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13 Performance Management
POLICY DEVELOPMENT Performance management is a strategic and integrated approach to delivering success to organizations by improving the performance of the people who work in them through developing the capabilities of teams and individuals. Performance management can be aligned with the culture and professionalism of teachers since the appraisal process developed in the early 1990s had been a partial response to demands from teachers for professional appraisal. It was clear, however, that that model was excessively bureaucratic and failed to involve the delivery of professional development. It was excessively cluttered up with personnel-speak rather than being focused on real breakthroughs in performance improvement. The new policy for performance management was developed in the late 1990s. In 1999 the DfEE contracted Regional Performance Management Consortia initially to deliver one day’s training to all headteachers in 2000, and then to provide performance management consultants to support all schools in establishing performance management policies and in setting objectives for every teacher by the end of February 2001. These contracts were terminated in 2002. Performance management for teachers has frequently been extended to all staff, with training in skills such as setting objectives, monitoring and evaluating performance, providing feedback and linking the objectives to personal development and school strategic planning. In business where structures have been flattened and processes reengineered horizontally, less hierarchical management systems remain. Schools have not moved significantly in this direction. They do not build performance improvement for competitive advantage. Leadership requires highly visible demonstrations of senior managers using and benefiting from performance management. Performance management must demonstrably provide clear access to high quality development opportunities. In view of the history of appraisal, the emphasis has been on the distinctive new emphasis of performance management. Performance in business is partially delivered by teams and arguably the DfES model concentrates insufficiently on this. There is a need for an enormous commitment to communication of the rationale for performance management to ensure commitment at all levels. Effective performance appraisal is the cornerstone for performance management and personal development. The key principles for individual performance review at Great Ormond Street Hospital presented by the training and development manager (Bonham, 1999) are rela129
