Performance Management 241
will be different from the KSAOCs required in other jobs. For example,
nonprofi t executive directors or public agency managers need to be evalu-
ated more comprehensively than individuals who perform limited and
routine tasks. Performance dimensions such as decision making and oral
communication might be relevant for management positions, but less so for
trade positions. Because the responsibilities of different jobs within public
and nonprofi t agencies vary, different instruments or even different evaluation
procedures might be needed. Agencies and departments need the fl exibility
to develop their own performance management and reward systems that
improve the performance of both their employees and the agency and
department. Policymakers, executives, managers, and employees need to
understand that to accomplish this, systems must be updated, revised, and
redesigned as job responsibilities and employee abilities change to refl ect
current organizational performance standards.
Team-Based Performance Techniques
As agencies move to team - based environments that focus on continuous
improvement and measuring performance outcomes, traditional performance
appraisal techniques are being reexamined, and in some cases there is a
movement away from individual appraisals. Gainsharing and team - based
pay - for - performance systems have been introduced in many organizations.
In these models, team members share the savings from higher productivity
or reduced errors and waste. While team goals and objectives are becoming
more common, often team members work as individuals collaborating with
one another to accomplish the team ’ s goals. Often each team member has
a fi xed role that is completed independently but contributes to the team ’ s
objectives. Team members must be aware of their responsibilities and be
challenged by their work. Team members decide which measurements
set the standards for performance, and teamwork can benefi t when team
members are expected to conduct a self - assessment of their own achievement
levels and understand the relationship between their performance and the
team ’ s success.
Individual goals should be set after the team has set its goals. That
way, employee goals can be directly tied to what the team needs to accom-
plish. Team meetings should be scheduled to discuss the team ’ s objec-
tives and progress made toward them. The purpose of meeting is to identify
and remove any barriers that may exist. This also ensures that individual
actions do not interfere with team productivity. Task accomplishment is
