Employee performance management and development system at King Edward V111 hospital as a tool for service delivery.

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to identify the effectiveness of the Employee performance management and development system at King Edward V111 hospital and to assess the level of awareness the employees have of the EPMDS. Moreover it looked towards the possible shortcomings in the implementation of the EPMDS in King Edward V111 hospital. Data was obtained from the employees in the junior and senior management positions at King Edward V111 hospital and more evidence was gathered from literature review. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire from one hundred and four participants (n=104) and analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The research findings revealed that the employee performance management and development system was not effectively applied at King Edward V111 hospital and that participants had a low awareness level on the purpose of the Employee performance management and development system. The shortcomings were attributed to insufficient management skills and a lack of appropriate communication among employees of their rights and responsibilities when an employee performance management system is being incorporated in their organisation. It has been recommended that employees in the management position need to incorporate the employee performance management and development system into their own ranks thereby equipping them with a deeper understanding of the policy and its true potential. Moreover the incorporation of balance score cards would enable employees in the management position to quickly target areas of shortfall in their organisation. The research has been limited to only one hospital. It doesn’t provide a holistic view of the EPMDS in public hospitals in South Africa. Future research should look at other public hospital in South Africa, Africa and first world countries. It should look at the similarity between the systems existing in these public institutions that contribute to its successfully implementation and analysis the shortfalls that have occurred and the strategies utilized to overcome them.