CASE STUDY: John has just had his performance appraisal interview and has been sitting at his desk staring at the evaluation form for the past ten minutes. He cannot understand why his supervisor has rated his performance so poorly. He has been working in the marketing department of Pep Events, a large event-organising organisation, for the past Six years and has never received such a poor evaluation. During the interview, his supervisor pointed out that there were numerous complaints from customers and colleagues regarding his attitude. He further indicated that customer service is the most important key performance area (KPA) on which he will be evaluated; therefore, he cannot increase the rating on this KPA. John cannot understand why no one has ever informed him about the fact that his performance is not up to standard. He was under the impression that his work was satisfactory and that everyone was pleased with his work. During teatime he tells Joe, his colleague, about his performance appraisal interview. John points out that he could have corrected his behaviour and performance if his supervisor had informed him about these complaints earlier. He cannot understand why his supervisor has not said anything about them. In response to Johns confusion, Joe informs him that his own supervisor provides him with feedback every month and they have a formal review twice a year. Joe further states that this system really helps him to stay on track and ensures that there are no surprises in the performance review.

Question 3

Discuss the key features of an effective performance management system. To what extent is the performance management system at Pep Events effective?