UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF SCHOOLS

IN LILONGWE CITY.

BY

ALEXANDER KAZOMBO MWALE

STUDENT (1309114)

A RESEARCH STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF A CREDIBLE MASTERS DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FROM

THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON

ABSTRACT

The introduction of performance appraisals through the performance management policy in Malawi has not been as effective as intended. There were suggestions that the policy was not welcomed thus has minimal impact on the teaching service in secondary schools in Malawi. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers in order to understand the implementation of the policy and how to improve it.

The main findings were that the policy had major problems that include: the lack of ownership of the policy by teachers; poor use of the information tool; inability to utilise rewards; and poor leadership. The study observed that cultural considerations and links to reward would improve the appraisal process.

In conclusion, the policy makers need to ensure consultations of stakeholders are fully utilized and results made publicly available; fully engage in sensitization campaigns; and monitor the policies implementation.

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DECLARATION

I certify that this work has neither been accepted in substance for any other Masters degree nor is it concurrently submitted in candidature for any other degree other than Masters in Public Administration at the University of Bolton

Candidate’s signature__________________________________

Candidate’s Name: Alexander Kazombo Mwale

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

The concept, research organization and writing of this study entirely belong to the candidate Alexander Kazombo Mwale. The study has been conducted at the University of Bolton under the supervision of Dr Rebecca Ward and Dr Ida Mbendera. All quotations are distinguished and identified by reference.

Candidate ’s Signature_________________________________________

Supervisors Signature__________________________________________

Supervisors Signature _________________________________________

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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to my loving wife Seba and my beautiful daughter Amelia

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would not have pursued this Masters degree if it weren’t for my loving mother, Nellia. Your love is unparalleled and I appreciate the nudges I receive from you that direct me to the right directions in life.

To my father I thank you for the guidance and support.

Special thank you to my two supervisors Dr Ida Mbendera and Dr Rebecca Ward

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

DPSM : Department of Public Service and Management

DEM: District Education Manager

DEO: District Education Officer

FPE: Free Primary Education

HOD: Head of Department

MoEST: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

NESP: National Education Sector Plan

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Abstract.................................................................................................................................i

Declaration............................................................................................................................ii

Statement of Originality.......................................................................................................iii

Dedication..............................................................................................................................iv

Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................v

List of Abbreviations............................................................................................................vi

1.1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1.2.0 Background Information….......................................................................................1

1.3.0 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………2

1.4.0 Objectives...………………………………………………………………………...2

1.5.0 Questions.…………………………………………………………………………..2

1.6.0 Proposition......................…………………………………………………………...3

1.7.0 Significance of the study...........................................................................................3

1.8.0 Education in Malawi: Brief Profile............................................................................3

1.8.1 Government Education Agencies...............................................................................3

2.0.0 Literature Review…….................................................................................................5

2.1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................5

2.1.1 Sources of Literature...................................................................................................5

2.2.0 Definition of Key Concepts........................................................................................5

2.3.0 A Background for Performance Appraisals.................................................................6

2.3.1 Earlier Attempts at Performance Management in the Malawian Public Sector..........8

2.4.0 Questions.....................................................................................................................9

2.5.0 Criticism of Performance Appraisals..........................................................................10

2.6.0 Performance Appraisals and Rewards........................................................................13

2.7.0 Performance Appraisal Methods................................................................................14

2.8.0 Common Errors in Performance Appraisals...............................................................16

2.9.0 Conclusions.................................................................................................................16

2.10.0 Theoretical Framework.............................................................................................17

3.0.0 Project Plan and Methodology……………………………………………………....18

3.1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................18

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3.2.0 Research Design……………………………….........................................................18

3.3.0 Research Philosophy..................................................................................................18

3.4.0 Data Collection..........................................................................................................20

3.5.0 Study Site…….....………………………………………………………………….20

3.6.0 The Sample and Sampling Technique.......................................................................20

3.7.0 Data Analysis Methods.............................................................................................20

3.8.0 Resources………………….......................................................................................21

3.9.0 Constraints…………………………………….........................................................21

4.0.0 Data Presentation.........................................................................................................22

4.1.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................22

4.2.0 Profile of Interviewed Respondents..........................................................................22

4.3.0 Research Findings......................................................................................................22

4.3.1 Awareness of the Policy.....................................................................................22

4.3.2 Implementation of the Policy.............................................................................23

4.3.3 Reactions to the Performance Appraisal............................................................24

4.3.4 Cultural complexities and the Performance Appraisal......................................25

4.3.5 Performance Appraisals and Rewards..............................................................27

4.3.6 Factors for Poor Implementation......................................................................28

4.3.7 Solutions to the Problems Mentioned..............................................................28

4.4.0 Summary...................................................................................................................30

5.0.0 Data Analysis................................................................................................................31

5.1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................31

5.2.0 Understanding of the Performance Appraisals.........................................................31

5.3.0 The Cultural Complexities of Performance Appraisals............................................32

5.4.0 The Link between Performance Appraisals and Rewards........................................33

5.5.0 Monitoring (Follow ups)...........................................................................................34

5.6.0 The Role of Leadership and Management................................................................34

5.7.0 Summary...................................................................................................................35

6.0.0 Conclusion....................................................................................................................36

6.1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................36

6.2.0 Summary of Keys Findings......................................................................................36

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6.3.0 Recommendations....................................................................................................37

6.4.0 Areas of Further Study.............................................................................................37

7.0.0 References................................................................................................................................39

Appendix 1: Guiding questions used for data collection (Semi Structure Interviews).................46

Appendix 2: Introductory Letter........................................................................................................48

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.0 Introduction

This chapter provides the background and rationale for conducting the study. It describes the performance appraisals and the reasons they are conducted by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoEST) in Malawi among Secondary schools. This chapter provides: detailed background information; problem statement; the objectives; research questions; and the significance of the study.

1.2.0 Background Information

As part of the National Education Sector Implementation Plan (2009) the Malawi government, through the MoEST, committed to reform inspection of educational systems in order to improve performance and service delivery. The Malawi education performance assessment framework (2013) discovered satisfactory performance in this reform with 120 secondary schools and 58 private institutions monitored between October and December 2010.

However the same framework argues that although there was a large increase in the inspection of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, no inspection reports were published or released and there is no evidence of inspection having an impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) was already aware of the inefficiencies of the inspection system and suggested it start considering performance appraisals to be done by head teachers, heads of departments as well as inspectors in order to assess teachers for promotions (Kadzamira, 2006). The performance appraisals were eventually part of the National Education Sector Plan (NESP) (2009) as introduced by the government through the Department of Public Service Management (DPSM) (2008).

However, the findings in the Malawi Governments Public Service Reform Commission report (2014) portray a negative picture of the state of affairs in terms of performance management. The commission, headed by the Vice President Saulos Chilima, has discovered that there is a laxity in delivery of public services due to the lack of a robust, result oriented performance system linked to individual work plans that are related to organisational performance targets that are derived from the national development plan. As a civil servant working for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in one the public schools, the researcher has the privilege of observing some of the difficulties in implementing the performance management system introduced by the DPSM (2008). At Bwaila Secondary school where the researcher is posted, it is a requirement for teachers to develop their own work plans through schemes and lesson plans and sign a performance appraisal agreement form. At the end of every academic

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year, performance assessment exercises are supposed to take place. In those periodic meetings, a supervisor and subordinate are meant to discuss progress on what was agreed upon in the performance agreement and the targets achieved. The exercise at Bwaila Secondary School has only begun but implementation has ended at signing appraisal forms. The lack of implementation is therefore a worrying problem that is worth investigating.

1.3.0 Problem Statement

Lawler et al (2012) states that, in most jobs the only way to determine how well somebody is performing is to use a performance appraisal system that measures the performance of individuals. However, according to Pulakos (2004:1), performance management systems are not viewed as the key in achieving individual and institutional goals by both employees and employers. Instead, they are seen as a necessary evil that should be minimised. This shows a lack of consensus among literature which makes this an interesting and important study.

The current performance appraisals are meant to foster career development, improve quality of teaching and learning and motivate employees. However, Matsuda (2004:1) observed that in Malawi’s education sector, career paths for teachers are not firmly established which makes teachers feel disillusioned and thus not consider performance appraisals important. Lawler (2003) in Lawler et al (2012) argued that tying rewards to appraisal systems was likely to lead to a more successful performance management system. However, as there aren’t any clear rewards that can motivate teachers (Marphatia et al, 2010), this reflects a poor implementation of performance appraisal systems.

There is an apparent need to investigate the current performance appraisal systems available in public schools and assess whether they yield the desired results and if not find out why such is the case.

1.4.0 Objectives

The rationale of this study is to improve the performance appraisal system used in the education sector.

1. To assess the policy users understanding of the performance appraisal system 2. To investigate the perceptions of employees towards the appraisal system 3. To understand the link between performance appraisals and rewards4. To assess the difference in policy implementation among public schools

1.5.0 Questions

Arising from the above objectives, this research study aims to answer the following questions:

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1. What is the teachers understanding of the performance appraisal system that is used in secondary schools?

2. What is the perception of employees towards the appraisal system?3. What is the link between performance appraisals and rewards?4. How do public schools differ in their implementation of the appraisal system?5. How does the difference in implementation impact the performance management

policy?

1.6.0 Proposition

The introduction of performance appraisals through the performance management policy was meant to facilitate an improved and efficient civil service that includes the MoEST (DPSM, 2008). The framers of the policy and indeed the framers of the National Education Sector Plan (2009) believed that their recommendations would be followed as planned. This may not be the case because implementation of performance management reforms has always had difficulties in African countries such as Malawi due to the incompatibility of reforms to: the cultural perceptions of employees; rewards; and the systems of the African public service. The lack of cultural considerations and links to reward in reforms are one of the main factors that have brought about a lack of motivation and negative attitudes towards performance management reforms (Tambulasi, 2010).

1.7.0 Significance of the study

This study will assist policy makers and management at ministerial, divisional and institutional level of the actual effects the appraisal system has on employee performance and the quality of education delivered. It will also help these stakeholders to identify whether this system needs to be maintained, strengthened or removed.

The study therefore has significant policy implications for the ministry of education and the government of Malawi.

1.8.0 Education in Malawi: Brief Profile

The country was established in 1891 as the British protectorate of Nyasaland. It became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964 under the leadership Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda who ruled for three decades under a one party rule system. Before Independence, in 1962, an Education Act was passed to provide for education for persons within Malawi. This act remained in use for over 50 years until government proposed a new Education Bill in 2010 (Malawi Law Commission, 2010). The required change, through the Education Bill, arose from the view that the Education Act had lost its relevance to current social needs and dynamics that include the job market.

In 1994 the country held its first democratic elections and saw the rise in human rights awareness (The World Factbook, 2013). This included the right of education for all and this culminated into the free primary education (FPE) policy that was enacted to support the constitutions directive that all persons need to have at least 5 years of education

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(N’gambi, 2010). The FPE and other educational reforms made in 1994 have only recently been provided a regulatory framework with the recently passed Educational Bill of 2013. The Education Bill also aims to ensure better quality service in education through inspections and formalised decentralisation of school management and this has led to a focus on teacher performance (Malawi Law Commission, 2010).

1.8.1 Government Education Agencies

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) is responsible for primary and secondary education along with teacher training. MoEST also coordinates with the Ministry of Labour for technical and vocational training and the Ministry of Gender for pre-school education. This coordination is currently weak and this affects delivery of educational services (Ngambi, 2010).

The MoEST has currently embarked on a decentralisation process in order to share management, planning, coordination and financing services with the regions (also known as divisions) and districts (Malawi Decentralisation Policy, 1996). The divisions and districts, within the decentralisation process, are run by division education managers (DEM) and district education officers (DEO) whose responsibilities relate to running secondary schools and primary schools, respectively. The responsibilities include all human resource matters as well as supplies of teaching and learning materials (Ngambi, 2010).

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.0 Introduction

This chapter will review literature on performance appraisals as a tool for assessing performance as well as reviewing how it has been used in the Malawian public service. Apart from providing a background to the introduction of performance appraisals, the chapter will review some of the criticisms that have been levelled against performance appraisals and relate them to the questions that this research study is aiming to answer.

2.1.1 Sources of Literature

The review has utilised literature from a variety of sources. These sources include books, online articles, academic journals, policy documents, conference reports and working papers. Literature on the use of performance appraisals in Malawi has been difficult to acquire due the fact that it is a relatively new concept.

2.2.0 Definition of Key Concepts

2.2.1 Performance Appraisal

Dessler in (2008) in Toppo and Prusty (2012) defines performance appraisal as a tool that is used to evaluate an employee’s performance in relation to performance standards.

The performance appraisal system can also be defined as an evaluation of individuals in relativity to their performance and potential to develop (Dale,1980). This includes personal development as an important aspect of performance appraisals.

2.2.2 Performance Management

This is a term that has also been used in the study. It refers to the whole process of identifying, measuring, managing, and developing the performance of human resources in an organization (Lussier and Hendon, 2013: 285). Although the main focus of the study is the performance appraisal tool, which is part of performance management, the study will also touch on other parts of the performance management process such as the managing of this performance through the use of rewards.

2.2.3 Public Policy

Cochran et al (2009: 2) define public policy as an intentional course of action followed by a government institution or official for resolving an issue of public concern. This

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definition emanates from the idea that policy requires choosing among goals and alternatives meaning the existence of intention.

Cochran et al (2009: 2) continue to state that policy requires three principles to meet the definition of public policy. These include:

Intentional course of action includes decisions made not to take certain actions. Official actions should be sanctioned by law or accepted custom Laws and official customs are not enough, implementation, interpretation,

enforcement, and impact of laws and regulations are also part of policy

The final principle is one of the most overlooked areas of policy that this study is aiming to investigate.

2.2.4 Governance

Governance refers to the formal and informal arrangements that determine how public decisions are made and how they are carried out (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2005). These arrangements may be negative or positive for the public. This study is focusing on the positive arrangements that entail what is termed as good governance.

Bovaird and Loffler (2009: 165) have identified stakeholder engagement, transparency, accountability, responsiveness to people’s needs and effectiveness as some of the main aspects of good governance. Performance appraisals have the potential to foster transparency, accountability and effectiveness because they ensure a person’s performance is viewable, can be accounted for and is evaluated for effectiveness.

2.3.0 A Background of Performance Appraisals

In order to conduct a meaningful study of performance appraisals, it is important to understand the background of this important control measure for performance. This tool has its origins in the introduction of public management and eventually public governance as an alternative to public administration (Bovaird and Loffer, 2009). Public administration, referred to the mid-twentieth century work of civil servants and other public officials that was characterised by bureaucracy and a lack of enterprise while New Public Management (NPM) is oriented towards results, outputs and outcomes, management by objectives and performance management among many other things (Bovaird and Loffler, 2009 and Katsamunska, 2012). Public governance, on the other hand, follows the ideals of new public management but with a strong focus on how different organisations interact in order to achieve optimal desired results (Bovaird and Loffler, 2009).

Although the use of performance measurements is actively emphasised in the NPM, its use predates this new form of management. The use of performance measurements was mentioned as early as 1949, when the first Hoover commission in the United States aimed to shift from the regular attention on inputs in budgets to the focus on functions,

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activity cost and accomplishments (Bovaird and Loffler, 2009: 128). Mosher (1968: 79–80 in Bovaird and Loffler, 2009) observed that the focus on performance in this period was for political purposes. The fiscal deficits that many countries across the world and especially in Europe experienced lead to a new emphasis on performance management so as to manage resources and ensure efficiency (Katsamunska, 2012). From the late 90’s onwards there has been a new purpose in performance management and that is: effectiveness and quality. This is due to, what Bovaird and Loffler (2009) describe as, a realization that government performance is a key component to the competitiveness of national economies.

Performance measurement and management has therefore been present for a long period of time and has gone through a lot of changes in terms of it focus depending on the definition of government performance at that time. Currently, as Bovaird and Loffler (2009:128) mention, governance is now seen as one of the key factors of government performance. This highlights the need to use tools such as performance appraisals effectively in order to ensure good governance.

The purposes of performance appraisals have certainly evolved and they have been identified by Lussier and Hendon (2013) as:

Communication. This refers to the opportunity for formal communication between management and its employees. Lussier and Hendon (2013) particularly state that this communication should be two-way with management and its employees agreeing on what and when performance is required and how the employee’s performance measures up. This ensures the good governance principle of participation where employees are also part of their own performance management.

Decision making. Scullen (2011) explains that the performance appraisal provides important documentation that can be used in all manner of decisions in an organisation. Performance appraisals allow managers to make decisions about their employees such as pay rises, promotions, demotions, termination and training. Employers are meant to make a decision based on information sourced from communications with employees. This is especially important because management can always refer to written evidence as opposed to individual memory to base their decisions on. Despite accurate information being a vital factor for increasing organisational productivity, information from performance appraisals may not include all the information required to make an evidence based decision (Bovaird and Loffler, 2009:).

Motivation. Lussier and Hendon (2013) define motivation as the willingness by the individual to achieve organisational objectives. The performance appraisal allows management to create this willingness to achieve organisational objectives by developing individuals and providing awards. The Malawi government in 2013 was forced to promote over five thousand teachers

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(Nyasatimes, 2013) perhaps as a result of government’s relaxation on providing promotions or any other form of reward to teachers.

The performance appraisal can therefore be seen as an instrument for control. Control, in governance, refers to the mechanisms and instruments that are used by the government to influence decisions and the behaviour of its agents in order to achieve government objectives (Lᴂgreid and Vorhoest, 2010:4). Control can either be ex-ante or ex-post, with ex-ante control referring to controls before action is performed and ex-post control referring to controls that are performed after the actions have occurred (OECD, 2005). The performance appraisal system is a predominantly an ex-post control measure used to assess individuals on their performance in relation to the organisations goals. However, it has elements of ex-ante control because objectives, standards and goals to be met are decided upon before the work has begun.

2.3.1 Earlier Attempts at Performance Management in the Malawian Public Sector

The introduction of democracy in 1994 brought about civil service reforms in Malawi aimed at improving efficiency in Malawi. This was due to a number of varying reasons that included globalisation; a new political system; and inefficiencies in the administrative system (Tambulasi and Kayuni, 2013).

Firstly, there were major changes across the globe that focused on implementing market principles in the running of the public sector. The world Bank, the IMF and other donor institutions funded a number of feasibility studies for civil service reform programmes in Malawi to make it more efficient and effective (Tambulasi and Kayuni, 2013). The market forces included performance management.

Secondly, the dictatorial political system of the Dr Banda regime, that was present before 1994, was considered to be irrelevant for the civil service in the democratic era. There was a view that the Banda civil service structures and motivational instruments were used as tools to advance tyranny. Therefore, new reforms were needed and they included public sector management and decentralisation (Tambulasi and Kayuni, 2013).

Finally, the need for reforms was required because of the inefficiencies in the administrative system that were discovered by the World Bank study of Public sector Management Review (2001) in Tambulasi and Kayuni (2013). Adamolekun, et al., (1997) reports that the study revealed that key to the inefficiencies was: poor definitions of responsibilities; failure to undertake program evaluation; and poorly targeted training. Apart from this poor incentives were reported to be another major cause for an inefficient civil service as reported by Cross and Katengule (2001) in Tambulasi and Kayuni, (2013). These failures lead to the introduction of performance management measures (Tambulasi and Kayuni, 2013).

The major performance management measure for individual performance, which was eventually introduced in the year 2000, was performance based contracts. This was highlighted in the governments performance based system of management handbook. The option for three year performance based contracts was given to senior civil

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servants, with employment being conditional to performance and pay levels being about 500% above current ones (Tambulasi and Kayuni, 2013). Tambulasi and Kayuni (2013) state that, at its inception the performance based contracts were preferred by those nearing retirement only but that has changed with more employees choosing this scheme and government making it compulsory for senior public managers. Apart from this, the authors state that the performance agreements and expectations are made with public managers based on criteria and instruments for an objective assessment of those on a performance contract. Tambulasi and Kayuni (2013) conclude that politicians assess these public managers on the basis of their agreed standards and this has increased efficiency in the public service to some degree.

However, this type of performance management is clearly made for the senior public officers only and ignores the rest of the working staff. The secondary school, the teacher and school management are left with no performance management system. This is why government, through the Department of Public Service Management reform of 2008, has instituted a performance management system that encompasses all levels of the public sector and all public officers.

2.4.0 Questions

In terms of the introduction of performance management reforms in Malawi, the reforms arrive to an African context with a background of policies that lack finesse in their implementation due to a failure in understanding the complex nature of implementing public reforms as observed by Olaopa (2010). The observation is that there is a profound problem that needs to be tackled in terms of African culture and public service history affecting the culture of execution in the public service. This has made the introduction of performance appraisals in the education sector even more important as it provides an opportunity to assess whether the policies have had an effect on the execution culture. Olaopa (2010) refers to the question of whether the understanding and support for reform that is in the political arena has been adopted by the public arena.

The National Education Sector Plan (NESP) (2009), a politically supported reform, outlined a prospective plan to utilise performance appraisals. This author has now identified a few areas and questions that may help evaluate the effectiveness of the appraisal system:

A. What is the understanding of the performance appraisal system? This will help in the understanding of the availability of important characteristics that appraisal systems are supposed to have and whether employees and managers are aware of them. These include: alignment with organisational strategies; criteria being SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound); credibility/acceptability; practical usability; two way feedback; and implementation (Cascio, 2009).

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B. What is the link between the performance appraisal and reward? This highlights the role reward plays in appraisal systems and whether this role is effective or not. Reward is one of the major players in the relationship between employees, management and the organisation because it is likely to influence these groups’ relationships and their results (Perkins and White, 2011)

C. What are the employee’s attitudes towards change? Change has a high likelihood of failure because of employee resistance therefore building and targeting the employee’s beliefs and attitudes can aid change (Armenakis, Harris, & Mossholder, 1993; Eby, Adams, Russell, & Gaby, 2000 in Jones et al, 2008). The question of employee perceptions will therefore help in the understanding of whether those perceptions are understood and managed by management as well as the impact they have on the success of performance appraisals.

D. What is the impact of the appraisal system on employee motivation? There is a link between organisational performance and employee motivation (MUOGBO, 2013), therefore finding out the effect of appraisal systems on motivation is very important.

E. What can one do in order to improve performance appraisal systems? Walters (2001) highlights the idea that there isn’t a perfect formula for a successful appraisal system. This means that there is always room for improvement dependent of the organisational context. It is important to identify what measures can be taken to improve appraisal systems.

2.5.0 Criticism of performance appraisals

There has been a continued growth of criticism towards the use of appraisal systems (Lawler et al, 2012; Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). These criticisms are on a global perspective. Therefore, this section will also attempt to link the criticisms with the local situation in Malawi. Below are some of the major criticisms levelled against the performance appraisal system.

2.5.1 One-sided analysis

Culbert (2010) is one of the major critics of performance appraisals as he argues that they are a one way process where the manager analyses what the subordinate is doing wrong. On the other hand, Daley (1992) pointed out that although performance appraisals are bound to involve conflict because individuals and organisations desire different and discordant results, they do not have to be. This is because performance appraisals are supposed to be participatory whereby employees and employers set the rules and objectives to be measured. Folger (1987) in Roberts (2003) also argues that with the participation of employees, they are empowered to rebut ratings, documentations and verbal feedback that they are in disagreement with. The argument by Culbert (2010) and many critics of the appraisal system seems to stem from a descriptive view of what actually happens when appraisals are in practice. On the other

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hand, the argument by Daley (1992) and Roberts (2003) seems to stem from a prescriptive view of the appraisal system. The performance appraisal system in Malawi’s public service also prescriptively requires that employees set their own rules and objectives to be measured and empower employees to disagree with some ratings (Jimu, 2013).

2.5.2 Narrow focus of objectives

Nickols (1997) also argues that performance appraisals actually erode performance because employees focus on only the objectives that they have identified will provide them with a good appraisal report. Lawler et al (2012) noted that performance appraisals that resulted in rewards or punishment for employees were very successful in achieving the objectives measured. The argument by Nickols (1997) is that this can be detrimental to other areas of good performance that become overlooked. A focus on certain objectives may also lead to a generalisation of an individual’s performance as being positive or negative. Employees are also likely to be de-motivated due to negative appraisal reports. Therefore, the main goal of motivating performance may not suffice (Nickols, 2010; Scullen, 2011). The fact that the public service, including the education sector, has allowed employees to set their own targets means that there is likely going to be negative impacts towards other areas of performance.

2.5.3 Cultural complexities

Appraisal systems are also seen to have no evidential effectiveness because of operational complexities arising especially in a cross cultural context (Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). The social processes and power systems together with broader organisational and country-cultural contexts that organisations operate in are very important for the success of any system (Clark, 1998 in Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). Standard performance management practise is therefore difficult to ascertain. This can be viewed in goal setting where, for example, Europeans are likely to focus on results in their appraisals while the Chinese also focus on moral and ideological behaviour in their evaluation (Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). Table 1 illustrates the differences in cultural contexts and highlights the importance of assessing the effectiveness of appraisals in their concerned cultural contexts. Criticism of appraisals as being a top down approach is evident in high power distance cultures but not so evident in low power and collectivist cultures. Most appraisal systems used in Africa and indeed the whole world are based on business prescriptions that do not consider the diversity in organisations rather they are based on single cultures such as the United Kingdom, United States or China (Scott and Einstein, 2001). Malawi is more or less a collectivist culture while the performance appraisal is individualistic because it assesses an individual’s performance and not the groups. This may be another major barrier towards the performance appraisals ability to succeed. The solution, therefore, potentially lies in the change of public culture (Olaopa, 2010) or a change modification of the performance appraisal to suit the culture.

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Table 1: The effect of individualism/collectivism and power distance on the performance appraisal process

Performance appraisal process

Cultural dimensions

Who How Content Purpose

Low power distance

Multi-source (e.g peer, subordinate)

Participatory two-way communication Employee-initiated Appeals process

Unspecified Unspecified

High power distance

Supervisor(someone with relatively more power)

Directive Supervisor-initiated No appeals process

Unspecified Unspecified

Collectivist Supervisor Third party

Subtle/indirect Group level More positive tone Relationship-focused (criteria include loyalty, seniority, cooperativeness)

Developmental (increase loyalty)

Individualist Unspecified Direct/open Individual level Job-focused

Administrative (make personnel decisions)

Note: Cells labelled Unspecified indicate that there is little empirical evidence of how the dimension would influence the performance appraisal process. Reprinted from Fletcher and Perry (2001) in Atkinson and Shaw (2006:178)

2.5.3.1 Cultural complexities and the Importance of Performance Appraisals

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On the offset of continued criticism it is unsurprisingly important to ascertain why performance appraisals are still very much important. This can be done by observing the reasons why the Performance Appraisal system is used. As already stated in part 2.3.0, the system is mainly used for the following main purposes: to support management in completing such duties like decision-making about promotions, training needs and salaries; to motivate; and to provide feedback to employees on their efforts.

In order for appraisals to become meaningful, feedback is vital to the process (Pulakos, 2004; Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). This would include feedback on the developmental needs and recognition of achievements. Feedback suggests a two way conversation where the employer is communicating with the employee and this may not be ideal or possible in high power cultures which are reluctant to interact with subordinates (Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). One of the main reasons for the performance appraisal, feedback, is clearly dependent on the cultural context. In a collectivist culture or any culture that encourages participation, feedback can lead to development because interaction through participation can lead to a fair and ethical evaluation (Roberts, 2003). This clearly illustrates that the Malawian culture has the capability to fully utilise performance appraisals. However, apart from being collectivist, the culture is also high power distanced (The Hofstede Centre, 2014) meaning that participation may not have value on important decisions. The decisions may instead be made by those in management despite the views of the employees.

2.6.0 Performance Appraisals and Rewards

Reward may be described as all types of returns to the employee whether financial or non-financial (Milkovich and Newman, 2004: 3 in Perkins and White, 2011). There are two forms of reward, namely extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are related to merit and pay, based on performance, while intrinsic rewards are related to recognition, development and quality of working life (Atkinson and Shaw, 2006). Extrinsic rewards are basically financial rewards while intrinsic rewards are non-financial (Perkins and White, 2011).

According to Ledford et al (2013), several scholars have argued that extrinsic rewards have a detrimental effect on intrinsic motivation which renders them counterproductive. However, Ledford et al (2013) argue that this is not the case as these two types of reward are different and unrelated. Instead of focusing on one form of reward organisations are encouraged to focus on total rewards. Total reward covers everything an employee values in their employment from benefits and compensation to development and a working environment (Kaplan, 2007). Ledford et al (2013) claims that the use of rewards is guaranteed to increase motivation and performance especially if both types of rewards are used. Appraisal systems are useful tools for identifying performing individuals that should be rewarded.

In a show of interdependence, performance appraisals are said to have worked in cases where they have been linked to a reward (Lawler et al, 2012) and when there has been a level of contribution from both managers and employees about how the appraisal is

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designed (Cintron and Flaniken, 2011). Lower power distance cultures are more likely to benefit from this as they may involve employees in the identification of criterion to be used in rewards. Malawi, though a collectivist culture, is highly hierarchical thus has a high power distance (Hofstede centre, 2014). This means that the rewards set by management may not be as highly valued by the employees.

It is also important to note that rewards may lead to the de-motivation and eventual reduction of productivity in an employee due to how they feel about the fairness of the rewards (Simons and Roberson, 2003).This will happen if an employee feels that they are unfairly not rewarded when they feel that they produce the same effort as those employees that are rewarded.

Other negative results are increased competition and lack of teamwork (Beersma et al 2003). This is because increased competition leads to a focus on individual goals above those of the organisation which has led to the contemporary idea of cooperative reward structures rather than individualistic reward structures (Beersma et al, 2003).

2.6.1 Improving reward systems

Apart from moving towards cooperative reward structures, the appraisal system can be improved by: reviewing the system to ensure there is a link between the system to benefits such as promotions and bonus’s; improving communication between team leaders and members; and monitoring of procedures and processes in order to ensure they are followed (Horsoo, 2009; Simmons and Iless, 2001).

2.7.0 Performance Appraisal Methods

Aggarwal and Thakur (2013) identified two types of measures in performance appraisals and they are: objective measures and subjective measures. The objective measures are directly quantifiable while the subjective measures are not directly quantifiable. The improvement of performance appraisals in Malawian secondary schools will also depend on the type of measures that are used. Decenzo and Robbins (1998) in Jafari et al (2009) further classified the appraisal methods into three approaches of measurement: absolute standards; relative standards; and objectives.

2.7.1 Absolute standards

Absolute standard refers to the use of a certain standard that employees can be compared to (Dessler (2000) in Jafari et al, 2009). This group contains methods such as the checklist, essays, behaviourally anchored scales, critical incidents, and graphic rating scales.

The checklist involves a list of situations and statements that are used to assess an employee often by answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It is essentially based on behaviours and the end result is quantifiable (Lunenberg, 2012).

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The essay appraisal requires the appraiser to describe the individual’s strengths and weaknesses with additional information on how the individual can improve their performance (Lunenberg, 2012). This method is very subjective thus difficult to quantify and can be time consuming. The behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS) replace numerical tools with behavioural prototypes of behaviours met in real work (Jafari et al, 2009). This was introduced to deal with problems of scale anchor points such as unacceptable, needs improvement and acceptable as they were not very descriptive (Debliuex, 2003 in Lunenberg, 2012). The BARS define the behaviours in the anchor points with a short statement. This may help in providing a clear picture to both the management and the employee on the areas that need development and to make crucial decisions such as promotion and dismissal.

The critical incident appraisal looks at the actions that determine the effective performance of a job. It is trustworthy because it focuses on the job rather than a person’s character (Jafari et al, 2009). This may help secondary schools in achieving the goal of communication in performance appraisals which may lead to an acceptance of appraisal findings.

The graphic rating scale is one of the popular appraisal methods that are used because it is simple to use and isn’t time consuming (Jafari et al, 2009). This method involves a list of work dimensions and a performance range for each one. The appraiser rates each dimension within the range and adds up the total scores (Lunenberg, 2012).

2.7.2 Relative Standards

These types of appraisal systems compare individuals against each other and they include: individual ranking; and paired comparison (Jafari et al, 2009).

The individual ranking involves the ranking of individuals from highest to lowest (Jafari et al, 2009). This method is criticised for: leading to morale problems for those not rated highly; being less objective; and inability to assess strengths and weakness (Aggarwal and Thakur, 2013).

Paired comparison involves comparing subordinates in pairs over certain dimensions and then coming up with an overall rank based on how many times an employee became superior (Lunenberg, 2012).

These types of methods are not used in the Malawian public service and this is rightly so because there is a likelihood that there would be morale problems and lead to an inability to assess strengths and weakness as explained by Aggarwal and Thakur (2012).

2.7.3 Objectives

This appraisal system approach focuses on objectives whereby employees are assessed on those objectives that will determine success (Jafari et al, 2009). This is usually characterised by the management by objectives appraisal system by Peter F.

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Drucker in 1954 and described to have four major stages: “goal setting; action planning; self-control; and periodic reviews” (Ingham in Jafari et al, 2009; Aggarwal and Thakur, 2013).

This is another popular system that is used across the world and is the current system used in Malawi’s public service. It is an ideal system because it allows employees to be part of the standard setting and allows management to clearly identify whether performance has taken place through periodic reviews of the objectives

2.7.4 Appraisal Methods Conclusion

There are many types of performance appraisal techniques that are used and they all have advantages and disadvantages (Aggarwal and Thakur, 2013; Jafar et al 2009). A particular organisational context may be suitable for some techniques that another organisation may not be comfortable with (Aggarwal and Thakur, 2013). For example, a high power distance organisation may be comfortable with individual ranking appraisal systems. This is important to note because the use of performance appraisals in Malawi involves all government ministries that have different contexts.

2.8.0 Common Errors in Performance Appraisals

Rating errors are an ongoing problem in performance appraisals. Lunenberg (2012) identified the following common errors: halo effect; strictness or leniency; recency of events; and central tendency

The Halo effect refers to the tendency to allow a single positive or negative criterion of an individual’s performance becomes the basis for generalisation of other criterions on their performance (Lunenberg, 2012). Lunenberg also argues that that the Halo effect is related to the primary effect, which is the human tendency to remember clearly the first things we hear and see. Therefore, first impressions may play a role in an individual’s futures performance appraisals.

It has been noted that some supervisors are consistent in the rating whether it is high or low leading to strictness or leniency. This tends to punish exceptional performers because they are either given lower ratings than they deserve or others are given higher ratings than they deserve (Lunenberg, 2012). This may lead to a lack of belief in appraisal systems results.

The recency of events error occurs when an appraiser focuses on recent events more strongly than performance behaviours that have occurred earlier (Lunenberg, 2012). Recency of events is a major reason for employee dissatisfaction with performance appraisal results (Lunenberg, 2012).

The central tendency refers to the reluctance of supervisors to provide responses that may be deemed extreme even though it may be the case (Lunenberg, 2012). This refers to both extremely poor and extremely well. This leads to an average rating for all

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individuals, something characteristic of high power cultures (Lunenberg, 2012; Atkinson and Shaw, 2006).

2.9.0 Conclusions

The above discussion has elicited certain conclusions that can be made. These include that:

Before performance appraisals government attempted at using performance based contracts to measure and control performance. However, this tool was restricted to senior managers only which left the public education centres including secondary schools with no formal performance management system and performance appraisals in particular.

The performance appraisal system has its fair share of criticism that needs to be taken into consideration when designing a performance appraisal policy. These criticisms include: one-sided analysis; narrow focus of objectives; and cultural complexities. It is therefore likely that the data collected may include some of these criticisms. Through these criticisms, authors have suggested that management should encourage communication between the supervisor and the employee in analysis of their work; select objectives that encompass a wider array of work actions; and understand the cultural context before implementing an appraisal system.

Despite the criticism performance appraisals maintain an important role in the organisation as they offer support to management in completing such duties like decision-making about promotions, training needs and salaries as well as provide feedback to employees on their efforts.

Rewards are vital to the success of appraisal systems and organisations are advised to use total rewards. This means that they should focus on both financial and non-financial rewards as opposed to one set. However, rewards have the potential to demotivate some individuals and lead to unnecessary competitions. This can be improved by setting cooperative reward structures.

There are several appraisal methods that follow three approaches of measurement that are: absolute standard; relative standards; and objectives. The graphic rating scale and management by objectives are the most popular. The selection of the method is dependent on the organisational context.

There are four major errors that supervisors need to be aware of when rating appraisals and these include: strictness or leniency; central tendency; halo effect; and recency of event.

2.10.0 Theoretical Framework

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This study is in line with the expectancy theory proposed by Vroom (1964) which states that people act in a way that they anticipate will bring forth rewards and avoid penalties. It is therefore according for appraisals to include rewards if intended behaviour is to be sought (Salaman et al, 2005).

Another theory that is involved in this study is the goal setting theory by Locke (1968) which states that individual goals set by employees play an important role in their motivation to achieve superior performance (Salaman et al, 2005). This means that the study aims to follow the low power distance dimension where employee participation and a two way process is key (Fletcher and Perry, 2001 in Atkinson and Shaw, 2006)

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CHAPTER THREE

PROJECT PLAN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1.0 Introduction

This chapter provides an explanation on how the research questions will be answered through a research design and methodology. The chapter will explain the methodology, philosophy, tools used to collect data and the distribution of respondents. The chapter has also provided brief explanations on how the selected design and research tools are suitable for answering the research question and for the research topic.

3.2.0 Research Design

Kerlinger (1986:279) in Kumar (2011) defines a research design as a plan, structure and strategy of investigation that is conceived to obtain answers to research questions. This study aims to use a qualitative approach that involves the in-depth study of human behaviour and the reasons that drive such behaviour (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2003). This in-depth analysis of human behaviour will be based on the participants’ interpretation of their own social world rather than rely on quantitative data (Bryman and Bell, 2011), which in this instance refers to the public schools that they are a part of.

The qualitative data will be used as a cross-sectional study to obtain an in-depth understanding of the current appraisal system and its impact in secondary schools within Lilongwe city. Bryman and Bell (2011) stated that a cross-sectional design is often called a social survey design. A social survey, which this study basically is, is closely related to questionnaires and structured interviewing. Bryman and Bell (2011) define the social survey as a cross-sectional design in relation to which data are collected predominantly by questionnaire or by structured interview on more than one case and a single point in time in order to collect a body of data in connection with two or more variables which are then analysed to identify patterns of association. This study will use a cross-sectional study instead of a longitudinal study which is the repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time (Kumar, 2011). The use of a cross-sectional study rather than a longitudinal study is due to the fact that the researcher has a short time frame. Bryman and Bell (2011) attest to the fact that longitudinal studies are also rarely used in business studies due to time and cost required to conduct them.

3.3.0 Research Philosophy

This study follows preconceived philosophies in particular paradigms identified by Saunders et al. (2009) as ontology, epistemology and axiology.

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Ontology attempts at answering the nature of reality (Saunders et al., 2009). This study follows the social constructivist philosophy where reality is not seen as singular but multiple and varied according to the specific social, historical, political and cultural context. The researcher is therefore trying to understand how the participants, the users of performance appraisals, make sense of their world in accordance to their own context.

Epistemology refers to what constitutes as acceptable knowledge (Saunders et al., 2009). This study will follow a pragmatic approach to this paradigm that Saunders et al. (2009) defined as accepting both observable and subjective meanings as sources of acceptable knowledge based on the question. This is largely due to the idea that in qualitative research the respondent’s point of view is of greater interest (Bryman and Bell, 2011). This is likely to include feelings towards certain aspects of the performance appraisals and how they are used in their working environment.

Axiology refers to the researcher’s view of values in a research (Saunders et al., 2009). Since the researcher is part of organisations being researched on it is very likely the researcher will be value bound. This study will therefore try to follow a pragmatic approach that involves allowing values to play a significant role but ensure that both objective and subjective points of views are adopted (Saunders et al., 2009).

3.4.0 Data Collection

3.4.1 Primary Data

The study will use a semi-structured interview. This type of interview involves the researcher having a list of questions on fairly specific topics to be covered as an interview guide, with the interviewee having great freedom in how they reply (Bryman and Bell (2011). Bryman and Bell (2011) continue to add that the interviewer is also allowed to include questions that are not in the guide into the interview as the interview is in progress. The same guided questions will be used for both teachers and HODs in order to accurately compare perceptions of these two groups.

The semi-structured interview ensures that all interviewees are asked similar questions with similar wording which would be impossible with unstructured questions where out of one question the researcher comes up with questions as an interview progresses.

The use of interviews may be time consuming as the researcher is required to sit through many interviews. However, the interview provides an opportunity for the researcher to explore other important aspects that could have been overlooked by other forms of data collection techniques such as the questionnaire.

3.4.2 Secondary Data

Secondary data refers to information that has been collected by other organizations in the course of their business (Bryman and Bell, 2011). This study aims to use journals and other government documents. The use of this data will be used to complement the

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data collected from interviews in order to form a pool of data for analysis. The use of secondary data provides an opportunity to analyse data on a longitudinal basis, thus forming trends and relating to the wider social changes as stipulated in Bryam and Bell (2011). This may provide an insight into the trend of performance and its management since the inception of the DPSM in 2008 and the NESP in 2009 (2008).

3.5.0 Study Site

The research will be conducted at the following secondary schools located in Lilongwe: Mkwichi; Bwaila; Lilongwe Girls; and St Johns. The chosen schools are suitable because they offer variety in terms of student gender, with Mkwichi and Bwaila being mixed sex schools while Lilongwe Girls and St Johns are separate girls’ and boys’ schools respectively. The choice of two co-educational schools and two single sex schools is based on the argument by many scholars that single sex schools are related to higher cognitive performance of students (Mbilizi, 2008; Park et al, 2014). This provides an opportunity to understand two important aspects: whether this is also the case for schools in Lilongwe; and how teacher performance is managed in single sex schools as opposed to co-educational schools. The choice of Lilongwe is because the researcher resides and works in the city thus convenient for him to collect data. The choice of the specific schools was also based on convenience with; Bwaila being the researcher’s work place; Lilongwe girls and St John’s being near the researcher’s work place; and Mkwichi being near the researcher’s residence. The choice of convenience was made to avoid cost.

3.6.0 The Sample and Sampling Technique

The study will utilise three teachers and two members of management from each school to total six interviewees per school and twenty four interviewees in total. The teachers will be selected using a stratified random sampling where a population is stratified in such a way that the population, within a stratum, is homogenous with respect to the characteristic of which it is being stratified (Kumar, 2011). In this study teachers will be stratified according to their departments that are: humanities; languages; and sciences. This mode of sampling will enable the study to analyse different attitudes of teachers based on the subjects they teach. Studies on secondary school teachers’ attitudes (Hallam and Ireson, 2011) have revealed that teacher’s attitudes may differ depending on the subject that they teach.

3.7.0 Data Analysis Methods

This study will utilise the narrative analysis and method of agreement. The narrative analysis is a form of approach towards information that is presented in a storied form (Bryman and Bell, 2011). This approach is suitable for semi-structured interviews because they involve interviewee’s explanations which are more than likely to be presented in a story form. The method of agreement is a method of comparing instances of the same phenomenon in different circumstances in order to eliminate all context variables that are not necessary for the phenomenon to occur (Mills et al.,

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2010). Therefore, this will allow the researcher to identify the variables that allow a phenomenon to occur.

Using the above analysis methods the study will be able to explain the social forces involved in the implementation of the performance appraisal as well as explain the factors that are enabling the status quo.

3.8.0 Resources

The Malawi Institute of Malawi (MIM) library and IT facilities should be adequate enough to assist in the research. However, in case these cannot be accessed, internet services are available at the researcher’s home.

3.9.0 Constraints

The major constraint in this study will be the unwillingness of some subjects to participate in interviews because interviews can be time consuming. This can be minimised by using a tape recorder in order to eliminate the time that would be spent on writing down notes. The other constraint is the availability of time to conduct all interviews due to the fact that the researcher is on full-time employment and this can be minimised by designing a personal time management plan.

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CHAPTER 4

DATA PRESENTATION

4.1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the raw data that was collected to understand the perceptions of teachers towards the performance appraisal in Lilongwe, Malawi. This data was collected from four secondary schools within the city through semi-structured interviews that were conducted there. The schools are Mkwichi, St John’s, Lilongwe Girls and Bwaila secondary schools. The key issues identified in the raw data are summarised.

4.2.0 Profile of Interviewed Respondents

The study targeted two groups of respondents that were the teachers and the Heads of Departments (HODs). This is because these two groups are directly linked to the implementation of the performance management policy at the secondary school level. This ensured that perceptions of both the supervisors (the HOD) and the supervised (teachers) were accounted for in the study. The researcher focused on these groups rather than policy planners because the focus of this study is on the implementation of the policy by actual schools that are supposed to implement the policy.

4.3.0 Research Findings

Below are the research’s findings based on the semi-structured interviews that were conducted in the targeted schools.

4.3.1 Awareness of the policy

All respondents expressed the awareness of the introduction of performance appraisals in secondary schools through the NESP (2009) as proposed by the DPSM (2008). The respondents referred to the government circulars and head teachers as their source of information regarding the performance appraisals. None of the respondents expressed knowledge of any sensitization sessions conducted to familiarise teachers and management in schools about the use of performance appraisals. This means that teachers were unable to appreciate the use of the objectives method that is used in the performance appraisals.

Management and staff also expressed knowledge of the performance appraisal upon the implementation of the policy in their respective schools and not before it. All the respondents reported the year 2013 as the year the performance appraisal was rolled out in their schools, meaning that teachers and management were not aware of the policy for almost four years, since 2009.

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New Recruits

In implementing the performance appraisals teachers and HODs acknowledged that management and the MoEST are not doing enough to ensure that new members of staff are aware of the policy. This is because since its inception at their respective schools, new recruits have not been asked to fill in appraisal forms or briefed of the policy.

“Many teachers are aware but I am not sure about the new recruits because the appraisals were not filled in for this year. I don’t think they have filled in the forms or are even aware that they are required to do so.” (Respondent 10, 23 March 2015)

“I hope they know. All of us at that time signed the appraisals. However, i am not sure new recruits actually know about these because i have never heard about it again since 2013. I have never heard of the new teachers being called for a briefing.” (Respondent 14, 24 March 2015)

4.3.2 Implementation of the Performance Appraisal

The interview also focused on understanding the roles that the MoEST through the Division offices, HODs and teachers play in the implementation of the policy.

The respondent’s views on how the MoEST was implementing the policy expressed a lack of clarity on how the MoEST was actually implementing the policy. One respondent attributed to the fact that the ministry provided forms for appraisals as a way of implementing the policy while most of the respondents expressed ignorance in how the appraisal is being implemented by the MoEST. Some respondents even stated that they felt that nothing was being done.

“I am not sure if they are implementing the policy because so far there have been no promotions or anything that can be related to appraisals. Things are just as they were” (Respondent 10, 23 March, 2015).

“I think they are doing nothing about it. At the school level we filled in our forms and were told that the management would be checking them every term but so far nothing has happened. There is no follow up” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015)

The response that forms were filled by members of staff but no follow ups were done was characteristic of the respondents’ comments throughout the interviews. Apart from that, the respondents noted that the ministry has not requested for the information that is supposed to be gathered through appraisals. This has brought a belief that the ministry is not doing enough to implement the policy.

The management showed a certain awareness of their roles and responsibilities in implementing the policy. They explained that as an HOD, their role was to explain the aims of the performance appraisal to staff and conduct periodic reviews. However, none of the HOD’s mentioned that they consulted their fellow teachers to agree on the areas

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to focus on for their appraisals. Teachers explained that the HODs were supposed to assess their performance, grade them and sit down with HODs for their periodic reviews. However, the consensus among teachers and HODs was that the grading of teachers and periodic reviews do not happen. When asked about periodic reviews, for some schools such as Lilongwe girls and St Johns the reviews were said to have occurred at the beginning of the appraisal system but no longer happen:

We administered periodic review twice but discontinued it because most people did not submit their required documents. (Respondent 10, 23 March 2015).

The periodic reviews started but this is no longer followed strictly. (Respondent 5, 23 March 2015)

Another group of respondents asserted that after filling in forms there had been no periodic reviews at all in their respect schools. The reason for the lack of periodic reviews was summarised by one respondent who stated:

“Periodic reviews are not done and everyone is quiet on the implementation of appraisals from the management to the teachers” (Respondent 1, 22 March 2015)

Teachers’ Roles in Implementation

When asked to elaborate on their roles in the implementation of the performance appraisal, teachers provided a variety of answers that include:

“My role is to prepare lesson plans, schemes, exercises, prepare examinations, and give feedback to the parents through school reports.” (Respondent 2, 22 March 2015)

“I have to teach. In teaching I have to stick to the objectives of the appraisals as agreed and work hand in hand with the HOD” (Respondent 6, 23 March 2015)

“My role is to make sure that students are performing in class and in examinations. I should be effective in whatever I am doing. I am required to fill in forms and hand them in to the Head teacher.” (Respondent 9, 23 March 2015)

“I guess it is their role, my role is only to teach and assess the students. The appraisal is beyond my authority.” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015)

The above responses show that to some extent, teachers perceive their roles differently. Some of the teachers focused on their duty to ensure documents such as lesson plans, schemes of work, examinations and school reports are available. Secondly, some of the teachers focus their duty on ensuring their objectives in the performance appraisals are met. Finally, others simply did not think they had a role to play in the performance appraisal because they felt that it was an administrative issue.

4.3.3 Reactions to the Appraisal

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When the performance appraisals were introduced in the respective schools the reaction appeared mixed to negative. The management expressed a view that most of the staff in their schools did not like the performance appraisals. The HOD’s themselves felt that the policy was forced on their schools thus led to lack of ownership of the policy. The main themes on the reaction of members of staff include: performance appraisals are too involving in terms of filling out the forms; they are going to be used for fault finding; and they will be useless as they will not be used for rewards. The scepticism towards performance appraisals was highlighted by one of the teachers who stated:

“...people were sceptical, wondering and asking ‘what else are we supposed to do’, ‘why do we need other people coming up with these forms, how will it be handled?’ We felt like this was a big brother approach that would lead to no freedom. It was like it was being forced. Although there are some things that management is supposed to force it is important if things would be clarified in order to understand what the policy is about instead of just pursuing the top-down approach. There must be real engagement. In fact, student’s results, the schemes of work and lesson plans already seem like excellent ways of measuring performance...” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015) However, one HOD and two teachers stated that the performance appraisal had brought about a spirit of seriousness among the teachers. Although, one of these teachers had complimented his head of department on this view, the other teacher contradicted the head of department and other members of staff at his school who were of the view that the performance appraisals had no significant strength.

4.3.4 Cultural Complexities and the Performance Appraisal

The interviews tried to confirm the cultural mindset of Malawians as being communal and high-power distanced. The respondents unanimously agreed that the Malawian culture was indeed communal and at the same time possessing a high power distance. When asked if the communal culture should be represented in the performance appraisals through a group appraisal, the respondents also unanimously agreed that that should not be the case. The reasons given were related to rewards such as promotions as explained by one HOD:

“No, it should not measure as a group because promotions are not done as a group rather they are done individually...” (Respondent 12, 23 March 2015)

Other respondents, felt that the communal culture represented interdependence of each other thus believed that appraising staff as a group would lead to some social loafers.

“...people should be appraised individually because other people are used to riding on other peoples efforts” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015)

Communal Culture: Participation and Feedback

Secondly, the respondents were asked if the characteristics of a communal culture, namely participation and feedback, are present in the implementation of performance

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appraisals in their respective schools. The responses revealed that although this was supposed to be the case, this was not the practice among the schools. Heads of departments and teachers from one school stated that there was supposed to be a one on one interaction but this had never happened. In another school, a respondent stated:

“...observations are done by administrators but sometimes they don’t show you your marks because you are supposed to sit down with them and be given feedback. There is also no platform for the assessor and assessed to sit down and discuss the objectives. The managers fill the forms themselves without telling you your scores and where you are weak...” (Respondent 11, 24 March 2015)

High Power Distance Culture and Decision Making

The teachers agreed unanimously that the high-powered culture in their communities had penetrated the school environment with decisions about various issues at the school being made by those in authority without the consultation of junior staff.

“....Yes this can happen in our school because the HOD can make decisions and teachers are usually powerless to disagree with them...HODs can even make decisions about how one is performing after observing your class without considering your input in terms of why you did certain things in class...” (Respondent 14, 24 March 2015

The majority of HODs contradicted this view and opined that issues of importance in their respective schools were discussed with inclusiveness with junior members of staff before decisions were made. The HODs, however, admitted issues of performance did not involve consultations with the HODs, sometimes, making the final decision on a teacher’s performance without consulting them.

“...the Malawian culture is indeed high-powered. However, this is different at our school because when there are (general) issues we come together and make decisions together...” (Respondent 4, 22 March 2015)

“...Most of the times as HODs we grade teachers after observing them but they don’t really have a say on our grades. And in some cases we don’t even observe teachers but just give marks so that we appear to have done observations as per requirement. The grades are usually never known and teachers normally do not even request for them...” (Respondent 7, 23 March 2015)

Effect of High Powered Culture On performance Appraisals

The teachers and HODs agreed that the high-powered culture has had an effect on the implementation of performance appraisals. The central theme by teachers and management was equality of decision making whereby the belief is that junior staff are unlikely to support the appraisal because they feel unfairly treated. One of the teachers stated:

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“Implementation is made difficult because there is no approach that takes a colleague as equally important as the higher one. The approach would be adversarial. The subordinate would come up with defence mechanisms, what we call the siege mentality, where you see that the others are too powerful against you so you just find a way of cushioning yourself from their power. So it is wrong to let this high-powered culture to enter the school environment” (Respondent 14, 24 March 2015).

The HODs expressed similar sentiments that advised on allowing junior staff in the making of the objectives to be met and including them in discussions about their grades. The HODs themselves expressed an understanding of the junior staffs predicament as they too are on the receiving end of policies made at capitol hill that do not consult them and top management at the school level.

“...the high-powered culture is at all levels. As an HOD, I am told what to do by the Head teacher and the head teacher is told what to do by the divisional offices. They are dictated by the Ministry. Therefore no one feels ownership of this policy and that is why heads of department and head teachers won’t take teachers to task for not following the policy because they too are not enthusiastic about it...” (Respondent 11, 23 March 2015)

4.3.5 Performance Appraisals and Rewards

Apart from St John’s, the consensus among HODs and teachers was that there are no rewards related to the performance appraisals. The view is that the only visible reward given to teachers in schools was introduced before the performance appraisal. This reward system involves a monetary award for every “A” grade (in the JCE) and “1” or “2” grade (in the MSCE) that a student gets. These awards are directed to the teachers of the students and in some cases the heads of department whose department has received the most distinction grades. The lack of rewards that can be related to the performance appraisal is said to lead to a lack of enthusiasm with the performance appraisal. This suggests that teachers are not motivated by the performance appraisal. One respondent summarised the views of the teachers, after a year of using performance appraisals, by stating:

“...those that did well felt betrayed and those that didn’t do well felt like they were vindicated that the performance appraisals were useless...” (Respondent 1, 23 March 2015).

In the majority of responses from St John’s secondary the respondents displayed an acknowledgement of both monetary and developmental rewards being exhibited at their school. The responses included:

“We were told salary increments were to be based on performance appraisals therefore there is supposed to be a link...” (Respondent 8, 12 March 2015)

“(Performance appraisals) help one to become a better teacher because it identifies a weakness that a teacher can improve upon...” (Respondent 5, 12 March 2015)

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The heads of departments and teachers at this school however acknowledged that salary adjustments based on appraisals had not occurred yet because the policy was relatively new but were optimistic that this would be enforced in the near future.

Types of Rewards

The consensus among respondents was that there is a need to focus on intrinsic rewards that focus on personal development through upgrading courses and other forms of training. The view is that this would ensure development needs of particular teachers at that time are met and that efficiency in teacher and HOD performance is improved. Apart from teacher development, some teachers suggested that the recognition of performance can be an effective reward as explained below:

“...If everyone is made aware of how well others have performed in their appraisals this would bring a good feeling for the performers and motivate them...” (Respondent 2, 22 March 2015).

The use of rewards has been described as essential in ensuring that the performance appraisal is implemented. Without rewards, the consensus is that the performance appraisal will not be implemented properly. However, there were also reservations that the use of rewards may also be biased as it may be used as a tool to punish or reward undeserving individuals.

4.3.6 Factors for Poor Implementation

The consensus among all the schools is that the performance appraisal policy is poorly implemented. The respondents identified a number of reasons for this view.

Firstly, there is a view that the performance appraisal policy follows a top down approach whereby the school management and staff were forced to adopt a policy introduced by government using ideas suggested by development partners. This theme is highlighted in one respondents comment:

“...If management was involved in the making of this program they would have now done something about it. Maybe the orders came from Capitol Hill or from international donors. Maybe it’s just that idea that one size fits all, where development partners just tell African countries what to do without African countries asking the philosophy behind it and modalities...Our officials could have done better if there was full consultation in the beginning...” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015)

Secondly, there is a view that the implementation of the policy is poor because the MoEST doesn’t conduct follow ups on the policy. The lack of follow up has given the implementers the picture that the performance appraisal is useless as highlighted by one respondent:

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“The implementers were in a hurry because they gave us forms to fill but there is not much follow up which means that they are useless. No one knows what is going on now...” (Respondent 9, 22 March 2015)

Finally, the policy is said to have been characterised by a lack of information. The respondents felt that the policy was rushed with inadequate information on the aims and processess of the appraisal. “Many people are confused with the performance appraisals. There isn’t enough information on it, in terms of why and what it aims to accomplish. It is basically a rushed programme.” (Respondent 6, 23 March 2015)

4.3.7 Solutions to the Challenges Mentioned

The major themes provided revolve around follow ups, sensitization and consultation. The respondents advised the MoEST to visit schools periodically to assess the implementation of the performance appraisals. The consensus is that follow ups will display the Ministry’s seriousness towards the appraisal.

“The ministry should be coming to visit schools in order for the staff to understand how serious they are with their implementations otherwise no one will be interested with implementing the policy” (Respondent 2, 22 March 2015)

On sensitization, the respondents observed that the implementers (head teachers, HODs and teachers) are ill equipped with enough knowledge of how to implement the policy effectively. Therefore the ministry is being advised to spend time to sensitize these groups of implementers. One respondent highlighted the importance of sensitization, which is to foster acceptance, when the respondent stated:

“The ministry should teach people about the programme and should teach people on how to define their objectives. It is a new programme and government needs to spend time to convince people to accept it” (Respondent 6, 23 March 2015)

Apart from teaching people about the objectives and how to generally implement the appraisal, the respondents also highlighted the importance of sensitizations in reducing biasness. The respondents felt that implementers need to be sensitized on how to conduct performance appraisals in a corrupt and bias free manner. The main group, targeted by the respondents, was the officers responsible for rewards such as promotions by stating that it was important that they rewarded someone based on their actual performance. The view is that there is no belief that this is actually the case at the moment thus members of staff do not take the performance appraisal seriously. One HOD stated:

“Civic education of policies is needed. The implementers should desist from corruption and base appraisals and promotions on actual performance instead of basing it on who someone is or where they come from. Leaders have to be people of integrity” (Respondent 11, 23 March 2015)

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Finally, consultation was another theme that was presented by the respondents. They suggested that the performance appraisals came as a surprise, highlighting the fact that there is a perceived lack of information concerning the performance appraisals. The respondents felt that policy makers did not fully consult the implementers of the appraisals, namely teachers. One respondent scathingly stated:

“Policy makers should critically look at the merits and demerits of policies. They should consult fully with the people on the grassroots such as the teachers. Especially not just with people in high offices. Even though some in the high offices taught before, there are some who are in the ministry of education but stopped teaching too many years ago. The best is to meet teachers themselves to find out their thinking and ideas on any policies they want to initiate because they understand the situation at that time...” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2015)

The respondents blamed this lack of consultation on the importation of ideas from development partners regardless of the environment the policy makers want to implement the ideas in. The respondents suggested that a full consultation would lead to a better adaptability of policies to their targeted environment. Some respondents even suggested that some policies cannot be adapted and therefore are not useful to certain environments like Malawi. One of the respondents with these strong views stated:

“...you don’t just come to an area and tell people what to do without knowing their culture and constraints. There should be a full understanding of the environment that a policy wants to be initiated in. Borrowing from the west or east, being told ideas by the international community doesn’t help. We need country specific policies.” (Respondent 13, 24 March 2013)

The respondents classed the performance appraisal as one of the policies that was imported. To the respondents, this meant that a review of the policy’s applicability to the education sector in Malawi needs to be conducted.

4.4.0 Summary

This chapter has provided a brief description of where the study takes place and who was involved. The chapter has then presented data collected concerning the introduction of performance appraisals in Malawian secondary schools as part of the National Education Sector Plan (2009) as introduced by the government through the Department of Public Service Management (2008). The data has highlighted the perceptions of teachers towards the implementation of performance appraisals. Among these perceptions, the data has highlighted some ideas on improving the implementation of the policy.

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CHAPTER 5

DATA ANALYSIS

5.0.0 Introduction

This study’s aim was to assess the use of performance appraisals in secondary schools and to ascertain their effectiveness through the perceptions of teachers and HODs who are required to conduct appraisals. The study aimed to determine the perceived factors from teachers that are leading to the successful or unsuccessful implementation of the performance appraisal policy.

This chapter will provide an analysis of the data presented in chapter 4, to give it meaning, using the methods of agreement, the narrative analysis theory, expectancy theory and the goal setting theory as discussed in Chapters 2 and 3. The data provided has revealed that there is a state of partial or non-implementation of the policy as well as a negative perception towards how the policy is being implemented. This is obviously against government’s aims of improving performance management in the civil service in general and the teaching service specifically.

5.1.0 Understanding of the Performance Appraisals

The data provided has revealed that teachers are aware of the existence of the performance appraisal policy. However, the teachers are not aware of how the performance appraisal is aligned to the organisational strategies which is one the key factors for a performance appraisal, according to Cascio (2010). This was discovered to have originated from the fact that the policy makers established poor forms of communication, with many teachers unaware of what areas the performance appraisal was aiming to improve.

The lack of understanding of the performance appraisal has lead to a lack of acceptability, another key factor mentioned by Cascio (2010). The policy was introduced as a directive without the consultation of head teachers, HODs and teachers and this led to a lack of ownership for the policy. This top down approach is not in line with the good governance principle of engagement and transparency as proposed by Bovaird and Loffler (2009). Policy makers in the Department of Public Service Management clearly failed to adequately involve those in the teaching service in the formulation and implementation of the performance appraisal policy.

The information about performance appraisals was passed through government circulars and head teachers. According to the data, the use of these informational tools was not effective as the information was not adequate to influence a change in behaviour. According to Hood and Margetts (2006) governments have four tools in policy and they are:

Nodality - the factor of being at the centre of social and information networks

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Authority – The possession of legal or official power to demand or prohibit Treasure – the possession of money or exchangeable goods can influence

change Organisation – the stock of people, land, buildings, materials, and equipment

that is somehow arranged.

Escher et al (2006) argue that the greater the nodality of a government, the more likely it can use dissemination of information alone to change societal behaviour. The collected data reveals that the Malawi government’s nodality is poor as such tools as surveys and public information campaigns were not used to adequately promote the policy of appraisals. This would have given government all the necessary information to formulate and implement policies easier. Instead the government insisted on using the authority tool by demanding adherence to a new policy that had no support from the implementers. The data has revealed that the use of the nodality tool should be greatly improved in order to improve the understanding of policies such as the performance appraisal and guarantee acceptance of such policies.

5.2.0 The Cultural Complexities of the Performance Appraisal

The presented data has shown that there is a perception among teachers that the performance appraisal is not sensitive to the social and cultural environment of Malawi. Firstly, on a positive note, the performance appraisal is individualistic in nature. This is not in similarity with the collective culture in Malawi. This has been a welcome aspect to the working environment of teachers because it ensures that social loafers and undeserving employees are identified. However, the realisation that the culture is strongly collectivist, has led to perceptions that persons in positions of authority are likely to ignore performance appraisals as tools for measuring performance, as they would rather support individuals in their social grouping. Apart from that, there is a perception that the corrupt nature and culture of collectivism may lead to the abuse of performance appraisals leading to the rewarding of undeserving individuals. These perceptions reveal the extent of work that is needed to eradicate the collectivist and corrupt culture from the work place.

The data also revealed a strong perception against policies imported from the donor community and other international agencies. Teachers feel that policies originating from foreign sources will find it difficult to work in the Malawian set up. This should alert the policy maker that the implementers already have negative perceptions before policies are made and need to ensure that these negative perceptions are encountered. The perceptions reveal a need, on the teacher’s part, to be part of the policy making and the remodelling of foreign policies to suit the local environment setup.

On a school level, the data has revealed that the management style is high power distance, whereby people in authority are more likely to make decisions without consultations. Atkinson and Shaw (2006) stated that high power distance cultures are more likely to be critical of performance appraisals. The data revealed that HODs did

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not involve appraised teachers in the formulation of criteria for assessment results. The reasons were mainly because the HODs felt that it was time wasting and that they felt that they knew better. This shows a high power distance nature that is in contrast with the qualities of involvement needed for performance appraisals. This high power distance is observed to have brought about an adversarial relationship between teachers and HODs as well as management and the MoEST. This can reflect a low level siege mentality. Siege mentality is the belief held by a group of people that other groups have highly negative behavioural intentions towards them (Bar-Tal and Antebi, 1992). The result is that policies such as performance appraisals are not supported due to the view that they are tools for those in authority to unfairly treat subordinates. Such mentality also requires a strong use of the nodality tool in order to change the adversarial nature of relationships in the work place. This can be done through surveys, workshops and civil service information campaigns. The target should be a change to a low power distance culture in order to ensure full participation that can lead to a successful performance appraisal system. This will, among many things, make it more difficult for one-sided analysis to take place.

5.3.0 The link between Performance Appraisals and Rewards

In chapter 2, reward was described as all types of returns to the employee whether financial or non-financial (Milkovich and Newman, 2004: 3 in Perkins and White, 2011). The data collected revealed that there were no clear links between performance appraisals and rewards even though the performance management policy for the Malawi civil service by the DPSM (2008) clearly stipulates that promotions will be based upon a review of performance appraisals. The fact that 5099 teachers in Malawi were promoted based on pressure on the government (Nyasatimes, 2013) serves to further prove that performance appraisals are not used for their intended purpose. What is clear is that rewards present in secondary schools outdate the performance appraisal and the appraisal is not used to determine who receives the rewards. These rewards are monetary or gifts based on the results of the students in the national examinations namely Junior Certificate of Education and the Malawi Secondary Certificate of Education. There is a lack of implementation on the part of the MoEST on the rewards required and this has also been one of the reasons why implementation of performance appraisals at the secondary level is poor.

This correlates with the expectancy theory that states that people act in such a way that they expect rewards and avoid penalties. Apart from the lack of rewards, the data has revealed that even when there is no adherence to the performance appraisals in the MoEST, no penalty is given to any of the implementers. This may stem from the fear that the ministry is not able to provide adequate rewards so would rather also not punish the employees.

The data has also highlighted the need to focus on total rewards, as explained by Kaplan (2007), referring to everything an employee values in their employment from benefits and compensation to development and a working environment. The teachers interviewed prioritised educational and skills development as the most important reward.

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The development of this reward is negatively viewed by the MoEST with a government circular in June 2013 specifically warning that it shall only grant study leaves to teachers who will study languages, mathematics and sciences (Nation Online, 2013). This directive lacks support for teachers seeking skills in other areas such as humanities and administration. This is a clear obstruction to the only reward that the teachers value most. Policy makers need to seriously capitalise on this reward if performances are to change. Apart from that, the clear direction of the courses allowed to study also means that the reward of a promotion into administrative roles for teachers who have served for a lengthy period of time and gained experience needed in such roles is not being planned for. The data revealed that teachers felt that policies enforced on them were made by people who do not really understand the grass root level environment. The restriction of courses is therefore detrimental to the future acquisition of policy makers and administrators familiar to the teaching environment. Apart from that such directives have a negative impact on the motivation of certain teachers who have hopes of upgrading in different courses so as to provide different contributions towards the MoEST. As a result teachers are likely to not perform to their best.

5.4.0 Monitoring (Follow ups)

The various problems associated with the performance appraisals implementation has been attributed, from the available data, to the lack of follow ups by the MoEST and the school managements. To be effective a policy requires constant monitoring and evaluation (Horsoo, 2009; Simmons and Iless, 2001). However, the data has revealed that there have been no follow ups since the commencement of the performance appraisals.

Monitoring is an essential part of evidence based policy making. It involves established objective evidence, which improves the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of policy decisions (National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, 2011). Monitoring involves the assessment of expected results which can be used in evaluation to determine what change has been caused by the policy. It therefore follows that with the absence of a monitoring process, there is no possibility of evaluating a policy. The performance appraisal policy is therefore a policy that cannot be proven to be effective and will likely be deemed to have failed if the status quo persists. The lack of follow ups has led to the perception among teachers that the government is not serious with its implementation of the performance appraisal.

5.5.0 The Role of Leadership and Management in Implementation of the Policy

The data has clearly revealed that there is poor or a lack of implementation of the policy. The blame among all the interviewed has been shifted to others in a higher portfolio than the interviewed. It is with this observation that it is clear that management in institutions interviewed was not providing the necessary leadership required to support the policy. Leaders are not providing a conducive environment for policies to succeed. The data has already revealed that this may be caused by the lack of involvement that has led to a lack of enthusiasm for the policy. However, leaders at a

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school level need to be part of the reculturation process as part of their duties as leaders (Portin et al, 2006). The leaders need to ensure that they conduct performance appraisals of all employees at all times as this would provid a sense of seriousness. Therefore even though no follow ups from the ministry would ensue, the performance levels at the institution may improve. Leaders are required to creatively establish the required rewards at an institution level, as has been the case, and relate the rewards to the performance appraisals.

Judging by the teachers perceptions, the leaders at the ministry level clearly also offered no guidance and motivation to support the policy. Their role is the most important because it is the most exemplary. Although, the lack of follow ups and implementation may be affected by poor resources however managers have an obligation to budget, organize and solve problems (Bohoris and Vorria, 2007).

It is tempting to follow suit with the suggestion from the data collected that suggested that poor implementation is a result of the policy being adopted from external sources. This may be the reason why the leadership is not fully concerned with the implementation as they may have adopted the policy to satisfy international partners with the aim of securing aid.

The poor implementation by heads of departments and policy makers may warrant a need for renewed sensitization on the roles and responsibilities of all leaders in various government departments and institutions. The heading of the newly public sector reforms by the vice president Saulos Chilima, under the leadership of the President Arthur Peter Mutharika (Malawi Governments Public Service Reform Commission Report, 2014), is a positive move to reflect government seriousness on reforms even though the data in this study has clearly proved Olaopa’s (2010) view that there is a problem with the culture of execution in the African public service. Like Olaopa (2010) suggested, the understanding and support for reform that is in the political arena has yet to be adopted by the public arena. For example, there were reports that employees at Plant and Vehicle Hire and Engineering Services (PVHES), a government department, were deliberately ignoring management and finance initiatives that are part of the new Public Service Reforms (Nyasatimes, 2015).

5.6.0 Summary

This chapter has shown that the use of Performance Appraisals in secondary schools is poorly implemented by institutions and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology at large. The poor use of performance appraisals is attributed to a number of factors that require urgent action if there is to be an improvement in the performance management tool. Specifically, the government needs to be wary of: how information regarding policies is handled; the social and cultural environment; the use of rewards; monitoring; and leadership and management. These areas, if acted upon, may lead to an improvement of the implementation of all reforms including those concerning performance management.

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The perceptions from teachers have revealed an environment that can accommodate change. This can be achieved through a development of good leadership, a participatory approach and a change in attitudes. This analysis is therefore an insight that can be used by relevant authorities to consider when formulating strategies to improve the performance management system.

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CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

6.1.0 Introduction

The government of Malawi has embarked on a journey of public reforms that include reforms in the management of performance. Performance management reforms started with the Department of Public Service Management reforms (DPSM) in 2008 and were a major theme in the Public Service Reform Service Report (2014). This study aimed to assess the use and effectiveness of performance appraisals in secondary schools as part of the performance management policy, through the perceptions of teachers.

The objective was to investigate the dynamics involved in the implementation of the policy with the aim of improving the use of performance appraisals. The results indeed revealed a lot of room for improvement in both the formulation and implementation of the policy.

6.2.0 Summary of the Key Findings

Below are the outlined key findings in the study:

- A high power distance culture: The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has a high power distance culture which results in a top down approach in decision making.

- Lack of consultation: There was a poor involvement of teachers in the formulation and implementation of the policy.

- Leadership and Management: Personnel in positions of authority need to show more leadership in the implementation of policies.

- Negative perception of external policies: Most teachers have negative perceptions towards policies that originate from outside the country.

- Poor awareness of the policy: Most teachers are unaware of the details and objectives of the policy because of a poor sensitisation process by the government.

- Poor monitoring: The MoEST doesn’t conduct regular follow ups on the performance of the policy thus it would be difficult to evaluate and make conclusions on its ability to improve performance.

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- Preferred rewards: Most teachers are motivated by rewards that will lead to the development of skills such as further education and workshops.

- Rewards and performance appraisals: Rewards are not linked to performance appraisals.

The findings reveal a lot of problems associated with the introduction of performance appraisals. The main problems include: the lack of ownership of the policy by teachers; poor use of the information tool; inability to utilise rewards; and poor leadership.

These findings confirm the researcher’s proposition that cultural considerations and links to reward are essential if reforms are to foster motivation and positive attitudes towards performance management reforms. Unless these problems and considerations are addressed, a successful implementation of performance appraisals may remain difficult to successfully implement.

The insight provided by the research findings can therefore be used by relevant authorities when formulating strategies for the improvement of the performance management policy. This is because the findings from the perceptions of teachers have revealed an environment that can accommodate reform if properly managed.

6.3.0 Recommendations

The introduction of performance management reforms has been met with strong criticism from the teachers in secondary schools. This is unfortunate because the Government of Malawi had positively introduced a reform whose aim was to improve performance in an underperforming public sector. Performance management reforms are essential in achieving good governance principles of quality service. However, the performance management reform introduced by government has not been implemented with dedication and passion that the policy document suggests.

In order to try to address this, policy makers need to ensure consultations of stakeholders are fully utilized and results made publicly available through media such as television, radio and newspapers. This will avoid claims of non-consultation once a policy is implemented. Policy makers need to also fully engage in sensitization campaigns that will ensure all implementers accept the policy as theirs and are competent enough to implement the policy. Finally, there is a need for the monitoring of the policy to ensure it is being implemented accordingly. Monitoring will also provide an opportunity to assess the impact of the policy.

6.4.0 Areas of Further Study

From the discussion above further research can be conducted in the following areas:

- A study focussing on the improvement of communication between management and staff when conducting performance appraisals by identifying cultural factors

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that impact the level of communication at a local, regional or national level depending on capability

- An investigation into the actual impact of the total rewards system for appraisals.- An Investigation into the differences in policy implementation strategies of the

public and private sector in Malawi.

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Appendix 1

Guiding questions used for data collection (Semi Structure Interviews)

1. Could you please tell me your job title?

2. In 2009 through the National Education Sector Plan, the Government of Malawi, introduced the use of Performance Appraisals in Secondary schools, are you aware of this development? (If not why?) 3. Could you tell me the role your school plays in the implementation of the policy?

4. Could you explain the role you play in its implementation?

5. Who else is involved at this institution in the implementation of performance appraisals?

7. Are other members of staff aware of the policy?

8. What were the other members of staff’s reaction when the policy was introduced at your school?

9. Are all employees aware of their roles and responsibilities?

9. Does your school administer periodic reviews as required in performance appraisals?

10. Malawian’s are said to be communal in culture, do you agree? 11. If you agree that Malawians are communal in culture, do you think this communal culture should be reflected in the performance appraisals whereby teachers should be appraised as a group?

12. Do you feel that the performance appraisal at your school allows you to participate and obtain feedback on your own performance?

13. Do you feel that your institution has a high power distance?

14. If this is the case, what effect does the high-powered culture have on the implementation of performance appraisals at your school?

15. Do you feel that the performance appraisal is linked to any rewards?

16. There are two types of rewards, extrinsic rewards that are related to merit and pay, and intrinsic rewards that are related to recognition, development and quality of working life. What sort of rewards does your institution focus on. (Probe)

18. What sort of rewards do you want to see prioritised at your institution?

19. Do you think the use of rewards makes the performance appraisal easier to implement?

20. Tell me your opinion on the implementation of the performance appraisal policy.

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21. What are the factors that are contributing to the poor or successful implement of the performance appraisal?

21. If there are challenges in the process, how does the ministry of education manage them?

22. Some studies have shown that African countries such as Malawi have problems with implementing policies, do you agree?

23. What advice or recommendation (s) pertaining to the implementation of the policy would you give to the authorities, implementers of the policy and policy makers?

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