Engaging employees through effective performance management: an empirical examination

Connecting the organizational incomes and outcomes: a systematic review of the relationship between talent management, employee engagement, and turnover intention

Introduction

In a post-pandemic environment, characterized by volatility and uncertainty, organizations need to adapt to it for their survival.

Methods

Following a systematic review method, the aim of this study is to assess the relationship between talent management practices, employee engagement, and turnover intention. Carried out using PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review includes 43 studies.

Results

Results showed a lack of consensus on the talent management concept, definition, and measurement. Also, talent management practices seem to increase employee engagement and decrease turnover intentions. That is, when organizations provide effective talent management practices to employees, they become more engaged and less likely to abandon the company. It is important to highlight the mediating role of engagement in the relation between talent management and turnover intention. Furthermore, the most studied talent management practices for promoting engagement and reducing turnover intention were identified. Regarding control variables, data highlighted the importance of age and organizational tenure in the aforementioned relationships.

Discussion

This review draws attention to the need of designing and implementing talent management practices in an effective way in order to generate a healthy and engaged workforce that is willing to remain in an organization.

Performance measurement of Brazilian federal university hospitals: an overview of the public health care services through principal component analysis

PURPOSE

This paper aimed to contextualize the process of public hospital providing services, based on the measurement of the performance of Federal University Hospitals (HUFs) of Brazil, using the technique of multivariate statistics of principal component analysis.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

This research presented a descriptive and quantitative character, as well as exploratory purpose and followed the inductive logic, being empirically structured in two stages, that is, the application of principal component analysis (PCA) in four healthcare performance dimensions; subsequently, the full reapplication of principal component analysis in the most highly correlated variables, in module, with the first three main components (PC1, PC2 and PC3).

FINDINGS

From the principal component analysis, considering mainly component I, with twice the explanatory power of the second (PC2) and third components (PC3), it was possible to evidence the efficient or inefficient behavior of the HUFs evaluated through the production of medical residency, by specialty area. Finally, it was observed that the formation of two groups composed of seven and eight hospitals, that is, Groups II and IV shows that these groups reflect similarities with respect to the scores and importance of the variables for both hospitals' groups.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Among the main limitations it was observed that there was incomplete data for some HUFs, which made it impossible to search for information to explain and better contextualize certain aspects. More specifically, a limited number of hospitals with complete information were dealt with for 60% of SIMEC/REHUF performance indicators.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The use of PCA multivariate technique was of great contribution to the contextualization of the performance and productivity of homogeneous and autonomous units represented by the hospitals. It was possible to generate a large quantity of information in order to contribute with assumptions to complement the decision-making processes in these organizations.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Development of public policies with emphasis on hospitals linked to teaching centers represented by university hospitals. This also involved the projection of improvements in the reach of the efficiency of the services of assistance to the public health, from the qualified formation of professionals, both to academy, as to clinical practice.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The originality of this paper for the scenarios of the Brazilian public health sector and academic area involved the application of a consolidated performance analysis technique, that is, PCA, obtaining a rich work in relation to the extensive exploitation of techniques to support decision-making processes. In addition, the sequence and the way in which the content, formed by object of study and techniques, has been organized, generates a particular scenario for the measurement of performance in hospital organizations.

Team leader survival syndrome, tenure and management styles towards professional subordinates on construction megaprojects; sustainability and corporate governance

Purpose

The modern construction industry is highly competitive and cost driven, with tangible adversarial relationships between projects' contractual parties at individual and organisational levels; there are conflict of interest as people to survive. Accordingly, team leaders on construction megaprojects (CMPs) in multinational engineering organisations strive to survive in such competitive markets. The research’s aim is to investigate relationships between team leaders' tenure and management styles towards professional subordinates on CMPs and elaborate how corporate governance can optimally address this conflict of interest and adversarial relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology adopted processes of inducting theory using case studies. A qualitative approach was adopted as a primary data collection and analysis source. It involved case studies through primary data collection in semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 38 professional subordinates (interviewees) to discuss impacts of team leaders' tenure on their management style (a five-team leader, case studies). The research methodology is based on building theories from case study grounded theory research methodologies.

Findings

The research introduced the notion that team leader survival syndrome is pronounced and evidenced by adversarial reactions towards new or experienced professional subordinates where team leaders perceive professional subordinates, especially at senior technical levels, as potential risks that jeopardise their positions and employment survival possibilities. The syndrome is proven based on real-life case studies; it is constant, tangible and serious disorder of attitudes and behaviours. Longer tenure stimulates and accelerates these phenomena and syndrome, with 58% of team leaders exhibiting such syndromes. Optimum employee tenure is between 7 and 10 years. Corporate governance provides good resolution practices.

Research limitations/implications

The research implications are useful to construction industry and academia. However, the analysis is limited to the case studies considered in Canada and Qatar. Due to small sample size for both case studies and respondents to the questionnaire survey, it is recommended for future exploration to expand the scope of research to larger sample size and various demographic and geographical locations.

Practical implications

Corporates should acknowledge the presence of team leader survival syndromes. They should thoroughly investigate sociopolitical relationships behind it and seek to understand consequences on professional subordinates. Corporates should also adopt a 360-degree feedback system; they should limit trust given to team leaders in this regard to responsible trust, to eliminate manipulation. Team leaders are perceived as being not always truthful and misrepresent capabilities and performance of their professional subordinates to senior managers. Corporate governance holistic multidimensional perspectives are required to provide resolutions of team leader survival syndromes.

Originality/value

The research has discovered a phenomenon that team leaders on CMPs in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) organisations, prompted by virtue of long tenure in corporates or by power of their managerial level in organisations, perceive their professional subordinates, especially senior technical employees, as potential risks. It is thought promoting them would put their own positions and security of tenure at risk. Hence, team leaders act adversarially, to enhance their own survival prospects. This research introduced the novel team leader survival syndrome and introduced analyses, practical implications and recommendations.

Does the perception of organizational justice determine employees' affective commitment? The mediating role of organizational trust

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify select antecedents for affective commitment (AC) and whether organizational trust (OT) mediates the relationship between dimensions of organizational justice (OJ) and AC.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey-based design, data were collected from employees across industry verticals who were working in various organizations and participated in an executive management program at an Indian management institute. Analysis was carried out using a partial least square-based package of ADANCO 2.2.1.

Findings

In line with cross-cultural research, the results indicated that distributive and informational justice contribute toward employees' AC. In addition, the findings confirmed that OT mediates the justice-AC relationship for distributive, interpersonal and informational justice. The role of job satisfaction (JS) as an important antecedent was also identified.

Practical implications

The evidence-based findings, as represented in importance–performance map analysis (IPMA), will help the organizational leaders understand the factors responsible for employees' AC. Leaders will appreciate the important role played by justice, fairness and OT in enhancing commitment. The importance of JS was also highlighted.

Originality/value

This is a pioneering study to provide empirical evidence of the moderating effect of trust on OJ and the AC relationship. It is also one of the first to consider all of the four dimensions of OJ as possible antecedents for AC in a non-Western context.

Work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction: the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of SIEs

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine linkages between work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction, while probing the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of self-initiated- expatriates (SIEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A mediation model was tested using survey data from 266 SIEs working in US information technology (IT) multinational corporations (MNCs).

Findings

The results revealed significant direct and indirect effects of work engagement on affective commitment and career satisfaction through knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

Although common method bias and validity of measurement were assessed in this study, the survey data were cross-sectional. Rigorous testing of the proposed mediated model through longitudinal design must be undertaken to allow for stronger inferences about causation.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations must nurture a knowledge sharing culture to promote knowledge exchange amongst SIEs. This study also underscores the importance of SIEs' work engagement as an enabler of knowledge sharing. Managers have a critical role in creating the right work environment, where SIEs feel engaged in their work and motivated to share knowledge.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine interlinkages between work engagement, knowledge sharing, affective commitment and career satisfaction in SIEs' context.

Performance appraisal and premature sign-offs and underreporting of chargeable time of external auditors – internal benchmarking of experience and gender

Purpose

The research paper investigates auditors' dysfunctional behaviors in relation to performance appraisals. It explores the dysfunctional audit behavior (DAB) differences among experienced/inexperienced and male/female auditors when expecting performance appraisals, how their perception of DAB changes and how their reactive-outcomes vary.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey comprises statements pulled from performance appraisal templates used by the Big Four audit firms in the UK. The sample has been tested during two different periods to highlight variations in the perception of DAB.

Findings

Experienced auditors become more tolerant of DAB compared to their perception when they were inexperienced. Inexperienced male auditors are generally more accepting of DAB compared to their inexperienced female counterparts. Experienced female respondents continue to be less accepting of DAB.

Originality/value

The study associates performance appraisal procedures with DAB. The analysis examines the perception of dysfunctional behavior according to the level of experience auditors (males and females) accumulate over time.

Employees' working life and performance of UK ethnic minority restaurants: a qualitative approach

Purpose

This paper investigates the linking between employees' working life (EWL) and job performance of ethnic minority Bangladeshi restaurants in Greater London.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use in depth face-to-face interviews of 40 participants working in 20 Bangladeshi restaurants (BRs) following a convenience sampling method. A thematic analysis technique, with the help of QSR N10, developed two key themes related to EWL and performance.

Findings

These themes highlight several aspects of the relationship between EWL and performance. First, EWL is “beyond” the UK tradition; employers show a domineering attitude; however, employees continue to work due to lack of skills and competence. Second, employees perceive and present themselves as satisfied; however, this satisfaction is not reflected in the business performance of BRs. Third, the analysis shows that business owners “trap strategy” constrains employees to develop their skills for mobility to other industries. Hence, employees express satisfaction with their existing situation on the basis that it is the best they can hope for, given their specific skills and competence, and need for some security in the UK. Fourth, non-financial performance, for example, job autonomy, sense of fulfilment is related to EWL.

Practical implications

The paper provides a framework to promote a better understanding of the linking between employees' working life and performance of UK ethnic minority restaurants. Also, the paper makes recommendations for further research, including an examination of the applicability of the findings to SMEs operated by other ethnic groups in the UK.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the scarce literature on the working life of people in Bangladeshi restaurant businesses in the UK and the relationship between EWL and business performance.

Talent management challenges during COVID-19 and beyond: Performance management to the rescue

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant talent management challenges including (a) hiring freezes and layoffs; (b) salary freezes, canceled bonuses, and pay reductions; (c) how work is done (i.e., teleworking); and (d) increased employee stress and burnout. Also, COVID-19 has made it evident that many organizations do not implement state-of-the-science performance management systems and, instead, have just performance appraisal systems that typically involve a once-a-year evaluation and review, little effort to provide feedback and coaching on an ongoing basis, little alignment between employee performance and the organization’s strategic goals, a focus on past performance only, and ownership by the human resources function instead of those rating and being rated. Thus, the lack of value contributed by the usual performance evaluation and review process is the reason why so many organizations are postponing or even completely discontinuing performance evaluations. We argue that when implemented using evidence-based recommendations, performance management (rather than appraisal) serves important administrative, strategic and communication, developmental, organizational maintenance, and documentation purposes and therefore can be particularly useful in addressing contemporary talent management challenges. We offer five recommendations on how to adapt and improve performance management that will help organizations navigate crises like COVID-19 and, just as importantly, allow them to thrive after the crisis is over: (1) measure results in addition to behaviors, (2) measure adaptive performance, (3) conduct stay interviews to retain top performers, (4) implement a multisource performance management system, and (5) collect and use performance promoter scores.

JEL CLASSIFICATION: J5 Labor–Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining; M1 Business Administration; M5 Personnel Economics

Performance measurement and NPOs' effectiveness: does internal stakeholders' trust matter? Evidence from Palestine

Purpose

This study proposes a model of the effect of financial and non-financial performance measures on nonprofit organizations’ (NPOs’) effectiveness where internal stakeholders' trust play an intervening role in the aforementioned relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 218 employees working at the largest Palestinian NPOs. The perceptions of these employees were used to measure the variables, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

Results suggest that the use of financial and non-financial performance measures was positively related to NPOs' effectiveness. Internal stakeholders' trust showed a significant mediating effect between the use of performance measures and NPOs' effectiveness.

Practical implications

This study may be of value for NPOs' managers due to the positive effects performance measurement (PM) can have on NPO effectiveness. Managers and boards should seek to enhance their internal stakeholders' trust to achieve higher levels of effectiveness.

Originality/value

This study has three main contributions. First, it is one of the very few papers which empirically examines the links between PM and NPOs' effectiveness, rather than providing conceptual lens. Second, the paper investigates the role of stakeholders' trust as a mediating mechanism in the proposed model, a topic that has been neglected by NPOs governance researchers. Finally, the study uses data from the Palestinian context, contributing to the PM literature by providing evidence on the relationship between performance measures and NPOs' effectiveness from a non-Western context.

Fake it or make it: employee well-being in emotional work settings

Purpose

The objective of the present study is to measure the well-being of employees who are engaged in frontline roles and actively engrossed in frequent regulation and management of emotions while performing interpersonal interactions. The study has conceptualised the comprehensive model to measure employee well-being with three work-related dimensions, namely work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction in emotional work settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The study has been conducted on employees of the civil aviation industry in North India working on various frontline profiles. Data have been collected from 600 employees through a pretested questionnaire, and structural equation modelling (SEM) has been performed to test the hypothesis.

Findings

The findings of the study have revealed that all three dimensions, namely work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction are statistically significant measures of employee well-being in emotional work settings. Also, the study has determined that employees are highly satisfied and engaged at work despite having a feeling of burnout.

Research limitations/implications

The study has enriched the literature by presenting and analysing a comprehensive model of employee well-being in emotional work settings of the civil aviation industry.

Practical implications

The study will aid the various service industries in the framing of the intervention and training programs, which would help in promoting the well-being of employees who are specifically engaged in emotional work.

Social implications

The study is very substantial in offering various parameters over which national well-being policies for individuals can be framed.

Originality/value

Priorly, very few studies have attempted to recognise the role of the aforementioned variables in emotional work settings in a comprehensive manner. Further, the study has emphasised the unrecognised role of job satisfaction and work engagement where burnout is prevailing due to the presence of high emotional job demands.