Performance management conference announced

by Nick Smith, E&T management editor

A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found that while HR practitioners recognise the need for a wide application of performance management, in practice its potential is not being realised.

The survey, 'Performance Management in Action', found that the limitations around performance management are not a result of how it is carried out, but that it is not implemented or positioned according to wider organisational goals.

The forthcoming CIPD Performance Management Conference, at Hallam Conference Centre on 9 March, has been designed to demonstrate how practitioners can elevate performance management beyond mechanistic data collection to a well-structured system that drives continuous improvement and meets business needs.

Angela Baron, CIPD Adviser, OD and Engagement said: “Performance management is one of the key people management tools, yet practitioners still have to deliver it as a strategic driver of either performance or employee engagement.”

She went on to say that CIPD research found examples of sophisticated and well designed programmes that attempt to generate a high performance culture still revolve around a yearly tick box appraisal process.

“The appraisal is an important tool to review objectives and progress but it is not performance management.  Real performance management is more than that. This conference is all about how to get the most out of performance management practices and integrate it more firmly with other HR processes to manage talent, develop potential, plan career paths, drive engagement and support employee wellbeing. It’s a great opportunity for HR professionals, line managers or indeed anyone who’s involved in performance management to come together to share their experiences and learn from each other.”

The programme includes the following sessions:
• Designing and Maintaining a Performance Management System that Meets Business Needs – Pamela Parkes, Director, Human Resources and Organisational Development, Council
• Managing Performance to Maximise Talent - John McCann, Director of Human Resources, Audit Office
• Performance Management as a Motivator – Ester O’Halloran, Human Resources Director, Bakeries and Patisseries UK
• Key Steps to Achieving Excellent Performance Management – Jenny Arwas, HR Director – Group Operations and Neil Walford, Training & Organisational Development Manager, of Cancer Research
• Measuring and Evaluating Performance Management – Justin Grice, Senior Consultant, Watson and Jane Daly, Learning and Development Manager, Head Office and Caroline Joy, Learning and Development Manager, Organisational Capability, & Spencer

For further details visit www.cipd.co.uk/cande/performance-management/