A Poorly Implemented Performance Management System at Foodbuy, Inc.

Nature of the Problem:

In an effort to address internal performance problems and stay competitive in the food service industry, Foodbuy’s upper management implemented a forced distribution performance management system (PMS). The purpose of the newly enforced PMS was to align employees with the organization’s new strategic goals. Although changes were needed due to our numerous systems to measure performance, a more well thought out plan was necessary. Most of Foodbuy’s managerial staff saw the importance of a more uniform global plan which was needed to consolidate goal setting, performance appraisal and development into a single common system. On the contrary, many opposed the hasty implementation process. Senior management communicated the new PMS in one mass email communication to all its employees. Although it was critical that Foodbuy remained competitive within the food service industry and align with the new strategic goals, the vision was not clear how to accomplish this task. So, what went wrong? The purpose of this paper will be to discuss the poor implementation process of Foodbuy’s PMS and recommendations of how to avoid implementing hasty and lack of consensus decisions in management.

Analysis and Evaluation:

For example, there were several rushed and poorly implemented decisions overlapping between the old systems and the newly implemented PMS. One area of concern was the lack of employee participation in the overall planning process as well as the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the new PMS performance. In comparison, to strategic congruence in our old

systems, Foodbuy newly implemented system did not include goal setting and team building. Also, the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the sy...

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...is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18, Kings James Version). A rushed PMS implementation process may need to be further explored for this could mean that a cultural change may be needed within the Foodbuy organization. Careful implementation is a must for performance management systems, making it crucial for the success of an organization. When implemented effectively, it ensures fairness and accountability, promotes growth and development and encourages a sense of pride in your employees’ contributions to the organization.

Works Cited

(Capko, 2003)

(Scott, C. & Jaffe, D. 1995)

Capko, J. (2003). Five Steps to a Performance Evaluation System. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Group Inc. http://www.aafp.org/fpm/2003/0300/p43.html.

Scott, C. & Jaffe, D. (1995). Managing Change at Work: Leading people through.

Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications.