Alignment patterns for process-oriented appraisals and rewards: using HRM for BPM capability building

PurposeWhile the business process management (BPM) literature highlights the significance of aligning employee appraisals and rewards practices with business processes, little is known about the realization. The purpose of this paper is to concretize the impact of process-oriented appraisals and rewards on business process performance and to provide empirical evidence on how organizations actually align their appraisals and rewards practices with BPM.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach has been employed by combining survey results with case studies to offer first-hand evidence. Survey data have been used to quantify the real impact of process-oriented appraisals and rewards. Next, case studies with 10 organizations have allowed us to gain deeper insight into organizational practices for making appraisals and rewards more process-oriented.FindingsThe survey proves that process-oriented employee appraisals and rewards positively affect performance if different employee levels are involved. The case studies reveal similarities and differences in alignment efforts across organizations, based on pattern-matching and a multidimensional analysis, resulting in four alignment patterns.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings extend knowledge about appraisals and rewards within a business process context by providing a quantification and pattern refinement, which specifically advance a BPM-facilitating culture.Practical implicationsManagers and executives benefit from the recommendations for a gradual BPM adoption to improve the success of their business processes and their people-related practices.Originality/valueThe authors offer one of the first in-depth, cross-disciplinary studies that intend to bridge between the disciplines of BPM and human resource management (HRM).

Performance Management Execution For Effective And Continuous Employee Appraisals

Most new managers tend to be fearful of assessing the performance of their employees. However, when planned in advance, performance assessment sessions need not be unpleasant or uncomfortable for the manager or the employee. There are several phases in the performance appraisal process, including planning, execution, assessment, and performance review. Based on the review of literature and personal experiences of the authors, this paper starts with a discussion of performance management programs and focuses on the performance execution aspect of a comprehensive performance appraisal system. The authors discuss what managers can and must do to successfully implement an effective appraisal system. Finally, the authors provide practical recommendations for what managers and supervisors should avoid in their employee assessment and evaluation processes.

The Annual Performance Review As A Positive Source For Employee Motivation?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Few places in management literature offer a greater divide between theory and practice than in the Annual Performance Review. Yes, academics have thoroughly researched what the ideal review should look like, yet these authors would argue, as educators and consultants, that we know little on how to really develop and effectively conduct a performance review that serves as a positive source for employee motivation. The purpose of this paper is to call for relevance&mdash;a challenge to move from theory to actual practice. Eighty-one practicing managers representing some 23 companies were asked to both assess their ongoing annual assessment and to evaluate a new model of assessment introduced in the present paper. The findings suggest that in the first decade of the 21^st century, considerable skepticism remains over almost any model used in the performance review, and this includes skepticism concerning the newly introduced model.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">The paper concludes with the following three implications of the present study:</span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">&nbsp;</span></em></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.75in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></em><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">The harsh realities of the new workplace bring new challenges to employee appraisals.</span></em></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.75in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></em><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">The strength of the employee-supervisor relationship is far more important than the &lsquo;correct&rsquo; assessment method.</span></em></p><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><font face="Times New Roman"><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.75in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></em><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Any effective motivating performance review must be conducted in a positive work environment marked by the application of best practices.</span></em></p></font></span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.75in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">&nbsp;</p></span>