The management of poor performance by front‐line managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the consistency in the management of poor performance by a group of experienced managers working at the same level in a service organisation which had a formal performance management process. Design/methodology/approach – A case study is developed using cognitive scripts to reveal how front‐line managers in a large service organisation dealt with the issue of poor performance. The nature of their scripts was also related to measures of the managers' experience. Findings – The management of poor performance is still fraught with inconsistency even among an experienced group of managers. Those who had been managers longest were the most likely to act consistently in this area. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on the perceptions of the managers all‐operating at the same level and in one organisation and it is not possible to generalise across other levels or organisations. Practical implications – The inconsistency of approach does suggest that organisations should at least review their procedures and facilitate the development of managers in this area. Originality/value – The paper presents the managers' voice on this area of their work, a perspective that is essential for management development in this area.