- What is performance?
- personal performance
- academic performance
- Job performance
- Organizational performance
- Performance evaluation
We explain what performance is in the personal, academic, work and organizational spheres. Also, how is it evaluated?
What is performance?
With the word performance we refer to the action of performing an assigned task, fulfilling an obligation or facing a job.
It is a very broad term that we can use in many contexts. However, it always has the meaning of the task accomplished: “Our soccer team has had a mediocre performance in the World Cup” or “The company's performance last year was excellent”, for example.
The origin of this word goes back to the Latin repignerate, which meant "to recover a delivered garment", that is, to rescue something that was pawned, that is, that was left as a guarantee of the word itself. In the Romance language, this verb became despingerare, with a meaning similar to the current one: we usually say that we have “pawned our word” when we commit to do something.
Consequently, complying with what was agreed upon means carrying out the word: recovering it, getting rid of the effort. Over time, the meaning of this expression changed from "paying a debt" to "performing a job", but retaining its original meaning of complying with what is expected of one.
In general, performance is of interest when it comes to measuring and controlling the way processes are carried out, whatever they are. For this you need to size and compare performance, either with others or with the same person at previous times, in order to check whether things are being done well or not.
They are synonyms of performance, therefore, the words performance, occupation, fulfillment, function or exercise, but also rescue or recovery, since this word is still used with its original meaning of "recover from commitment", although this meaning is today less frequent.
personal performance
Personal performance refers to the way in which a person carries out a task that was entrusted to him, whatever it may be. The personal performance of a soccer player refers to his participation in the team, as well as the personal performance of a employee It refers to the way he works. It would be the opposite of group performance, logically.
academic performance
When we refer to academic performance, we are talking about the performance that that person or that group of people have within an educational institution or committed to the generation of knowledge.
In this sense, academic performance can be synonymous with school performance, but only when it refers to student performance: how much and how well students learn. knowledge taught, how well they do on their exams, and evaluations. Good school performance is indicative of better learning.
However, we can also talk about the academic performance of professors, researchers or professors, to refer to their work within the institution: how much and how well they teach, how much and how well they publish articles and books, etc. .
Job performance
Work or professional performance refers to the areas of worked, whatever they are. Good job performance means that the work of a person or a group of them meets the expectations set by their supervisors or their evaluators, and this can translate into job improvements, such as a salary increase.
On the other hand, poor job performance is generally an indicator that something is not working in the work environment, either that some important element is missing, or that the human resource available is not ideal for the tasks to be performed.
Job performance is an area of study for human Resources (HR). It can be indicative of many things, not just a bad disposition on the part of the worker.
For example, a group of excellent workers who do not have the proper tools to do their job, or who are poorly organized to do it, are likely to perform poorly at work, even though they are putting all their effort and interest into it.
Organizational performance
Organizational performance refers to the way in which a organization fulfills its predetermined task. In other words, it is about the performance no longer of individuals, but of entire organizations: Business, institutions, even state and government entities. An organization is a human collective structured around an end.
Organizational performance encompasses the analysis of variables internal and external to the organization, which allow a better understanding of the way in which the system operates and, therefore, make better and more informed decisions.
Organizational performance is an important area of study in business administration. The specialists in it study the qualitative and quantitative variables of the organization to carry out a diagnosis and determine if it correctly complies with its objectives. goals and tasks, to what extent it does it or how it could do it.
Performance evaluation
Performance evaluation or performance evaluation is, in itself, an integral part of the study of performance, both personal and group, both work, academic or organizational. It consists of the design of methodological strategies, that is, methods, procedures, which allow an objective idea of how well things are going.
There are different ways of evaluating the performance of a worker or of a group or an organization, depending on who performs it or what instruments are used. In that sense, you can do:
- Self-evaluation: The person or group evaluates their own work.
- Peer assessment: Co-workers assess each other.
- Joint evaluation: Both the person or group and their supervisors evaluate the work done.
- Evaluation by the superior: Managers or bosses carry out the evaluation.
- Evaluation by the client.
In any case, the objective of the evaluation must always be to diagnose the problems existing, detect weaknesses and provide key information to optimize work and make better management decisions.