Performance Management

Course Code: H402

Term Paper:
Performance Management Evaluation of Grameenphone

PREPARED FOR:
Ahmed Pasha
Adjunct Faculty
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka

PREPARED BY:

Urbana Raquib Rodosee (72)

Atia Ibnat Taree (79)
Arman Bin Islam (82)
Adnan Ataullah (86)
Sadman Tasmin (88)
Batch: 27th
Team: Back To Back
IBA, University of Dhaka

Date of Submission:
May 31, 2022
 Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal...................................................................................................

Acknowledgement.....................................................................................................

Executive Summary.................................................................................................

1 Introduction.........................................................................................................

1.1 Background of the study...............................................................................

1.2 Aims and Objectives.....................................................................................

1.3 Methodology.................................................................................................

1.4 Limitations....................................................................................................

2 Literature Review................................................................................................

2.1 Performance Management............................................................................

2.2 The Strategic planning processes..................................................................

2.3 Performance Dimensions..............................................................................

2.4 Performance measurement system................................................................

2.5 Ideal PM System...........................................................................................

3 Industry Overview...............................................................................................

3.1 General HR Practices in the industry............................................................

3.2 Challenges.....................................................................................................

4 Company Overview............................................................................................

4.1 Grameenphone Limited................................................................................

4.2 Vision, Mission, Values..............................................................................

5 Interview Findings from Grameenphone..........................................................

5.1 The strategic Planning Process...................................................................

5.2 Employee Onboarding................................................................................

 5.3 Setting Employee Objectives......................................................................

5.4 Parameters used for PM..............................................................................

5.5 Performance Dimensions used for PM.......................................................

5.6 Approaches used for Measuring Performance............................................

5.7 Performance Measurement System of GP..................................................

5.8 Performance Assessment............................................................................

5.9 Process Transparency..................................................................................

5.10 Appraisal Periods and Number of meetings...............................................

5.11 Feedback System........................................................................................

5.12 Employee Training and Development........................................................

5.13 PM System of GP at a glance.....................................................................

6 Impact of Covid-19...........................................................................................

7 Recommendation...............................................................................................

8 Conclusion.........................................................................................................

9 References.........................................................................................................
 Letter of Transmittal

Date: May 31, 2022

Ahmed Pasha
Adjunct Faculty
IBA, University of Dhaka

Subject: Submission of term paper on “Performance Management Evaluation of

Grameenphone”.

Dear Sir,
With due respect and humble submission, we would like to present the following term paper
on “Performance Management Evaluation of Grameenphone” as a requirement for the
completion of the course, Performance Management (H402). Writing this report has been an
extremely interesting and rewarding experience. It enabled us to get an insight into the
practical arena of Performance Management and more specifically into in the telecom
industry. Kindly accept our humble effort of bringing forward our evaluation and findings on
the subject matter.
Please note that this report has been prepared under your supervision. Under no
circumstances will this be shared or republished without your authorization.

Sincerely,

Urbana Raquib Rodosee (72)

Atia Ibnat Taree (79)

Arman Bin Islam (82)

Adnan Ataullah (86)

Sadman Tasmin (88)

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 Acknowledgement

We would like to express our utmost gratitude towards our course instructor, Sir Ahmed
Pasha, for assigning us with such an insightful and creative task. Our sincere thanks also go
to Habib Gazi- Talent & Employer Branding Expert of Grameenphone, for making time out
of his busy schedule to give us an insightful interview and for helping us out with our
paperwork.

This term paper was the exact representation of what the course requirements of
‘Performance Management’ should look like. Starting from taking online interview, knowing
about the practical implications of performance management in Grameenphone Ltd., the
whole experience was a learning curve for us. The process of how Grameenphone Limited
uses different parameters for evaluation, the feedback, and the different challenges they had
to face paints a holistic picture of performance management for us. Overall, this report was
an equally challenging and enlightening experience for us. Therefore, we cordially thank our
course instructor for this opportunity and look forward to working on more of such
challenging projects.

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 Executive Summary

In this term paper, we delved into the Performance Management system of Grameenphone
and analyzed the processes that include determination of performance benchmark, the
feedback method and also the employees’ perspective about these methods. The details and
dimensions of an ideal performance management system is also explained in this report
highlighting the existing practices in Grameenphone. This paper has mainly focused on HR
practices such as onboarding, employee goals setting, parameters used for employee
evaluation, performance assessment processes and employee motivation at Grameenphone
Following a brief overview of the key players of the telecom industry, we discussed specific
issues related to HR practices and challenges. Our study led us to some insightful conclusions
after thoroughly analyzing the data collected from both primary and secondary data sources.

We have conducted a perceptive interview with the Talent & Employer Branding Expert of
Grameenphone to gather necessary information regarding the relevant HR practices and
existing performance management system, and we have used Journal articles, papers, and
information from reliable websites to gather secondary data. We have looked deeper into the
approaches for measuring performance, assessed the process transparency, analyzed the
existing feedback system, performance appraisal and have briefly discussed training and
development of employees.

The study also focused on various challenges faced by GP during and after the Covid-19
pandemic and what they did to cope with the new normal. Apart from shifting to a virtual
platform, the report also states the steps GP took to combat the safety and security challenges
associated with their on-field sales team. Additionally, we have highlighted how Telenor has
actively taken part in the global battle against coronavirus.

At the end of this report, we have provided specific recommendations for identifying and
working on the potential room for improvement based on our analysis of HR practices and
the performance management system.

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1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
Performance management is a comprehensive and integrated approach to achieving long-term
success for a business by enhancing the performance of its employees and expanding the
skills of teams and individual contributors (Hasnat, 2011). Employee motivation and
performance have risen because of the implementation of a performance management system
(Pulakos. E, 2021). It achieves peak performance by establishing appropriate work
expectations and defining clear, attainable goals (Lalwani. P, 2020).

Dealing with people has become a concern in this era of globalization; it is difficult to assess
the performance of individuals or workers in an organization (Natter. E, 2020). As a result,
monitoring the performance of human resources in a business is becoming more critical
(Carpi, Douglas & Gascon, 2017). Employees devoted to the Performance Management
System are rare in Bangladeshi firms (Rishi. P, 2021). Grameenphone has discovered this
problem and is attempting to address it to boost staff productivity (GPStrategies, 2022). A
changing regulatory, technical, and competitive environment has brought new possibilities
and challenges to the telecom business (Gaibi & Jones, 2021).

Grameenphone (GP) began offering mobile phone services on March 26,1997 and has since
grown to become the country's biggest mobile phone provider (GP, 2022). Its subscriber base
has significantly expanded, as has its coverage throughout the nation (Daily Sun, 2022). With
the rise in subscribers and revenues, Grameenphone also has large number of employees, and
it is vital for them to assess employee performance to identify individuals who are putting out
effort in their tasks and reaching targets. As a result, we chose Grameenphone Limited to
learn about their performance management process from the ground up.

1.2 Aims and Objectives

Research Aim: The aim of this term paper is to understands the performance management
system of Grameenphone and provide a holistic picture of our understanding and findings of
the process.

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Research Objectives

1. To determine the procedures for evaluating employee performance at Grameenphone

Ltd.
2. To identify the various parameters used to assess employee performance.
3. To grasp the modifications in performance evaluation practices that occurred during
the Covid-19 pandemic.
4. To determine the performance benchmark and the feedback method.
5. To analyze the difficulties encountered throughout the evaluation and how workers
feel about the methods.

1.3 Methodology

This whole paper is prepared with both primary and secondary resources. For the primary
data collection, we have taken interview of Habib Gazi - Talent & Employer Branding Expert
of Grameenphone., who has given us with valuable insights about the performance
management system in their organization.

For the secondary data collection, various research papers, journal articles and authentic
websites are used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. However, different time
frame of the journal or research papers may cause the data in the paper to differ from the
actual situation.

1.4 Limitations

Owing to situational factors and time constraints, we were able to conduct interview through
online. With online interview and time limitations, the interviewer did not have enough time
to go over everything and did not want to provide much information due to a confidentiality
concern. Furthermore, since the interview was not conducted in person, we were unable to
get feedback from the employees.

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2 Literature Review
2.1 Performance Management
Performance management is a method for improving the performance of an organization by
improving the performance of its individuals and teams. (DeCenzo, 2013) It is a way for
organizations, teams, and individuals to get better results by understanding and managing
performance within an agreed-upon framework of planned goals, standards, and competence
requirements. There are ways to make sure everyone agrees on what needs to be done and to
manage and develop people in a way that makes it more likely that the goals will be met in
the short and long term. Line management owns and drives it. (Armstrong, 2006)

2.2 The Strategic planning processes

Participating in an activity or process that is related to the workforce in order to develop,
optimize, or enhance an entity's ability to contribute to positive business outcomes is an
illustration of strategic workforce planning. (Sparkman, 2018) This activity or process can be
carried out by an organization, a team, or a function.

At its most fundamental level, strategic workforce planning is a framework for conducting an
analysis of both the current state of the workforce and the desired future state of the
workforce. By evaluating the various states of the workforce at several different points in
time, one can get a better idea of whether or not there is a disconnect between where the
company is with its employees at the present time and where it should be with those same
employees in the future. This type of analysis, if done correctly and with the appropriate
support and direction, will shed light on specific areas in the workforce that require attention
to reach the desired state.

The goal of Strategic Workforce Planning is to align the organization's current and future
workforce with its strategy. The organizational strategy is dependent on the different
components or functions of the business, which are dependent on the people who work in
these functions. (Sparkman, 2018)

Organizations can create the right recruiting and development strategies for future success
with effective workforce planning and management. Workforce planning identifies the roles
that drive profitability and results and assists the organization in managing the talent pipeline
required to fill these critical positions. (Performance Management Partners(PMP), 2022)

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2.3 Performance Dimensions
There are many different estimates of the performance dimensions, but the idea that
conceptual and task performance both contribute independently to overall performance is
consistent across all of them. There are several metrics that can be used to evaluate an
employee's performance. It is important to make a distinction between task performance and
contextual performance because the two involve distinct patterns of behavior, have distinct
antecedents, and contribute independently to supervisors' judgments about individuals'
overall worth to the organization. (Scotter, 1994)

2.4 Performance measurement system

The topic of performance measurement is one that has garnered a significant amount of
attention over the course of the past few decades. There are many reasons why performance
measures should be used in a company, but perhaps the most important one is the fact that, if
implemented effectively, they will assist in making the company more productive. When it
comes to a company's ability to remain competitive and generate profits over the course of
time, productivity is of the utmost significance. In today's highly competitive business
environment, a company that is unable to effectively utilize its resources in the process of
producing value for its clients cannot expect to remain in business for very long.
Nevertheless, the task of developing performance measurement systems (i.e., sets of
measures) that are fully functional and suitable has proven to be an extremely difficult
endeavor. (Tangen, 2004)

Employee performance measurement is merely a snapshot of how an employee is performing

at a given point in time. Comprehensive performance reviews should be based on an average
of snapshot metrics accumulated over time. Performance evaluations should be a continuous
process, not an annual event. By identifying problems early and developing solutions that can
evolve more organically, regular feedback can keep the ship from veering too far off course.
The measurement system should be designed to meet the needs of the organization, whether
mechanical or absolute. (A. Aggarwal, 2013) (Business Owner's Playbook, n.d.)

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2.5 Ideal PM System
An ideal Performance Management System (PMS) enhances management by providing a
strategic focus, useful performance measures, goals, and benefits, and it enhances
accountability by providing data on accountability and performance. (Forsythe, 2001)

An ideal PMS is integrated in the operations of the organization intricately. It is coherent,

comprehensive, and consistent. (Bryson, 2014)

The ideal type of performance management is made up of several loosely connected

management fields. As a result, various performance measurement practices shape various
managerial improvement strategies. Feeding a diverse range of performance information to
these management functions results in different ways of incorporating this information, and
this difference in incorporation corresponds to different ways of using information (Vainieri,
2019). Its measurement scope includes inputs, processes, and outputs; there is also an
awareness of managerial effectiveness within the organization, so outcomes are also
considered. Whereas the ideal type of performance management considers measurement
systems to be neutral, this model assumes that they influence the behavior of those being
measured, beginning with dysfunctional effects. (Van Thiel, 2002)

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3 Industry Overview
In Bangladesh, as of 2021, the number of mobile phone subscribers stood at 170.14 million
(Statista, 2021). This industry directly contributed $13 billion in the GDP of Bangladesh as of
2013 (Databd, 2018). This sector directly or indirectly employs over 760,000 people in
Bangladesh. Telecom industry also has significant impact on the country’s GDP as
Grameenphone itself is the country’s highest corporate taxpayer, paying Tk. 29.73 billion in
the fiscal year 2020 (The Financial Express, 2020). By 2017, Bangladesh became the fifth
largest telecom market in the APAC. The penetration rate for this industry now stands at
92.1%. On average, subscribers own 1.7 SIM cards.

This huge market is dominated by 4 players only: Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and
Teletalk. Among these companies, except for Teletalk, all the others are owned by private
entities. Among them, Grameenphone is the market leader (46%), followed by Robi (28%),
Banglalink (23%) and Teletalk (3%). The merger of Bharti Airtel and Robi in 2016 was the
biggest merger deal to take place in the Bangladeshi corporate scenario. Grameenphone and
Robi are the only ones listed in the stock market of the country.

Most of the users in the country use mobile phones for basic services like calls and data
usage, which results in one of the lowest subscribers ARPU levels in the world. The advent of

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4G and 5G were thought to be impactful on the market but the adoption and service quality
has not been satisfactory.

3.1 General HR Practices in the industry

The top 3 players in the market, Grameenphone, Robi Axiata and Banglalink put significant
effort on their general HR and performance management approaches. Some general and
common HR practices in the industry will be discussed here. Since these players financially
perform well, all of them recruit candidates with high potential. After recruitment,
onboarding and orientation sessions are taken to familiarize the new recruits with the
organization.

In terms of performance management, in most cases, the line managers and the employees in
collaboration set the individual performance goals. These goals are, of course tied with the
overall corporate goals of the organization. Their performance is measured against the set
KPIs. If employees outperform, quarterly awards and recognition is very common in this
industry. If they underperform, the gap in goals and performance is analyzed to see where the
employee can improve. Upon feedback session from the evaluators and the line managers,
employees can take necessary training to upskill themselves.

One key trend in the telecom industry that stands out is training and development. Since the
field is constantly evolving, heavy focus is put on training. Grameenphone, Robi and
Banglalink offer the employees relevant courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy
where they can learn anything that ranges from UI design to design thinking. This gives the
employees the liberty to upskill themselves accordingly. Grameenphone partners up with
global business school like INSEAD for training its top-level employees on leadership and
management. In Robi Axiata, if an employee wants to perform in a different function, the
company provides them the required training for switching. Regarding compensation, other
than basic salaries, employees enjoy different fringe benefits. Public companies like
Grameenphone and Robi also pays out in profit share to employees.

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3.2 Challenges
In the Bangladeshi telecom industry, there are 2 key HR challenges that the organizations
have to face.

Headhunting: There are only 4 players in the market and the technical and operation
functions of the players are somewhat similar. This poses a risk because any company can
offer higher benefits and compensation to lure in a star worker of an organization. Employee
retention is a key challenge for this industry.

Constant Innovation: In a highly competitive market which largely depends on technology,

newer trends and practices are very commonly adapted in the industry. This comes with its
own challenge of constantly innovating and newer HR practices around it. These fast
adaptations might come as a challenge for the companies.

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4 Company Overview
4.1 Grameenphone Limited
Grameenphone Ltd., headquartered in Bashundhara, is the biggest mobile
telecommunications operator in Bangladesh in terms of revenue, coverage and subscriber
base (GP, 2022). The company was established as a private limited company on October
10,1996 and got a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of
Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996 (Urmi, 2016). Grameenphone began
operations on March 26, 1997, Bangladesh's Independence Day. Grameenphone Ltd.,
commonly known as GP, is currently the nation's biggest cellular provider, with over 83
million members as of 2021, with plans to reach the majority of the country (Daily Sun,
2022).

The primary shareholders of GP are Telenor

Mobile Communications AS (55.80 %) and
% Share
Grameen Telecom (34.20 %), with the Public; 10.00%
remainder of the ownership made up of the
public and other institutions (10.00 %) (GP,
2022). Grameenphone Ltd. serves customers in
GP, Telenor;
both rural and urban areas of Bangladesh, where 34.20% 55.80%
mobile telecommunications are a key driver of
socioeconomic growth (SSL, 2022). The
company wants to harness the potential of digital communication to help people improve
their lives, create communities, and ensure a brighter future for everyone (Silicon Review,
2018). In addition, the company has always been a leader in the local telecom sector when it
comes to launching innovative goods and services (Globe, 2022).

Grameenphone Ltd. established a countrywide network. As of December 2021, the

company's network reached over 99 percent of Bangladesh's population with 2G & 3G
services and over 92 percent with high-speed 4G services (GP, 2022). On February 19, 2018,
the company received a license for 4G/LTE cellular mobile phone services (Daily Sun,
2022). Grameenphone Ltd. has spent more than BDT 313 billion on network infrastructure so
far (Datanyze, 2022). It is one of the country's major taxpayers, having paid about BDT 585
billion in direct and indirect taxes to the government since its creation (GP, 2022).

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4.2 Vision, Mission, Values
The appropriate and current use of technology, according to GrameenPhone Ltd., is the key
to a nation's growth. GP is continually bringing forward-thinking technologies to help you
improve (Urmi, 2016). GrameenPhone promises to bring the most cutting-edge
communication technology to the table, allowing us to "Go Beyond" (GP, 2022).

Vision

“We exist to help our customers get the full benefit of communications services in their daily
lives. We’re here to help”

Mission

Grameenphone is the primary reliable mode of communication in Bangladesh, connecting

people to their loved ones and the essential things in their life via an unrivaled network,
relevant innovations, and services.

Empower societies

They enable everyone to improve their lives, establish society, and ensure a brighter future
for everyone via the power of digital communication.

Core Values

 Make It Easy: Everything they make should be simple to comprehend and apply.
They strive to make the lives of their consumers simpler.
 Keep Promises: Everything should be in fine working order. They're there to make
things right if it doesn't. It's all about delivering, not promising too much. It's about
deeds, not words.
 Be Inspiring: They're resourceful. They infuse their work with vitality and
originality. Everything they make should be current and fresh.
 Be Respectful: They are aware of and respectful of the culture of the area. Wherever
they operate, they aim to be a part of the local community. They seek to assist
consumers with their unique requirements in the most convenient manner possible.

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 5 Interview Findings from Grameenphone
Performance management refers to the continuous process of identifying, measuring, and
developing the performance of individuals and team members and aligning that performance
with the goals of the organization. (Dessler, 2017 ) Grameenphone is one of the leading
telecom companies in our country and has been contributing to the betterment of our country
and its people since 1997. Let’s look at how Grameenphone manages the performance of its
employees.

5.1 The Strategic Planning Process

Unlike traditional organizations, GP follows a strategic planning process to ensure that the
establishment and implementation of the organization’s mission, vision, objectives, and
values are done accurately. The entire Strategic planning process of GP is briefly explicated
below.

Steps of the SPP Grameenphone’s SPP

Establish the mission, vision, and The mission, vision, and values of GP are determined by keeping the
values corporate objective in mind and through keeping all the stakeholders
involved in this process.

Develop objectives Employees set their own goals and objectives and are actively involved
with their line managers throughout this process.

Analyze the external environment The company conducts market study and policy surveys to analyze the
external market.

Identify competitive advantage GP analyzes the findings from the market studies and surveys to identify
their competitive advantage, so that they can build their strategies
around that.

Determine the competitive The company sets benchmark against the best companies of the similar
position industry through using a scientific approach.

Implement the strategy GP assigns different job tasks to employees belonging to different Job
roles that contribute to the completion of the company's strategic goals

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Evaluate the performance There are quarterly meetings arranged to keep the line manager aware of
the employee progress and there is one final employee appraisal meeting
at the end of the year.

5.2 Employee Onboarding

Usually in this stage, employees accept the job offer, sign relevant contracts, and attend
orientations to get a better idea about the company. The Scenario is similar in GP as well. In
this stage, employees are provided with necessary tools that are required for the job. Briefings
are held on topics related to health and security, ethics, and code of conduct so that
employees know what rules and regulations follow. The employees then sign relevant
contracts that imply that have understood the procedures and they agree to comply with
them. After the briefing procedure the employees are handed over to the line manager and
then the employees start working.

5.3 Setting Employee Objectives

In this process GP maintains most the characteristics that Good Employee Objectives should
have. The employee goals are Specific and clear, employees set their own goal by using a
format given by the company, while ensuring that their line managers agree with them. The
goals are time bound, meaning that employees need to complete their objectives by the end of
the year. The goals are achievable since employees set the goals themselves. The objectives
are clearly communicated with all stakeholders and lastly the goals can be revisited through
discussions with the line manager in the quarterly progress tracking meetings.

5.4 Parameters used for PM

Grameenphone uses both the quantitative and qualitative parameters to evaluate employee
performance. However, they mainly focus on the qualitative aspects of performance. For
instance, during employee evaluation the following qualitative parameters are kept in mind.

1. Keeping Promises: In this aspect, employees are evaluated based on their ability to
keep up to their words. For instance, if an employee promises to conduct 10 training
sessions in 1 year, the evaluators will see whether the employee has been able to
complete what he/she had promised or not. Since employees set their own goals, this
parameter is important in determining the level of performance.

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 2. Be Respectful: maintaining the code of conduct is important for an employee at GP.
Since GP emphasizes a lot on how employees do their jobs, this parameter is
important as well.
3. Create together: GP firmly believes in growing collectively. If an employee exhibits
pro citizenship behaviors, then that will positively impact his/her performance
evaluation.
4. Always Explore: GP tries to encourage innovation among its employees. If an
employee is open to new ideas and techniques and incorporates that into GP’s work,
then that has a positive impact on the employee’s performance evaluation.

5.5 Performance Dimensions used for PM

At GP both the Task performance and Contextual performance is taken into consideration
while evaluating the performance of an employee in the PM process. The company’s ultimate
goal of conducting performance is to identify how much impact has the employees created
within the organization. They focus on both what and how part of the performance. Around
80% of the goals set by the employees must be met for their performance to be considered as
impactful.

5.6 Approaches used for Measuring Performance

GP follows the Behavior approach to determine the level of performance employees exhibit.
The behavior approach states that performance is about behavior or what employees do, not
about what employees produce or the outcomes of their work. GP focuses a lot on how
employees do their jobs. They focus on the attitude and behavior that employees exhibit
while they achieve their goals. While evaluating employees they keep in mind the core
behaviors that they employees must exhibit. The four behaviors are as follows, keep
promises, be respectful, create together, and always explore.

5.7 Performance Measurement System of GP

At GP there is a standardized procedure for performance evaluation and management. That
standardized system is called Division Forums. This Division Forum follows the Absolute
measurement system to evaluate employees. Through this system employees are evaluated
against the goals that they set for themselves instead of being compared with the performance
of other employees. In the division forums inputs regarding the employee performance are

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collected from both the employees and the line mangers and after the collections of
information is over, the performance evaluation discussion is held at the forum.

5.8 Performance Assessment

The employees are assessed through three sources which are briefly mentioned below.

1. Self-assessment: At first employees assess themselves and their assessments in the

Division Forums.
2. Line Manager assessment: Line manager also assesses the employees and sends
their assessments into the Division Forums
3. Senior Leader assessment: In the Division Forum, the senior leaders take both the
assessments from the employee and the line manager into consideration, and start a
discussion where all parties involved are present. The senior leaders finally provide
their evaluations of employees and send it to the respective line mangers so that they
can take reward related decisions.

5.9 Process Transparency

All the feedbacks from employees, line managers and senior leaders, and relevant
information are available in the Division Forum to ensure the transparency of the system.
Cross functional approach is used to ensure transparency. For instance, there is a mix of
Managers from different departments in the evaluation process so that there are diverse
perspectives there and discussions don’t lead to personal levels. HR Business partners attend
these sessions to monitor and guide these sessions.

5.10 Appraisal Periods and Number of meetings

For the performance management in GP there are three quarterly meetings and one final
appraisal meeting at the end of the year. In the quarterly meeting the employee and line
mangers catch up with each other and discuss about their performance progress. The final
appraisal meeting is held through the Division Forum as we have discussed before.

5.11 Feedback System

After the line manager receives the final evaluation from the senior leaders, he/she writes
feedback of the employee and submits it in the forum, After the submission. the line manager
conducts a qualitative discussion with the employee regarding their strengths and areas where

14
 performance can be improved. They also discussion about future development areas of that
employee.

5.12 Employee Training and Development

At GP there are defined learning path for certain functions and job roles. The learning and
development team caters to those needs and requirements. Other than that, usually training
and development programs are arranged when there is a gap between the existing skills
among the employees and the skill required to complete job requirements. For instance, if an
employee feels that he/she needs to acquire a certain skill for the completion of a job task
then the training programs are arranged after getting approval from the line manager and the
Learning and Development team.

5.13 PM System of GP at a glance

If we look at the performance management system of GP briefly it will be evident that it
fulfills almost all the criteria of an Ideal PM System.

Criteria Grameenphone’s Status

Congruent with All departmental goals are aligned with GP’s corporate objectives.
organizational

strategy

Thorough Employees from all levels are evaluated throughout the year and given feedback on
their performance.

Practical Their standardized system Division Forum is easy to use and accepted by all
stakeholders.

Meaningful The standards used for performance evaluation is meaningful to all the parties
involved and the system provides constructive feedback.

Specific The company provide a formal guideline so that employees can set their own goals
and supervisors only measure what employees ca control.

Reliable The system is monitored by several relevant parties to ensure its reliability.

Acceptable and Fair All the feedbacks and information are available in the Division Forum to ensure the

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 transparency of the system.

Inclusive Represents the concerns of employees, line managers and all other relevant parties
involved.

Open Communication between all parties are factual and honest. Leaders of different
departments are also involved in this process to ensure that the evaluations are not
biased.

Correctable There is an option for appeals. Employees can raise their concern regarding their
evaluation through the Division Forum.

Standardized The line manager and senior personnel are trained on leadership qualities, and they
provide consistent evaluation based on facts.

Ethical GP takes ethics and code of conduct very seriously. To ensure ethical performance
management practices leaders from different departments are included in the
evaluation process. HR business partners are also involved in this discussion so that
the evaluation and non-biased, ethical and objective.

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6 Impact of Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic more or less affected every industry around the world and
technically affected every company in every industry. Grameenphone was no exception
either. In the HR function, the primary challenge Grameenphone faced was to switch to a
virtual platform. During the first few months of the lockdown, conducting and attending
office in-person was virtually impossible.

Platform Shift: Grameenphone quickly adopted a virtual platform for working. The primary
platform for communication and work were Microsoft Teams. Since MS Teams was a
relatively new platform that was not very heavily used by the employees, proper training and
tutorial were given to the employees to make them familiar with the platform. Since it was a
one-stop p[platform for meeting, text communication and work file sharing, this was the
principal mode of communication and work used by Grameenphone during the pandemic.

When the Ministry of Health announced a full lockdown in the country. Grameenphone
quickly shifted to a WFH format of working. Through the use of MS Teams, 85% of the
workforce was working from home during the pandemic. While office workers could switch
to full time working from home, the same was not the case for the members of the on-field
sales force. They had to operate outside on location. For them proper training session was
taken by medical professionals to teach about safety guidelines. They were provided with a
constant supply of facemasks, PPE uniform (during the initial days of the pandemic), and
hand sanitizer. Since they did not have the comfort and safety from working within the
confines of their home, Grameenphone ensured that no health risk befell them on-site. As
there was a increased demand for data, the number of SIM card sales also grew up. The
designated members of the salesforce had to maintain strict guideline regarding social
distancing while interacting with customers.

Performance Standard and Evaluation: While there was a change in the environment and
surrounding, the KPIs and matrices for performance evaluation was not changed. As it has
been mentioned before that employee themselves can set their goals at Grameenphone, the
same practice remained during the pandemic. Employees could consider the difference
between the office workplace and their home and set their goals accordingly. In alignment
with the corporate goals and personal goals, they could set their own KPIs with line managers
and work towards achieving the goals. The principal challenge that Grameenphone faced in
shifting to the WFH was not something related to the performance management. It was
teaching the employees to fully adapt to a virtual mode of working. But after several training
and tutorial sessions, this was resolved.

Motivation: To boost morale of the employees, online discussion sessions were taken
regularly. An employee could have conversation with their line managers online through MS
Teams. Different online courses sponsored by Grameenphone were offered to the employees
so they could utilize their time to learn some skills that they could put to use in their work.
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Counselling sessions with professional therapists were also available in an employee needed
them.

Since 85% of the workforce was working from home and it did not affect the performance
and productivity of the organization, Grameenphone did not instantly shift to in-person office
as soon as lockdown restrictions were loosened. The transition was slow. At first, employees
started coming to the office for important meetings only. Then there was provision for
coming to the office for a few days of the week. WFH was in practice still after the pandemic
ended and when the whole country had switched back to in-person office.

In line with Telenor’s global strategy in countries like Malaysia and Thailand, Grameenphone
as part of their CSR activities provided mobility data to health workers who were on the front
line of the battle against coronavirus. They also sent out regular “Stay Home” alert messages
to its subscribers. In collaboration with the ICT ministry of Bangladesh.

7 Recommendation
For the long term, these are our suggestions to improve the performance management at
Grameenphone:

Better Handling of Current Trend: Since trend adoption incurs a cost for the company,
Grameenphone should focus on trends that are likely to have an impact in the long run. For
instance, training the employees on Web3.0 is a trend that will be initially hard to adopt, but
will yield result in the long run.

Supply and Demand Gap: Recruits who can easily adapt to new technical innovations come
as an asset to companies in this industry. To reduce the demand and supply gap,
Grameenphone can launch bootcamps to train about-to-graduate university students to upskill
in technical areas. Also, a digital talent marketplace can be a vital asset for the future needs of
the company.

Act Like a Small Company: Small startups are more adept in agile thinking and learning.
They can pivot to any change very quickly. Implementing agile learning program among
employees can help adapt faster to new changes in the future.

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8 Conclusion
An effective and efficient performance management system is essential for any organization
to reach optimum output. This ensures employee motivation, better results, and synergy
within the activities. A standard framework of performance management allows the
organization’s ability to develop, optimize and enhance their overall performance for a
greater outcome. Grameenphone, one of the leading players in the telecom industry of
Bangladesh, has a well-structured performance management system in place to ensure steady
progress towards reaching their core objectives. Prioritizing qualitative performance and
evaluating employees based on both task and contextual performance allows GP to identify
the level of contribution of the employees within the organization. Employee assessments are
done through self-assessment, line-manager assessment and senior leader assessment
following a cross-functional approach to ensure transparency. This multiple level of
assessment gives management a better and clearer picture of the employee’s performance and
facilitates decision-making. The line managers are obliged to communicate the employees for
feedback and arrange for training and development if necessary. A thorough set of objectives,
convenient standardized system, fair and inclusive performance management system creates a
positive work environment and encourages learning and development.

GP quickly responded to the lockdown regulations during Covid-19 by shifting to MS teams

for remote working. Although very challenging at first, GP did a commendable job by
providing training the employees to operate and familiarize with the new normal. For the
sales team working on the field, GP arranged training sessions by medical professionals to
provide PPE and safety guidelines. During the WFH mode, employees had the liberty of
setting their own KPIs upon discussion with the line managers. These crisis periods are
essentially the time when human beings need to work together and be there for each other.
GP thoughtfully arranged counselling sessions and different online courses for employees to
boost morale and attend their mental health issues.

Grameenphone’s performance management system is an example of a system that works and

has been refined over the years. However, there are few aspects that they could potentially
include in the system in order to reach an even better standard and combat the internal and
external challenges of such a highly competitive industry.

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