UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State's Office of Human Resources is overseeing an initiative to re-engineer and improve the performance management process for all full-time staff.
The consensus-driven initiative, which has been an identified objective of the Office of Human Resources since late 2010, is estimated for completion and rollout at the end of 2013 to about 10,000 employees. Sibson Consulting, a strategic human resources division of Segal, has been contracted to help with developing the new process, which is expected to build on the Office of Human Resources' Competencies Program, established in November 2010. The new process will not affect union employees or faculty.
"It's our expectation that the performance management process resulting from this new initiative will provide more meaningful, productive conversations between an employee and a supervisor and a more positive, future-focused approach toward work," said Stephanie Flanagan, senior program coordinator for performance management in the Center for Workplace Learning and Performance, who is leading the initiative.
Ideally, the new performance management process will establish regular, ongoing communication between an employee and supervisor that will help them set accurate expectations around responsibilities, goals, performance and rewards, along with identifying opportunities for professional growth and skill development.
The diagnostic phase of the re-engineering process has recently been completed. During this phase, Sibson gathered employee input via focus groups, a short online questionnaire and conversations with University leaders to better understand the current state of performance management and help guide the revision process.
The next steps involve designing the new performance management program, defining leadership roles and determining elements of effective execution, which will include engaging several University departments in a short pilot phase. A leadership steering committee, composed of members identified from across the University, has been established to provide input on the design and implementation of the program.
"Current human resources approaches demonstrate that the performance management philosophy helps align employee goals with the organization's goals, improves employee engagement and supports employee opportunities to grow professionally," said Susan Basso, associate vice president for Human Resources. "We want our staff -- who are a significant number of the University's employees -- to have opportunities to reach their potential, and this change will help them achieve it. Ultimately, when employees feel engaged with those goals and opportunities, they and the University succeed together."