Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook

Human Resource Management Foundations
May 20, 2012

Abstract
Performance reviews are an important, if not necessary, management obligation. Yet all too often it is not done well if at all. There are a many of reasons why performance appraisal is not as effective as it could be. The first is that many organizations do not have clearly established corporate objectives for undertaking performance reviews. Many supervisors, particularly in large organizations, routinely complete the required forms which are then filed and the subject not mentioned again until the next review period, usually a year hence. To be effective, there should be clear objectives for doing performance appraisals and everyone in the organization should understand why it is being done. Social network performance reviews are faster and much more efficient.

Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook
1. Agree or disagree with this statement and provide reasons for your response. “If you have regular conversations with people, and they know where they stand, then the performance evaluation is maybe unnecessary.”
The performance evaluation is always unnecessary even if a supervisor is has regular meetings and conversations with their employees. Even if a supervisor feels like the employee understands their current performance ability and possible improvements, the employee may not be aware or may not know what steps to take in order to improve their performance. Employees also like to know where they stand. With having a timely performance evaluation will allow employees and managers to set goals and track progress. Employees do not like surprises but they do need clear and well-defined goals and objectives in order to achieve a successful performance. In 2011, Noe Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright reported that, “Most Employees are motivated by direct and regularly scheduled feedback: they want to know that they are on the right track” (p. 245). Nonetheless, it is imperative to think through the generation inclinations within the group. When a manager and employee has an informal conversation, that doesn’t constitute that an actual performance evaluation has occurred. There are guidelines that need to be followed to make sure that everyone is on the same page. The performance evaluation process usually has a fixed schedule, some companies have the evaluation at the same time annually and others conduct the performance evaluation on the anniversary of employees start date. Managers should be well prepared for the feedback session by having all documents present and at the same time affording the employee time to obtain his/her documents.
Millennial employees were brought up in an era with constant assistance from parents; and so, they favor repeated and honest performance feedback. Baby boomers on the other hand, were brought up more self-regulating and earned their statuses, which results in their inclination for a lesser amount of interactive feedback. Generation X leans more in the direction of the Millennial inclinations concerning evaluation feedback. They too desire continuous feedback but it must be accurate, specific and timely. They want each feedback encounter to provide learning and career growth opportunities. Millennia’s want the continuous feedback but also demands clear direction, leadership and problem solving assistance. They want their superiors to be assessable just as their parents have been (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright 2011).
2. Compare and contrast the possible effectiveness of the social network performance review to the following age groups: veterans, baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y.
The social network performance evaluation is very operational with the younger generations verses the senior groups. Veterans and baby boomers were not part of the computer age. Majority finds technology intrusive, perplexing and redundant; consequently the social network performance review is more than likely to not be effective or well received with most baby boomers.
Relatively generations X and Y are technologically motivated. Generation X, like generation Y desires continuous performance reviews which makes the social network performance review effective. Generation X wants that feedback to be specific in how each goal and objective will improve their career growth and prospects. Generation Y, however, favors the social networking performance review to also be continuous but provide more precise guidance, direction and problem solving. Generation Y’s parents delivered this type of assistance and their parents resolved the problems, not the children. Consequently they have a shortage those skills in the workplace and rest on upon their managers for the same functions that their parents delivered (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright 2011).
3. “The biggest payoff of these social network style tools may prove to be better performance by the boss.” State whether or not this statement justifies the time and cost of implementing these systems and provide a rationale.
Social network tools do validate the time and costs of employing these tools through numerous efficiency and productivity studies. They have been confirmed to increase performance through the ability to discover data rapidly though social networking. Winkler reports that “studies have shown that employees who use social networking sites are 9 percent more productive than those who don’t. These social networking tools have increased productivity through the sharing of ideas which also enhances creativity. They provide an arena to gain more knowledge about a certain subjects and facilitate problem resolutions. If used as an intranet within an organization, social networking also encourages team building through the shared experience and collaborative efforts of problem solving and the creative sharing of ideas”.
4. O’Toole states: “It has been said that Americans are increasingly overworked.” Discuss whether social network type evaluations aid or hinder the overworked American. Justify your response.
Social networking supports the currently overworked American through the rapid feedback that it delivers. The Millennial employees have grown up in a world multi-tasking but also a world of more feedback and regulation by their parents and their teachers. They are a group that requires repeated directions and opportunities to interrelate with their supervisors to resolve quick guidelines. The social network type assessments allows for the rapid feedbacks and interactions with their supervisors to confirm that they are on the right track and delivering projected results. This is a generations that most often prefers social contact online verses the in person, formal meetings (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright 2011).
The group that would regard social network type evaluations as creating more work is more likely to be the baby boomers. They prefer less interaction with management at all costs. They are more isolated in work habits and prefer the isolation of cubicles to facilitate full concentration on their current tasks. The social network evaluation would seem less personal to them and would be more of a distraction for them.

References
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human resource management (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Winkler, S. (n.d.). Are social networks good for job productivity? How stuff works. Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/information/social-
networks-and-job-productivity2.htm