management system the reward and recognition is a must to have tool. Studies have shown that almost 80% of the employees perform well when they are awarded and their contribution is acknowledged properly. Almost half of them said they are not only interested in monetary benefits, in fact a proper appreciation and recognition of their effort is enough to motivate them to perform better. The main objective is to reward and recognize the individual employees and teams with exceptional performance with some additional monetary and non-monetary benefits to encourage them to perform well in future and to also motivate the others to perform well. A good reward and recognition tool always link the performance with the high-level organizational goals and objectives. The reward and recognition schemes are also a great tool to inspire employee to perform well and it also tell them what the business is expecting from them and what they will get if they meet those expectations. That is why reward and recognition schemes and tools are great to improve performance.

Personal Development Plans (PDPs)

A performance management process is incomplete without incorporating Personal Development Plan (PDP) tools. The Personal Development Plan (PDP) tools is not a performance measuring tool, in fact it is a strategy to improve employee performance. According to several studies the Personal Development Plans and opportunities are the most attractive aspect for more than 85% of the employees. When employees see they can develop their skills and they can excel in an organization they tend to perform better. On top of that it is good for employee retention and it also help businesses in building a strong workforce. PDPs are not regular evaluation, in fact it is done on quarterly bases and after each quarter the managers and employees both learn about their strengths and weaknesses, it gives managers a chance to groom their sub-ordinates and it also provide employees a prospective and career oriented direction which is better for them in long term. This encourages employee to perform well and learn new things, acquire new knowledge and improve their professional capabilities which eventually impact on their performance and the overall efficiency of the organization.

Conclusion

Any business’s success is heavily dependent on its employees, it doesn’t matter how much the business invest in their production facility, or acquiring the equipment or upgrading IT infrastructure, if the employees are not performing up to the mark the business couldn’t achieve its financial and strategic goals. That is why every good business have a performance management process. For that businesses use a variety of tools and make strategies. For any performance management process it is important to keep employees motivated, engaged and satisfied. A performance management process provide businesses a chance to clearly communicate their high-level organizational goals with each individual employee. By leveraging various performance management tools and techniques business can monitor and track employee performance in real-time. That sort of monitoring allow businesses to take timely actions, reset course and make adjustment in their strategies throughout the period so that by the end of the performance management cycle the business could achieve their goals and objectives.

There are tons of performance management tools and software available in Dubai and all around the UAE. In this blog we have also listed key features of a good performance management tool. However, the best approach is to go with a customized solution, such as RSI Enterprise Performance Management System. If you want to learn more about the topic or if you want to enquire about our performance management tool, please feel free to reach us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

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