The President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has introduced a novelty in governance. He has decided to appraise his ministers to determine who is living up to expectation and who is not.
From where we operate from, we have not heard of an appraisal regime by any previous political administration in the country.
Last Monday, a deputy minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, told journalists that the President had started the process of appraising all ministers of state to determine how they discharged their duties in 2013.
Performance appraisals are put in place by various organisations to determine whether or not employees meet their targets.
They are not meant only to reward those who are performing and sanction the failures but also help put in place the mechanism for the provision of the tools for the effective discharge of tasks.
Modern appraisal systems are a very objective way of allocating rewards and compensations to all grades of employees.
The system offers the opportunity to the appraisee to set his or her targets, in consultation with his or her line manager. Therefore, the situation does not lend itself to imposition by employers.
Normally, state institutions do not go through the rigorous performance appraisal scheme associated with private sector organisations.
Those who do so in the public sector are unable to hold their employers to account because of the strict discipline and adherence to high standards associated with the scheme.
However, public institutions that are implementing the system are reaping the benefits of efficiency and the attainment of high profitability.
A case in point is the success story of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) which has used schemes such as performance appraisal and strategic tools such as the Balance Scorecard to sustain the profitability of the public newspaper business, the only state-owned media organisation to be paying dividend to the government.
Knowing what performance appraisal can do, we think the President has adopted the best method to assess his team to ensure that they deliver according to the targets they voluntarily set for themselves.
The President has begun the process of ensuring that his appointees help fulfil the promises the government made to the people.
As the person who hires and fires, the President can only do that through the scientific process of determining the output of his team.
We urge the appointees not to panic because performance appraisal is not a monster. They should remain focused and committed to the dream of the government’s agenda.
The Daily Graphic believes the team is aware that renewed mandate results from improved standards of living of the electorate.
Well done, Mr President, for the innovation.
