Outstanding performance that can sustain positive results in the future is one of the key elements of organizational excellence.
Considering organizational excellence as what can drive organizations to a brighter future in terms of more profits, cost reduction, more customer satisfaction, referrals, better net promoter score; it is important to highlight the three pillars of the excellence model from the EFQM model 2020; direction, execution and results.
Having this in mind, the model stresses the need for methodological approach where we develop practices and processes, integrate them into the organization towards agile, effective, and efficient execution, in order to achieve better performance results internally (strategic and operational) and externally as perceptions from stakeholders (customers, citizens, and beneficiaries), which can sustain positively in the future.
The third criterion of the model, namely “Engaging Stakeholders,” focuses on ensuring continuous and positive engagement with all key stakeholders of the organization including employees/public servants. Employees are therefore seen as a key stakeholder, and having them as an integral part of any organizational excellence model emphasizes the need to shift the public sector’s focus from the traditional way of operations, in which public servants are only there to process the requests of citizens, try on their own to be energetic and efficient, awaiting their retirement, to a more competitive way, in which they compete with the private sector’s staff in terms of service excellence.
For this shift to happen, the key players are the employees, who will need to feel the need, accept and change towards a different mindset where they consider themselves not just as public servants but as drivers towards the public sector’s and country’s prosperity.
Leaders need to approve such a shift, align it with organizational purpose, direct it internally and externally, support it with the right values, allow change management to tackle all what needs to change step by step, and catalyze it with motivational culture.
A motivational culture can help public servants create ideas to improve, and innovate in the direction of efficiency and agility, so that they can get recognized internally and externally. Motivate them to be proud ambassadors for the country’s welfare. Motivate them so that they can understand and fully believe that they are the primary drivers of success.
Although motivation is one word, thousands of research papers have talked about it! So, let’s get back to the foundation of human beings without further complications: aren’t we survivors? Haven’t we gone through so many crises and changes in this world and made it safely in 2022? Accordingly, the desire to see what tomorrow holds for us and to consider what we may do now to get a greater return tomorrow is what drives us to get out of bed each morning in search of a better tomorrow.
Finally, I would like to refer to the very significant connection between motivation and sustainability. Motivation is one of the components of sustainability, which ensures that resources are preserved for current generations as well as all future ones.
Will sustainability direction, focus and efforts succeed? It will all depend on whether we, people, feel ourselves part of it and we are motivated enough to invest in it. How to feel this way and how to be motivated? Simply by ensuring our sense of belonging and our ability to effect the necessary change, both for our benefit and the benefit of all future generations.
Rayed Alhumaid is the current Head of the Strategy & Institutional Performance Program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance. He previously participated in the drafting and planning of the digital projects portfolio for the Ministry of Higher Education.
As a Strategic Planning and Performance Manager, Aubrey Phillips engages both people and data to optimize departmental efficiency. She has demonstrated leadership by spearheading interagency teams responsible for the development of Pinellas County’s COVID-19 dashboard and relief programs. Aubrey holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental studies from New College of Florida, along with an advanced Geographic Information Systems certificate.
Does your organization adopt an employee or customer-centric operating methodology? For decades, the main focus of businesses in the Middle East has been on the customer, embracing mottos such as “The customer is always right” or “Customer comes first,” with the primary objective of attaining high customer satisfaction to expand market share. While this remains a universal goal, the approach to achieving it varies among companies, with some prioritizing employees over customers.
Employee performance management has gained increased attention in recent years compared to previous decades. This shift is largely a result of a changing mindset in both the private and public sectors regarding core business principles and operating methodologies. Companies have started to be more aware that what leads to customer satisfaction is a happy workforce, prompting them to focus more on managing employee performance.
Business magnate Richard Branson encapsulates this shift with his statement: “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” This shows us the importance of transitioning towards a more employee-centric business model to keep employees satisfied and engaged while achieving business goals. For all these reasons, employee performance management plays a pivotal role.
To better understand what employee performance management entails, it is important to examine its sub-processes:
Employee performance planning: The planning phase is a prerequisite, establishing the groundwork for the entire process. It is imperative to clarify roles, responsibilities and competencies by having the proper job descriptions and competencies framework developed based on the market’s best practices.
Employee performance measurement: This phase teaches the creation of scorecards at the employee level, guiding the assessment of competencies and behaviors. It also delves into the advantages and disadvantages of creating a final performance index for each employee, incorporating clearly defined criteria such as objectives, KPIs, competencies, and behaviors.
Employee performance review: This phase details organizing and conducting employee performance review meetings, ensuring value for managers and employees. During meetings, managers transparently discuss employee performance, acknowledge achievements and progress, and highlight improvement areas.
Employee performance improvement(talent management): This phase emphasizes the right course of action after the performance review meeting and the enablers of performance improvement. It guides the addressing of low-, medium-, and high-performing staff members, underscoring the importance of a monitoring process to ensure the effective implementation of corrective actions.
Performance recognition: This process guides the creation of rewarding models for acknowledging high-performing individuals and teams, enabling the design of a sustainable reward system encompassing financial and non-financial rewards.
In 2023, several aspects of performance management, especially employee performance management, have evolved. This shift is a response to the so-called “post-pandemic new normal,” forcing businesses to rethink survival strategies for 2024 and beyond. Six main trends have emerged:
A noteworthy change is the evolution of the job landscape. Financial security, which once deterred employees from leaving their jobs, is no longer the sole factor. Jobs now offer employees opportunities for growth, continuous feedback, flexible working hours, remote or hybrid work options, and comprehensive benefits, enhancing their work-life balance. These trends underscore the imperative for businesses to shift towards employee-centricity to achieve strategic objectives and foster sustainable business practices with reduced turnover.
Employee performance management will witness further changes, particularly in performance review and goal-setting. The workplace will increasingly focus on personal and professional goals, transforming performance reviews from a process into project-based evaluations, enhancing the workspace and contributing to a more sustainable business.
To prepare you for the year ahead, The KPI Institute can equip you with the industry-leading tools and skills required to nurture employee performance. Sign up for the Certified Employee Performance Management Professional and Practitioner courses now and secure your slot here.
Government organizations are on an ongoing journey towards excellence, continually developing performance measurement methodologies and incorporating sustainability into their major operations. This commitment to systematic improvement includes investing in professional development and training and ensuring that resources are distributed strategically to promote advancements in the public sector. How can these be accomplished?
In an interview with Performance Magazine, Turki Mohammad Alderaan, Technical Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Trainer and Director of the Risk Department at Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia, shares his insights on how organizations can adapt to emerging trends, stay updated on the latest strategic planning practices and performance management frameworks, and prepare government talent and citizens for the future.
How important is strategy planning and performance management in your government agency, which is responsible for regulating and providing technical and vocational training in Saudi Arabia?
The TVTC supervises more than 283 organizations that belong to it and more than 1,100 training and development consulting private sector. To regulate this enormous number, we tend to involve the stakeholders’ leaders early to achieve their strategic goals. In 2021, the TVTC was ranked 9th according to knowledge indicators from The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation ( MBRF).
Could you provide us with an example of a successful initiative in your organization that has brought great value to the quality or efficiency of business planning and managing performance?
“Hidden Explorer” is a significant initiative that ensures organizations’ services meet regulations and are monitored for growth. A recent report measured 14 essential services offered by 60 institutions, showing an average improvement of 3.8 out of 5 compared to the previous year. This initiative enhances business planning efficiency and ensures continuous growth.
How does your organization adapt to trends and stay updated with the latest strategy planning practices and performance management frameworks?
Our organization uses statistics to measure performance, implement initiatives, and stay on track toward strategic and operational goals. It also uses dashboards to monitor tasks at all administrative levels, facilitating corrective measures and adaptations.
Trends
What are the key trends that have shaped the public sector in recent years?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) launched the National Transformation Program in 2016 to support government performance, digital transformation, private sector development, economic partnerships, community development, and resource sustainability. The program aims for a 92% transformation maturity rate by 2025.
What strategic approach would you advise governmental entities to take in order to counteract increased volatility and unpredictability?
Assuming that the future will be similar in terms of strategic planning is one of the most common mistakes, as technical management tools often require development. The optimal approach for the government sector is scenario planning, which focuses on identifying possibilities and their impact on operations, as well as potential scenarios that ensure goal achievement.
Per the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2023,” technology and digitalization are driving the decline of clerical and secretarial roles. What is the government’s role in developing future job skills for citizens?
The KSA’s Ministry of Human Resources adopted the National Transformation Program, sponsored by Vision 2030, to develop a human capacity development program which set 12 main goals and linked them to 24 indicators and 69 initiatives. The program aims for global competition by developing essential skills and knowledge for human resource development.
The public sector faces potential talent loss due to changing compensation and work setup preferences, as stated in a recent Forbes article. What can governments do to attract and retain talent?
Focusing on attracting talents rather than developing them from within can be a future problem. Therefore, some governments, such as Saudi Arabia and Singapore, have begun to provide training and development grants. Since the launch of the National Transformation Program, government agencies have secured 550,000 jobs between 2016 and 2020.
What role will governments play in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution?
Governments must adopt AI technologies for digital transformation and ambitious decisions. Saudi Arabia adopted the “Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence,” and the NEOM CEO confirmed its importance. Reliant on AI, NEOM’s “LINE” project—a city that runs on 100% renewable energy— is the future. Governments must be forward-looking and ambitious in their plans to pursue this revolution.
Strategy and Performance Practices
What would you advise multilateral institutions to reach effectiveness and alignment in strategy planning and implementation?
Strategic planning enhances coordination and cohesion within an organization, providing clarity on goals and objectives. It is complex in multilateral environments and requires pre-analysis and consultation with all parties. A strategic planning framework ensures standardization and diversification while shaping objectives and indicators using a logical framework for results-based management.
What are the key success factors for governments to build consistency in strategy and performance management?
A comprehensive vision ensures the integration of goals and interests across all sectors, limiting capabilities and linking plans to strategic plans. A results-based management approach helps all sectors achieve a common vision perfectly, leading to a cohesive and effective organization.
What are the most common pitfalls in strategy and performance management in governmental institutions? What can be learned from it?
The performance measurement management process fails due to the lack of correct and accurate selection of performance measures. Many leaders believe that performance measurement is a simple and clear process, and this is a false belief. It requires leaders to be aware of the consequences of the performance measures they choose. There is a “dark side” to all measures. One of the crucial challenges government institutions face involves activating an integrated performance measurement department that is supported by competencies and adopting best practices.
What are the five characteristics of a high-performance government?
The following characteristics should be systematic to ensure a high-performance government:
Digital transformation (e-government)
Activating the integrated system for job performance planning and management
Continuous development of performance measurement methodologies in government organizations
Considering institutional sustainability in all activities of the organization
Allocating the necessary resources for continuous professional development and training
What is the key performance management tool used in your organization that drives decision-making? (Is it the strategy plan, the strategy map, the balanced scorecard, or an executive dashboard?)
All of what has been mentioned must be relied upon, but each in its own phase. As for the dashboard, it is the one that supports the speed of the decision-making process, as notes appear quickly.
If you could convey the essence of government performance in three indicators, what would those be?
The percentage of digital transformation in the services provided
The effectiveness of the performance measurement methodology
The number of development and training hours is based on each employee’s systematic criteria
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Turki Mohammad Alderaan is an organizational development expert in multiple governmental sectors, a leadership and strategy professional, an executive performance mentor, and a performance design and measurement specialist. To learn more about his professional credentials and perspectives in the field, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Rayed Alhumaid is the current Head of the Strategy & Institutional Performance Program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance. He previously participated in the drafting and planning of the digital projects portfolio for the Ministry of Higher Education.
As a Strategic Planning and Performance Manager, Aubrey Phillips engages both people and data to optimize departmental efficiency. She has demonstrated leadership by spearheading interagency teams responsible for the development of Pinellas County’s COVID-19 dashboard and relief programs. Aubrey holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental studies from New College of Florida, along with an advanced Geographic Information Systems certificate.
Government organizations are on an ongoing journey towards excellence, continually developing performance measurement methodologies and incorporating sustainability into their major operations. This commitment to systematic improvement includes investing in professional development and training and ensuring that resources are distributed strategically to promote advancements in the public sector. How can these be accomplished?