This study investigates the role of managers, especially senior managers, with respect to the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality. Service delivery is an important issue for South African municipalities and is directly linked to performance management. In order to achieve institutional goals and improve service delivery, the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators is vital. The managers’ role with respect to alignment is important because they are the driving force behind the institutional performance management system (PMS) in the municipality. A qualitative research methodology is used in this study and includes a literature study and unstructured interviews. The main objective of this research is to determine the role of management in the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality using a municipal scorecard model. The secondary objectives include the formulation of descriptions of the theoretical models and principles of performance management, and the principles and legislative requirements for a comprehensive PMS; determining challenges that managers experience in aligning institutional and individual performance indicators using a municipal scorecard model; and proposing recommendations based on best practice examples towards a management framework that will facilitate the effective alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators. The findings of the study were that the alignment of performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality is unsuccessful, especially at the lower levels. Theoretically, alignment is possible, but the practical implementation thereof remains a challenge. The negative perceptions, attitudes and behaviours that employees exhibit in relation to performance management, both institutional and individual, also came to the fore. Furthermore, employees do not understand the concept and importance of institutional performance. This clearly shows a lack of alignment in the municipality and managers have a very important role to fulfil in order to ensure alignment. Additionally, the challenge that managers experience in inculcating a performance culture in the municipality is particularly evident in the manner in which performance planning, communication, leading and monitoring are done. Various recommendations were made to the Overstrand Local Municipality regarding the alignment of performance indicators through the management functions of planning, organising, leading and control. The implementation of these recommendations will enable the municipality’s senior managers to create a positive performance culture, which should be reflected in the manner in which individual performance is managed. Moreover, the recommendations will assist the managers to align individual and institutional performance, positively influence service delivery and ensure organisational responsiveness to community needs. / MA (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study investigates the role of managers, especially senior managers, with respect to the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality. Service delivery is an important issue for South African municipalities and is directly linked to performance management. In order to achieve institutional goals and improve service delivery, the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators is vital. The managers’ role with respect to alignment is important because they are the driving force behind the institutional performance management system (PMS) in the municipality. A qualitative research methodology is used in this study and includes a literature study and unstructured interviews. The main objective of this research is to determine the role of management in the alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality using a municipal scorecard model. The secondary objectives include the formulation of descriptions of the theoretical models and principles of performance management, and the principles and legislative requirements for a comprehensive PMS; determining challenges that managers experience in aligning institutional and individual performance indicators using a municipal scorecard model; and proposing recommendations based on best practice examples towards a management framework that will facilitate the effective alignment of individual and institutional performance indicators. The findings of the study were that the alignment of performance indicators in the Overstrand Local Municipality is unsuccessful, especially at the lower levels. Theoretically, alignment is possible, but the practical implementation thereof remains a challenge. The negative perceptions, attitudes and behaviours that employees exhibit in relation to performance management, both institutional and individual, also came to the fore. Furthermore, employees do not understand the concept and importance of institutional performance. This clearly shows a lack of alignment in the municipality and managers have a very important role to fulfil in order to ensure alignment. Additionally, the challenge that managers experience in inculcating a performance culture in the municipality is particularly evident in the manner in which performance planning, communication, leading and monitoring are done. Various recommendations were made to the Overstrand Local Municipality regarding the alignment of performance indicators through the management functions of planning, organising, leading and control. The implementation of these recommendations will enable the municipality’s senior managers to create a positive performance culture, which should be reflected in the manner in which individual performance is managed. Moreover, the recommendations will assist the managers to align individual and institutional performance, positively influence service delivery and ensure organisational responsiveness to community needs. / MA (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

<p>The salience, prevalence, and consequences of feedback students receive on their academic performance have led to widespread interest in assessment outcomes. Despite the frequency and high stakes of performance feedback, a clear picture of how it influences students' academic motivation has failed to emerge. The overarching goal of this dissertation study was to better understand the effect of performance feedback on secondary school students' academic motivation following a high-stakes assessment. In particular, this study had three main aims: (1) begin disentangling the influence of performance feedback from its valence on students' self-efficacy, goal orientations, and intrinsic motivation, (2) explore how the stage of an assessment event and performance feedback interact to influence these motivation constructs, and (3) determine whether the influence of performance feedback on academic motivation depends on the evaluation dimension of the classroom goal structure.</p><p> To investigate these topical questions, the current study implemented a cluster-randomized experimental design. One hundred sixty-one seventh through ninth grade students in 13 math or science classes from a single, all-female secondary school were randomly assigned by their class to one of the following four feedback conditions: (1) numeric grades, (2) evaluative comments, (3) numeric grades accompanied by evaluative comments, and (4) no feedback. Students' academic motivation was then measured on three occasions to capture its fluctuations during an assessment event: at baseline, immediately after teachers announced what form of feedback students would receive (i.e., anticipation stage), and immediately after students received their assigned form of feedback (i.e., receipt stage). </p><p> Results revealed a series of complex interactions between the stage of feedback (i.e., anticipation vs. receipt) and its form (i.e., grades, comments, grades plus comments, or no feedback). Notably, only students in the grades plus comments condition experienced a decline in self-efficacy from anticipation to receipt of this feedback. However, these students also reported an increase in their mastery goal orientation and intrinsic motivation upon the receipt of grades accompanied by comments. Students in the comments condition experienced a similar increase in intrinsic motivation. Finally, students in the no feedback and comments conditions also reported a greater performance-approach goal orientation when they received performance feedback (or lack thereof) compared to when they anticipated it. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis that students' perceptions of the evaluation dimension of their classroom goal structure moderated these interaction effects. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these findings are discussed along with limitations and recommendations for future research.</p> / Dissertation

The behavioral characteristics of leaders have been subjects of study for centuries. The scope of these studies has grown to encompass task analysis, follower needs and situational requirements. Current leadership theories consistently recognize the need for a successful leader to adjust behavior to meet the needs of the task, followers and situation. The problem of this research is to define this ability to modify one's behavior, measure it and test its relationship to demographic and job characteristics. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation of individuals" ability to modify their behavior to job function, hierarchy, climate, feedback, satisfaction and their demographic characteristics. The hypotheses held that high ability to modify behavior would correlate positively with job characteristics, climate, feedback and satisfaction and show no correlation to individual demographics. Data were collected through the administration of three research instruments to 138 managers of three business firms. The instruments were the Participant Data Form providing job and demographic characteristics, Descriptive Adjective Questionnaire measuring an individual ability to modify behavior, and Climate and Satisfaction Evaluation Index measuring climate, feedback and satisfaction. Perason's correlation coefficients were calculated to identify possible relationship between the manager's ability to modify behavior, called versatility, and all other independent variables, and linear and multiple regressions were utilized to verify the relationship. No significant statistical correlation was found. Conclusions are that the ability of a manager to vary behavior does not influence job climate, feedback or satisfaction, that the versatile behavior is not derived from job or demographic characteristics, and that job satisfaction is directly and positively related to performance feedback and climate.

The growing number of school-aged children displaying challenging behavior has increased the need for effective interventions. School-based consultants (SBC) report using behavioral consultation to assist teachers in designing behavior intervention plans (BIP) that help students engage in appropriate behavior in the classroom. Research indicates that direct training methods increase teacher's implementation of the BIP. One commonly used direct training method, performance feedback (PF), is used to assess teachers' treatment integrity. Research also indicates that checklists (non-direct measures) are more cost efficient methods. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a direct training method used to train teachers to self-monitor their own implementation of their student's BIP in an effort to increase accuracy of self-report and sustainable treatment integrity outcomes. Two educators who worked with children with challenging behavior participated in this study. The effect of using self-monitoring on both educators' implementation of BIPs was evaluated. Results indicated that both educators' implementation increased and maintained into the maintenance phase. Also, results indicated that educator's accuracy of reporting was similar to independent observers.

This study investigates the post-performance effects of stereotype threat. Undergraduate students (N = 130) classified as either strongly- or weakly- identified with academics were told a diagnostic anagram task either typically shows poorer performance for their gender (stereotype threat) or no gender differences (no stereotype threat), and received arbitrary positive or negative feedback on an initial task. They later performed a second anagram task. Results indicate a 2-way interaction between stereotype threat and academic identification among those who received negative feedback. Negative feedback under stereotype threat did not harm performance for participants strongly-identified with academics, but did harm performance for participants weakly-identified with academics. This same 2-way interaction within the negative feedback condition also predicted post-feedback levels of identification as a college student, though it did not seem to affect post-feedback levels of academic identification. Strongly-identified participants receiving negative feedback identified less as a college student if they were under stereotype threat while weakly-academically identified participants identified more. Levels of post-feedback identification as a college student negatively predicted performance.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two feedback procedures: written feedback and written feedback plus audio feedback on two teachers’ use of behavior support strategies and two children’s problem and alternative behaviors in two community preschool settings. A non-concurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher-child dyads with an A-B-C sequence was used to assess the effects of the feedback procedures on teacher and child target behaviors. A 10-second partial interval recording system was used to measure child target behaviors during 10-minute sessions and an event recording system to measure teacher use of strategies. The results indicated that the written feedback increased teachers’ use of support strategies and reduced children’s problem behaviors and increased alternative behaviors; however, the audio feedback with written feedback procedures further increased teachers’ use of strategies resulting in further improvement in children’s target behaviors. There was some evidence that teachers maintained their use of strategies without feedback procedures and generalized the use of strategies to non-targeted children.

Research has investigated staff management procedures that produce treatment adherence and maintenance over time. Treatment integrity is one of the most important aspects of staff management; without adequate treatment adherence, behavior analysts are unable to determine whether treatment is effective, function has been identified, or intervention revisions are needed. The literature on staff management procedures has demonstrated that performance feedback and self-monitoring are effective procedures for increasing treatment integrity of behavior plans in the presence of the observer, however, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of these procedures when the observer is absent. This study evaluated the effectiveness of performance feedback and self-monitoring procedures and the level of reactivity to the presence of an observer exhibited by staff trained to implement individualized behavior plans. The results showed that staff performance increased with the intervention almost exclusively in the conspicuous observation condition.

This study built upon the theoretical feedback process of Ilgen, Fisher and Taylor (1979), as refined by Kinicki, Prussia, Wu, & Mckee-Ryan (2004), to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism underlying an individual's response to performance feedback. The feedback model implicates source credibility and the feedback-rich environment as critical elements in the process explaining recipient accuracy perceptions and responses. Thus the sign and perceived accuracy of performance feedback were investigated in a 3 x 3 (plus control) experimental design. One hundred fifty-six undergraduate students were randomly assigned to feedback conditions, in which they performed on a three-trial Lego model reproduction task. After trial one, participants received false feedback from a confederate supervisor. The feedback was based on fictional norm tables, which framed the participant's performance as falling into the 70th percentile (positive), 50th percenti le (average), or 30th percentile (negative) according to condition. The supervisor then supplemented the norm tables with conclusive comments designed to be perceived as positive distortion of the norm table feedback, reinforcement of norm tables (accurate feedback), or negative distortion of the norm tables. Performance time, errors, task-specific self-efficacy, self-assessment of performance, and self-report effort-expended data were collected on trials one through three. The results indicated a significant interaction between feedback sign and perceived feedback accuracy on participant performance (F(4,132) = 3.72, p < 0.01), whereby the performance in the positively distorted-positive sign feedback condition was significantly higher than performance in the positively distorted-negative sign feedback condition. When the feedback was perceived to be accurate, negative sign feedback resulted in significantly better performance compared to the positive feedback condition (contrar y to previous research). Task-specific self-efficacy was not found to mediate the relationship between type of feedback and performance, and no significant effect of feedback sign or perceived feedback accuracy on task-specific self-efficacy was found. These findings provide possible explanation as to why supervisors tend to positively distort both sign and accuracy in performance appraisals (e.g., Benedict & Levine, 1988). Implications for theoretical expansion of the feedback process model, and application to workplace performance management are discussed.

This study used a multiple baseline across behaviors design to evaluate the use of video self-evaluation on the performance of dance movements. The self-evaluation condition included training participants how to view a video of them performing the dance movement and evaluate their own performance from video using a task analysis of the movement. Each participant applied the self-evaluation procedure to three separate dance moves. Target behaviors were scored using an individualized task analysis for each dance move. Self-evaluation improved all three dance moves for each participant. Self-evaluation produced an increase in all target behaviors from baseline to intervention for each participant. Social validity was also assessed, which yielded high likability of the procedure from the participants as well as social significant increases in target behavior performance as assessed by proficient dance instructors. Though some increases in performance were gradual, self-evaluation is proposed to be an effective, efficient, and accessible procedure to increase performance of competitive dance movements.