Session overview
In this Session, you will learn about three key aspects of performance improvement.
These are:
The importantance of continuously improving your own performance
Describing ways of improving your own performance
Identifying different career paths available.
Before you get started, click to find out what you will learn during this Session.
When you're ready to get started, click to move on to Page 2 and learn all about improving your own performance in a business environment.
What will you learn?
By working through this Session, you will cover the following criteria of your Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Business and Administration qualification:
The learner will:
6. Understand the purpose of improving own performance in a business environment and how to do so
The learner can:
6.1. Explain the purpose of continuously improving own performance in a business environment
6.2. Describe ways of improving own performance in a business environment
6.3. Identify different types of career pathways that are available
Improving performance
Performance and efficiency
All businesses strive to be the best.
This can mean producing the best products and services while being as efficient as possible. This has implications for the organisation as a whole and for individual employees.
Business performance ties in with employee performance in the following ways:
Encouraging individual improvement
For an organisation to survive and grow it must continuously improve its performance. When an organisation makes changes, employees will have to make changes in what they do and how they do it.
If employees can't or won't change their working habits, they will struggle to stay in their organisation. For example, imagine you're a clerk used to paper filing systems. Computers are more efficient at holding such data so you might need to learn how to use computer systems if your organisation changes systems.
Progression for people who improve
Employees who get better at their job and produce improved results are more likely to be given opportunities to advance in an organisation. They are more likely to receive training and promotion opportunities, which can in turn have a positive impact on a person's long-term career prospects.
Rewards for people who improve what they do
In many jobs an element of the pay structure is based upon productivity and output. If an employee can improve his or her output they may be able to earn more money. For example if a sales professional who is paid 100% on commission can double sales there is a real prospect that their pay will be significantly increased.
Greater job satisfaction
A small proportion of people will enjoy the predictability of a never-changing job. However, there are many people who prefer a job that has variety and change. For this group of people, a business environment where there is continuous improvement is more attractive and more likely to result in job satisfaction.
A personal commitment to continuously improving your work helps to guard against complacency. You are then actively thinking about what you do, being more engaged by your work and making an ongoing contribution.
Learn to improve
How to improve
Improvement can take place in the following ways:
Learning from mistakes
Learning from performance reviews
Learning from the observations of other
In a nutshell!
The first step to performance improvement is to recognise that one aspect of your performance must be improved.
Learn from mistakes
Don't be afraid...
In business, tasks are done to agreed standards within an appropriate timescale.
Sometimes factors outside your control may cause a problem, for example, a machine breaks down or a component is not delivered on time. Here, your responsibility is to try and get the problem resolved and to keep people informed.
However, there may be times when your performance is the problem. Click for some examples of mistakes and the best way