Grow As We Grow (B): Performance Appraisal at Jocata

Grow As We Grow (B): Performance Appraisal at Jocata

Jocata Financial Advisory and Technology (Jocata) is a start-up which started its software development operations in India in 2011. Sundari Vedula (Sundari) the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Jocata was in her office on one of the Saturday morning in mid-March of 2015. Few of Jocata’s employees were also present in the office, despite being a weekend, discussing with their Team Leads and peers. This was the time for the annual performance review at Jocata, based on which their increments and promotions would be decided. Some of the employees were busy filling up their review forms and taking feedback from their Team Leads about their performance, skills and behavior. Sundari too was going through the completed performance review forms that she had received from some of her colleagues. She would then  repare a summary and along with the management team would rate each employee, based on which they would be appraised. However, since the first performance appraisal process, Sundari had faced and still continues to face few challenges with regards to the content of the review forms, the employees’ goal congruence with the company’s mission, employees’ hesitation to share feedback about peers and Team Leads and managing the growth of underperformers. While the management strived to improve its processes and find solutions to these challenges, some still stay unresolved.

Performance Review and Appraisal

Jocata conducts the performance appraisal of its employees every year. For the purpose, it has three types of reviews – the confirmation review, the midyear review and the annual review – to check the individual performance of the employees and conduct their performance appraisals or promotions. The confirmation review is done 6 months after the employee joins the organization................

Challenges and Jocata’s Response

When Jocata conducted the performance appraisal of its employees for the first time in 2012, it provided its employees with the performance review forms (Annexure I), which required the employees and their immediate supervisor/Team Lead to fill it. The form consisted of various questions related to each area of the employees’ job like technical skills, initiatives, communication skills, etc. The employee was required to rate his/her own performance in each of the areas on a scale of 1–3 (1 – Exceeded expectations, 2 – Met expectations and 3 – Needs improvement). The employee then would give the filled up form to the immediate Supervisor/Team Lead; and while discussing with the employee about his/her performance in each of the listed areas, the Team Lead would rate the employee..............

The Outcome

Performance appraisal is the tool to help the management in taking decision about the appraisal/ promotion of an employee, and also helps in setting out goals for the employees for the year to come. While Jocata tried to address the challenges in various terms within its performance appraisal processes, new challenges come with every passing day...........

Assignment Questions

I. What are the steps in appraising performance? What are the various methods of performance appraisal? What is the method used by Jocata for the performance appraisal of its employees?

II. What are the general standards and problems in the performance appraisal process? What were the problems faced by Jocata in its performance appraisal process?

III. ................

Exhibits

Exhibit I: Sample Summaries of the Employee Ratings From Annual Performance Review Form (2012)

Annexures

Annexure I: Annual Performance Review Form - 2012

Annexure II: Annual Performance Review Form (2015)

Grow As We Grow (B): Performance Appraisal at Jocata

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The caselets allow the participants to understand the nature of Jocata’s products and business, its hiring practices, the steps taken for the convergence of individual goals with that of the company’s mission and vision, and the improvement required in the performance appraisal process. At a broader level, the participants/ students would be sensitized to the nuances of the recruitment process, techniques used in planning, forecasting and sourcing of job candidates, managing their career path at the organization and their performance appraisal........................

Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding (PCU)/Before the Classroom Discussion

• Gary Dessler and Biju Varkkey, “Performance Management and Appraisal”, Human Resource Management, 12th Edition (Indian Adaptation), Pearson Education,  Inc., 2011 – To understand the need for identifying, measuring and aligning individual goals with organizational goals and understand the processes, standards, tools and problems of the performance appraisal of an employee and managing an employee’s performance to achieve organizational goals

Assignment Questions

• III. What are the steps in appraising performance? What are the various methods of performance appraisal? What is the method used by Jocata for the performance appraisal of its employees?
• IV. What are the general standards and problems in the performance appraisal process? What were the problems faced by Jocata in its performance appraisal process?
• V. Do you think, steps taken by the Jocata to solve its problems were effective? Could you suggest alternative solutions to the challenges that Jocata faced in its employee performance appraisal process?

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