Performance management Phrase / Word / Description
360-degree appraisal / Involves an individual being evaluated by their superiors, peers, subordinates and others.
Assessment / The process of collecting evidence and making judgements on whether competency has been achieved
Assessment centre / Technique that uses interviews, tests, simulations, games and observations to evaluate an individual’s potential
Auditory – learning style / Learners who prefer to be stimulated via their auditory senses eg. Hear an explanation
Benchmark / The identification of best practices among competitors and non-competitors that make them superior performers.
Central tendency / A common error that occurs when every employee is incorrectly rated near the average or middle of the scale.
Coaching / On-the-job approach to management development, in which the manager is given an opportunity to teach on a one-to-one basis.
Commitment / Relates to the extent that HRM policies enhance employee identification with attachment o their job and the organisation.
Communication / The process of transferring meanings from a sender to a receiver.
Competency / The specifications of knowledge and skill and the application of that knowledge and skill to the standards of performance required in the workplace
Counselling / Communication process used to solve problems. Involves discussion and analysis of personal problems and issues which affect work performance.
Critical incident method / A performance appraisal technique that requires a written record of highly favourable and highly unfavourable employee work behaviour
Development / Involves those activities that prepare an employee for future responsibilities
Discipline / To train a person to act according to the expected norm.
Disciplinary action / Invoking a penalty against an employee who fails to meet organisational standards or comply with organisational rules.
Discrimination / Any practice that makes distinctions between different groups based on characteristics such as sex, race, age, religion, which results in particular individuals or groups being advantages and others disadvantaged.
EAP’s / Employee Assistant Programs – Company sponsored programs that help employees to cope with personal problems that are interfering with their job performance.
EEO / Equal Employment Opportunity means giving people a fair chance to succeed by avoiding discrimination based on unrelated job factors such as age, race, sex, or nationality.
Evidence / Information gathered which, when matched against the performance criteria, provides proof of competency.
Feedback / The extent to which the job permits the employee to obtain clear and direct knowledge about how well they are doing.
Fictitious / Unreal, imaginary organisation
Flexible learning / Learning that aims to meet the individual needs of the learning by providing choices that allow students to meet their own educational requirements in ways suiting their individual circumstances
Grading / Employee’s performance is matched with a specific grade definition such as superior, good, acceptable, marginal and unsatisfactory
Graphic Scale / Rating scale that evaluates employee performance using specific employee behaviour or characteristics
Grievance / Any dispute or difference arising between the employer and an employee or the union.
Grievance procedure / A formal, systematic process that permits employees to complain about matters affecting them and their work.
Job analysis / A systematic investigation of the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job and the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities a person needs to perform the job adequately.
Kinaesthetic – learning style / Learners who prefer hands on experience eg. Do a practical exercise
Mentor / A person who helps an employee to advance his/her career by offering advice, giving instruction and opening up career opportunities.
Mind maps / Brain storming approach that encourages student participation, use of colour, diagrams, codes etc. A means of activating the right side of the brain and maximising learning.
Performance / Relates to the achievement or non-achievement of specific results designated to be accomplished.
Performance appraisal / Concerned with determining how well employees are doing their jobs, communicating that information to employees and establishing a plan for performance improvement.
Performance interview / Where the manager and subordinate mutually review the employee’s job responsibilities, performance improvement and career goals
Performance management / Aims to improve organisational, functional, unit and individual performance by linking the objectives of each.
Performance standards / The benchmarks against which performance is measured
Ranking / The manager compares their subordinates performance then ranks each in order from best to worst
Rater error / Errors in the evaluation of an employees performance resulting from leniency, strictness, bias, central tendency, prejudice, recency effect, and the like.
Recency effect / The use of most recent events to evaluate employee performance instead of using a longer, more comprehensive time frame.
Self evaluation / Occurs when the employees evaluate their own performance
Stakeholder / Any individual group or organisation that is affected by or has a vested interest in an organisation’s policies and decisions.
Team appraisal / Appraisals that are specially designed to evaluate how well a team has performed
Unfair dismissal / Occurs where a dismissal is harsh, unjust or unreasonable, but need not involve a fundamental breach of the employment relationship
Validity / The extent to which something measures what it claims to measure
Visual – learning style / Learners who prefer to be visually stimulated eg. See a diagram