This lecture on PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT became extremely necessary and timely largely because in recent years, there have been widespread concern about the lackadaisical and non-committal approach and attitude of most people within the Nigerian working class in their work places. This impression is particularly true to the extent that some employers and captains of industries in the Public and Private sectors, most of the time, clearly exhibit unabridged bias in their choice to employ foreign trained employees with better remuneration.

This has painfully put into question the performance credentials and potentials of our Nigerian workforce; which in all sincerity makes this paper presentation on Performance Management very unique and timely.

The rich contents of the lecture unearthed the fact that the contemporary perspectives through which Performance Management could be conceivably viewed  and analysed are significantly varied.

But generally speaking, Performance Management depicts a set of measures adopted to ensure optimal utilisation of resources to guarantee efficiency and effectiveness, as well as, attainment of an individual or corporate goals and objectives.

It is also a continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing performance ideals in organisations by linking each individual’s performance and objectives to the Organisation’s overall mission and goals.

Therefore, Performance Management could be utilised to focus on the performance of an organisation, a department, an employee or on the systemic and strategic processes in place to mainstream and manage particular tasks most effectively and profitably.

The paper further noted that Performance Management facilitates the implementation of strategies by indicating what methodologies determine appropriate means of measuring, setting targets, and linking the measures with organisational performance. It further identified some major justifiable factors which earnestly necessitates the adoption of proactive performance management techniques in the public and private sectors; which include the following:

First, to improve organisational performance and effectiveness.

Second, to improve on all operational processes within the organisation.

Third, to improve employee’s performance and by proxy, the organisational productivity ratio.

Fourth, to enhance team spirit and collective performance.

Fifth, to ease the implementation of change in the organisational culture and methods.

Sixth, to improve customer satisfaction and to remarkably expand the marketing potential of the organisation’s products.

Seventh, to improve the quality of supervision of all segments of the company’s products and operational processes.

While reeling out numerous recommendations for the way forward, which cannot all be mentioned here, Dr. Brasca Ifeadi the Chairman BOT and Director / International Coordinator of CRAMAI, noted that the overarching aims and objectives of Performance Management are to achieve organisational goals and targets by positively stimulating general employee performance.