Appraisal Methods $-$ The New Performance Management System

The Caribbean Villa's competitive strategy is to use superior guest service to differentiate its properties, and to thereby increase the length of stay and return rate of guests, and thus boost revenues and profitability. HR manager Jennilyn Chambers must now formulate functional policies and activities that support this competitive strategy by eliciting the required employee behaviors and competencies.

Jennilyn knew that the Caribbean Villa's s performance appraisal system was archaic. When the founders opened their first hotel, they went to an office$-$supply store and purchased a pad of performance appraisal forms. The hotel chain uses these to this day. Each form is a twosided page. Supervisors indicate whether the employee s performance in terms of various standard traits including quantity of work, quality of work, and dependability was excellent, good, fair, or poor. Jennilyn knew that, among other flaws, this appraisal tool did not force either the employee or the supervisor to focus the appraisal on the extent to which the employee was helping the Caribbean Villa's to achieve its strategic goals. She wanted a system that focused the employee s attention on taking those actions that would contribute to helping the company achieve its goals, for instance, in terms of improved customer service.

Jennilyn and her team also wanted a performance management system that focused on both competencies and objectives. In designing the new system, their starting point was the job descriptions they had created for the hotel s employees. These descriptions each included required competencies. The front$-$desk clerk's appraisals now focus on competencies such as able to check a guest in or out in $5$ minutes or less. Most service employee's appraisals include the competency, able to exhibit patience and guest support even when busy with other activities. There were other required competencies. For example, the Caribbean Villa's wanted all service employees to show initiative in helping guests, to be customer$-$ oriented, and to be team players $($in terms of sharing information and best practices$).$ Each of these competencies derives from the hotels aim of becoming more service$-$oriented.

Questions

Choose one job, such as front$-$desk clerk. Write a list of duties, competencies, and performance standards for that chosen job. $(10$ MARKS$)$

Based on the position chosen, identify the best suitable performance appraisal method and create a suitable performance appraisal form for that job. $(10$ MARKS$)$

Justify why you chose your particular method of appraisal for that position in your introduction. $(5$ MARKS$)$

Using your knowledge of any ONE $(1)$ Content Theory and ONE $(1)$ Process Theory of motivation, apply it to the case and explain how HR Manager Jennylyn can use each of them to motivate staff. $(10$ MARKS$)$