A strategic component and responsibility of the human resources department is the management of the people of the organization, which is frequently called human capital management. As the new HR manager, you have conducted an analysis of your organization and found that performance management processes are highly inconsistent among departments. There are no ties to organizational goals, and departments are free to determine the review criteria for their employees. Some departments have a process of a formal annual appraisal while other departments do not provide employees with any documented feedback on their performance. In performance improvement, some departments have a process of documenting employee performance issues; others seem to follow a process of no documented warnings before recommending termination. With your experience, you recognize the benefits of establishing a comprehensive performance management process that ties individual, group, and department performance, and rewards to organizational goals and success.

Using the Internet and the library, research information on performance management and then develop a detailed plan to present to your chief executive officer (CEO). In this process, you will focus on three key areas of performance management: performance appraisals, tying performance goals with strategic organizational goals, and the disciplinary action/performance coaching process. At minimum, your plan should address the following:

• The value a performance management program brings to the organization
• A discussion of the various performance management programs you considered in developing your final suggestions
• A rationale for your selection of different aspects of your plan
• How your organization will address the three key areas of performance management: appraisals; improving employee performance; and aligning individual performance to group, department, and organizational goals
• A communication plan for informing all employees about the new process
• Training that will be provided to employees and managers
• The additional issues/challenges that need to be considered with the implementation of these programs
• In your research, other areas of performance management the organization might consider for implementation after this initial phase