As managers with direct contact with workers on the floor, line managers are responsible for implementation of the performance appraisal system at Kansanshi Mining plc. Commonly, implementation of performance appraisal is affected by how line managers interact with their subordinates before, during and after an appraisal interview. Notably, no study has been conducted at Kansanshi mine to understand how line managers conduct performance appraisals since their introduction. This qualitative study aims to build an understanding of how line managers at Kansanshi conduct performance appraisal interviews and what enablers and barriers they face in this process. In pursuit of the research aim, line managers from all the ten departments of the mine were considered as eligible for the study. Using stratified random sampling, ten of the 30 line managers from all ten departments across the mine site were selected. A total of fifteen semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with ten line managers to gather data. These individual interviews were conducted on the mine site in the interviewees' offices as well as other convenient places such as the Kansanshi main boardroom. On average, each interview took between 45 to 60 minutes. All these interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and thereafter analyzed using open coding and constant comparison technique to induce themes. Findings of the study show a variety of barriers and enablers of line managers in their conduct of performance appraisal interviews at Kansanshi mine in Zambia. All ten line managers unanimously highlighted that (a) lack of clear job descriptions and set of individual targets as well as (b) lack of adequate refresher training on how to conduct performance appraisals affected how they conducted performance appraisals. Eight of the ten line managers highlighted that (c) perceived subjectivity of the system while seven of the ten highlighted that (d) predominant production focus and priority were barriers to them in how they conducted performance appraisals. On the other hand, ten line managers highlighted that (a) top management commitment to the implementation of a performance appraisal system, seven highlighted that (b) employees' hope for rewards and five line managers highlighted that (c) spring for career development and progression were perceived as enablers in their implementation of performance appraisals. This research is of value as it highlights how the conduct of performance is not only impacted by organizational support and other complementary organizational systems but also how the barriers to the conduct of performance appraisals affect both the appraisee and the appraiser.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:831 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Silimi, Maimbo Mark |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MBA |
| Format | 79 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Silimi, Maimbo Mark |
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