Every organisation wants their employees to perform at their best to meet its strategic goals. Have you ever thought that your performance management system is not achieving its purpose, whether this be to increase sales, improve efficiency, increase market share, engage employees or provide a good quality service to name but a few? Book Armstrong’s Handbook of Performance Management will help you to navigate the complicated subject that challenges people practitioners the world over.
Part One and Two concentrate on the fundamentals, i.e., the underpinning theory and processes of performance management. Armstrong introduces the concepts of why we have performance management and asks the reader to really think about the purpose of this for their own organisation. Chapter 2 is, therefore, a particularly good read for anyone wanting to know more about leadership too.
Part Three looks at the skills that are needed to effectively manage performance. This incorporates chapters on coaching, providing feedback, writing objectives and strategic alignment. Part four deals with methods of measuring performance and gives a critical review of each. This brings in the latest concepts such as how to develop a high-performance culture.
Part Four and Five discuss the applications of performance management and considers the different ways that these are structured. No solution is perfect, each having its own benefits and pitfalls, but the book aims to provide the reader a good basis to reflect on which structure will suit their organisation best. Finally, in Part Six, Armstrong sets out how you can prove that the system adds value for your organisation by suggesting ways to evaluate this. As ever, a great read that I would recommend for all managers involved in performance management. As a CIPD Level 7 tutor, I recommend this to my HR students as part of their course too.
Armstrong Michael, Armstrong’s Handbook of Performance Management. 7th Edition, Kogan Page, London 2022.
źródło: Kogan Page