Performance management is referred
differently, depending on the organisation. It may be called Performance
Appraisal, Quality Performance Review (QPR), Employment Appraisal, Performance
Review, etc. It can be defined as a method by which the work or job performance of an individual, an
organization, a business, a project or an event can be measured in terms meeting set targets of quality, quantity,
cost, and time.
Practice
Most organisations measure their
performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPI). It is important to identify
what is your KPI. The reason for this is that we have many indicators which we
can use to measure how we have performed in a given task. The task here is to
identify what objectives we want to pursue and how we can measure our progress
in achieving this objective. There are both quantitative and qualitative measures.
Quantitative measures bothers on
identifying tangible objectives which can be described in terms of figures, numbers,
size, etc. It could be cost, frequency, magnitude, etc while qualitative
measures bothers on intangibles qualities like attitude to work, interpersonal
relationship, integrity, honesty, knowledge of work, customer satisfaction, etc.
It can only be measured subjectively.
My experience in this area is worth
mentioning. I started work about 25years ago in one of the old generation
financial institutions and worked there for about 3years before leaving. I never
heard about performance appraisal, I was not appraised and nobody told me about
that. Looking back I ask myself, what kind of performance management system did
they have in place then? How did the institution measure its success?
Next I moved to another financial
institution where I worked for 10years and the situation was not better. Yes in
the new place there was a system in place and looking back again I cannot see
how that system related to my work and how it helped to improve the company
performance. I never for once knew what the overall company target was.
It was not until I moved to a multinational
company, that I became fully aware of a world class performance evaluation process
modelled after the International Balanced Score card. The system in place was
fantastic and everybody drives it starting from the Managing Director to the
least employee. Part of the employee on boarding process is the introduction to
the performance appraisal system and its implication on your career and the company
as a whole. Every year the global target of the company is defined and handed
down to top level management who in turn cascades it down to the least
employee.
My advice to organisations is to embrace a
performance appraisal system that’s presents itself as a work tool for the
company and the employees.
Setting
Targets
In other to conduct a good performance
evaluation, you must have the skills and capability to set proper targets.
There is a popular acronym which is used to
guide people in target setting. It is called S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, Time bound). Any plan, objective, target, etc must
be SMART.
Specific: A
target, plan, objective or goal, which ever word you want to use in referring
to it must be specific. For instance you can set a target to generate a revenue
of N1m. This is specific target because the amount you want to generate as revenue
is clearly stated. Avoid setting goals that are open ended.
Measureable:
The ability to measure and monitor your goal is very critical to achieving the
result. Therefore once you set a target,
you must indicate how you want to measure it. Hence in the goal setting example
used earlier, it can be measured through the profit and loss account report. If
this measure is not in place you will have no way of determining when you have
generated this revenue and therefore risk the danger of eroding your working
capital.
Achievable:
This is also a very relevant aspect of any KPI or target setting. We cannot
have a wish list or a dreamer’s target. If you are doing a business and the
entire capital you have invested in it is not up to N200, 000.00, you cannot
set a target of making N100m revenue. No you cannot. Where will it come from?
Are there structures on ground to support the generation of this revenue? No these things do not work that way. You have
to set a realistic target and work towards achieving it. Gradually you can set
a 2-4year plan to drive up your revenue.
Realistic: A
target that is not realistic is not achievable. You cannot set a bogus target.
A target must be supported historically with facts and figures. You cannot make
a profit of N1m in one year then the next year, you set a target to make N200m.
That sounds impossible. To set this type of target there must be evidence that
you have received new investments that will enable you to generate this
expected revenue. So we have to examine our available resources, review our
performance over the years and from there draw a realistic target.
Time Bound:
Any target or plan that does not have the time frame within which to achieve it
is not worth it. Plan must not be open ended. You must define a certain time
frame, to achieve this target. It can be one year, 6 months, 1 months, 1 day,
etc depending on the target. When a target or plan is not time bound, you
cannot monitor it effectively. You cannot determine your progress and if you are
not meeting that plan, you will not have the capability to correct it.
The SMART acronym seems to favour
quantitative measures. There are some qualitative measures that figures cannot
easily be assigned to. For instance to determine customer satisfaction is not a
straight forward quantitative measure. In this type of assessment, a survey-like
approach becomes necessary.
Event
Management Perspective.
In applying the rules I have listed above in
measuring the performance of an event, we may have to lean more towards the
qualitative than quantitative assessment. In an occassion, what specific targets
can we set? What can we measure? What realistic achievement do we expect? How
do we hope to realise it and what time frame are we looking at?
Indeed the event owner, manager or service
vendors may set up quantitative targets to measure cost (expenses), revenue,
number of attendees, etc. However to measure the feeling of attendees or
participant has to be qualitative. And one sure way to assess qualitative performance
is through the use of surveys.
Qualitative perceptions are silent killers
for most businesses. A customer, participant, attendee may have some
unfulfilled expectation which is not captured. This is a loose cannon because
that person can be anywhere in the next minute narrating his or her experience.
This could go viral in these days of internet where things circulate with
almost the speed of sound.
In event performance management therefore
it becomes imperative that managers and planners must have a qualitative
feedback mechanism in place to capture exceptions and work towards course
correction. One sure way to do this is to administer surveys to a cross section
of attendees, participants, trainees, etc.
Below is a sample survey that can
administered to an event audience.
In concluding, my advice to event managers
and organisers is to take the issue of measuring the performance of their events
to the next level. The overall aim should be to deliver improving attendee
experience with every event.
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