Designing The Training Program for Managers (Appraisers).

Designing The Training Program for Managers (Appraisers).

Case Overview:

 This fictionalized case study is based on a real organization. The case is set in a school, but many of the issues raised are the same across different countries and sectors (for example, the tension between the school’s professional staff members and support staff members). The case study’s author was the organization’s HR manager when the events took place in 2004-05.

Additional information about the school:

Industry:   UK public sector, education (a mixed comprehensive secondary school).
Size:   The annual revenue of the organization is in excess of £1 million. It is a nonprofit organization (it is government-funded).

Staff:   120 (80 teaching and 40 non-teaching).

Student Body:  800 students aged 13-18.

 

Introduction

Southwood school administrators realized that a newly designed performance management system for their support staff1 would require a formal training program. Designing and implementing the new performance management system was a challenge for the organization; the last system was unpopular with employees, and negative feelings about the value of performance management linger.



Case Overview

As discussed in the first Southwood case study, some of the issues identified with the previous performance management system included:

 

Annual deadlines to complete the process were missed by many staff members.

·        
Some staff members were confused about what exactly needed to be completed and when.

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There were complaints that the previous system was a “waste of time” and that there were no measurable outputs.

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A trade union representative felt the system was not appropriate for all staff and members.

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Criteria on the forms were irrelevant to support staff. For example, support staff and could not set objectives in pupil progress or have lessons observed.

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There was little attention on identifying training needs, and where needs had been identified, there was no follow-up with appropriate actions.

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Appraisals were led by teachers with little knowledge of their appraisees’ jobs.

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Performance meetings were a one-way process; often, performance goals were identified before the meeting and without the appraisee’s input.

 

A new system was designed in consultation with all stakeholders to address the issues raised with the previous system. School leaders felt that a formal training program was vital to ensure all employees supported the new system. This case study demonstrates how the training was designed and delivered and some of the complexities involved in this process.

 

Case Details

The case study consists of two parts:

I.                    
Designing the training program for managers (appraisers).

II.                  
II. Designing the training program for appraisees.



I.                   
Designing The Training Program for Managers (Appraisers).
The managers in this case study are the appraisers in the new performance management process. In some cases, they will be teachers with no formal management qualifications. In other cases, they will be support staff with specific management responsibilities in the organization.

 

Needs Analysis

Initially, the director of administration recommended that a selection of managers complete a standard Internet-based training program provided by an online training organization. Managers who completed the online training would receive a certificate of achievement. Based on input from the HR manager, however, it was decided that a custom-designed program would be more appropriate because it would better meet managers’ needs. A custom-designed program would also allow the school to relate the training back to their new performance management system and provide flexibility in the program’s delivery.

There were a number of options available to determine who would design and deliver the program:

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The HR manager could design and deliver the training.

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The HR manager could design the content, and the training could be conducted by a member of the school’s senior management team.

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An external consultant could design and deliver the training.

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An external consultant could design the content, and the HR manager could conduct the training.

In the end, it was decided that the HR manager would design and develop the program with support from the senior management team, if necessary. The reasons for this decision:

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Specialized knowledge. The HR manager had developed the new performance management system and was therefore the most knowledgeable about it.

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Experience. The HR manager was experienced in developing training programs.

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Cost. This was the least expensive option; no direct costs would be incurred.

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Context. It would be easier to include specifics about the new performance management system if the training was designed by an internal person.

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Flexibility. The sessions could be run at the times convenient to managers, which may have been more difficult to accommodate with an external trainer.

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