Assignment 2

Read the text below about performance management.
Choose the best sentence from the list to fill each of the
gaps and mark a letter A–H. Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning, (0).
The challenges of performance management
Companies always have them and employees always hate them. (0) E So what exactly is the problem with
performance management systems? Why are they so unpopular; and what can companies do to improve both
their efficiency and their image?
One fundamental reason why formal performance management systems are so disliked is that they are usually
bureaucratic and involve mountains of time-consuming paperwork.
(1) The other big problem for managers is reluctance to deliver negative feedback and fear of an employee’s
reaction to it. (2) When the appraisal review meeting is the occasion on which an employee learns for the first
time that his or her performance is regarded as unsatisfactory, conflicts inevitably result.
As far as employees are concerned, any process that involves, or could potentially involve criticism and
judgement is bound to be stressful. (3) When stakes are this high, it is imperative that the appraisal system is
perceived as fair and objective; however, this may be easier to achieve for some jobs than for others. In a
competitive area, such as sales, performance can be assessed on the basis of easily measurable criteria such as
number of new customers, quantity of sales, etc. However, if a job involves a large amount of teamwork or
collaborative processes, such as, for example, working in a research laboratory or a publishing house,
measuring individual performance can be a more complex issue. (4)
Most performance management systems share two common characteristics. (5) If the objective of performance
assessment is understood to be improving or enhancing performance, and therefore linked with training and
personal development, the whole process becomes much more motivating for employees. (6) The second
characteristic of successful performance management is that it is ongoing. The annual or biannual review
should only be a small part of a continuous process, the giving and receiving of feedback, during which
discussion of strengths and weaknesses arises naturally and is dealt with. For the employee, the appraisal
meeting, when it comes, should feel like quality time with their manager in which to discuss their future
development and aspirations as well as their past performance.
Within the time-poor, heavily task-orientated culture of most modern companies, managers may find it difficult
to invest time in this sort of people-centred activity. (7) However, if ongoing feedback, both positive and
constructively critical can become part of company culture, the benefits for the organization are considerable.
Personnel at all levels of the company not only stop feeling threatened by feedback, but are actually more likely
to act upon it. When this starts to happen, you know your performance management system is a healthy one.
A In such environments, to encourage a culture of cutthroat competitiveness among employees could be

counterproductive.
B They should feel that it is all about ‘How are you doing?’ rather than ‘What are you doing wrong?’.
C People management often competes unsuccessfully with what seem at the time to be more pressing matters –
often large quantities of paperwork.
D The first of these is that there should be a common understanding in a company that the objective of the
system is improvement and not blame.
E Human Resource departments devote huge amounts of resources to developing them; managers secretly
consider them ineffective and a waste of their time.
F The annual or biannual performance appraisal meetings can be particularly tough for middle managers who often
have to juggle all the tasks involved in appraising an entire department with their usual work duties and
responsibilities.
G There are extreme cases: in some companies in the US, for example, employees whose performance rating
falls in the bottom 10% risk are routinely dismissed.
H This is made worse if the manager has not been willing or able to deal with problems as they arise.
Read the text below about good leadership. In most of the lines there is one extra word that is either
grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. If a line
is correct, write CORRECT in the space provided below. If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word
in CAPITAL LETTERS in the answer space.
There are two examples, (0) and (00), at the beginning. (0): OF, (00): CORRECT
The qualities of leadership
0 Leadership is a hot topic in the business world. Hundreds of and thousands of books
00 have been written on the subject, there exist numerous leadership courses and
1 training programmes of all descriptions and in every business journal and magazine
2 regularly publishes new articles about it, yet we never seem to get tire of the subject.
3 Why is this it? What is leadership and why is it so important to us?
4 Good leaders are of essential to businesses because they are able to unlock potential in
5 individuals and in groups and organizations. Contrary to popular belief, a good
6 leadership is not necessarily about telling to people what to do, but about inspiring
7 them to see what they are capable of. Other characteristics that most good leaders share
8 are the openness to change and being prepared to listen. One of the most dangerous
9 misconceptions about leadership is the belief that an effective leader is one who is
10 always knows best. On the contrary, the best leaders are usually highly self-aware
11 people who highly know their own strengths and weaknesses. Whilst there is no shortage
12 of ambitious people in the business world, it does seems that there is a lack of gifted
13 leaders. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the particular skills and qualities that define up
a good leader are not only found as innate ‘gifts’, but may also be learned and acquired.

Assignment 2

Uploaded by

Assignment 2

Uploaded by

Read the text below about performance management.

A In such environments, to encourage a culture of cutthroat competitiveness among employees could be

You might also like