Porter Novelli or Southern Company Case Study Term Paper

Porter Novelli or Southern Company Case Study - Term Paper Example Southern Company aptly exemplifies the manner in which organizations triumph by adopting proper performance management strategy. Proper performance management strategy in turn is successful to the extent that its exercise will be centered on the welfare of the personnel. 1. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Roles That the Strategic Leaders Played In the Formation of the Performance Management Strategy Goldsmith and Carter (2010) point out that strategic leaders for Southern Company have played effective roles in the formation of the performance management strategy, based on several yardsticks. One of the ways in which this success is visible is the manner in which the Southern Company has hired employees at the entry level and continued to promote individual employees internally, thereby helping these employees occupy leadership positions that are available within the organization. This is directly connected to the observation of proper management strategy since the intra-organizat ional promotion of individuals to higher offices is usually a culmination of employees' culture of meeting performance target. Similarly, the same is a culmination of proper setting of feasible yet dynamic performance targets, supervision and bridging of performance gaps. The same also demands the exaction of workshop drives, training programs, and mentorship programs. The setting of performance target, supervision, the bridging of performance gaps and the extension of rewards to outstanding performers [by giving promotions] are all very important facets of performance management strategy. According to Fegley and Society for Human Resource Management (2007), another indicator of the effectiveness with which strategic leaders have contributed towards the formation of its performance management strategy is the low turnover rate that the company has had. This characteristically low turnover rate has enabled the Southern company to possess older, more seasoned and more tenured personnel . It is against this backdrop that over the years, Southern Company has been able to nurture a group of leaders that are in possession of a profound depth of business knowledge and who are strongly aligned with Southern Company's organizational culture. The maintenance of a low turnover is in turn a complex result of performance management strategy. This is because performance management strategy involves proper determination of performance goals, correctional measures to seal performance gaps and the extension of incentives. All these factors are important in extirpating high turnover. The drawing up of proper performance goals ensures employees are provided with the right of amount of work [and therefore reducing the risks of overworking or underperformance] while the sealing of performance gaps have to be humane enough to inculcate both a sense of belonging and challenge. The extension of incentives such as promotions, higher emoluments, grants and acts of acknowledgement directl y dissuade employees from seeking greener pastures, and thereby abating high turnover. Another way in which Strategic leaders for Southern Company h