Employee Perceptions: Disjuncture between Goals of Performance Management Systems and Effective Implementation in South Africa

Abstract

This study sought to investigate employee perceptions of the implementation of the Employee Performance Management Development System in a South African government department. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from employees in the department in the form of an on-line survey. The primary findings reveal a large gap between the goal of the system and its implementation. The results of the study indicate employees perceive the EPMDS to be an ineffective and inefficient system, largely because supervisors and managers are not implementing it objectively. As a result, employees believe the system is not fairly applied in managing their performance. The study makes a significant contribution by illuminating the misalignment between the intent of the system and its actual implementation. It also points to managerial bias and the focus on punitive action rather than rewarding performance according to goal achievement and developing future performance. A major implication of the results is that the need for a monitoring function as, as required by an EPMDS directive and framework. Employees perceive its implementation to be unfair, marked by bias and punitive measures.