Performance Management How It Works

There has been much talk recently about the relative merits of the private sector or public bodies providing care to vulnerable people in the UK. The recent examples of poor care in both types of organisation seem puzzling, until you realise that the mechanism used to judge good performance is the same in whatever form of organisation you work in - and here is how it works:

The People “up above” set targets based on a pledge, promise or a need to make money.

The Targets are shared throughout the organisation 

The Managers are made responsible for delivering The Targets.

The Managers tell The Staff how important it is that The Targets are delivered. This is usually in terms of how important they are to patient care/government policy/the company’s future/the year end bonus

The Staff tend to think that they have forgotten more about patient care than the manager will ever know/why do I care about government policy I didn’t vote for them anyway/our small care home won’t break the large PLC we work for/I don’t get much of a bonus anyway. 

The Staff tell the Managers what the problems will be in delivering The Targets.

The Managers patiently explain that The Targets are a Must Do.

The Staff know this means The Managers nether regions will be squeezed if they say The Targets are a problem.  The Staff shrug, no point arguing as The Managers don’t have the power to change The Targets anyway. 

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