Looking for Results: Implementing Federal Agency Strategic Plans through Performance Appraisal Programs
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
2010-04-07
Authors
Journal Title
Series/Report No.
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The use of performance appraisal programs as a management control tool for implementing organizational goals is important for increasing organizational performance. The extent to which performance appraisals align with and employees understand how their work relates to the strategic plan goals of an organization can determine successful implementation. This research examines the extent to which Federal agency program organizational factors and strategic plan characteristics predict performance appraisal goal alignment and to what extent and under what conditions performance appraisal goal alignment supports the successful implementation of strategic plans in a Federal agency.
Two aspects of goal alignment were explored: (1) actual embedding of strategic plan goals in performance plans and (2) employee knowledge of how their work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities. Successful goal alignment was measured through program performance. This research uses the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) section four “Program Results†ratings as an independent rating of program performance. Data for this research comes from OMB’s PART, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Performance Appraisal Assessment Tool and the Federal Human Capital Survey, and independent ratings of Federal agency strategic plans.
Results of the analysis indicate first, that when measuring performance appraisal plan alignment, leadership support of the program is a key determining factor. When measuring employee perceptions of alignment, communication of the organization’s goals, the climate fit for achieving results, and if the strategic plan was written directly for the agency program are predicting factors. Second, employee alignment is significantly related to program performance while performance appraisal plan alignment is not. When testing the modifying effects of an overall quality performance appraisal, there is a significant interaction between performance culture and performance appraisal plan alignment and employee alignment as it relates to program performance. The relationship between goal alignment and program performance is stronger under conditions of low performance culture.
The results reaffirmed the important role of goal alignment to program performance. This study also helps to unpack further the “black-box†that management capacity, especially human resources management, is important to organizational performance and effectiveness.
Description
Keywords
Performance Management, Public Administration, Public Management, OPM, PART, Federal Agencies, Strategic Planning, Performance Appraisal Programs
Citation
Degree
PhD
Discipline
Public Administration
