Staff performance

Effective recruitment and resource planning are essential elements for an efficient and effective organisation. The quality of staff and the timing of their recruitment can have a profound influence on their subsequent performance. Recruitment links to other organisational factors that will influence the performance of employees include how the organisation:

• describes the job
• performs induction
• provides job training
• assesses skill level
• provides feedback
• develops employees
• reviews and assesses performance
• rewards performance

Job description

To achieve effective performance requires the organisation to have in place a process, which clearly states:

• the roles and responsibilities of the employee
• the key skills required to perform the job
• how performance will be assessed
• who will assess performance

This needs to be agreed with the employee if the desired performance is to be achieved.

Training plans and training

Achieving results through the efforts of your employees will occur only if employees have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for their efforts to be effective. Once suitable people have been selected and inducted, ongoing training is a key factor in ensuring the development of the skills and behaviour expected by the organisation. Training or professional development is not something extraneous to the main function of the organisation; rather it is an integral part in achieving the organisation's strategic objectives.

Professional development requires on- and off-the-job training, and should be a joint responsibility between the employer and the employee. In order to achieve the required skill development essential to the success of the business, analysis and consideration should be given to:

• identifying required skills related to the particular job, the organisation's business objectives and marketing strategies
• current skill level and the requirements of the job
• the potential for improvement
• the synergy with the individual's desired career progression
• the fit with the overall organisational skill and operational objectives
• type of training – on the job/off the job/in-house
• the development of training plans
• the assessment of training costs and its benefits
• monitoring, following up and evaluating the training

Because architecture, like other businesses, operates in a climate of rapid change, the skills and knowledge people need are also changing. Managing the skill development of employees is a shared responsibility between management and staff and is fundamental to the performance of the individual and ultimately the practice.

Follow-up and feedback

The key to effective feedback and follow-up of performance is an explicit understanding by management and employees of the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the job and clear reporting lines. This includes how, when and by whom performance will be assessed.

Communication, follow-up and feedback of individual and team performance are critical features of effective resource management. It is a continuous process and should occur both informally and formally. Direct lines of communication are essential. With effective feedback and follow-up of performance, objectives are more likely to be achieved and improvement or further development can take place. Effective communication and follow-up of performance assists clarity of the requirements of the position, assists the identification and development of appropriate skills, improves motivation and assists employees to know how they are performing.

Informal and formal feedback considerations include:

• frequency of feedback
• who will provide the feedback, eg project architect
• performance objectives
• performance measurement, eg productivity, quality of work
• technical solutions
• previous performance and improving current performance
• skill deficiencies/training needs
• assistance available/required

Maintaining performance

There is little point in continually developing staff if they are not given the opportunity to use their increased capabilities. These capabilities are only likely to be used if there are incentives to do so.

This can be achieved by giving them tasks that are more demanding, increasing their decision making authority by developing their particular skills, and by rewarding performance. This should satisfy the employee's ambition for personal satisfaction, status, power and financial reward and meet the organisation's need for capable, appropriately skilled staff. The process should involve planning, by the individual and the organisation, through discussion and negotiation. Employees should have a realistic view of their career opportunities within the organisation, and training and development needs to be continuous and targeted to achieve mutual benefit.

Incentives

Incentives are an essential factor affecting performance and include recognition, promotion, status, personal satisfaction and financial reward. The potential for gaining these incentives encourages staff to apply considerable extra effort. Internal promotion can have an additional benefit, affecting the attitudes of the successful candidate and others in the organisation. Within an architectural practice, this will include the added responsibilities of the project architect, senior management, directorship or possibly ownership. The rewards associated with promotion and additional responsibilities are only legitimate when clearly seen to be awarded fairly for performance.

Conclusion

If you have recruited suitable people into your organisation, if you have trained them well, if you have organised their work efficiently (with their participation), if you have ensured they have the necessary resources, and you have motivated them, then the performance of the organisation will be effective and efficient.