Perception of Middle Managers on Performance Management System: A case of Ministry of Health In Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Performance management system (PMS) helps both the employees and the managers in planning, monitoring, implementing, and evaluating performance objectives. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has implemented a new Performance Management System replacing the manual annual performance assessment. This study intends to study the perception of middle level managers on the PMS. Impact of PMS in improving the effectiveness of the ministry in handling and improving the performance of all employees is also analyzed. The study adopted a mixed method approach where a self-administered questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative questions was employed to collect data from 34 middle managers of different departments of the ministry. The quantitative analysis was done using MS Excel to understand the perception of managers and effectiveness of the system. The qualitative questions were analyzed using content analysis to understand the reason behind the present perception of the middle managers. The findings reveal that the perception of middle manager is really low in almost all the aspects of the performance management process. It can be made more effective through planned training, regular counseling, and repeated analysis cycles. PMS needs to be adapted as per the organizational requirements of the Ministry and should be made more inclusive for all types and categories of the jobs. Top management should also extend more support to understand and implement the system effectively by understanding the strategic importance of PMS for the organization. It could be made a more powerful and competitive instrument for defining and achieving the renewed higher standard of performance for both the employees and employer.