Return to this Discussion at least 3–4 times in the second week of the module to read additional responses to your initial postings and other recent postings. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made and the connections you have made with the Learning Resources. Respond to any questions or insightful comments provided by your colleagues to your initial posts and, if you wish, add additional posts.

Post 1
This post describes the sustainability of implementing an electronic performance appraisal system at an early childhood education organization. An efficient performance appraisal process is necessary to support the continuous improvement of teaching and to provide the highest quality care and education to young children. The organization’s culture is based on guiding HEART principles. One of the principles is accountability which involves the commitment to learning from mistakes and continuous improvement (Bright Horizons, 2014). A performance appraisal system for teachers supports these principles. The introduction of an electronic performance appraisal system offers a way to streamline and make a consistent process for measuring the achievement of goals, guiding training programs, structuring compensation packages, and human resource planning (Ullah et al., 2021). The sustainability of an efficient performance appraisal process impacts employee satisfaction and turnover (Ullah et al., 2021). As identified through the organization’s SWOT exercise, hiring and retention challenges threaten educational programming.
According to Walden University (2013), when determining the success and sustainability of a continuous improvement effort, consideration must be given to financial measures, meeting customers’ needs, following the best business practices, and learning and growth opportunities. The metrics that indicate success for these elements should be determined for implementing an electronic performance appraisal process. An additional way to establish a continuous improvement process within an organization is to align the positive outcomes with the organization’s culture. Since the guiding principles and mission of the organization align with the need for an efficient teacher performance appraisal system, it is more likely to embed into the organization’s culture easily. This increases the opportunity for the change to be sustainable.

his post includes an analysis of three peer-reviewed journal articles that support the continuous improvement effort of implementing an electronic performance appraisal system at an early childhood education organization. Specifically, the articles recognize the benefit of an electronic performance appraisal system in reaching the organization’s goals, as stated in the mission statement and guiding principles. The articles also identify the significance of employees’ characteristics and transformational leadership on the sustainability of continuous improvement plans. The rationale for how the articles are relevant to the sustainability of the proposed change for the early childhood education organization is provided.
Ullah et al. (2021) studied the relationship between the social perspective of organizational sustainability and the roles of electronic performance appraisals and transformational leadership. Ullah et al. (2021) defined sustainability as integrating economic, social, and environmental elements into an organization. Using this definition was a way to move beyond considering only effectiveness and efficiency as evaluation measures (Ullah et al., 2021). Electronic performance appraisals have helped organizations conduct the critical evaluation of employees while minimizing rater error and biases and improving employees’ attitudes about the organization (Ullah et al., 2021). Ullah et al. (2021) found that electronic performance appraisals positively impacted an organization’s social sustainability (creating a positive work environment and career growth opportunities). The introduction of technology to the performance appraisal process allowed employees to feel more confident in the results’ consistency, fairness, and objectivity, which resulted in their willingness and desire to continue with the process (Ullah et al., 2021).
Khattak et al. (2020) studied the relationship between employee trust in a leader and employees’ identification with the organization and participation in continuous improvement efforts. Khattak et al. (2020) defined organizational identification as the degree to which employees consider themselves by the same characteristics they consider the organization. They found that trust in a leader positively impacts organizational identification (Khattak et al., 2020). Trust is also critical in how an employee determines how to engage (or not) in a continuous improvement effort (Khattak et al., 2020). Any element of a continuous improvement plan that encourages open communication by which trust can be built positively influences how employees choose to engage and stay engaged in a continuous improvement effort (Khattak et al., 2020). Khattak et al. (2020) concluded that sharing information about an employee’s well-being or career can build an employee’s trust in the leader. Additionally, when employees understand that an organizational structure or process is fair, employees develop a stronger attachment to their organization and are willing to continue to engage in the process (Khattak et al., 2020).
Tortorella et al. (2021) examined the influence of teams’ characteristics on the sustainability of continuous improvement efforts. They found that employees’ seniority and age differentiate those teams that sustain a continuous improvement initiative and those that do not (Tortorella et al., 2021). Tortorella et al. (2021) controlled for those characteristics that have been found to influence the sustainability of continuous improvement efforts, such as leadership, processes, and culture. Those employees who identified with the organization’s values and goals were more likely to have worked for the organization for a longer time (Tortorella et al., 2021). These senior employees were found to more readily commit to the change process (Tortorella et al., 2021). The findings from the Tortorella et al. (2021) study may have implications for managers responsible for implementing continuous improvement efforts by informing how teams drive the initiatives are determined (Tortorella et al., 2021).
According to Walden University (2013), the sustainability of a continuous improvement effort is determined partly by how the initiative has been embedded into the culture. The early childhood education organization implementing an electronic performance appraisal process is a culture-rich organization with clearly articulated guiding principles and a mission statement. Establishing a consistent, unbiased approach to performance appraisals aligns with these organizational goals and supports the organization’s priority of growing teachers in a professional environment (Bright Horizons, 2014). The findings from Ullah et al. (2021) support that using a digital process encourages an organization’s social sustainability, including its ability to provide career growth opportunities. Khattak et al. (2020) introduced that trust impacts the sustainability of a continuous improvement effort. When an organization implements a performance appraisal process that opens communication and minimizes bias, it establishes trust between leaders and employees. Khattak et al. (2020) reinforce that a fair process enables employees to engage more readily and encourages their ongoing participation in the effort. Tortorella et al. (2021) introduced how team characteristics impact the success of a continuous improvement initiative. Employees who have been with an organization for an extended time are more likely to engage in a continuous improvement effort because they identify with the company’s ideals. The strong and evident culture at the early childhood education organization guides employees’ behavior. Those who stay with the company are likely to be aligned with these goals and more willing to support and engage in continuous improvement efforts. This engagement enables the change’s sustainability.
In summary, critical elements are needed to sustain an organization’s continuous improvement effort. According to Ullah et al. (2021), implementing an electronic performance appraisal initiative encourages fair and consistent evaluations of employees, which builds trust. Khattak et al. (2020) established that trust positively affects the sustainability of a continuous improvement effort, specifically when there is trust in leadership and organizational identification. Tortorella et al. (2021) found that team members with a long-term relationship with an organization are more likely to trust its decisions and relate to its goals. These characteristics positively impact the sustainability of any change effort. Therefore, initiating a continuous improvement effort that reinforces fairness and consistency while relating to the organization’s goals and culture encourages trust between leaders and employees. This trust reinforces employees’ willingness and belief in a change effort. Together, these elements encourage the sustainability of a continuous improvement plan.
Response1

Post 2
The sustainability of newly developed programs is identified as one of the biggest challenges in many institutions (Ramisio et al., 2019). I am relating the sustainability area to the new program that our educational institution is planning to implement. Medical students, after their two years of basic science medical course, appear for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), a three-step standardized exam that assesses the student’s ability to apply and analyze the medical knowledge, principles, and clinical skills and demonstrate the primary patient-centered skills (United States Medical Licensing Examination, n.d.). To prepare, perform and succeed, our institution has developed a new rigorous, comprehensive step exam preparation (CSEP) course, which is spread over five weeks and helps students to prepare in a systematic and structured manner.
This is a significant step for the students to get into clinical rotations. Hence, it is critical to implement the new program to help students enhance their preparations for these high-stake board exams. Moreover, evaluating the program’s needs is vital before its implementation. The balanced scorecard approach that the nurse leaders utilize to evaluate the performance and success of the program is a great measurement tool, which emphasizes four elements such as fiscal measures, which focus on the financial aspect of the programs, consumer needs that aim to meet the requirements of the customers that this change would impact; students, in this case, thirdly, standard business practices that look into the effectiveness of the program, and lastly the learning and growth; on what the organization has to do to sustain this change for the development and progress of the program (Walden University, 2013).
When the new programs are implemented, performance measurement and evaluations are essential before the start, during the program is running, and after every phase for continuous improvement, growth, and sustainability (Lynch-Cerullo et al. 2011).

Response 2