ANALYSIS OF SUPERVISOR AND SUPERVISEE COOPERATION IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN A PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Abstract

Studies have shown that employees and their supervisors rarely cooperate in the various stages of performance planning including the setting of their performance targets. This study has sought to explore the cooperation of supervisors and supervisees in the implementation of performance management, commonly known as the Employee Performance Management and Development System (EPMDS), in a provincial government department in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Drawing on the pragmatist philosophy, the study employed a mixed-method approach which involved in-depth interviews (six), documentary analysis and survey methods (83 questionnaires) to elicit the views of workers on the implementation of EPMDS in a provincial government department in KZN. Through documentary analysis, this study established that there are proper and systematic procedures for EPMDS. A further analysis has revealed that the central tendency is evident when supervisors give performance scores, with most workers being given average scores and only a few scores being above the average, which adversely affects their motivation. These findings have critical implications for human resources managers in the public sector. The consequence of this is that there is a need to balance the tensions between time constraints and proper Performance Management by involving workers in the whole cycle of Performance Management. Without such involvement, workers will continue to be suspicious of the EPMDS which may defeat its purpose. 

Keywords

• Public sector,performance management,performance review,personal development plan

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