Assessment of employee attitudes on the implementation of performance management strategy at a university of technology.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reforms in public higher education landscape globally, prompts changes in South African universities. This is evident in the transformation of universities of technology, as they moved from technikons to universities. Some challenges experienced by universities of technology may be attributed to the absence of a performance management strategy. Historically, the implementation of performance management in higher education comes with barriers and problems that affect its success. The research study was undertaken to assess the attitudes of DUT employees towards the implementation of a performance management strategy in a university of technology. The research study was exploratory involving mixed methods. A survey questionnaire containing a Likert scale section and few open-ended questions was designed. This was administered to the selected sample, which was drawn through stratified random sampling, making three strata groups: academics, administrative employees, and senior executive managers. Hundred questionnaires were distributed and only eighty-three questionnaires were received and processed. The survey results indicated that a significant large number of respondents (60,38 percent) believed that the performance management strategy was not designed and implemented effectively at OUT. A significant number of respondents (38,92) were negative about the current implementation of a performance management strategy at OUT. While 72,3 percent ofrespondents were willing to participate in performance management strategy at OUT. Employees felt that their individual goals and needs were not aligned (34,9 percent agree and 43,4 percent neutral). Performance reviews were believed to subjective (26,8 percent agree and 46,3 percent neutral), as well as the lack of resources (55,16 percent agree) resulted in employees attitudes being negative. A heterogeneous focus group interview was scheduled which involved eleven people. Themes that emerged were fear of victimisation, no training programmes available, compensation and rewards not aligned to performance, and lack of performance standards. The main recommendations are, the need for regular training and development programmes, active involvement of trade unions, need to improve communication strategies to enhance the flow of information between work-teams. The limitations for the research study included lack of resources, the time constraints that resulted in less sample size being selected to survey and interview OUT employees.