A mini thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Master of Technology In Human Resources Management at the Faculty of Business of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2012 / Local Government in South Africa has undergone much transformation since 5 December 2000. Much of this change has been implemented to correct the imbalances, inequities and disparities within our local communities as a result of Apartheid policies. However, motivation for this change is also because National Government has realized that like other governments throughout the world, there is a need to continuously modernise all spheres of government. In establishing the background, readers will be exposed to the implicit objectives contained in the new local government legislation and specifically, the legislation relevant to performance management. The development of a performance management system at local government level in South Africa is a highly structured process which is determined by various sets of legislation. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact that the municipal has on the implementation of a performance management system, a review of the legislation is therefore imperative. In South Africa, the government's response since 1994 (Calitz and Siebrits, 2002) has been to realign its economic policies in terms of Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR). This has required that government becomes more efficient in the delivery and production of its services. Further, the focus has been on technical efficiency with emphasis on better or improved government services without an increase in taxes. Calitz and Siebrits (2002) con~luded that the South African government's focus at a national level has definitely shifted from its regulatory role to that of a facilitator of growth. The overall aims of performance management is to establish a high-performance culture in which individuals and teams takes responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and their own skills and contributions within a framework provided by effective leadership. Specifically, performance management is about aligning individual objectives to organizational objectives and ensuring that individuals uphold corporate core values. It provides for expectations to be defined and agreed in terms of role responsibilities and accountabilities (expected to do), skills (expected to have) and behaviours (expected to be). Its aim is to develop the capacity of people to meet and exceed expectations and to achieve their full potential to themselves and the\ organisation.

High performance demands made to employees by supervisors can be perceived as motivating or abusive depending on the "eye of the beholder" (Bies et al., 2016). One of the ways in which supervisors make high performance demands is by putting pressure on their employees to successfully complete their job tasks. However, the extant literature is inconsistent in terms of the outcomes of experiencing general performance pressure. Some studies show that it leads to functional outcomes (e.g., Eisenberger & Aselage, 2009), while others show that it leads to dysfunctional ones (e.g., Mitchell et al., 2018). Recent work integrates these findings, explaining that performance pressure is a dynamic phenomenon, fluctuating within-person on a daily level, leading to both positive outcomes as well as negative ones (Mitchell et al., 2019). Drawing on the Job Demands and Resources Model (Demerouti et al., 2001), supplemented by Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), I conduct an empirical study with an experience sampling methodology to assess the daily, within-person process of interpreting performance pressure from the supervisor and the impact of the process on individual wellbeing and workplace deviance behavior. I also investigate how recovery pressure from the supervisor interacts with daily performance pressure to play a moderating role. I discuss theoretical contributions and practical implications.

One's immediate supervisor is an important source of appreciation and recognition. Although employees expect and desire high levels of appreciation from supervisors, they report feeling less appreciated at work than in any other domain of life (cf. Kaplan, 2012; Luthans, 2000). At the same time, supervisors report that they express appreciation to subordinates very frequently (Kaplan, 2012; Luthans, 2000). Given this disconnect, the purpose of my dissertation is to examine the relationship between supervisors' expressed appreciation and subordinates' felt appreciation. To do so, I present three papers that explore appreciation as a relational phenomenon. In Chapter 1, I review the appreciation literature and propose the construct of appreciation (dis)agreement. In Chapter 2, I investigate antecedents and outcomes of (dis)agreement in the supervisor-subordinate relationship. Results from a time-lagged survey study of 157 supervisor-subordinate dyads indicate substantial disagreement between supervisors and subordinates regarding appreciation. Moreover, LMS analyses suggest that agreement on high appreciation, relative to low appreciation, is positively related to relational outcomes such as relationship satisfaction, positive relational tone, and relational maintenance behaviors. Finally, in Chapter 3, drawing on communicative responsibility theory I suggest a supervisor and a subordinate awareness intervention to address the disconnect between supervisors' expressions of appreciation and subordinates' feelings of appreciation. Results of this intervention study, in a sample of 161 supervisor-subordinate dyads, reveal support for the interventions' effects. Implications and future directions are discussed.

This study is a mixed methods investigation, based on a case study of The Ottawa Hospital’s recent and ongoing implementation of an integrated performance management system (IPMS). It is the first empirical investigation to identify the reasons why Canadian healthcare leaders choose to implement an IPMS in a hospital setting, the core components of hospital-based IPMSs, the challenges that senior leaders face when implementing such systems, and how these challenges might be mitigated to increase the likelihood of a successful implementation. Key findings include the need for senior leaders to carefully consider organizational culture prior to fully implementing an IPMS, engaging physicians early in the journey, and coordinating the implementation so that knowledge, skill, and expertise, as it relates to the IPMS, are distributed across the organization in tightly knit waves. Recommendations for future research include the development of frameworks for the design, implementation, and use of IPMSs

The performance management and development system (PMDS) is a tool that is used by government to measure the performance of individuals in the organisation. PMDS was developmental in its nature in identifying the development of employees and training in case of poor performance. The main aim of the PMDS is to motivate officials in the organisation by rewarding a performance bonus at the end of the financial year. There are challenges that affect the PMDS: officials felt that the system did not motivate them; it is perceived as a 14th cheque and some of them felt the system should be terminated. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the performance management and development system at the Department of Safety and Liaison in the Eastern Cape. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were distributed to officials from levels 1 - 8 and interviews were conducted with assistant managers, managers and senior managers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaires and transcriptions were used to interpret the interviews. The results of the study reflect that most officials in the Department are young and new to the public service. The findings show that the employees of the Department are average in their performance and the Department perceives that the PMDS is not used to identify poor performance and training. The system is not implemented effectively and efficiently. Based on the findings and recommendations made to management to facilitate the training on PMDS and also to allow the processes and procedures to be more efficient. Furthermore allowing performance from all staff to achieve the core objectives of the department.

We are living in a changing world. Performance management is becoming a major challenge for organisations. The aim of this study is to review the current status of the Performance Management and Development System at the Department of the Premier and to look into the reasons why it has become a pain rather than a gain to both the organisation and its employees. This document will also look at the possible causes of the failure of the performance management system and will then propose useful guidelines to overcome obstacles to the benefit of all the affected parties. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature study was performed to the Department of the Premier to determine the views on performance, and on performance management programmes. The study also included an investigation into the extent to which a performance management programme should be aligned with Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC) and individual goals. Questionnaires developed from the literature study, were distributed amongst randomly selected respondents, in order to determine the extent to which a specific directorate manages performance, in line with the guidelines provided by the literature study. The information obtained from the questionnaires were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature study in order to identify shortcomings in the influence that the performance management programme has on the achievement of Department and individual goals at the selected Directorates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the current performance management system, in the Department at Provincial Government Western Cape, as a facilitation tool in aiding or assisting management in achieving individual and departmental goals. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature study was performed to determine the views on performance, and on performance management systems. A questionnaire was designed based on the guidelines in the literature study, in order to establish the extent to which the organisation manages performance. The completed questionnaires were returned and these were processed and analysed using Microsoft Office Excel 2003, running on the Windows XP suite of computer packages. The respondent’s opinion obtained from the questionnaires were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature study in order to identify shortcomings of the influence that the performance management system has on the achievement of individual and departmental goals at the selected organization. The research results indicate that the majority of staff supports and understands the process.

This study is a mixed methods investigation, based on a case study of The Ottawa Hospital’s recent and ongoing implementation of an integrated performance management system (IPMS). It is the first empirical investigation to identify the reasons why Canadian healthcare leaders choose to implement an IPMS in a hospital setting, the core components of hospital-based IPMSs, the challenges that senior leaders face when implementing such systems, and how these challenges might be mitigated to increase the likelihood of a successful implementation. Key findings include the need for senior leaders to carefully consider organizational culture prior to fully implementing an IPMS, engaging physicians early in the journey, and coordinating the implementation so that knowledge, skill, and expertise, as it relates to the IPMS, are distributed across the organization in tightly knit waves. Recommendations for future research include the development of frameworks for the design, implementation, and use of IPMSs

ABSTRACT The call centre environment has become an interesting new venue for research into organisational issues, having grown extensively both internationally and in South Africa, thus playing a crucial role in most industries. In call centres where high value is placed on the meeting of targets and metrics, performance management is crucial. There are numerous differing definitions when it comes to what exactly performance management is, what these definitions have in common however is that they include one or more of the following eight constructs: control; alignment with organisational strategies; the achievement of overall goals and objectives; rewards; training; development; appraisal and motivation (Fisher, Katz, Miller and Thatcher, 2003; Amaratunga, and Baldry, 2002; Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright, 2003). Perceptions and definitions of performance management may vary between agents, supervisors and managers. In order to determine what perceptions employees at different levels held of performance management in call centres, the exploration of metaphors was employed as they are thought to provide a basis for uncovering perceptions, attitudes and feelings which were previously subconscious or not articulated. The aim of this research was thus to determine: what images employees use to define performance management; what similarities and differences exist in the images and definitions used by employees from different levels within the organisation; and how the images and definitions relate to constructs used to define performance management in the literature. Interviews were conducted with 18 call centre agents, 6 supervisors and 3 managers. The results revealed that employees used both negative and positive images to describe performance management, some of the images did relate to some of the eight constructs, and perceptions of performance management differed according to organisational position with supervisors and managers using more positive images to describer performance management.

This thesis builds on the first configuration model developed and expanded in the IFS. The model considers the factors that impact on managers as they undertake performance management of their staff. This thesis transforms the original model through a second and into a third and final configuration. The questions that underpin this research are concerned with managers' experiences as they engage in managing performance and explore the triggers that enable managers to begin a process of, and sustain, managing underperformance within their team. The methodology and research approach adopted is that of social construction which allows managers' worlds to be co-constructed. In undertaking this study, researcher reflexivity was developed, by engaging with colleagues and other interested individuals. The research discourse was not a neutral process and emotioning in research was explicitly recognised. The research design and methods of data collection worked with senior managers across public and private sectors and also engaged with manager groups to provide situations where emerging constructions could be worked up. This continuing professional engagement gave a way of interacting with the emerging discourse to refine the constructions. The research findings identify the significance of contextual factors within any manager's world and the increasing importance of external conditions such as Best Value. The idea of potent and impotent organisations in sustaining a high performance culture is created and the characteristics of each identified. The concept of "other" emerged as managers described the individual who was underperforming and the level of fear and emotional impact on them as they engaged with the "other" in performance management. During the research managers described their feelings in different ways but there was a universal factor - managers do have feelings. Performance management is a Wicked Problem and the rhetoric belies the level of complexity that this research has identified namely - There is no definitive Problem, there is no definitive Solution. Finally the research recommends action for policy makers and managers in order to better develop the systems and processes needed to achieve super performance.

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